You and I, plus 2 years of marriage!

BREAK THE RULES

{9}

Partha almost dropped the beer tin from his hand.

‘What?!! What did you just say?’

‘You heard me,’ said Arvind letting out a sigh.

‘No, I didn’t. Say it again!’ he demanded.

‘I confessed my love to Rutva…’

Partha gulped more beer in shock. He went and pulled a chair to sit in front of his friend.

‘I really can’t believe this! I am not surprised that you fell in love with Ru, but I am amazed that I failed to notice your feelings for her. Above all, you proposing to her was epic!’

Arvind had expected this reaction from him.

‘When did this happen?’

‘Three days ago. She did not get in touch with me after that. I have not been able to concentrate on anything since then. In fact… I thought she might have told you about me,’ he said in a dejected tone. He was counting on Partha to put him out of his misery. But his friend was clueless about it and therefore only added to his woes. Partha chuckled at his friend.

‘You don’t know her, bro. She is a firebrand! Yet there have always been men who admire her. In the past, a few even mustered up courage to propose to her but she rejected them without any hesitation. None of them suited her. If you ask me, no man can match her. She is way too good for any of them. In fact, she is the best! Ru deserves the best in her life…’

Respect, admiration, affection and tenderness saturated his voice while speaking about Rutva. He looked at Arvind with intense eyes.

‘I don’t know if you are the right man for her, but I trust you. Moreover I won’t think twice before breaking your bones if you make her unhappy,’ he said with a straight face.

‘Let her just say yes, I will not let that lovely smile leave her face,’ said Arvind passionately. Honesty and love twinkled in his eyes. Partha lightly patted his shoulder.

‘She always thinks a lot before making a decision in her personal life. Sometimes she simply overdoes it and ends up in confusion. After that she will certainly come looking for me,’ he said with a smile.

‘If she asks for your opinion, will you tell her to accept me?’ asked Arvind in doubt.

‘Absolutely not!’ he said firmly.

‘Why?’ he asked distraught.

‘If I do that, she will most certainly reject you. We don’t make decisions for each other, but only support them. Ru is completely unpredictable. I won’t be surprised either she rejects or accepts your love. She always has her reasons and they are rarely wrong. I trust her and her choice.’

Arvind took a long sip from his beer tin. He had counted on Partha to give him some information about her decision but now that hope was also lost. Above all, Partha had refused to be of any help in this matter. Arvind was desperate to know her answer and every minute of wait was making him restless. Yet he was helpless…

***

Rutva handed Partha a gift wrapped parcel and a smile spread across his face.

‘For me?’ he asked unsure.

‘No, it’s for the watchman,’ she said in serious tone. He laughed at her answer.

‘Obviously it’s for you, Puttu!’ she said beaming. He quickly tore open the gift wrapper.

‘Shirts?! Thank you so much, Ru. They are classy,’ he said looking at the two shirts that she had gifted him. They were sitting on the terrace of his home.

‘Do you like them?’

‘Of course! I rarely wear formal shirts and therefore my wardrobe is stacked with casuals. These will come handy during my training and make me look professional. You have bought me the perfect gift, something that I really needed.’

‘I am happy that you liked them,’ she said pleased with herself. He neatly placed back the shirts in the box and offered her the biscuits that his mother had given. They started munching on the biscuits and chatted for some time about what he had pack before leaving for his training in Hyderabad.

‘I have something to tell you,’ she said hesitantly. Partha could easily guess what she wanted to say.

‘What is it, Ru?’

‘Arvind proposed to me.’

‘Okay,’ he said casually and bit into another biscuit. She waited for him to say something more, but he made no such attempt.

‘Say something,’ she said irritated.

‘What? You should say what you have decided,’ he said shrugging.

‘I am confused…’

Rutva averted his eyes and looked up at the sky. Partha was least bit surprised by her answer.

‘Alright. Let’s answer some questions first. Do you like him?’

‘He is nice guy. Shy, introvert, sincere, mature, calm and quite unlike me.’

