Miracle Marriage

Chapter 14

Is It Love?

"Huh! It's the upper berths, doctor," I was overjoyed when I discovered our seats on the train to Madras.

"Yes, I reserved upper seats so that we could both relax. It will be a long ride," he said as he carried our stuff to the seat. The train was not that crowded but we did have two co-passengers: an old lady and a young man.

"How much time it takes?" I asked

"Maybe like 17 hours," he replied casually

"Really? Wow! 17 hours!"

"Yes, it might be exhausting, Sathya, but the scenery is breathtaking throughout the journey. I always enjoyed my rides through and forth to home and university." He remarked this as he handed me the towels and the large food bag. He pushed our baggage beneath the seats to safety and then sat next to me.

"Did you travel the train all the time?" I inquired inquisitively to learn more about him.

"Yes, most of the time, although twice my two buddies and I travelled by car. It was one of my life's most incredible experiences. We explored our route to Madras, stopped at several locations, tasted various foods, and even made crucial life decisions. the good 'ol days!" He exclaimed as if in a dream-like state recalling his young years. I didn't want to upset his thoughts, but my heart was filled with envy. "Well, he is a man," I thought. I wished many times in my childhood to turn into a boy magically after a night. I think it started after my Amma put too many restrictions on me because I am a girl.

The view was becoming dimmer through the corroded bars. The lovely houses and fields began to disappear. It is the arrival of night. The trees, the birds, the land, and the humans were all ready for slumber, yet small grey moths scurried about the lights avidly. Without noticing him or anything else inside the train, I was too focused on the outdoors. The TTR, I believe, came and went. When I turned my gaze away from the black and white world to him, his pale brown face, dark and silver hair, faded glasses, and sky blue shirt glittered in the train's light as he dozed comfortably. He has always had such a gorgeous, long, and well-shaped nose, in my opinion. I hoped I could touch them. He is asleep right now, so maybe I can do it. I lifted my hand and felt his bridge with my index finger. I softly and carefully slipped my finger. I was so focused on it that I didn't notice when he awoke and saw me fiddling with his nose.

"Do you like my nose?" When I unexpectedly heard his voice, I was so frightened that I quickly removed my hand.

"Huh! Umm..." I got stuck like the old computer from our school.

"I have my Appa's nose according to Amma," he commented.

"Really? Doctor, you have a beautiful nose. Your Appa must have been handsome just like you," I blurted out

"Ha! Shay!" Covering my mouth with both of my hands, I closed my eyes in embarrassment.

"Hahaha... So, am I handsome?" he laughed.

"What I meant is, you are good-looking, you have an excellent nose structure and other physical features, so your father must be the same as you," I explained clumsily trying to hide my blush.

His lips began to shrink and widen like elastic from corner to corner. I knew I messed up, so I turned away from him and faced the granny across the room. However, she was pounding betel nuts in a mortar while laughing at my foolishness. She witnessed everything. I buried my head in the churidar shawl I was clutching in my lap. I suddenly sensed movement behind me. I lifted my head and saw him right in front of me. Our faces were only a few inches apart. The movement I sensed was him attempting to close the windows due to mosquitos and moths. His eyes caught mine as he continued to cling to the window bar with his hand. My organs froze, and my face and skin heated up like an oven. I sat still as I was unable to speak or move. I really wanted to hear his thoughts and feelings at this point. I'm curious about his perspective.