Cheesy or Ramantic!
He has never felt so much special in all his life. It was the first time he was at the receiving end and cherry on top with interest. He fell in love once, gave his two hundred percent but never got one fraction of that love back. What to expect anyway? It was unrequited love - An unrequited love which was beaten down for years to a secret place where it hid, curled and wounded. It turned bitter and mean. And the woman standing in front of him who had come into his life after had to pay the price for the hurt done by the one who came before. But still she didn't let go of him, kept loving him and she was now again proving to him what mettle she was made of by being so brave...He could see how she was rattling nervously, how vulnerable and scared she was but still she would not stop and would brave it all...
"I love you".
As simple as that!
She had blown him away. God that's why he loved her so much! Rectification! That's why he had fallen in love with her despite wanting badly to run away. He had lost that battle long time back. It was only now that he had decided to face it.
"You don't have to tell me now. I can wait. Just think about it...I mean... I'm going to love you forever, so there's really no rush. I just wanted you to know how..."
He whispered her name to get her attention.
"...I felt, because I needed to tell you...I couldn't not tell you. And..."
He yelled out her name again because she would simply not stop. She finally looked at him and...quieted. Their gazes locked together.
His lips curved to smile tentatively at her.
His heart was swelling with love when he finally confessed
"I love you too."
After uttering those words, every thought he'd ever had about her poured out of him. "Yes I love you. I never thought I would be able to love someone ever but I had fallen in love with you...with your goodness...your simplicity...your entire being. I want to make you happy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to go bed with you every night and wake up with you every night. I want to be there for you...always...I want you to be the mother of my children and to grow old with me
Choked laughter sputtered out as she launched herself into his arms to hug him tightly. She lifted her eyes to look at him with eyes glistening and her face beaming and surprised him by holding close as she fisted her hands in his shirt.
"I am so glad you love me."
He chuckled. She was a museum piece that woman, he thought and then replied in the same tone:
"Not half as glad as I am. I love you woman... Give me my ultimate adventure...Marry me."
- Awww. This was so romantic!
Ishita sighed. Raman immediately snatched the remote from her hand.
- Those cheesy lines and that confession oozing fakeness were romantic? That was CRAP.
- Oh hello Raavan Kumar! You have not one romantic bone in your body so what will you know about romance?
- Are you implying I am unromantic? Ha!! I don't show it but it doesn't mean...Anyway why am I arguing with you. Go and ask your jeeju and Mihir. They will enlighten you.
- I am not...
Before they could argue any further, their daughter was in the room dragging them in the living room where the whole family was gathered. It was raining torrentially and Ruhi was bored as Shravu was not home and they couldn't even go out. So Mihika proposed that they played a game - Truth or Dare! Reluctantly Raman and Ishita accepted to participate. As soon as the rules and penalties were set, they all sat into a circle and the game began. Raman who was making a face and rolling his eyes at the beginning finally started enjoying it. He laughed aloud when Mihir's turn came and he confessed that after seeing Mihika, he had kept fast every Monday to get her and finally Lord Shiva had listened to him. Ruhi made him all proud when she again reiterated her stand in her truth round - My papa is my all time favourite because he is smart, generous and...invincible. And it ended with a big clap from the woman who was moulding his daughter into a loveliest bundle of joy. Ishita!!
And then cherry on the cake it was when the bottle spun by Ruhi stopped at her. Raman admitted to himself that he stayed in the game just to wait for her round and finally...
- Like daughter like mother. Truth for me also!
Everybody cheered and Ruhi stood up excitedly to ask her question.
- Roo beta what an opportunity! Think well before you ask your question and please remind your Ishimaa about the penalty if she is caught lying.
Ishita glared at Raman before turning to Ruhi. She smiled diligently as Little Ruhi scrunched up her nose at the thought. Finally, without much ado, the little girl asked:
- Do you love my papa Ishimaa?
Her daughter was smiling innocently at her and the others giggling unaware of what Ishita was going through. It was the simplest question yet the deepest and soul stirring question that someone could ever ask her. One look at Raman who was scrutinizing her face and Ishita knew that he was fully alert waiting for her answer with anticipation. She swallowed around the lump in her throat and turned to face her daughter again.
- Yes! I love my Ruhi's papa. For the same reason that he is your favourite. Ruhi's papa is smart, generous and...INVINCIBLE.
