They both adjusted their masks and entered through opposite doors at the same. He had a bad feeling about coming, but who said he ever played by the rules? She, on the other hand, was avoiding meeting possible marriage prospects.
She went to a nearby wall mirror and perfected her reflection as much as she could. Her mask couldn't mask her dove-shaped, chestnut-colored eyes, which went together perfectly with her lightly curled chocolate brown hair. She was draped in a light blue colored saree which surprisingly matched her red mask amazingly. Her silver bangles kept sliding up and down as she adjusted how she looked. She looked down at her feet and stared at her sandals with silver straps and a brown base for a while until she finally decided to go out into the public.
He walked through the crowd while running his fingers through his midnight black hair. He stood next to a table, awkwardly waiting for a friend to arrive. His eyes too shone brightly and took away all attention from his blue mask. He put his hands in the pockets of his black suit which he topped off with a red tie. As people passed by and gave him strange looks, he bent down and pretended to tie his black, leather shoes.
They both felt like something big was going to happen that night. After a few minutes of looking like loners – they simultaneously decided to blend in with the crowd on the dance floor. As if by fate, they found their way to each other and shared an eye lock.
"May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.
She looked at his hand, then back up at him. She nodded her head yes. Her hands naturally found their way to his in which he gave them a tight squeeze.
They felt like the only two people that were there. Eventually – the distance between them grew smaller and smaller.
"I'm Purvi," she introduced, slowly breaking out of her shell as she was spun around by him.
"How coincidental. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he began as he leaned down and kissed the knuckles on her hand.
She flashed a shy smile as he pulled her toward him. "And you are?"
"Arjun," he simply said before looking down at the angel in his arms. He felt her hold on to him, causing him to hold on to her waist.
They both continued to dance and were grateful to the stars that their loneliness brought them to each other. He lifted her up on to his shoulder and caught her as she glided down. At that point, he was carrying her bridal style while she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You romance by the book," she said softly before bursting into giggles.
He loved her laugh, it made him smile. "I don't do that normally, there's just something about you. . ." he said honestly with a wink.
She grinned while she was put down on the ground gently by him.
The audience did not leave them ignored, however. The applauding, cheering, and attention made her hide her face in his embrace. To his surprise, she seemed to hate attention and the limelight. Coincidentally, he didn't seem too happy about it either. The cheers died down quickly as other couples wanted their chance in the limelight. They took it as their chance to get away and scurried off to a quieter place – under the staircase.
He studied the shivering, scared girl that stood before him. She wasn't like anyone or anything else. She was like a red rose in a bed of withering daisies, in his eyes. "Are you from here?" he asked out of curiosity. From his knowledge – she was nothing like the Deshmukh's, but a gut feeling told him that she indeed was.
She nodded. "You aren't. . . I can tell," she spoke in her gentle voice again. "Not that that's a bad thing or anything, I need a break from everything here. . ." she trailed off.
He decided against asking her of her true identity. Instead, he slowly lifted up her mask to get a clearer view of his princess. She was beautiful, not to his surprise – her eyes gave had already given her beauty away. He saw pain in her eyes, he saw the need for a breakthrough, and the most important to him – he saw a need for love. He grabbed on to one of her hands and pulled her towards him.
That's when she saw the perfect opportunity to remove her prince's mask as well. She reached towards the back of his head and untied the mask, not watching it drop to the ground. He was divinely handsome. She looked into his eyes as deeply as he looked into hers. She was quick to find the same pain that she felt, along with feelings of loneliness and worry.
"You know, I just might kiss you. . ." he warned as he put pieces of her hair behind her ear.
"You know, I just might want you to. . ." she encouraged, slowly leaning into him.
That's how it happened – they shared a passionate kiss under the stair steps. It wasn't just one of those "hit it and quit it" or "one night stand" type of kisses. It was a kiss of reassurance that they would never feel those horrid emotions whenever they were with each other. It was a kiss of promise.
"Purvi?" she heard her maid, Sundari, calling out from above the stairs. She groaned while he gave her a confused look.
Sundari found them under the staircase rather quickly. She looked over at Sundari, then back at him.
"Your mom has a few men she would like you to meet," Sundari said sternly, knowing clearly what was going on.
She glared at Sundari, then tip-toed and kissed him on the cheek, while he held on to her wrists.
He watched as she let go and ran up the stairs. Then, he looked at Sundari. "Purvi. . . Deshmukh?"
Sundari nodded. "That's right, Mr. Arjun KIRLOSKAR," she emphasized.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"He's a KIRLOSKAR? Are you sure?" she asked Sundari, suddenly feeling sick.
Sundari nodded her head yes. "This is why I knew you shouldn't have even stepped out of your room tonight."
"I think I love him," she said, somewhat confidently.