Partha gave her a mischievous smile.

‘Nobody can ever be like you so stop looking for a man who can match your personality. Next question. Are you interested in any other guy?’

She narrowed her eyes at him.

‘No. You know me!’

‘Yeah. Just confirming it. Do you have any strong reason to reject him?’

She simply kept quiet without saying anything, but he had already got his answer.

‘When are you planning to get married?’ he shot his next question.

‘I don’t know…’

‘Do you even want to get married?’

‘Puttu!’

‘Actually I am worried because you are not showing any interest in finding the love of your life. For how long can you stay single? You need a partner, Ru.’

‘Hmmm…’

‘What have you decided about Arvind?’ he asked softly. She looked at him with timid eyes.

‘I don’t know.’

Partha let out a long drawn breath and went and sat beside her. He put his arm around her shoulder.

‘Hey, there is nothing to be so worried about it. I have known him for many years and he is a very decent guy. I can vouch for the fact that he has never been in love before and you are the first woman to have stolen his heart.’

Rutva let out a sigh and rested her head on his shoulder.

‘Are you saying that I should accept?’

‘This is your life Ru. You should decide. All I can say is, put your fears aside. Give yourself a chance at love,’ he said slowly. There was some silence for a few minutes and she thought about what her best friend had just said.

‘By the way, if you want to say no, I can help you. I will only have to tell him how you used to dirtily play in the mud and also that you punched a guy in the face during street football. These two samples are more than enough to scare him away,’ he said with a lopsided smile. Rutva immediately sat up straight and punched his arm playfully. The two friends burst out laughing reminiscing the good old days.

‘How I miss those days!’ she rued.

‘Our childhood was the best,’ he declared. She gave him a high five and both of them agreed that they should never have grown up.

‘Anyway Ru, I want you to give a serious thought about Arvind. Please don’t use your over smart brain in this matter. Listen only to your heart. Don’t think, just do it. Whatever you decide, I am always here for you.’

‘I know.’

There was nothing more to be said or heard. It was enough to keep their friendship alive for over two decades and even beyond it.

***

Rutva was standing near the window and facing away from Arvind. He stood waiting for her to say something. His heart was galloping like a wild horse.

‘Arvind, I was quite surprised by the reasons you gave for falling in love with me. We are indeed poles apart and I don’t know if it would be the right decision for us to be in a relationship. I am not sure if it will work out between us,’ she said flatly. Arvind caught his breath.

Please don’t say no!

‘What do you mean, Rutva?’ he asked meekly. Slowly, she turned to face him.

‘You are a nice guy Arvind, but I may not be the right girl for you.’

He frowned at her.

‘That’s for me to decide. Don’t you like me?’

‘I like you, I really do. But is it enough? I am not an easy person to live with. I can be really crazy at times…’

Arvind took a couple of steps towards her. His anxiety had given way to a new found courage.

‘I know, Rutva. I have admired your craziness, your courage, your passion and your smile. I don’t want you to change. I love you the way you are,’ he said intensely. She could not avert his eyes and he could easily read the turmoil in hers.

‘Please try to understand, Arvind. I am scared that I might end up hurting your feelings,’ she implored.

‘Do you love me?’ he asked gazing at her. She could not utter a single word as her throat went dry.

‘Please…’ she said meekly. He went closer to her and gently took her face in his hands.

‘Answer me, Rutva.’

She swallowed hard and her breathing was ragged. That was the first time a man had come so close to her and her heart was pounding.

‘Do you love me?’ he persisted looking into her eyes. She could feel his hot breath on her face and his eyes were glowing with raw passion.

‘Yes,’ she said after a moment. It was as if he had willed her into saying yes. Arvind let out a smile of quiet satisfaction and kissed her forehead.

‘I love you,’ she said in a muffled voice and a tear slipped from her eye.

‘I love you, Rutva.’

He gently wiped away her tear and wrapped his arms around her. She embraced him and rested her head on his hard chest. Together they drowned in the exquisite sea of love…

                        To be continued...