Love And Life
Either of them were 3 when they had met for the first time, the place known as the ice-cream parlor, their parents were good friends but lived far away from each other in the city like north and south poles exactly what their kids turned out to be. Alone, rich, arrogant and pampered like anything both of them were the king and queen of their respective worlds, but then something like a war always happens when two kings set their eyes on a un won piece of land which here turned out to be the last cup of chocolate ice-cream. What followed we all can imagine very well and just for matter of facts to be accurate enough, the parlor never opened again and they went their ways having no ice-cream at all the taste of which was relished by their piece of clothes. They huffed and cursed each other with what all little abuses they had heard and learnt by then just to be scolded by their parents and hate each other even more.
Their next meeting was in the assembly of the primary school on the first day probably 5 now, where the new students had to introduce themselves, and again they made a run together for the first speech which they were least prepared for but their egos needed a boost to smile victory to the forlorn enemy who managed to mess with a cup of their favorite. They fell on each other and didn't let either of them reach the stage even if he had to pull her ponytail and she had to put a leg between his, and then they saw it again, another boy walked up to the stage while they cursed each other and were summoned by the principal for messing on the first day itself. And after an hour lecture and forced into friendship they came out and walked in different directions again not at all looking back ever again. And in the end of the first month itself for which they were made to sit together, they were transferred to different sections so that their classmates who tried to be the fight solvers didn't end up getting beaten by both of them together again . Glaring at each other and smirking at the principal for having gotten their ways, they walked out of the class together and sat in the opposite ones vowing not to see each other's face again. But destiny had marked them together and hence they did meet and always fought, beating up the 3rd one, but refused to notice how alike they and their thinking's were.
When they ended up in 6th class the beginning of secondary school, they had learnt the meaning of the word 'ignorance' whose use they made to the fullest on each other, yet ended up infuriated when the other didn't pay attention. Soon they were inexistent for each other, their worlds totally apart and away from each other. He was a handsome bookworm who preferred library more than that of the ground which only ended up increasing the population of the fairer sex as the members in the library, while she managed to use her figure and tomboy skills to keep the boys in the ground just drooling over her. But one day changed everything, they were in 9th standard and it was the academic and athletic week together and almost everyone had expected the academic topper Prithvi Saxena to win the former while the tomboy Damini Gujral to bag the trophies for the latter, but destiny again had its own plans which ruined theirs. Damini had a planned accident by the rival team and broke her right hand and got a hairline fracture on her knee while all the notes and hard work of her savior who caught her hand right in time before she could get trampled by the most trust worthy horse of hers who had gone out of control as he was fed the wrong dish went haywire and were eventually eaten up. That evening brought out the real themselves in front each other as he took her to the hospital after straightly tying her hand and leg to avoid further injuries, something he had learnt somewhere else she didn't know of, on his bicycle, got her admitted, used more than half of his saved pocket money for the advance and called up both of their parents, hers to come over and his to inform that he'd be late today, squeezed her free hand in assurance as he sat by her side when she sobbed or yelped in pain. All was fine until the doctor said that it would take two months for her to recover and till then no sports for her, she cried and screamed hugging him tightly so as to ask him what had she done to deserve it and he chose to stay mum and just told her words of assurance whenever needed. Her parents came and they instantly parted making way for her mom to hug her and her dad to pat his back for what he did, and he never felt so good before until the doctors said that the fractures were minimal just because he had tied her wounds in time and brought her here. He bid them good bye and a get well soon to her, who could only smile a little on his care even after her world had crashed down, but before he left his own parents were called by her dad to pick him up as he had been already exerted too much to get her here and be by her side, skipping his dinner as well. His mom brought food for them all and Prithvi sat by her side the whole time, making them think that he wished to be with children of his age rather than the oldies when the truth was he wanted to make sure that she ate properly and did not leave the food by thinking of her misery. And boy he was successful, the years he had spent in library over the ground had helped to much extent as he had come across a fine sense of humor and mind diverting topics. He bid a final good bye to her, who till now had just wondered how her childhood enemy had proved his friendship more than her true friends even when they were nowhere near it.
