PROMISE... FOREVER..!!
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"I don't know much about LOVE, it's just when I see you my search ends.!!.."
It was one of the January's morning few years back. Manali was fully covered with white snow, let it be roads, trees, lakes, roofs of house, each and everything had covered itself with the blanket of snow. Atmosphere was silent too, very few tourists were interested to roam around this negative temperature environment. Also, very few shopkeepers had kept their shops open in this weather.
Ruchi found it difficult to walk on that snow, her yellow color boots were slipping and she tried to maintain her balance by holding the railing. The wind flown in her opposite direction, trying to take Ruchi with its flow. And Ruchi found that more difficult to climb up the steps with her heavy feet. At that sudden, Ruchi's right foot got slipped and she falls back, stepping down the two steps.
RUCHI- aahh... Ouch..!
Ruchi cried while adjusting her boots.
KARTIK- arey, lagi to nahi.?
Ruchi uplifts her face to look at the boy standing in front of her. She removes the snow from her hair and cheek and shook her head in denial.
RUCHI- naah.!
He got a smile on his face and bends down towards her. Ruchi found him dusting the snow from her clothes, her jacket and scarf moreover. Looking at his innocent face, Ruchi got a soft smile crept on her face.
RUCHI- actually... It is hurting here.
Ruchi forwards her right hand near him and points her left finger towards the right palm, all with her big dove shaped eyes. Kartik immediately chuckled looking at her kiddish pout and at the next moment he took her right palm in his hold. Placing his soft kiss on her skin, Ruchi felt his warm and soft touch. She blushed like a teenage girl at that moment, and her face turned into some red crimson color. She always used to blush like that with his touch, with his every lovable thing he does on her.
KARTIK- come, I will carry you on my back.
Ruchi's eyes twinkle with joy to hear him and at the next moment she immediately got up on his back. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ruchi rests herself on his back and Kartik holds her on his back like a baby panda is sleeping on his parents' back. Both of them looks at each other for a moment, with a light smile, after which Kartik started climbing the remaining steps.
It was a special day for them, it was their first relationship anniversary. Exactly before one year that was the same hill top where they have confessed their love for each other. That day, that moment flashed in front of Ruchi's eyes and she tightens the grip on his neck. She started humming one song which falls on Kartik's ears and he got a happy smile to hear her.
"Ek dinn aap yun humko mil jayenge....
Phool hi phool raho me khil jayenge...
Mene socha na tha..."
Kartik too hum with her, and their favourite song became more delightful at that time, giving that immense feeling to them. When Ruchi stopped in between as she didn't remembered the further lyrics, Kartik continued the song looking back at her.
"Ek dinn dil ki raho me apne liye...
Jal uthenge mohobbat ke itne diye..."
Ruchi's smile widened looking at him. He motioned his eyes at front again and Ruchi rests her face on his, while both of them singing together.
"Mene socha na tha..."
That difficult road became too easy for them as both of them had that moment of love with each other.
After sometime they finally reached at the hill top. Kartik put her down genteelly, both of them looking at the beautiful city of Manali totally looking white with the snow. As the day is moving towards evening, the yellow white lights of the shops and house too started glowing in that scene, and the overall view became more beautiful.
Ruchi's concentration interrupts when she felt his hands around her from back. She placed her hand on his cheek, he has rested his face on her shoulder.
RUCHI- I love you Kartik.
Ruchi whispered with her slightly shivering lips.
KARTIK- I love you too Ruchi.
Those magical words they didn't heard for the first time from each other, but definitely those felt again powerful for the nth time.
Life was so beautiful for them at that time. Ruchi experienced his love for every moment, his warm embrace always gives her that million happiness she craves for. They knew each other since their teenage days, and from one year of love relationship Ruchi and Kartik have found their soulmates in each other.
KARTIK- promise me that you'll be by my side for ever.
RUCHI- promise... Forever..!
Both of them closed their eyes and the time stopped for them at that moment, to experience the cool breeze hitting around them. That was another promise from Ruchi's side to him, to that crazy lover of hers. But Ruchi could not keep that promise, unfortunately, she could not fulfill his wish.!
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It was few years back when Ruchi had seen Kartik for the first time. She was standing in a queue of a general store near her house, waiting for her turn, when her eyes had fallen on the smart looking handsome teenage boy, sitting at a tea stall with his friends. Ruchi was seventeen at that time and Kartik was hardly twenty. She didn't understood what she exactly felt at that moment, but something in her heart she has got.
Looking at him in his red and white color football dress, ruffling his fingers onto his dark brown color hair, laughing at his friend's jokes, caressing his pointed jaw and the small dimple at his left cheek, Ruchi found each and everything cute and adorable about Kartik at that time. At that moment she felt something unexplainable, something to feel shy about. She felt thousands of butterflies dancing inside her when she heard his heavy adolescent voice.