Sundari burst into laughter. "How long have you known him? Darling, he isn't the right one for you."
This time, dropping the 'think', she said, "I LOVE him."
Sundari began to get worried about her. "So, you don't want to meet any possible husbands."
"I don't need to meet any other guy, I already found Arjun!" she cried, before grabbing a pillow and screaming into it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a few days apart, they were missing each other extremely. It was like they were given a taste of heaven and paradise, but it was quickly and unfairly snatched away.
"PURVI!" he shouted from the outside of her home, getting ready to throw rocks. He felt as though the night time was the perfect time to meet.
She jerked up at the thought of hearing his voice and quickly went out to her window. At the same time, he had thrown a rock up there, which she caught. "ARJUN!" she shouted out with the same passion that he had, breaking out of her shy, sweet shell. She got ready to run down to where he was, but realized she was locked in her room.
"Do you think you could come down here?" he asked her in a loud voice, desperately wanting to be close to her and hold her in his arms.
"I'm locked!" she cried out with sorrow and fury in her voice. She suddenly had an idea. "If I fall, will you catch me?"
"No angel, don't jump – I wouldn't be able to take it if anything happened to you," he said with pure honesty.
She smiled at his comment, but frowned again. They were so close, yet so far away.
"I have something to tell you. . ." he began, knowing that their distance problem wasn't going to be solved anytime soon.
"So do I!" she blurted out, but let him continue.
"I love you Purvi Deshmukh and I don't give a damn about who you really are, what family you come from, or anything of that sort. I love YOU!" he yelled out into the night sky.
She wasn't that relieved to know that his feelings were the same. She could tell that they shared something special just from the night of the party. "I love you too Arjun Kirloskar – with all of my heart. I just want to be with you. . ." she said out in pain. She had tried talking to Sundari many times to talk to her mom about this, but she simply refused.
"We'll find a way my princess. . ." he said, trying to comfort her.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another fight erupted between the two families a few nights later – typical for Arjun and Purvi. They took it as an opportunity to meet each other.
He was waiting for her at the rose bed – the same spot where he confessed his love for her, outside of her window. She didn't care about anything anymore – her main priority was meeting him, so she jumped. He caught her right on time and held on to her tightly. Her head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck, so she rested it there. His hands were too busy around her body, carrying her in his arms, so instead caressing her face or stroking her hair, he turned his face toward her and planted a heartwarming kiss on her forehead.
He gently put her down and let go of her, but she quickly found her way back into his arms. He noticed how she had her eyes closed and held on to him as tight as her dainty hands could. She seemed so deprived of love, which angered him.
"Arjun. . ." she whispered into his chest. Before she could speak anymore, he had put his lips on her and they shared another one of their kisses that sent electricity through their veins.
They both started to hear shouting that sounded close to where they were. On impulse, he stood in front of her and was ready to protect her from all harm.
They watched as Sachin – one of the Deshmukh's, a cousin of Purvi's killed Ovi – one of the Kirloskar's, a cousin of Arjun's.
"SACHIN!" she screamed out of anger. She looked over at Arjun, who already had a gun ready. His aim was perfect – he shot Sachin and watched as he fell to the ground.
"Oh my goodness," she breathed out, hardly being able to speak.
Manav, Purvi's father, emerged from where he was hiding and was quick to banish his daughter's love from ever coming close to their area.
"NO!" she shouted, coming out from behind him and stepping in front of her father. "You can't do that!"
"Baby – don't you realize that he killed YOUR cousin? With no valid reason?" Manav explained to her.
"Don't call me that! You just can't banish Arjun – if you stop him, might as well banish me too!" she yelled, tears beginning to form in her eyes. It was already hard enough hardly being able to see him, but she couldn't even imagine how much more badly it could get.
Everyone on the Deshmukh side except Sundari along with everyone on the Kirloskar side except his mother – Aashna were shocked.
Manav pulled his daughter inside the house while she struggled to escape his grip. She turned back and met eyes with him. He just wanted to go over to her and take her far away from India, just so they wouldn't have to deal with this crap.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They sent each other letters every day. It was better than nothing. The distance was killing them both internally. They both longed for each other while their bodies craved to be close. He had thought out a plan and told her to meet him at the cottage by the lake, but dress casually to avoid being caught.
She couldn't stand living in her house. She couldn't stand her family. She couldn't stand the fact that she wasn't even her own person. She decided to pack her stuff as well before throwing on a salmon colored salwar kameez, with silver accents. Her bangs were pulled back into a quiff with her hair down straight. She told Sundari – the only person she could trust – to take her bags outside and to set up a ladder in front of her window. She walked down the ladder slowly, took her bags and ran to see her Romeo.
