Until You Love Me: An Unconventional Love Story

Manjal Veyil Nee Minnal Oli Nee

The moon hung like a watchful eye in the star-speckled sky as Vasu sat at the bus stand, its unforgiving fluorescent lights casting a stark glare over the cracked pavement. He remembered how Keerthi rejected him.

 How had things gone so wrong?

It felt like a joke to him now, this idea of love—an unsound gamble where he was destined to lose. He took a swig from the half-empty bottle of rum that accompanied him, the strong drink gave a brief feeling of courage, making it easier to breathe.

Vasu's heart was heavy with disappointment; he thought he had finally gathered the courage to confess his love to Keerthi only to find out that she didn't feel the same way. As he stumbled away from his earlier encounter with her, he found himself recounting his failures, desperately trying to drown them in alcohol. He had failed his father, the one person he had convinced himself he loved.

"Hey, are you alright?" came a voice, interrupting his haze.

Vasu turned to see a girl standing few feet away from him. She looked concerned, her dark hair framing her face like a protective halo against the night.

"Why do you care?" he said, the words slipping out too harshly. But something in her gaze softened him. She looked like she genuinely wanted to understand and he wondered why a stranger is caring for him.

"I care because you're clearly not fine," she replied quietly, her voice steady and calm, like a gentle tide rolling in to soothe a stormy sea. She looks around checking to see if any auto is available.

As if on cue, Vasu let out a hollow laugh. "Fine? What's fine about failing at everything, especially love? You should see where I come from—depths of unrequited affection, complete with its lousy soundtrack."

The girl stepped closer, a cautious approach that spoke volumes about her understanding nature. "I'm listening. Want to share it to a stranger? I'm Meera by the way" 

Vasu hesitated, the well of emotions threatening to spill over. But something in the girls demeanor made him feel safe even though she is a complete stranger. He took another swig of rum, the warmth rekindling his courage. "It's about Keerthi," he confessed, his vulnerability seeping out. "I thought we had something special. I poured my heart out, but she... she doesn't love me back."

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, as if she were trying to read between his words. "And why do you think you failed?"

"Because I thought I was enough," he said, choking on the bitterness that clogged his throat. "I thought my feelings would matter. But they didn't. I feel so lost."

Meera's gaze didn't waver; instead, it anchored him. "What if I told you that love doesn't always mean reciprocation? What if love is more about feeling and less about confirmation?"

Vasu let out a shaky breath, the weight of her words shifting something within him. "You're saying I failed at feeling?"

"No," she said, now carefully taking a seat beside him on the cold bench. "You failed to recognize that there's strength in vulnerability—the act of loving in itself is a victory."

Vasu stared at her, caught off guard by her insight. Here was Meera, a complete stranger to him standing firm and composed while he was a jumbled mess. "But doesn't it hurt to not be loved back?"

"It does. It's like being offered a beautiful gift only to discover it's meant for someone else. It's painful, absolutely; but that doesn't take away the beauty of what you felt," she replied softly. "You loved honestly, even if the love wasn't returned."

He turned his head away, not wanting to discuss this further. 

"Why did you choose to listen to me? And why are you alone at night and talking to a complete stranger?" Vasu asked after a pause, searching her face for answers.

"Because you looked miserable," she said simply. "And it is alright to feel sad, miserable and hurt. You're not a failure. You're just human."

"And to answer why I am alone at night, I was coming back from work when I saw you drunk and alone and this area is little dangerous, someone might harm you"

The silence stretched between them, filled with the soft sigh of the night. Vasu tried to clear his head and wondered how he even got here. He knows that his father will wait for him. Vasu is not ready to face his father though, not yet.

He turned to her and asked, "If, as you say, this place is dangerous, why are you here alone with me? And how can you be sure I won't harm you?"

Meera just smiled. "You could have done something earlier, when we were talking for the past 30 minutes but you didn't and you will not from what I can read from you"

Vasu looked at her, really looked at her. She looks like a angel or maybe he is just drunk. He shook his head and smiled softly at her.

"Thank you, Meera," he finally whispered, feeling as if he had shared a secret that had been clinging heavily onto his heart.

"Anytime," she said, offering him a small, genuine smile.

As the rum bottle found its resting place beside him, Vasu realized, perhaps for the first time, that love was not just a measure of how others felt about him, but also an act of resilience he could cherish no matter the outcome.

Meera stood up and hailed an auto to come near and took Vasu's hand and led him to the auto. Vasu's mind is still jumbled and didn't understand what is happening. He just obediently did what Meera asked him to do, like getting inside the auto. He heard Meera say something to the driver and the she returned to him and handed his wallet to him.

Meera gave a gentle smile, "Take care stranger. Keep your head high and don't let yourself fall short. You deserve better than you think"

Vasu must have been really drunk because Meera looked a little blur to him and he just held a thumbs sign to her. Meera then waved at the driver to start.

Vasu fell back on his seat closed his eyes, trying to ignore the ache in his heart. He wondered what his father would think of him now. Will his father be supportive of him or would think of him as a useless fellow like he used to be before? What will Meera think if she saw him again drinking and lying somewhere on the road? Will she take care of him again or will she ignore him?

What will Keerthi think if she saw him like that? Will she love him back? Vasu slowly fallen to sleep with these thoughts in mind, unaware that how Meera stood there until the auto vanished out of her sight.

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This is the chapter 1 of Until you love me: An unconventional love story.

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With love,
darkprincessinlove