It is often said that when a person truly loves anyone, a specific day is neither necessary nor enough, to celebrate their existence in the world and their life. Yet, sometimes, certain days are special as they symbolise life-altering moments. Celebrating such days, is more often than not, a medium to re-live those memories. For Abir, today was the special day. The previous night was extremely magical for both Abir and Mishti. Though Mishti was lulled into sleep by the tranquility that Abir's embrace provided, Abir, however, had a sleepless night. He relived all the moments that took place on that day. It was an unforgettable day and experience for Abir. Hence, he decided to celebrate this day with Mishti.
The next morning, Abir woke up to Mishti, sleeping soundly like an infant. He always adored the sight of his sleeping wife, as she looked even prettier. She had a certain calmness on her face that soothed Abir's nerves and put him at ease. Mishti, who was in deep slumber, had tightly hugged Abir in her sleep. Abir slowly wrestled to get out of her hold, careful not to wake her up. As he slowly pulled away from her, he bent down and kissed softly on her forehead. He admired her face for a few seconds, before he captured a photograph of sleeping Mishti. He once again kissed her forehead and slowly tiptoed to his room. As he entered the room, he saw his painting hanging beside the dressing table and opposite to the bed. He stood in front of the painting and slowly ran his fingers over it. He whispered, with a smile playing on his lips, "Ek saal. Aaj ek saal hogaya Mishti, mujhe tumhaari painting banaaya hue. Pata hi nahi chala kab itni jaldi ek saal beeth gaya. Kal ki hi baat lagti hai jab main apni feelings se bhaag raha tha. Aur aaj dekho, main har roz tumse I love you kehta hun. Strange na, tum mere saath ho lekin phir bhi main tumhaari painting se baat kar raha hoon? Aaj ka din mere liye bohut special hai Mishti. Aur yeh din main tumhaare saath share karna chahta hoon. Kuch toh karna hoga!" Smiling to himself, Abir went to take a shower.
Mishti woke up from her sleep, rubbing her eyes. As she opened her eyes and did not find Abir beside her, she wondered why did he not wake up her up. She quickly got up and pulled aside the mattress. She went to her room, expecting Abir to be in the shower. When she could not find him in the washroom, she searched the whole house for him. Finally, she found him in the garden, offering water to the revered Tulsi plant. He was wearing a pair of well-fitted white kurta and pants. His "janeu" or sacred white thread, that was strung across his body, was slightly visible from the translucent kurta. Mishti rested her head on the door and admired the sight of a praying Abir. It always warmed Mishti's heart that Abir was very religious yet modern at the same time. Moreover, religion and modernity aren't mutually exclusive. She stood there in a silence for sometime, her eyes fixated on Abir. As she observed that Abir was focusing deeply on praying, she moved towards their room to take a shower and left Abir undisturbed.
Mishti exited the washroom, drying her hair with a towel. As she sat in front of the dressing table to pull out her essentials from the suitcase, something caught her attention. A gift-wrapped box was lying on the bed, with a small 'open me' note stuck on it. A smile crept up her face as she knew Abir had left a gift for her. She opened it and found a beautiful blue saree in the box. Mishti squealed in excitement as she loved to wear sarees. She soon wore the saree and exited the walk-in closet. She sat down near the dressing table, pulling out all the essentials from her suitcase and placing them on the table. As she started getting ready, she observed that Abir was standing by the door, his eyes transfixed on her. Abir smiled mischievously and entered the room, "Tum har roz kal se bhi zyaada sundar kaise dikhti ho? Man karta hai ki bas tumhe dekhta hi rahoon." Mishti blushed deeply at his compliment. Abir slowly walked towards her and sat down on his knees beside her. He picked up some sindoor from the box on lying on the table and filled her hairline and gently put the nuptial chain around her neck. Mishti looked at Abir with loving eyes and recollected the moment when Abir did the same for the first time, while he was sedated with sleeping pills. Back then, though she was tensed, she had found it adorable and even now. Abir looked at a smiling and blushing Mishti, and said with a smirk, "Tich lag rahi ho!" They both grinned at this as it rekindled their fond memories of the past. As Mishti stood up, he slides his hands into Mishti's arms holding on to her tightly. They both walked down the stairs, their arms interlocked. Abir and Mishti set up the small shrine in their house, placing the idol of Kanhaji in the centre. They decorated the entire shrine with flowers and then bathed and dressed up the idol of Kanhaji. Kanhaji or Lord Krishna, was extremely dear to both Abir and Mishti. The three months they were away from each other, they both seemed solace by sharing their pain with him. As a result, they had developed a deep bond with Kanhaji; while Mishti developed a new found relationship with Kanhaji, Abir's faith strengthened. Therefore, they found happiness in decorating the shrine. Once they had completed doing so, Abir performed a small prayer and both or them seemed blessings from the Kanhaji, for their new life. Once it was over, Abir and Mishti started heading towards the drawing room.
