Her Innocent Love

4 ~ First Encounter

Reyansh's POV

I was captivated by her beauty. Her face bore an innocent, sweet smile that captured my heart. Her dark brown orbs dreamily observed the people dancing around her. Her gorgeous hair was tied in a ponytail, adorned with a flowery white band. Two locks of her hair framed her face, dancing with every movement of her face. Her minimal makeup was complemented by a bindi perfectly placed between her eyebrows, adding an ethereal beauty to her face. I couldn't focus on anything else but her.

Unable to resist, I walked in her direction. "Hi," I said, trying to gain her attention.

"Hey," she responded, turning towards me. I was mesmerized. Her beautiful eyes looked directly into mine, and her honeyed voice was like a therapy to my ears.

"Are you alone here? I mean, you don't seem to be taking part in the garba anytime soon."

"No, actually, I am waiting for my friend."

"Oh, okay... I thought maybe you came alone and weren't finding it enjoyable."

"No, no, it's not like that. I'm enjoying it. I just don't know how to do garba, so I chose to stand here and observe others."

"I see. If you don't mind, I can help you with that."

"No, no, it's okay. I'm a terrible dancer."

"Don't worry. You just have to follow my lead, and you'll do it easily."

"I don't think I can do that," she said reluctantly, and my heart sank. But what else could I expect? She wouldn't be ready to dance with a stranger so easily. I decided to try one more time.

"I'm sure you didn't spend the money on the ticket just to stand in one corner. A little effort, and you can create a wonderful memory of this event to cherish for a lifetime. What do you say?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, what you're saying is true, but can you do one thing for me?"

I could do anything you ask, munji ghull (my flower), I thought, biting my tongue before saying it out loud. "Yes, why not? What is it?"

"Can you please ask someone to record us while we do the garba? I want to have a video of it."

Wow, munji ghull wants to have a video of our first dance. Perfect!

"Why not." I asked one of the men standing nearby to take a video of us.

To be honest, I didn't know how to do garba myself. I just wanted to talk to her more, so I stretched the conversation this way. We came to the middle of the pandal (hall), and I observed the people around us to see how they were doing the steps. I had never been so thankful for my quick learning ability. I imitated a couple nearby, showing her the steps: tapping our right hands together and moving our right legs forward, then doing the same with the left, and twirling to repeat. She listened carefully and watched me.

When the guy started the video, we actually did the garba together. It was the best garba event I had ever attended. She was smiling ear to ear, and I was completely taken by her innocent smile.

"Thank you so much. With your help, I was able to do at least a basic garba. I really appreciate it," she said.

"No worries. It's my pleasure to bring a smile to your face." The moment I said it, her smile vanished, and I regretted my outspoken self. "I mean, I'm happy that I could help someone." She smiled again, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"By the way, we don't know each other's names yet," she said, and I realized I hadn't introduced myself.

"Oh, my bad. My name is Reyansh."