'And I'd choose you... in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and choose you' - Kiersten White
' Dear Sid,
I miss you.... I write this every time, but this yearning hasn't lessened a bit in the past 10...
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(Well, these are the tasseled cuffs mentioned in the previous chapters)
Time flies, and the six friends were nearing the completion of their course. Siddharth was still hovering around with Riya, and Neha had apparently sensed that even Arjith liked her a bit. So, she had decided to take the leap and propose. Abhishek was still confused, but had managed to handle his feelings. They were eagerly planning the proposal, unbeknownst to Arjith. And finally, the day had come. They had come for a ' supposed picnic' at a small cottage and Arjun whisked Arjith away from the place, letting the other 'five' decorate the place. Riya had tagged along with Siddharth, and Abhishek, surprisingly felt quite annoyed by her presence. While the friends were toiling away, Arjith was visibly frustrated with Arjun's nagging..
" Arju, let's pick some more flowers"
" What's got into you Arjun, it's been hours and I can't believe we are still........ plucking flowers?Why do you need them at all?"
Arjun pulled him closer and lied smoothly " Siddharth is going to propose today..."
Arjith's face turned dark " So, that idiot is going to propose, at the cost of my hard work?.... Never mind. It is fitting that he is finally getting someone to nag and bother him, like he bothers my brother.......... WAIT, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING??...."
Arjun was still plucking flowers calmly, suppressing a grin " We need to gather more"
Arjith flew into a fit and spat " What for? To shove it down that brat's throat after the proposal? "
Arjun was now smirking, quite amused by Arjith's frustration. However he continued to....... you know, pluck flowers.. " How about we pick some leaves as well, princess ?"
Arjith spat, quite annoyed " How about I break your legs and arrange you among the flowers?"
Arjun could no longer control and fell to the ground, laughing hard....
" Princess......" Abhishek's chuckling face greeted them. Before the princess could sulk, he was dragged away by Abhishek, followed by Siddharth.
When he walked into the venue, he was stunned. It was dusk, and the place had been brightly illuminated in golden lights. Aromatic candles had also been lit, and a sweet scent wafted in the air. The whole place looked romantic and reminded Arjith of Neha, whom he admired secretly. But this was already obvious to his friends, as Arjith was not good at hiding his feelings.
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While he looked on, some lady started walking towards them from afar. He couldn't see her face, but he thought it must be Riya. So, he stepped away from the centre making way for her, only to bump into a grinning Siddharth standing behind. By seeing him , Arjith got confused. On seeing Riya standing beside him, smiling gracefully, his confusion widened into something more. Seeing him like that, Siddharth could not help but chuckle. He patted his back and went into the cottage, leaving Arjith in the open. Riya also followed suit. Arjith's eyes scanned his surroundings. He was alone, except for that lady, who was talking her time to slowly walk up to him. When she stepped in from the shadows, Arjith was shocked and surprised. It was Neha. Still, being the ignoramus he was, he didn't understand what was going on. She was wearing a simple black jeans, paired with a deep blue shirt, her usual style of dressing. The only difference was that she had let her hair down today, making her look ethereal. Arjith felt himself wanting to caress those silky dark locks, while drowning in her lustrous gaze.
She walked up to him, and spoke " Arjith, it has been only more than a year of our friendship, but as a matter of fact, you were a silly boy then, even now you are, but I love your silliness..."
Arjith's head was getting giddy with happiness. She inched closer to him and continued " I love it how you spend hours to style your hair. I love it when you silently clean up the mess I make after I try to cook. I love it when you eat my 'dangerously' hand-cooked food without slight hesitation, eating it all, so that I can't taste them myself and realize how I stink at cooking......"
Abhishek started to tear up, now ardently looking into her teary eyes. She continued after a pause " I love it when you often flare up and throw tantrums. I want you to be the last person I see before going to bed, and the first person to greet me in the morning. I know it may be a bit soon, or a bit late, but I love you, with all my heart....."
She knelt on her left knee and then held out a red orchid to him. He frowned slightly, as he had always expected red roses. She replied to the question in his mind with a smirk " Red roses are cheap and everywhere. But my love for you is unique, and to me you are a rare gem and a priceless treasure, like these orchids."
She then shouted " Mr. Arjith Mehta, my princess, WILL YOU BE MY BOYFRIEND?? "
Arjith pulled on a serious face and knelt in front of her, now facing her and said " No "
There was a long pause. Neha was shocked, not expecting him to deny. Their friends who were listening to this, also gasped in shock.
Arjith continued " Miss Neha Ahuja, I am too old for this boyfriend stuff. Instead, I would like to be your........ SOULMATE.... Love you too...." And flashed his most captivating smile.
Both of them broke into tears and hugged each other. The friends hiding above on the cottage balcony reeled from their shock and showered flower petals on the couple
Abhishek could not take his eyes of Siddharth. For the first time, he noticed how handsome Siddharth was..... He had quite a manly, but somehow cute face. His jawline was sharp and enticing. His almond eyes now shining bright, the charming dimples playing peekaboo on his face as he smiled... His smile was only too ravishing. Abhishek's eyes lingered on those thin lips of his. Those lips looked......umm, inviting. That was the moment when Abhishek realized, that this was the man whom he wanted to cherish and protect in his life. The love of his life......... He now knew that the weird feelings in his mind were love all along.... He had realized that he was into men not long ago, and it did not surprise him. He couldn't think past it, as he was, for the first time, hopelessly in love.......