"Bhaiya, chaar chai dena..."
Ruchi suddenly turns her face at the queue in front of her, after which she didn't dared to face him again. How a "pehela nasha, pehela khumaar" feeling she went through at that instant. A crush, an attraction, her love at first sight.? She questioned herself inside her heart and all she got as an answer was those butterflies dancing at more intensity into her.
From that day, whenever Ruchi visits that general store, her eyes would search for him, for Kartik, but she could not find him again. Months went, and it was the time of winters of that year. Ruchi and her younger sister Tani had taken their extra activity class for ice skating. At her first week Ruchi had fallen unwell and she could not go for the class with Tani. Hence Tani had to visit skating classes alone for the first seven days.
TANI- wait wait, my friend is also coming.
Tani had said to Ruchi, when at their second week they were about to start with their practice class. In that one week, Tani had made a friend for her, not-so-surprising for Ruchi.! As shy is Ruchi, as dashing is Tani, opposite sides of same blood.
RUCHI- uff, kab araha hai tumhara dost.?
Ruchi questioned her after almost fifteen minutes, she has already started feeling annoyed with her sister's friend. When Tani gave an unknown look, Ruchi sighed in disbelief.
RUCHI- tu rukte baith apne dost ke liye, I am leaving.
She turns towards the skating ring when Tani stopped her.
TANI- yaar ruk ja na. We both start together, daily.
Ruchi again shook her head in disbelief, she folded her hands near her chest and turns her sight around them to look for any boy coming towards them.
RUCHI- tujhe kya zarurat thi dost-wost banane ki.? Our classes are for just three months.
Tani gave a smile at Ruchi and placed a pat on her back.
TANI- you are too much Ruchi. Wo bhaiya bohot ache hai. I mean my friend, Kartik.
Ruchi made a face at her and went silent for another ten minutes. Finally when she loose her entire patience, Ruchi turns around towards the ring and was about to leave from there when she heard Tani's voice.
TANI- Ruchi... He is here.
Ruchi turns to face him with her angery face, when at that moment her anger melt down in a blink.
Witnessing the same person for the second time in her life, Ruchi again felt that unknown feelings inside her. She has not forgotten his face, neither his voice, and again those butterflies has started making their entry inside her stomach. She has missed him, these many days she used to wait for his one glimpse near that store and could never see that football player again. And now when she has witnessed him again in front of her, her happiness had no bound.
KARTIK- hey Tani.
Ruchi heard him, standing right in front of them with that cute smile. Her heart has already started pumping at its full and she was finding that embarrassed, what if anyone heard her pumping heart.? She noticed him turning towards her after a moment, he has passed a smile of gesture at her and Ruchi stood their rooted. After that she didn't heard anything around her and was just staring him with her blank face. Tani and Kartik were talking with each other, Tani was asking him for some algebraic classes which Kartik have an information about. She felt like Tani have already found her guide in that boy, in that cute boy.
After a stare of another half a minute, Ruchi downcast her gaze and turns towards her sister, interrupting their conversation.
RUCHI- tu aajana apne dost ke saath, I am starting.
Without hearing anything from Tani, Ruchi had already left from there. She didn't stopped her run, fast walk, until she found a wall to hide herself at. She rests her back on the wall and placed her palm on her fast running heartbeats. She got a light smile on her face and immediately that first meet, near that general store, made a flashback in front of her eyes. Those feelings which she felt at that time, Ruchi experienced that for again. She started practicing to say atleast a hello to Kartik, but for her stupidity she didn't got that dare to say anything.
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Ruchi always used to love that snow weather, winters of hill stations. Since childhood, she has heard about fairy tales and have assumed that whenever she will fall in love, the world would celebrate her feelings with a snow fall. That night too, Manali was having a snow rain. Small particles Ruchi observed falling down from the sky and were falling on the road surface. And on every thing Ruchi could only find one name written- Kartik.! She has already fallen in love.
She had also shared her feelings with Tani, who has teased her for n number of times. Tani have also joked on how Ruchi behaved in front of Kartik that day at the skating class. And by that Ruchi too felt a bit embarrassed.
"What he must be thinking of me.? He must be thinking I am a crazy girl.! How stupid of me to run like that.!.."
These were the questions which used to roam inside her mind. She used to blame herself for her stupid act for days, when one fine day she got a notification on her computer. That notification which made her to smile like crazy again-
"Kartik Sinha has sent you a friend request.."
Ruchi have not believe what she has read. But when she have confirmed his picture from his account, her heart gave her the confirmation that the boy is same, he is her Kartik. She immediately, without thinking for a second, accepted his request. That same day evening, she got a message from his side.
"Hey Ruchi, how's you.?"