Raman noticed how she had stressed on the last adjective.
Bloody cheater! The dentist who was not bright enough to become a doctor had enough brain to get away with his daughter's question. Raman gritted his teeth as he felt a pang of disappointed and frustration building inside him.
As Ruhi clapped all happy to hear her dad's praise from her Ishimaa, Ishita turned away, heaving a sigh of relief. That was a narrow escape. Ishita muttered to herself. Thank God nobody noticed how affected she was by the question and she had managed to distract Raman too. The game continued and finally the bottle landed face to face with The Raman Kumar Bhalla.
It was Mihika's turn to challenge her jeeju. Alarm bells started ringing in Raman's ears. His younger sister in law was CRAZY and she could come with even crazier ideas. He started weighing the pros n cons of each challenge.
Truth? God she might ask me very intimate things from my under garments to my sex life. Mere izzat ka dhajya ura sakti hain woh. I can't take that risk.
Dare? What can she ask me to do? Sing a song for her akka? In tamil? Or ...
- Jeeju! You don't have all night!
- Ok it is dare for me
- Are you sure bhai?
- Shut up Mihir. I eat chicken but I am no chicken.
They all laughed at an embarrassing Mihir and finally Mihika dropped the bomb.
- Suna hain aap bahut hi sensitive and romantic ho! So... I challenge you...to touch my akka's heart with your most beautiful declaration of love.
I am the dead chicken now! Thanks to Mihika the crackpot.
Raman smacked himself mentally. He should have stopped playing earlier. His eyes drifted to the lady who was having a field day at his expense. One look at Ishita and Raman noticed how she was looking at him with challenging eyes and he made up his mind to teach his madrassan wife a good lesson in front of everybody. If she liked cheesy romantic lines, then she will be generously served today.
Ready...
Get set...
Go...
Raman stood up and walked to Ishita. Without a word, he took her hands in his and pulled her up so that she stood up to face him, their faces only inches away. A stifled giggle from Ruhi was immediately silenced by Mihika.
A pin drop silence...
Everybody was staring at them...
" Ishita are you sure you are a dentist?"
A confused Ishita's eyes widened. What has love declaration got to do with her profession?
" I felt that ...You are an interior decorator to me...Because when I saw you... the entire room became beautiful".
Everybody roared with laughter as Ishita glared at Raman who was smiling devilishly at her. He continued with his mischievous eyes feasting on her.
"Ishita...I am... catastrophically in love with you. I love you the way a drowning man loves air...And it would destroy me to have you just a little."
"Jeeju!! Awww ...Catastrophically in love with akka!! How romantic! Learn from my jeeju, you buddhu Mihir!"
- Wait I am not done yet. I want to show my romantic side to my wife today.
Ishita was now acutely embarrassed. Had he lost it? Her parents and in laws were in the same room and that shameless man was...She took hold of his arm and tried to give him a piece of her mind discreetly but he was quicker that her. He drew her closer.
"Chemistry is you touching my arm and it setting fire to my mind".
Ishita pushed away Raman's arm which made him chuckled with amusement.
Yes he had lost it! Ishita looked at the family who was laughing whole heartedly and... her annoyance evaporated. It has been a long time!! She smiled and looked up and caught him looking at her with soft eyes. They both smiled. Raman immediately remembered the lines in the film and repeated it.
- I really want to grow old with you Ishita.
Innocent Ruhi joined it and asked:
- Will you still love old papa without teeth Ishimaa?
She giggled and played along.
- Don't worry Roo. Your dad won't turn toothless. I am a dentist not an interior decorator remember??
Ishita laughed aloud but gasped as she found herself being swept off her feet literally and figuratively by her husband as he hissed.
- Are you religious Mrs Bhalla?
- Of course! What does being reli...
- Good...because I am the answer to your prayers.
He walked away from the living room with his wife in his arms blushing profusely with the family awwing all the way... in the confines of their room... away from prying eyes and ears... to declare his love to her as it should.
Raman Kumar Bhalla needed to tell his wife how she had brought love into his life...how because of her, he now laughed a little harder, cried a little less and smiled a lot more. His wife needed to know that he had been dreaming of her every night and woke up every morning squeezing his pillow...and now he really wanted to wake up every morning with her squeezed in his arms.
Note:
Was it cheesy or Ramantic for you? You decide and let me know.😆
Love OSJ
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