He, on the other hand, already had everything he needed – his suitcase hidden away in the cottage. He had on a plaid flannel which he left unbuttoned with a black undershirt. He put on a dark washed pair of jeans. He sat down in front of the cottage – eagerly waiting for his Juliet, hoping step 1 of their escape plan would work.
As the clouds began to turn from white to gray and light sprinkles of rain started to come down, he began to grow worried for her.
"Arjun!" she cried out in happiness when she finally reached their planned destination.
He stood up and went over to her, cupping her face into his hands. "Purvi. . ." he whispered before kissing her cheek. They both went into the cottage.
Tears began to well up in her eyes – it had been much too long since they last saw each other. "I missed you," she managed to choke out.
He pulled her close to him, closing any spaces between them. "I'm here now, don't cry my darling," he reassured as he stroked her hair. When he felt her tears soak through his shirt, he pulled her away from him.
She looked up at him with her big eyes, filled with innocence and desire, while he wiped away her tears with his thumb. Her lips were quivering, which made him lean down and take them into his.
When they pulled away, she tried to not get too carried away. "It's dark in here. . ." she said.
"Right," he said while being disappointed. She looked so innocent and delicate – he didn't want to risk doing anything that she wouldn't be 100% comfortable with. He walked over to a lantern and flipped the switch to turn it on. He looked over at her. "You're all wet. . ." He took off his flannel and wrapped it around her.
"Thank you," she smiled.
He noticed that she was still shivering and he set out to begin a fire. While he went and did that, she watched him curiously. He felt her gaze on him, so he turned around. She was quick to look away, causing him to chuckle. Her olive skin tone began to turn into a sweet peach color on her cheeks. She took off her wet dupatta and hung it on what she thought to be a clothesline. Then, she put her arms through his flannel and snuggled into it.
"Princess," she heard. She turned around and saw him sitting next to a fire. She smiled and sat across from him. Through eye locks, things began to get serious. She stood up and he did the same.
They both heard the rain growing louder. Rumbles of thunder scared her and caused her to jump into his arms for protection.
He wrapped his arms around her gently. "It's okay angel. . ."
Reality hit her and she quickly untangled herself from his embrace. She wouldn't have minded being so close to him, being in his arms, and feeling his delicate touch that sent sparks chasing each other through her veins. However, fear scared her and stopped her from doing so. She finally managed to push those feeling aside when she felt his warm lips crash on to her forehead, then move down to her cheek.
He looked down at her and noticed how she had closed her eyes – trying to savor everything. Everything was going at the perfect speed as their souls became one.
They were both in sync with each other. They were finally able to find out the one thing about each other that no one else would be able to. They didn't care about anything else – the raindrops and sounds of lightning and thunder were just mere background noises while their focus was solely on each other. It was like he took every little bit of her, but in return he gave her all that he was. They didn't feel any guilt, neither did they feel that what they were doing was wrong. It was out of pure love.
A while later, they just slept together in the most innocent way possible – holding each other tightly through the night.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arjun had some close friends over in Canada who were extremely generous enough to help them out. Soon enough, they were able to get a place of their own. A few years later, they had a happy family.
"Do you think we did the right thing?" she asked him, flipping over to face him in bed. It was one of those sleepless nights in which they just talked until they fell into a slumber.
He flipped over to face her as well. He took her hand and put it in front of her face, his thumb on their wedding ring. "Do you see this?" he asked.
She nodded and smiled. "Not that! I mean. . . do you think we did the right thing by not even keeping contact with anyone?"
"You talk to Sundari right? I talked to my mom a few days ago," he said as a rebuttal. "Do you miss your old life?"
She was quick to answer no. "It's just. . . I don't know. . . we didn't follow what the stars had in store for us."
"That's not our fault. The stars can't just give me a taste of heaven and quickly take it away from me," he explained while smirking.
The sound of a baby's crying interrupted their talk. They both got out of bed and went over to a crib they had in the corner of a room. While he was about to pick up the baby, she playfully pushed him and took the little girl into her arms. He glared at her, then began to chuckle.
"What happened to our little Pari? Why are you crying baby?" she asked in a baby voice. She let go of one hand on Pari and reached into the crib to grab a little toy. She began to shake it in front of her face which subsided the crying. "Look at this Pari! You can't enjoy this if you cry!"
He stood against the wall and smiled at the special bond she and his daughter shared. She walked towards him and handed Pari to him. He took Pari with no objection and held her close to him – giving her little kisses. "Don't cry, my baby – pari's like you don't cry, they smile!"
Pari is a true token of their love. The couple found out that she was pregnant a month after they came to Canada and a month before they got married.
So, unlike Romeo and Juliet, Arjun and Purvi took matters into their own hands and went against all odds. Love isn't something that should be thrown away or sacrificed – it's a feeling that should be cherished and fought for.
comment:
p_commentcount