A Loan Of Five Rupees

❞e p i ( ii )...and this is how she will love him.

People had talked about Relationship Goals. Damn them! These were his Life Goals...

With a face filled with very recognizable happiness, with that same dimple on his left cheek, he opened the gate. He hurriedly raised his free hand to stop her from entering, "Wait, Samiksha." his smile widened, "I have something for you."

He observed her narrowing her eyes and he bit the insides of his cheek. He was trying hard to not laugh at her confusion and that pouting face which looked so beautifully innocent. He resisted telling her immediately about his plan and ran inside their home.

When he returned, he saw her standing quietly, as it was as he had left her. Just the difference was- her head dropped down as her fingers twirled the end of her caramel-colored saree's pallu. He loved that color; it was the same shade of caramel, the same light hue of salwar suit, which she had worn that day when they were strangers. And he just stared at her like she was an Angel. For him, she was absolutely an Angel.

He shook his head to stop himself dreaming more and moved toward her. She would have heard the clicking sound of his shoes, as he saw her head rising and watching him curiously. Her lean fingers were still playing with the corner of the fabric and their speed increased with each step he took. When he finally stood in front of her, he saw her fingers knotting themselves with cloth, something like strangling them.

He reached and released her small fingers from the torture as he held them in his. He saw her blushing and raised his brow, "Don't harm my sweet girl's fingers, it hurts me.", he rubbed his hand over his chest and burst out laughing when an even deeper shade of pink covered her cheeks.

"Well, my man always admonishes me like I am a small kid. And..." she said, actually murmured and he carefully listened, "... I like it.", she finished.

He was taken aback. She liked his loving command, how was that possible? He had thought that a woman like her hated to be dominated by someone, yet she confessed that she liked this. Placing his index finger under her chin, he raised her head, "Really? How? Why?" he questioned, his brain in chaos.

"Because I lo--"

He was all ears as she said something and stopped, then again said, "Because... Because I know that you'll never do anything against my wish.", she finished with a sigh as his finger caressed her cheek.

He moved closer to her, near, very near to her and she didn't retreat. He again tipped her chin up, looking into her, "Of course, my love." he whispered and her cheeks were now permanently turned to the color of red.

He shuffled back and knelt in front of her. As his right knee rested on the hard surface of the floor and his left hand clutched her right hand, he stared at her and cleared his throat.

_________

This was not what she had expected when he had asked her out that morning. By Lord Vishnu! They were already engaged and were getting married soon. What was there to get onto bended knee now? But no, her Krishna was too adamant to listen to anything. She was slightly shaking her head right to left, continuously mumbling or incoherently chanting 'no.no.no.no.no' but no, he knelt there.

"Samiksha, I don't want to get too cheesy but I have seen this thing before..." and with that, his other hand came in front, in between them.

And there wasn't a tiny box in his hand.

He was holding a small bronze Kalash filled with rice and placed in the center of the threshold. He released her hand and stood up, cleaning his trouser which had acquired some dust, "I hope you know what to do next.", he cocked his head, directing toward that small, alloy, pot-like container.