That night both of them couldn't sleep, as she wondered why she failed to see such a great friend in him and why did her ego came in between only before him as otherwise she was a sweet girl to others and he mourned over the loss of his immense hard work about which he realized only on reaching home. The next day he went to meet her in the hospital before school again, handing over a book he considered to be of her type and told her that he'd bring a different one this afternoon so she better finish this one, while she only nodded for the first time without arguing something he would never get used to. This exchange went on for a week first at the hospital and then at her home, rather than her mom, he would be the one to wake her up with an interesting book that she managed to finish before he came back. And then she would wait for him to come and tell her the events of the school which she listened with much more interest, as she had missed out a lot of things that went in his world and listening to new things that she hadn't heard of kind of interested her, finally the last day of participation arrived when she asked him to take her to the school with her and he did it readily. Tears fell as she watched various students take part in the activities she wanted but couldn't take and he was left paining to see her like this, when he couldn't take more he went forward and rolled his name in all the activities she would take part in, shocking her. "Don't you want to take part in the academic meet?" she asked and he shrugged his shoulders saying "I win it every year, but not once have I won a single trophy on the ground, so decided to try something different" she limped forward and he supported her before she fell, she smiled at his concern and went to enroll her name in all the quizzes and competitions as well and when he looked at her confused "do you think I will let you win a single extra trophy?" she had said proudly and he was just able to chuckle over their childish fights when he knew the reason that she never wanted him to lose a thing for her.
She was baffled, shocked and stunned beyond words when she saw him ride effortlessly on the toughest horse and hit the 10/10 pointer in the shooting ring sports she never knew he knew the names even. But then she didn't know many things about him as yet. But he wasn't left either when she answered all the questions correctly of the previous meets, he knew her as a tomboy and here she was giving him competition in academic and truly speaking, he had lost. And exactly after two weeks, they were together on stage dedicating the trophies to each other, they were very happy to have brought pride to their school and parents and a new bond of friendship between them. But then when she had grown perfectly fine and begun to go out to follow her on ground routine again, he shrunk back to his world as if nothing had changed where the truth was definitely a lot of it had. He began spending more and more time in the library when in school and then used to go home with 4-5 extra books to read and return the next day, but even then his physique never deteriorated the reason for which remained a mystery while she kept on getting her sports achievements and yet maintained her grades.
It was the last year, the 12th class when they came together again, in the commerce section where he had dropped science as a subject for he wanted to become a good business man like his father. He had finally decided what he wanted to become, and in this process he had only hurt the sentiments of his biology teacher who had seen the potential of becoming a promising doctor to the future in him by shattering her hopes. And then it happened, the whole lot of girls who bunked most of the classes for silly reasons started paying full attention to each and every lecture, or more at Prithvi who sat at the first bench listening and coping up. And it was the first time he had asked her help, for he had missed an year and knew no one from the batch and though more than half of the lot had brought books and notes to help he had trusted only hers. And for a certain reason she felt ecstatic about it, he then started consulting her and they ended up sitting together for the whole year partially because he needed and took her help for topics and partially because she wanted to save him from the creepy glances gave him. Yes, she had fallen for him and after a lot of fighting within her excepted it too and hence she wanted to be with him more, know him and his views of her as or more than a friend. Surprisingly he never let it out and cleverly avoided the situation, but she could see through it, she began thinking that he didn't want to hurt her and hence he was not directly telling her that she was just a friend, maybe he had seen the double meaning of her queries. But that didn't bother her least when she saw another girl hovering on him, which was her 'friendly' possessiveness for him as she managed to convince him for her suspicious behavior. The year ended on a good note as they ended up in the same and the best college of the town for further studies and well by destiny in the same class.
Those 4 years were terrible for both of them, making their behavior for each other more and more unacceptable as friendly, yes Prithvi was not slower but maybe faster this time to notice the more than friendship brewing between them, right after she had that accident and realized his loss when he shifted back to his routine, missing the company of someone that could match his intellect as well as a different perceptive of opinion, but most of all her. When he had switched streams, he had deliberately taken her notes so as to spend more time with her, calling her every now and then just to be with her and avoiding the meaningful glances the guys gave her making his blood boil enough to fry them alive or roast them to feed the dogs. But none of them spoke a word, she tried to trap him in words but he got out turning tables, maybe she had taken his extra care for her in notice and thought of confronting him and then rejecting him as well he thought. But that never changed his right over her as she was the only girl he danced with in the prom and made sure he was the only one for her too until she wanted to go away herself, which she did but because she wasn't able to keep her hands to herself and didn't want to ruin their friendship. But he could only make out that she wasn't comfortable with him as he had come closer than necessary unable to avoid and as she didn't feel for him she had done right by walking away.
It was when 2 years later when they met again after the college was over, but this time for courtship. Yes the parents never failed to see the on the run yet silent love story and hence had decided their marriage, they both wanted it and were dying to be each other's but were scared that the other wouldn't want this as he/she didn't feel the same. Coming out with excuses to avoid the marriage, they only managed to give wrong signals to each other but under family and their wish's pressure they finally got ready. The marriage completed successfully with both stealing glances and cherishing the moments and wishing to make the other feel the same for them too.
