If I Had A Love Story - Chapter 24

 

Chapter 24

The dark skies loomed over the well-lit Bangalore city. Our train back to Chennai was leaving in two hours. The railway station was bustling with people, each with their own story and destination. The weather did not seem to affect the people there at all. We carried our bags onto the first platform to catch a train that was not expected until after two hours.

Diya pulled me back before I could enter the platform. She took me to a food store at the front and bought both of us a cheese macaroni pizza.

"What’s the event?" I asked her while still munching on my slice of pizza.

"My mom and dad are coming to pick me up now."

"What!?" I choked on the last of my pizza slices. She hit my head hard and gave me water to drink.

“You've got to stop giving me surprises when I am eating!" I gulped down half a bottle of water.

"Is that why you were worried and nervous all these times?" I asked her. She nodded after a while.

"They are coming to hear my decision."

"Decision? On what?" She remained silent.

"If I am choosing them or you," I choked again and got hit by her again.

"That’s bloody too much information to get in 30 seconds," I thought.

"Is that all, or do you have more? And why is that choice?" I was a bit perplexed.

"No. I would talk with them; if they don’t accept, I am coming with you." I pretended not to hear that, and picked up the last slice of the pizza.

"Do you wanna share?" I split the last slice into two and handed her the bigger half.

"Are you mad? I am serious. How could you be so cool now?" She frowned. I was still sticking out the pizza near her mouth. She signed and took the piece from me. My uncanny calmness was shaking her up even more.

"I never knew that you were this cute when you were angry," I smirked at her.

"And listen, you are not going to talk to them, but we are going to talk to them, together. So, it is going to be okay," I reassured her.

"How can you be so sure?" She stared at me. I smiled at her.

"Let’s go meet my in-laws!" I dragged her into the railway station and asked her to take me there. Her hand was so chill.

"I might have fallen in love with a vampire by mistake," I joked. She glared at me. Her eyes were saying, - I would have hit you if this were some other time.

At a distance, she saw her parents before they could see us and stopped me. I identified them from the pictures, Diya had shown me and waved at them. This time they had spotted us but did not wave back.

Her parents stood up, facing us. Her father was a sturdy man in his late 40s, and her mother looked young except for the frown that she was wearing on her face.

I leaned over to Diya’s ears and whispered, "Your brother couldn’t make it, or what?" She pinched me lightly, knowing my cry would startle her parents. Her father turned to face Diya, and she started introducing me. He interjected.

"I can see that you chose him over us."

"Dad, it is nothing like that."

"I just want the ring back. We will be off."

"Dad, he’s really a nice..." She stopped realizing that both her mom and I were missing. They both turn back to see Diya’s mom and me chatting and snacking on a box of Mysore Pak.

Her mom extended the box, asking if they wanted it. Diya shot a blank stare at me.

"I have something else for you, Appa." I handed him a box of his favourite Kaju Katli. I could see his taste buds tickling upon seeing the sweets, with only his ego holding him back from taking one. Diya’s anxiety had shot up. The sound of the train screeching onto the platform rendered other noises inaudible.

It turned out that his sweet tooth overpowered his ego as he reached out for a piece from the box and enjoyed the sweet. Diya just did not know how to react. I winked back at her. We then sat together and chatted as the initial awkwardness faded away.

The time came to bid their parents farewell for their return journey as the announcer announced the arrival of their train. They were finally convinced and happy that we were both together. Diya was beaming with joy. I asked them to take Diya with them as planned, which they agreed to. I turned toward Diya and gave her a tight hug. Her parents asked me to take care of her and drop by their home sometime.

Their train had arrived by then, and I helped them with their luggage. I opened my bag and gave them another set of sweet boxes. Her father got it from me as Diya grinned at him. I got back to the platform, waving at them, as the train started moving.

I walked back to the platform, where the rest of us were standing half-heartedly. My phone beeped. I had gotten a text from Diya.

Missing you alreadyyy!!! 😥💖

☺ I replied back with an emoji.

"Seriously?" She texted back.

"Words can’t express what I am feeling right now. Text me when you reach!"

The skies opened up, and I sat on an empty bench watching the rain fall on the rail tracks. I wondered if the clouds missed its raindrops.

"Some people are indeed worth melting for!" I thought.

Epilogue

The sun's gentle embrace shot through the window, casting a golden glow on the floor. Birds were singing a sweet symphony, their melodies dancing with the soft breeze. The world had awakened with a peaceful sigh, welcoming the promise of a lovely morning.

Diya was still sleeping by my side after a tiring day at work yesterday. I got up from the bed, strode right into the kitchen, and made two cups of steaming hot coffee. The aroma of the coffee that I was making had woken Diya by then.

I took her to the balcony with our coffee cups. We stood together, sipping our coffee. The steam from our coffee danced between us like a subtle embrace. The breeze blew her silky, fragrant hair strands onto my face. She tried her best to tie her hair but gave up after seeing me enjoying it. Our eyes connected, and a smile crept across our faces.

It has been a month since we got married. We had stopped telling each other how much one loved the other. We make efforts now, our love language has changed—no, it rather evolved.