Ruchi got statued with that message, she didn't understood what exactly she could behave. Tani too was not at home at that time and hence Ruchi have to face that message all by herself. After thinking for almost half an hour, finally Ruchi could reply him.
"Hi Kartik. I am fine. How are you.?"
Those were the first words exchange they had amongst each other, after which those never ending conversation started brewing in between them.
"Should I call you Ruchi or something else..?"
He had questioned her one day during their chat.
"Something else.? Matlab kya.?"
Till then Ruchi had became that comfortable with him, to have a normal talk.
"Mmmm.... Cutie-pie..?"
Ruchi had laughed to read his message, and she has replied him with a blushing emoticon. The next question she could read on her message box was-
"Will you join me for a coffee.? Our first date.?"
Ruchi had gulped her newly formed nervousness at that time. She could not believe what she have read. The next moment she replied him with a big yes and a smiling emoticon attached with it.
Kartik wanted to take her on the hill top after their coffee, and Ruchi had agreed to his permission. She had changed her clothes for the fourth time that day, and finally settled down with a dark green high neck t-shirt and jeans. They were about to meet near the same general store, Kartik had told her that he would pick her from there. Looking at him in her favourite lime yellow color t-shirt and jeans, Ruchi got a blushing smile on her face.
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Memories are like clouds, they don't have any season. Let it be winter, let it be summer, let it be rains, clouds are always gathered in the sky shinning at the world beneath it, as memories do to our life. And love, it's like the water which cloud stores inside it. Whenever the person, the love of our life, stands in our memories, that love showers like a beautiful rainfall.
Kartik and Ruchi found their love in each other that date, they confessed their feelings for each other that beautiful night on the hill top. There were lots of things similar in them- like love for snowfall, love for animals especially dogs, favourite song lists, favourite movies, and many more. And so were there the dissimilarities too- the main to highlight Kartik used to love football and Ruchi used to feel the most bored about it. But then that's what the beauty of love is hidden, loving the dissimilarities within them.!
Kartik wanted to do so many things in his life, he has already designed the story of his life a way back. Till twenty one his studies, till twenty five a proper set of career and job, couple of years of enjoying bachelor's life and in twenty eight being tied in a relationship of marriage. Everything was pre-decided for Kartik. On the contrary Ruchi, she was unaware about anything in her life. She doesn't know what career path she is going to have, she doesn't know what job she will be doing, she doesn't know the age she wants to settle. "Go with the flow", is her mantra and "be in your dreamland", is her second one.
RUCHI- Hum goa ke kisi beach kinare ek chotasa ghar banayenge..
Ruchi have wished in front of Kartik to which he has giggled at her excitement.
KARTIK- Jaha hum saath ho, ghar to wahi hai..
Kartik had replied her that time which has made Ruchi to embrace him in her warm hug.
At that time she used to think that love is enough to take any relationship to a next level, to live a life. Unfortunately, Ruchi was wrong here.
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One... Two... Three... Like these four years went by, seasons changed and so as the love in between Kartik and Ruchi. May be they too have started changing.! May be they have started learning life for more. May be, they were getting off from their dreamland. Ruchi was no more a teenager childish girl now, she has her own dreams. And Kartik, he became more mature with his dreams. It's not that they don't love each other now, but something, something had got in between them, in between their love. Some sort of silence, some sort of void, some sort of uncomfortable feelings.!
KARTIK- don't you think Ruchi, we should get married now.?
One day at their lunch, Kartik had asked this very serious question of their life to Ruchi. She went all of a silent at that time, silently gulping her food. And Kartik had got his answers through her silence, through her rejecting silence.
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We always read in fairytales, in novels, in TV, a girl and a boy meets they fall in love and after that everything becomes a cake walk. Myths those things are.! A real story starts after that point when they have to take their love into a relationship. A real challenge starts then when a fairytale story have to become a real life one, when responsibilities and challenges of our life takes over our relationship. Everything changes, people, life, relationships, but love has to be constant which very few could do that.
Kartik and Ruchi's life too went through this U turn when they started facing real world. After he got graduated, Kartik got placed in a startup company in Delhi. And Ruchi, after few years of her graduation got shifted to Delhi for him. She purposely choose a job which is going to post her to Delhi, so that she could be near her love. After one whole year, Kartik decided to have his post graduation, which made him to shift to Hyderabad and Ruchi had to stay back at Delhi for her job. Things were smooth still. They used to call each other every day and night, both used to visit each other once in a month. Kartik was happy with his life and Ruchi didn't found any peace.
"Come on Ruchi, I am going to be thirty this year. Abb to shadi karne ke liye haa kardo.."
Ruchi had heard him on her call which made her to again go silent. She was not ready for that relationship at present, she was more into her job. She wanted to settle down her career at that moment and Kartik wanted to settle down in his life. Opposite priorities, opposite thinkings.!
"You've changed Ruchi..."
