It Happened One Night ✔️

Part 9: Aaj Ibaadat.....

Ishita sat back quietly, as Raman turned the car expertly down a meandering side road.

The damp coolness of early morning had worn off, but a soft breeze kept the atmosphere pleasant, and added to the magical quality of the day. Signs of habitation and civilisation got less and less the further they drove on, to be replaced by verdant green foliage, a heady fragrance in the breeze and their increasing awareness of each other.

"Raman" Ishita tried one more time, as the car appeared to be slowing down " Where...?"

Raman took his eyes off the road briefly, his eyes smoldering as he gazed into hers. She blushed, looking down in confusion, and he caressed her cheek softly with his free hand, his fingers tenderly touching the errant lock which kissed her blushes.

She caught her breath, biting her lips nervously.

"Here" he said, reluctantly taking his hand away, pointing to a decrepit ancient stone building in a clearing a few hundred metres away.

"Here?" Ishita asked breathlessly, still affected by his touch, wondering at his sudden caresses.

"Hmmm" he murmured, trying to get his own breathing back on an even keel.

One touch, that's all it took, and he was lost again.

He pulled up and parked the car some metres away from the building, which revealed itself as the ruins of an ancient temple. The countryside appeared totally deserted, the sparse trees surrounding the monument wafting gently in the breeze. The tweets and squaks of distant birds were the only sounds punctuating the silence.

"Yeh...yeh kya hai Raman" ( What is this Raman?) Ishita turned eagerly to Raman.

He looked into the distance for a few moments and then turned to face her, clasping her hands tightly in his, his eyes darkening with emotion. He paused briefly, then started to speak quietly, his voice husky, looking down at their entwined fingers.

"This is the temple of Kama, the God of Love, Ishita. When we were here last year, I met some locals who told me about the legend of this temple. Apparently, if you come here with your true love, and pledge yourself to each other, then nothing and no one can ever separate you."

He looked up then and smiled at her. It was a sweet smile but it was accompanied by glistening eyes. Ishita found her own eyes growing moist as she stared at her husband, his husky voice deepening as he continued.

"I didn't believe in true love at that time, Ishita, and I remember mocking the men who told us the story. But now... but now, I want to believe, I want to bind you to me so tightly, so strongly, that no one can ever come between us. We married for Ruhi, Ishita, but now I want you for myself. No compulsions, no majboori, no excuses, just you and me. When we took our vows, my heart was full of cynicism and doubt. I went through the motions because I needed to get custody of my daughter. But meri jaan, here, today, I want to pledge myself to you. For ever. And only for you. Sirf tumhare liye".

Uncontrollable tears chased one another down Ishita's cheeks, as her heart sang with love for him. Whatever she had expected on this journey, it hadn't been this. Something so sweet, so romantic, so perfect.

"Raman" she whispered."I want that too. Sirf tumhare liye. I married you for Ruhi, Ruhi ke liye, and by doing so I got the child I thought life would never give to me, the happiness I thought wasn't in my destiny. But that's not enough for me any more Raman. I love you so much. After Subbu left me, I thought I could never love again. Marriage to you was a compromise to get that which I wanted the most, my child, my Ruhi. But Raman, I had no idea then that I would grow to love you so much. My past, my anguish, all seem like a distant dream now. What I feel for you, I have never felt before. Not for anyone. I could never have imagined ... never.."