Iridescent

CHAPTER 32

So today is the date. Wow. If someone had told me a year back that I would be able to move on from Rupali, I would have laughed at them. And if they had told me that I would be going on a date with a person I genuinely like, I would have given them the address of the nearest mental hospital.

But here I am, doing all of it. Life really changes, doesn't it?

I call dad as I get ready. As it rings, I put it on loudspeaker mode and keep it on the bed, and continue getting ready.

"Hello, Jai!" I hear his happy voice. It brings a smile on my face too.

"Hello, dad! Is mum with you?" I ask.

"Yeah, wait a sec, I'll call her."

"I have something to tell the two of you."

"Yeah, tell us."

"I'm taking Amy out on a date today, " I say, and wait.

One. Two. Thre-

"What?! Like, date date?" Mum screams.

I chuckle. "Yes, date date."

"Wow. I'm glad this finally happened. We were waiting for this." Dad laughs.

"When did this happen?" I can hear the happiness in mum's voice.

"Three days ago. And tonight is the date."

"Wow! We are so happy for you, Jai. Now we won't keep you waiting. Go and have fun."

"Okay, bye."

I cut the call, lock the door of my apartment and start walking towards Amy's house, wearing a white crew neck tee, a brown shirt like an overshirt, and black jeans.

I knock on the door and wait. Amy opens the door.

"Come in. I will be ready in a minute."

I groan. "How much time does it take to put on a dress and walk out?"

She doesn't reply, just goes into the room. Thankfully, she comes back quickly. I smile and take a good look at what she is wearing.

It's a white lace dress with a drawstring waist. She looks beautiful, her hair left down and wearing the chain I gave her. She wears it every day, but today it is highlighting.

"You look good, " I give her a kiss on her cheek.

"You too, " she blushes.

"Okay, hurry up. We need to be somewhere in-" I pause to look at my watch. "Ten minutes."

"Where are we going?" she asks curiously as we drive.

"It's a secret."

"Oh please! Just tell me already."

I stop the car near the beach.

"We are going to the beach?"

"Not exactly."

"Then?"

We go to a guy sitting in front of a desk.

"We have reservations for the yacht, " I say, and Amy gasps. I smirk at her.

"Yeah, sir. It's ready."

He leads us to the yacht and soon, we are in the middle of the sea, totally isolated from the world. The yacht is decorated beautifully, just as I wanted, fairy lights, rose petals on the floor.

After thanking the people who work there, I head out of the cabin, to see Amy standing at the end of the yacht, looking at the sea and the sunset.

I go up to her and wrap my arms around her waist from the back. "Hi."

"Hey, " she smiles at me.

"Did you like it?"

"Yes! Thank you, Jai! I always wanted to go to the sea and watch a sunset from there."

I kiss her hair. "I'm glad then. Wait a second."

I go back to the cabin and fetch a bottle of white wine and two glasses. She grins at me.

I pour some in a glass and give it to her, then pour some for myself. We sit there, silently sipping the wine, looking at the sunset in a comfortable silence.

They say happiness is in little things. And now, I perfectly understand the saying. Just sitting with Amy here, looking at the sky change colors, gives me immense happiness. Looking at her, absentmindedly playing with the chain I gave her, gives me happiness.

I turn to the people and ask them to play the music. They do so and then go in, to give us some privacy. Thank God for common sense.

I slowly take the wine glass from her hand, place it on the table and then outstretch my palm towards her.

"Dance with me?"

She smiles like a kid on Christmas and keeps her hand in mine. I pull her up and wrap my arms around her waist, while hers go to my neck.

"I love this song!" she exclaims.

I smile at her, but I already knew that Say You Won't Let Go is her favorite song. She always keeps humming it, sometimes unknowingly.

We dance for a while, shifting between actually dancing, to staying still, her head on my chest, listening to my steady heartbeat. And then, I decide to actually do what I wanted to.

"Amy, " I call out. She pulls her head away from my chest and looks at me with soft eyes and a small smile on her face.

"You know how much you mean to me. You helped me a lot in getting over Rupali and in the process, unknowingly yet certainly, I developed feelings for you, and I know you did too. This doesn't mean I've forgotten Rupali because no one forgets their first love."

She keeps a finger on my lips. "I know, Jai. And I will never try to take her place. I know she means a lot to you. All I want is a little place for myself in your life. I want to be the first person you come to, after a tiring day, whenever you need a shoulder to lie on, or to share your happiness."

"Let me speak!" I sigh. "You can't tell me what I wanted to tell you! I had prepared a speech, okay? And you are ruining it!" my voice is whiny now.

She bites her lip. I tug at it slowly, and she releases it. I trace it with my thumb.

"Okay, so as you have already told what I've wanted to say, let me get to the point then. Amy, will you be my girlfriend?"

She doesn't reply. Instead, she leans in and kisses me with so much passion, I nearly lose my mind. When we pull back, we are both gasping for breath.

"So is that a yes?" I ask.

She bites her lip again. I tug at it again. This time, I trace it with my tongue.

"It is a yes, boyfriend."

A huge grin takes up my features. "I like the sound of that."

She smiles at me, and for a while, we are both grinning at each other like loons. She reaches up, and with her index finger, slowly traces my dimple.

"I always wanted to do that."

I shake my head fondly at her, take her hand and softly kiss it, before intertwining our hands. We continue dancing then, sometimes kissing and hugging the life out of each other, and savoring the moment.

****

So, the DATE. The next chapter will be in Amy's POV. I'll try to update soon.

Until then, byeee.