It was the late night when Prithvi entered the room, where Damini was pretending to sleep on her side changed into a night gown in which she looked gorgeous like ever to him. He changed too and lied to his side of the bed, but then he thought something as mustering courage he spoke up to his sleeping angel "today is the happiest day of my life, being married to the woman of my dreams, the one whom I loved from my teens or even before but could never tell her for I might be rejected. Even today when we are husband wife and no secrets should be between us I don't have the guts to tell it to you for my one confession may ruin everything, even our marriage which would be the last thing I would want to let happen. But I know one thing, that I will love you forever; give you all the happiness I can give you, and never force you to love me in return, maybe friendship was always the only relationship we could give our 100% to." And saying so he turned his back to her, taking in that she had heard none of it, when finally tears spilled from her eyes, tears of happiness as well as regret, happiness on being reciprocated with love from the one she loved and regret for not having the guts to tell it to him, but there was another emotion that had pent up inside her, fear, fear of what might have happened if their parents wouldn't have made them marry each other, she would have lost him forever without even knowing that he too loved her.
Hearing her silent sobs Prithvi's heart pained, had she heard everything? Was the only thing he could think of, but then seeing her tremble with fear he couldn't think of anything else and switched on the lights and looked over to her side and asked her "kya hua Damini tum kyon ro rahi ho?" she turned to face him and he knew she had heard him "i'.am'sorry Damini''I shouldn't'have said that'I am really sorry" he stammered in a low voice before she hugged him tighter than her life "I'I''.love you too Prithvi, ever since" was all needed for her to feel his arms go around her and hug her back in contentment, cuddling her like a baby in his arms as she sobbed over what she could have lost and yet smiled over what destiny had given her "I knew I loved you, after my accident when I returned back to my original life and found that those things interested me no more, because''because something'.. Someone was missing''and I figured that someone to be you. But then I could never say it for the same fear of rejection" she said sobbing her way out while he kept on wiping each tear with his thumb. And she was forced to smile on seeing him repeat his act and he returned with his trademark one, but then the same scary thought came and she asked him "Prithvi tab kya hota agar, ma papa ne humaari shaadi nahi tai ki hoti, yaa humaari shaadi nahi hoti?" "toh main kuwaara hi mar jaata" he said as a matter of fact and she kept her hand on his mouth and shook her head in a no "tum kuch bhi hua toh mera kya hoga Prithvi?" she said shuddering while he smiled and kissed her finger and then took it in his hold and said "ab jo bhi hoga, use hum saath jhelenge" and she smiled back at him wrapping her hands around his waist and her head on his shoulder while he kissed her forehead and hid her petite figure covering it in his large frame by spreading his arms and legs around her, building a fortress, the very thought made her chuckle "yes madam, you are a prisoner here for a lifetime now" he read her mind and she looked at him baffled "how do you always manage to surprise me?" she asked indicating to all times "simple, wifey I think of things that would surprise me, and I find out that how much our thinking matches" she colored at the mention of the word from him and he smiled seeing her flushed face "you know I'd work hard with those lines to see the color" he whispered huskily and softly in her ears while brushing a finger on her cheek making the color darker and deeper "you know there are better ways to do that" she said getting hold of her "and what would they be, my ray of enlightenment" he said playing along, she thought for a moment and softly said "you may now kiss the bride" and looked away "well I thought we were married according to the hindu traditions" he teased "and I didn't know I was hooked up with an unromantic oaf" she replied sarcastically angry at him for rejecting her wish "well what's said and done cannot be changed now, you will have to manage with me for the whole of my life" he said wiping a grin that kept coming back at his face as he remembered old days when they lived to irritate each other, but then too they still lived for each other he mused while she looked at his lost self confused "looks like I will have to manage every other thing as well" she said annoyed bringing him out "and what would the list contain?" he asked "first of all I will make sure I get 2 of these daily" she said flinging her arms around his neck and swiftly placing her lips on his and bringing him closer savoring his taste, he too joined her a moment later and turned the soft lip lock into a passionate kiss. They parted breathing heavily and he managed out a soft chuckle "hopefully I will be able to help you the next time" "no leave it, I will manage it, I can only trust you to fight with your wedded wife on your wedding night, my wishes have no value only" she pouted "hmmm, so my sweetheart wants to know her value in my life huh?" he asked mischievously and she nodded childishly, he pulled out a book from beneath his pillow. It read 'the dreams of my life'. She began reading it, he had probably started writing when he was 9 as the English hindi mix was visible easily and his childish demands clearly said it all, he had pinned each and every dream and aspiration of his life in the book. But on seeing the last entry she had could help looking at him in awe. It was the one when he was giving his boards "good marks, good college and then a happy future with Damini" and after that the diary was left empty but each place was cut off, making no place for another dream "you completed all my dreams by entering my life, you completed me and my reason to be alive Damini" he said as she closed the diary and hugged both of them tight, life could take so much in just second but at the same time it could give so much too.
Edited by -Sid- - 15 years ago
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Anupamaa
