*No proofreading done.*
A chance is all I need.
I eye her deserted orbs.
The black shadow, departed every emotion
dedicating the glistening black moon with worries.
I eye her lips.
Like a hungry wolf wanting to devor them, whilst looking straight in her eyes.
I eye her body.
The beautiful land making me fail to hide my unholy carving. Making me under her mercy.
I think. Naah, not think. I can feel it. The forlorn soul in me, can love someone. It's capable of loving someone. She can be death of me and she can be life of me. For a moment, letting me hide my sins. From me.
For a moment letting me love me. Since my heart only beats to either draw blood or to plant a war. But now my heart knows it's capable of seeing seasons. Seasons of love. Its changes.
But, can she feel the same. Can she love the Demon.
If not the term, then can she ever bring herself to love my soul which is not soft like silk, but an epitome of thorns.
Which has been residing in me.
It's easier to fall in love with an angel. One glance at her, and I can feel thousands pricks stinging, peering through my ribcage, reaching to my devoted heart, showing me the truth that she is only made to fall in love with an angel. We just mismatch, we are just imperfect.
The coffee shop is bustling with people. Yet the environment filled with an alluring peace. We took a chair, near the corner, which overlooked the streets. Helping her overlook her problem.
But for only a few minute. As like those falling drops of rain hitting the glass, her worries hits her.
"What are you thinking?"
She turns towards me, my breath catches in my throat.
"Ways to kill you." She pours her dislike.
Today, her anger is at peak. Another season of her.
"It's easy then." I add nonchalantly.
She suspects me with narrow eyes, a frown on her face.
"How?" Kiraz brings herself to ask, trying hard to hide interest.
I sip the latte, the sweetness irking me. I don't have a liking for sweet things.
I cock a cool brow at her. "By loving me."
Her frown deepens, her eyes blinks in puzzlement.
"Loving can never kill someone." She points her forefinger at me, dismissing me.
"Oh, it can. Love takes your breath, your peace, your strength, your thoughts, your bravery, your every element." I pause, lifting my eyes away from her. Now, at the dark clouds, then starting,"It kills the old you. Just to let a new you reborn, within yourself."
I catch her doe eye, which takes in my words and contemplates each letter.
"Rubbish!" She mumbles. I laugh at her flustered self, which bits the red lips again and again. Indicating the effect of my poetry upon her.
I still have a long way to go.
Kiraz finishes her coffee, then looks at me exquisitely, with sharpness in her eyes. Not to forget hate.
"Clear this mess." Her voice helds sheer desperation.
"Okay, so you will introduce me to your parents. We will make a story. That we like eachother and looks forward to spend our life together. I will call mom and dad, to make this look more sincere and serious."
"How many lies I have to tell, to cover up another one. Our relation is just based upon lie. At each moment I just doubt it's lifespan." She says, a tear leaving her eyes. I raise my hand to wipe it.
"And I trust myself to tame this wild relation of us." I trace my thumb on her lower jaw. She swats my touch.
"Let's go. I am getting late." She unobtrusively rise and move out of the cafe.
The night turned into a new morning. Another moon overtook the sky, then stepping down to let sun rule it.
Like that two more days passed.
At fourth night, my phone pins with a message.
Tomorrow at my house at 12pm.
The message was from Kiraz. After being vanished for near four days, ignoring my calls and text messages, she gives me an invitation to her house. That to a text one.
So to impress my in-laws, I reach straight at her house. My hand carrying a bouquet of white lily and a chocolate box. I ring the bell of her house, whilst taking of my sunglasses.
This meeting can either go down to worst or can turn out to be good. I restrain myself from considering it any best. Because I hardly doubt it going to be any good.
The door opens and a tall lean figure welcomes me. His face unfamiliar yet familiar with features with Kiraz. I understood him as her brother. He nod at me, his lips pulled in a straight line.
I clench my jaw, trying hard not to knock my brother-in-law, for his cockiness. I hate if someone don't acknowledges me.
"Welcome." He steps aside, letting the door ajar, for me to me. I step inside not before flexing my body and unapologetically towering my height on him. He cowers back, his straight shoulder slogging.
I smirk at his nervous body.
"Shivam what is taking you so long?" A man in his late sixties, flung from the adjacent room, which I take it as sitting room. He stops when his eyes falls on me.
"Reyansh, Right?" He ask, his eyes ranking me up and down.
"Yess. Nice to meet you Mr Roy." I interlinking my hands with his forward one. His eyes lingers on my hand which has ink. I tried hard to cover myself, opting my usual dress, a full sleeved white shirt with my blazer. To hide my tattoo as it would look quite intimidating. But failed to do with my hands.
He leads me inside, the young lad following behind us. I sat down on the sofa, roaming my eyes in the foreign room. Although the house has nothing special, the walls were painted in green, the furnitures decorating were old, the floor was tiled with cheap tiles, few photographs were hanged on the wall. Yet it gave homely aura.
