The Forbidden One

Chapter 2

"Eat." She said raising her chin, "My father says chocolate helps reducing the stress, and you look like you need one."

I accepted the chocolate not wanting to be rude, after mumbling a Thank you and began to munch on the chocolate.

"It won't help you." She said making me stop in the mid way from taking the second bite of the dark chocolate.

"Sorry?"

"You are eating chocolate in a wrong way."

"Is there a right way to eat a chocolate?" I asked rising my brow at her.

"Yes." She nodded her head, "I will teach you the right way to eat a chocolate." She continued her eyes shining bright.

I smiled at her child like enthusiasm.

"The best way to eat a chocolate is not to just eat it." She said pulling the wooden chair to sit across me. "One should relish the richness of the chocolate."

I furrowed my brows.

"Let me demonstrate you." She said taking out a chocolate and popping it into her mouth, she gestured me to do the same and I reluctantly began to follow her instructions.

"Now, don't eat the chocolate," She said looking at me, "close your eyes and enjoy the sweetness of the chocolate on your taste buds, the smooth silky feeling as it melts in your mouth."

I closed my eyes and began to enjoy the bitter sweetness of the dark chocolate.

"Think about the chocolate, how it was cultivated and prepared somewhere by someone, and it travelled all around to reach you, to savour your taste buds." She said in a soft silvery tone. "Don't think about anything else."

I did as instructed by her, for a moment, I stopped thinking about all my problems, the deal, Malhotra's everything, it was just me and the bitter sweetness on my tongue; it felt good.

"Did you enjoy the chocolate?" Her eyes dazzled in cheerfulness.

"Yes, thank you for teaching me the right way."

"Hope it helped you relieve your stress at least for a a few minutes." She smiled bright.

"Yes, it did." I said honestly, "I really needed that, especially when I was having a rough day like this."

"My father says," She said after a minute of silence looking at the entrance of the tent, "just like this chocolate that travelled all around just to be relished by the right person, sometimes in life, there will be a right thing that was destined only for us, and when we find that it will be give greater joy than all the things we lost, cause the happiness that we get with The Right One, will not be found with anything else."

And then she turned to face me.

"If you lost something that doesn't mean the end of the world, it means something better, is waiting for you."

"I hope I find the right one soon." I sighed checking my mobile again.

"What's taking so much time?" I mumbled out aloud.

"I am going out on a walk." The girl said taking her wallet from the table top. "You are welcome to join me, if you want to kill the time till your ride arrives, heard there is an amazing Dhaba, a few meters down the lane." She said shrugging her shoulders.

I looked at my watch and then checked my mobile for my new message from my body guard and didn't find any. A hot cup of coffee and some food didn't sound that bad after having a rough day.

"Sure," I said standing up dusting my pants, "I would like to join the walk."

"Great then," The girl smiled showing off her pearly white teeth, "let's get going."

We both began to walk down the lane in silence, side by side with a comfortable distance between us. The sun was nearing the horizon, heavy humid breeze gently waving the trees.

"I think it's going to rain." The girl beside me spoke, looking at the dark clouds.

"You like rains." I stated looking at the happy smile on her face.

"I love rains." The girl said clapping her hands as we reached the dhaba and took our seats on the wooden wire cots in the outdoors. "Rains are beautiful, the petrichor, green trees."

"Seems like you really love to enjoy the rain." I said as the waiter approached.

"I always imagine, how wonderful it would be," She said once the waiter left after taking our orders. "To sit by a glass window, sipping on a cup of hot coffee, listening to the beats of the rain drops, wrapped up in a warm embrace. How romantic." She sighed dreamily, closing her eyes, her face serene as she looked up at the sky, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Very romantic." I smiled softly at her idea of romance. "I thought love and romance is all about luxury and riches. The richer you get the happiest you are." I said air quoting the last sentence.

"That's nonsense, money isn't everything." The girl said waving her hands. "If your love is true and pure, the person's state, status, money and beauty doesn't matter."

"Easy said than done, people speak noble words but seldom follow them."

"My mom says, 'Luxurious mansions and piles of money won't give you the happiness, that you feel just by being in the arms of your loved one.' True to  her words I never saw a lovely couple like my mom and dad, my mom was from a wealthy family, my dad was a pious doctor but I never saw her complained about anything, all she want was my father's love and time, nothing less, nothing more. And my dad, he still looks at her just like a teenage guy looks at first love, the same spark and love in his eyes."

"I know that feeling, my father used to look my mother in the same way." I smiled remembering the love filled moments of my parents, when we were a hally family.

"Used to?" The girl asked with a frown.

"Yes, we lost my mother a few years back." I said as I felt moisture in my eyes.

"I am sorry." She said in a soft voice.

"Don't be, I really miss her and your parents reminded me of her." I said taking the coffee cup from the table. "Whenever I used to look at them, I used to think, how good it is to have a person you love by your side, with whom you can grow old. It was such a great feeling. I wonder sometimes,if I ever be able to find someone like that, to spend my whole life with, in this era. The romance and relationships in olden days was something that we can't find now."

The girl nodded in agreement and silently began to sip the coffee from her cup, as a few strays of her black hair began to dance to the beats of the wind.