Of City lights and Rains

Image courtesy: Google

I forced myself not to think about the text message that I had sent few minutes back. It took all of my self restraint and control to not grab my phone and check for a reply from her. It had hurt so badly. So much that I had put off sending the dreaded message for days now. A part of me was selfish, I wanted her all for myself. Without the blemish of her knowing what had been going on in my mind all along. While the other part wanted her happiness.

Our relationship was doomed from the beginning. There was no way my family would accept her into their conservative lives. Not that I cared. But it was her who was concerned about the role of fitting in, no matter where she lived. But she held on to it like a ray of hope. A sliver of faith that our story would have a happy ending. 

She didn't want to hurt anyone, especially not both our parents. Even if that meant sacrificing our happiness. I knew she would be heart broken if she came to know the truth. That her brother had called me and said that she she would be disowned if I ever made the mistake of taking our relationship any further. I couldn't bear to live with the guilt. Or her unhappiness, which would be inevitable, later on in life. 

But life had left me no choice. I had to break it off with her. I couldn't turn her against her own blood. I messaged her saying that it was over. That what we had while it lasted had been good. But we had no future. That she shouldn't try to call or try to meet me again. 

As I twirled around the empty ice cubes in my glass, I was woken out of my reverie by the calling bell. There she stood, drenched in the rain. It was past evening. She was panting, the raindrops clung to her face and eyelashes like morning dew. She still looked the same as I had first seen her in the bus stand. The same secrecy in her eyes. Behind her, the city lights twinkled. 

As she stepped inside my door, leaving a small pool of water at my doorstop, I knew there was no going back. We made love with an urgency, she clung on to me like she would never let go, as we barely made it to the bedroom. I knew, right then, that we had made a decision. There was no going back now. This was the girl that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And it rained that night, the entire time, the sole witness to our love.

The next day, she became my wife.  

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Thank YOU!

Image courtesy: Google

As the UBC and NaBloPoMo are coming to an end today, I would like to Thank you all. Yes, you, my readers, have been my inspiration to write better with each post. Whoever has cared to visit my blog and cared to drop a line or two, to let me know what you thought about my posts, I can never Thank you enough. 

Would you believe me if I said that each and every comment of yours has been saved in my inbox? So that I can read it over and again when I need a boost for my spirits. Or when I feel drained. Or just to know that all is not lost. That is how much you all mean to me. 

The past month has been a learning curve. I have read a lot of wonderful writers out there. A lot are still pending. I promise I shall read them soon, since this hectic month has come to an end. 

I would like to Thank Soumya, Confused soul, Usha Ma'am, Red, Stranger, PeeVee, Keirthana, Reema, Vinodini, Sreeja, Shanx, Vishal for the constant encouragement and being there for me and my blog! I love you all to the moon and back. My sincere apologies if I have left out any names in this list. Please blame it on the level of exhaustion that I have reached. But please do know that you are a part of the list. Yes, everyone who reads me. A big hug to all of you!

This month has also taught me discipline in terms of writing. That if needed, I can write everyday. Even if on some days, it means scribbling just a few lines. I have never been popular for completing things that I've started off. Of course, there is plenty of energy in the beginning, but it soon fizzles out after a couple of days. Maybe because I have enjoyed writing and being read, I'm proud that I have competed the challenge and can give myself a pat on the back. 

Thank you, July 2014, for teaching me a lot of things and gifting me a bunch of wonderful friends. August, hope you bring much more surprises :) A lot of us are going to be celebrating birthdays, including me :) Yayyy!!! This definitely calls for celebration. Soon!

Lots of love,

A

This post is written for Day 31 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo. 

Saying goodbye to F.R.I.E.N.D.S

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I spent the whole of my day watching the last season of FRIENDS. I had begun to watch this TV show only recently. But once I started it, then there was no going back. I was hooked to it right from the pilot episode. 

Here are a group of friends who stick with each other though thick and thin, through highs and lows. Of course, the fact that you would be laughing so hard in each of the episodes is the biggest plus. Since most of you have already watched this one, I'm sure you wouldn't want me droning about what the story is about. It is about life of a group of six friends, to put it simply. 

I have enjoyed watching and learning about each of the six characters. Rachel, though rich and spoiled in the beginning soon matures into a little more responsible woman. Falling in and out of love, making her own mistakes and taking a chance at relationships, she is a character which most of us can relate to.

Ross, the geeky, nerdy one of the group. It is hard not to laugh when he takes life so seriously. The on and off relationship between Rachel and Ross can't make you help but wish that they would solve their differences end up together. 

Monica and Chandler are my favorite couple ever. The friendship between them, the way they fall in love with each other, the way they handle their relationship, how they work their way through marriage, I mean the list is endless. How can one not fall in love with this amazing couple? Monica with her OCD for cleanliness and Chandler with his wit and sarcasm are as different as chalk and cheese. But that is what makes them so perfect for each other. Monica is easily one of my favorite characters in the show. I love her for her loyalty towards her friends and the strong woman that she is. 