My eyes settles on the slender arms which keeps the refreshments on the table. I trail it along the deep pink sleeves of kurta and saw the most enchanting smile marred on Kiraz's face. Her eyes flashes nervousness. When she steps aside, the male members fails in my vicinity. Their face absent and scrutinizing eyes aimed on me.
If breath, they note it. If I look at Kiraz they clench their hand, if I dap my handkerchief on my face, as the lifeless fan failed to remove the simmering summers air lingering in the room. With my each dap, their face scoffs in obnoxious taunt. The muscle of my jaw twitches, even more.
I lean forward, taking the cold juice glass gulping in one breath, providing relief to my parched throat.
"Kiraz put this on the table." A lady dresses in saree announces her presence. Her forehead has a red bindi, a spectacle sat on her straight nose akin to Kiraz's pointed one. If observed properly the siblings took over more of their father in facial features. Just her nose matched with her mother.
"Nomoskar." She say sitting beside me.
"Namaste." I reply the formal said.
I give my best chanting smile, widing my lips enough to show a little of my teeth.
The silence atmosphere engulfed awkwardness in everyone present in the room. The hot waves the fan blessed on me, did nothing good to my pompous sweating.
Up till now I have taken two glasses of juice. The lady sitting beside me is generous enough to offer me another one but I denied it.
Enough.
"I love your daughter and I want to marry her."
That's it. I drop the granite. Oh, shoot it. I drop a nuclear one. The clouds of awkwardness swiped away replaced by tension.
Both male straighten up forthwith, while Kiraz's mom stared at me unblinkingly and Kiraz burrowed her eyes deep in me shooting a lazer beam, her mouth muttering all sorts of curses she knows.
"Mom dad, he is Reyansh Rathore. About whom I told you."
And my lady you were late. I was fast. And too blunt.
"From which family do you belong?"
Mr Roy initiates, crossing his arms infront of his protruding belly.
"Gujrati." I reply.
Hearing me, he starts in affirmative tone, "And you think my daughter will be able to adjust with your customs and traditions. She is Bengali who can't spend a day without eating non-veg. Our traditions our lifestyle are different. And I even heard your family is a joint. A girl who spent her life living in a nuclear one, only surrounded by us. Will she able to stay in a joint family? How can you garantee that her points will be heard, infact her interests are not been compressed. How can you garantee her wishes would not be overlooked, she has the mobility to do whatever logical she wants. She doesn't have to think twice before doing anything, or having a constant fear of hurting any of your family unknowingly. A big family, more quarrels"
The old man curls up his lip, seriousness marred his face.
"I understand where you're coming from. But, remember not every family is like that. A family contributes a lot in your life. And so did my big family. If my mom is busy, my aunt takes care of me. If my dad and uncle are not available, my grandfather still stands firm enough to not let any evil eye roam on us. My house has seen happiness and quarrels, but with every descend of moon, everyone joins and welcomes the new sun. You might be talking with knowledge but I'm from experience as well as knowledge. And I love Kiraz. Enough to never let go of her hand."
Noting my words, Mr Roy did nothing extraordinary but stared at me.
"Love? You say you love her. But how long will this love stay? If someday it evaporates, will you still stand beside her. How can I trust you regarding this?"
Silence fell.
That exact moment it felt like charging my gun, and emptying every bullet in my father-in-law. And I mean every word. A father of a daughter is worst than an investigator.
"The love of me for Kiraz is something which cannot be just like evaporated. Love although an intangible emotion, which according to me can never vanish, without leaving it's trace. It occupies every sense of us, and intoxicates us. Over the year, it can only be intense. And about trusting, do it just like you would have down with the other person you would've selected for her. If I still remain as a doubt in your mind, tell me I'd done anything for her." Saying so I lean back on the sofa, spreading my broad shoulder.
"You will do anything for her?" He inquires.
"That's what I told!"
"Leave your family, and stay here with Kiraz. With us. Like that you will gain my trust."
Hardly had these words left his lips, when a chor of gasps lefts the mouth of other members.
"Satish, are you even hearing yourself." Her mother chides, but he dismiss her of with a firm hand of his.
I unbutton my blazer, my inside tightening with anger. I inhale a deep breath to calm the fierce agitation of my reaction.
"Well, Mr Roy, for you to trust me, I don't have to leave my family. Loving Kiraz is different. You're breeding on an illogical point, and asking me to prove my ability on it. I'd rather loose this war. Be that as it may, you would atleast have enough trust in your daughter, to respect and believe her choice." I utter with my firmly-set countenance, my eyes narrowed in a slit.
Sensing the quick shift of mood in the room, her mother interjects,stating,"Kiraz."
Kiraz takes her amused eyes from me, settling it on her mother.
"Do you love him?"
••~~••
The story has now set its journey.
From now on the second part of this story begins. I am excited for you all to read it.
Hope you like it. Do vote, comment and share with your other friends. I am waiting for you all to comment. It makes my day.
Published: 9 July,2023.