Ruchi closed her eyes when she heard his disbelieved words.
RUCHI- tum to bas ladne ka bahana dhundhte ho.
She muttered under her breath and at the next moment she heard his annoyed filled words.
"Bol do na mujhse bore hogayi ho. Why you are keeping me wait.?"
His heartbreak could easily be witnessed through his heavy voice. Ruchi's heart ache with that, but her inner turmoil didn't allowed her to apologise. It's not for the first time that they are fighting like this, usually nowadays they are into their fight mode.
RUCHI- I think.... We should call it off Karthik.
Kartik's eyes went dried after he heard those unbelievable things from Ruchi. He already knew that their relationship has converted into something else.
KARTIK- you had promised me for ever Ruchi.
Ruchi remembered her promise made at their first anniversary, at the hill top.
RUCHI- I don't know for now Kartik. Give me some time.
She said in a whisper and that instant Kartik had disconnected their call. After that moment, both of them didn't heard anything from each other.
Days went by and still both didn't had any contact with each other. One fine day, Ruchi got to know that Kartik had completed his post graduation and has got a job in finance company in Delhi. She was happy for him that he got his dream job, but was also sad as Kartik didn't found that necessary to inform her. She had cried a lot that day, that much she didn't cried at their break-up too. That day she felt that she have lost Kartik forever.!
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It's more than a year that Kartik and Ruchi had got separated. She was already tired of her life, to bear the pain since last one year. Had she accepted his proposal, then they would have been in a better place of life. But she didn't do that, in her confused state of mind she had denied all the happiness for herself. But that doesn't mean she didn't loved him, she did and she still do. May be she has taken him from granted, in a corner of her heart she knows that Kartik would wait for her, believing her promise which she had made for ever.!
It is her Diwali leaves from office when she got back at her place in Manali. Today is the day of their anniversary, if Kartik and Ruchi were together then they would have celebrated their one more year of togetherness. Ruchi got there at the hill top again, watching at the same city which she and Kartik used to adore together. But today, the city seems to be as sad as her heart. She closed her eyes feeling the silent environment when a hum, a song, falls on her ears.
"Ek din zindagi itani hogi haseen...
Jhumegaa aasamaa gaaegi ye zamin...
Maine sochaa na thaa..."
She immediately opens her eyes and turns around to witness the person walking around the opposite side. Her heart has already started beating at fast with nervousness and her expressions have already went pale to witness Kartik after so long.
Kartik have stopped humming that song, their song, when he witnessed Ruchi staring him. They were at a distance of few steps, yet the distance seems to be so long for them.
"He is here on our anniversary day.? Do he remember or it just happened by chance.? Do he still love me.?"
Like these many questions started roaming in her mind and at the next moment she found Kartik taking steps towards her. She stopped her breath when she found him standing right in front of her. She could witness those same dove shaped eyes, in which she is ready to get flown again. She could see his new specs, broader ones this time. She could also witness some wrinkles formed near his eyes, he is sad in his life too, she has concluded that looking at his expressions.
At that moment, Ruchi wanted to just hug him and cry in his embrace. She wanted to hold him near her and to not let him go anywhere in this world. Her stare got interrupted when she heard his heavy voice.
KARTIK- do you still love me.?
Ruchi blinks her eyes when the question made a meaning in her mind. At that moment, tears started falling down her eyes. And before her tears hits the floor, she runs into his embrace, hugging him tightly.
RUCHI- I am sorry Kartik. I really am sorry.
Kartik smile at her apologies and he slowly wrapped her in between his arms. Ruchi started crying loudly, that loud that the whole city could hear her pain. She wanted to apologise him for her confused mind and feelings, she wanted to thank him for waiting for her, she wanted to adore him for his trust in her love and promise. But she did nothing, the only thing she expressed her feelings is through her warm tears.
KARTIK- I love you.
Ruchi tightens the grip on him when she heard those words from him. How she could thought that her Kartik would be angry on her and would have forgotten her.? She took her complete time to cry in his embrace after which she wipes her tears and left his hold. Both of them smile looking at each other, having those conversations with their eyes. Ruchi got down on her knees in front of him which made Kartik to narrow his eyes at her.
RUCHI- will you marry me.?
Kartik's happiness had no bound, his widening smile told her that. He too got down in his knees in front of her, having her hands in his hold.
KARTIK- are you sure.?
Ruchi gulped her emotions and immediately nods her head positively, this time not having any second thought.
RUCHI- I want to be with you. And promise me that you will be mine.
Kartik took her hands near his lips and placed a kiss on her back of the hands.
KARTIK- promise... Forever.!
Both of them takes each other into their hold, embracing in a tight hug. Suddenly the snow has started falling down from the sky, helping them to tighten the grip more on each other...
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Inspired by: Ankita Verma blog ❤️
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