Phoebe is an interesting character in herself. The fact that she is not easy to figure out and her bouts of weirdness makes her character lively. As much weird as she is most of the times, I found myself humming Smelly Cat even after the show was over. Weird, I know. But such is the Phoebe effect. 

And last, but certainly not the least is Joey. What can I say about him? How about this- How you doin'? This guy makes you crack up and you will find yourself rolling around in laughter, clutching your sides. Joey doesn't share food. This made me like him all the more! The way he is always there for his friends, no matter what, the way he puts them first (other than food), there are a million reasons to fall in love with him. 

OH MY GOD! I almost forgot about Janice! Though she doesn't have a regular appearance on the show, this woman is hard to forget. Especially after her random appearances in the friends' life right from the beginning to the very end. She had me howling in laughter and I'm not exaggerating here. 

And as I watched the last season today, I shed a few tears. Sad that it's coming to an end. Happy that Monica and Chandler finally got what they deserved. Glad that Ross and Rachel end up together for good. Happy for Phoebe that she gets her happy ending. Sad for Joey who is going to have a hard time missing his friends. Perhaps a bit more than the rest. 

Thank you, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. You have made my days a lot more lively. You have given me migraines from watching you back to back the entire day. And most times, the entire night as well. But you kept me hooked. You kept me wanting more. And lastly, Thank you for reminding me that the bad stuff shall pass. So will the good stuff. But what happens in between is what makes life worthwhile. 

This post is written for Day 30 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo. 

P.S. I made gulab jamuns today! It came out not so perfect and a bit burnt on the sides. But it tasted great and I'm happy :)

P.P.S. Did you know that the fried jamuns before dipping them into the sugar syrup tastes even better? Sounds odd, I know! But try it. The smell that wafts from the frying jamuns are to die for. 

One Soul

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I felt the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. There was pain. The blood on my dress spread. A sense of floating above my body. That was when I saw her. 

My murderer. The other half of my soul. My twin sister. 

There wouldn't be any hurt or mistrust again. For neither of us. 

This post is written for Day 29 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo. 

P.S. It is a 55 Fiction. An attempt in telling a story in just 55 words. 

For the Love of...

Image copyright: Marie Gail Stratford

The simplest of things in life brought me the greatest joy. Watching the rains while drinking a cup of steaming masala tea, the sound of water dripping outside the windows, greasy Chinese food, the smile on his face that made his eyes crinkle deep in the corners. 

It was on a rainy afternoon after having Chinese takeaway that he did the unexpected. As he made fun of me for the mess I made while handling the chopsticks, I failed to notice the ring. 

Looking into my eyes and taking in my ketchup stained T-shirt, he asked, "Would you be mine?"

This drabble is written for Friday Fictioneers- 25th July for the above photo prompt. 

Also, linking it to Day 28 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo. 

Fearless

Image courtesy: Tumblr

A thousand doubts crept up her mind. What if this doesn't work out; or what if he wasn't the One? As she walked alone though the woods with just her thoughts for company, somewhere along the way, she made up her mind. 

To conquer her fears, she would have to face them. 

The woman that came out of the woods did not have a cluttered mind, true, she still had a lot of fights to battle, but her heart was fearless. 

This post is written for Five sentence fiction for Fearless at Lillie McFerrin Writes.

Also, linking it to Day 27 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo. 

P.S. I'm exhausted. This is the longest time that I have been posting non stop. Every day of this whole month. Still a few more to go. So sorry if I have actually stopped making sense altogether. 

The Only One

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She had no recollection of seeing her mother's face. It was her Dad who had waited for her on the first day of school. It was him she ran to when she skimmed her knees falling down while cycling. Dad had been the one who told her that afternoon, that she was now a young woman, when she thought she was going to die. 

He was the one who had beamed at her from the audience when she graduated. She pretended not to notice the hurt in his eyes when she spent more and more time with her friends. While he pretended not to be bothered by the fact that his daughter was no longer the little girl he knew; she was slowly falling in love. With a guy. With life.

But the day she found out she was pregnant, she dreaded going home. Sam refused to have anything to do with her or the baby. He even questioned whether it was his. 

When Dad had found her lying in a pool of blood in the bathroom at home, she wished with all her heart that she was dead. He had held her in his hands, like he used to when she was a little girl, as she sobbed her heart out at the hospital. 

And today, as she looks across the lawn where her Dad was pushing his five year old granddaughter on the swing as she screamed in laughter, she knew that she had made the right decision. There were no confusions. Not anymore. He would be the Only One in her life who would stick by her side, through thick and thin. 

As the wind carried the sounds of their laughter, she whispered to herself, Thank You, Dad.

This post is written for Day 26 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.