The K- Factor: Togetherness- A Series (Part 9)

The earlier parts of the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 and Part 8. This is the last post of this series and I hope everyone had a good time reading it.

The early morning sun glinted through the glazed window and roused me from my slumber. It had taken a lifetime for the night to transform into the day, and now I felt it was here too early. The night had seen me twist and turn under the bed sheet, and the bed endured my endless combat with my thoughts. The last two hours had been filled with bliss as I slipped into the darkness, and my brain finally rested, tired of the gory war.

As the sun disrupted my dark bliss, I swung down the bed and trudged to the mirror, shaking and scratching away at the sleep and drowsiness. As I stretched myself in the warmth of the morning, my eye went on the small box on the dressing table. Seeing it, the sleep remaining in me converged to the center of stomach and condensed together as a knot. Opening the exquisite box, I fingered the band inside- pure platinum. The smooth metal ring glittered under the orange sparkle of the early sun and glinted into my eyes. Fashioned out of the rare metal, this ring was unique in its own way-smooth and strong.

Keeping it back into the box, I went on to the bathroom to get fresh, the knot in my stomach tightening as the clock ticked on.

The clock struck 9 and as expected and planned, the phone started ringing. The display notified me that it was Niki, and I knew the reason behind her fervent call.

“Hello Niki, good morning,” I said with a cheerful voice; but my throat was as dry as the Sahara.

“I want to meet you right now. I’m coming down in 10 minutes, please pick me up. We’ll go to our usual place.”

I could sense the tension and the fear in her voice as she said the words in a hurry.

“What happened Niki? I can’t come now honey, I have to rush to the bank for dad’s work.”

“Keep ignoring me then, fine. Enjoy with your friends and those giggling girls around you, okay? One day i’ll get married and then you won’t be able to do anything. Ohh, anyway that doesn’t matter to you right?”

“Wh...What?”

“Call me when you can meet, and don’t message otherwise. I have got work to do.”

With these words, her voice dispersed into a click which was followed by silence. I could not bear the pain in her voice, and I wished I could be with her, and that I could tell her the truth. The hours before we met were going to be tough, too tough.

After lunch, I pinged Niki and told her to be ready in an hour. She agreed with a hint of sadness and sorrow in her voice.

I touched my parents’ feet and took their blessing, as well as God’s and went through the plan again with them. They nodded and smiled, and embraced me once before I left- a man on a mission.

The bike chugged down the street and came to a halt near the corner. I could see Niki waiting in the shade, and as I waved to her, she started walking towards me.

“What’s up princess? Why the hurry to meet? Couldn’t stay without me, eh?”

Oblivious to the questions, Niki sat behind me with a frown on her face.

“Late again, can’t you ever be on time Karan? I was standing there sweating for 5 minutes!”

“Sorry love, the traffic stopped me.”

“Hmm…”

“Where to?”

“You say…I just have to say some things to you, that’s it.”

“Let’s just go and sit somewhere cool, even I have to tell you something then.”

“Say it now or I’m getting off here.”

“This isn’t fair!”

“Everything’s fair!”

I chose not to reply and drove on, towards the place we preferred to sit and talk; the place we loved; and the place which was special to us both- the beach. Sitting in the hot sand, we savored the heat as it touched us, and as we settled, I held Niki’s hand. Setting her head on my shoulder, she started weeping. Stroking her face was the only thing I could do.

As her emotions streamed away with her tears, she cooled down and slowly sat straight in the sand.

“Sorry, honey.”

“Its fine Niki, now sit as you were, that makes me feel safe.”

“Hmm…”

“What were you going to say sweety?”

“Dad has seen a good guy for me. We have to go for dinner at his place tonight. I’m sure dad wants me to marry him.”

“Hmm…”

“What hmm Karan? Aren’t you going to do anything? From last week I’m getting the feeling that you are not interested at all in marrying me Karan!”

“Give me sometime more Niki. Right now dad isn’t well too, and I can’t talk such an important matter with him when he’s in such a state.”

“Fine. Then you will see me take the Seven Rounds around the Holy Fire with someone else. You won’t be able to do anything.”

“I’ll think of something! It’s just a matter of some months anyways!”

“I can’t lie to dad Karan. No, I won’t lie to him. And I can’t see his sad face when I tell him that I don’t want to marry the guy he has chosen for me.”

“I’ll talk with dad soon. Just give me some weeks. I love you so much Niki, and I won’t let you go, not so easily.”

I was reassuring her with so much confidence that I was shocked myself. At the same time, my stomach juggled with pangs of nervousness and again, my throat went dry.

“What were you going to say,” Niki asked me.

“I’m hungry; let’s eat something first, then I’ll tell you.”

“As you say; your wish.”

Dusk approached fast as we gobbled bhel puris and cherished golas, yet the butterflies didn’t cease to trouble me. The rumble in my stomach thickened as the time neared, and so did Niki's questions. She knew something was brewing, and she desperately wanted to unveil the curtain holding back information.

With a glance at my watch, which displayed the time 17:47, I told Niki that I needed some water.

“What happened Karan?"

“It’s a bit too spicy. You complete this, and walk to our place; I'll be there in 2 minutes."

“Yeah, fine. Is everything okay Karan?"

“Absolutely Niki. I'll just come."

Racing away feigning the urgent need of water, I crossed the street and watered the Sahara desert which reigned the region around my larynx. Sipping slowly, I watched Niki trudge to the lamp post, slowly. I closed my eyes and prayed, once again, and held the small box in my hand. Mustering all my courage and summoning it all from within, I crossed back and went behind Niki as she sat down slowly under the lamp post.

The moments passed like hours, and at its current speed, my heart could have beaten Usain Bolt quite easily. The walk across the asphalt seemed to be tougher than walking against the current in a raging river, and it took me an eternity to perform this task at hand.

Swallowing repeatedly, I stopped behind Niki, and closed her eyes from behind.

“What the...Karan! Haven’t I told you always not to do it? It scares the life out of me."

“Shh...Don’t say that, okay? Your life matters to me."

“Then don’t scare me ever again like this, get that?"

“Okay baby. By the way, could you stand up?"

“Aren’t we going to sit? And you were going to tell me something, weren’t you?"

“Ohh that. I forgot...sorry..."

“No no. It’s completely fine...one day you will forget me also like this, it’s okay."

“Stand up please Niki."

“Why should I listen to anything you say? Just give me one reason."

“Just stand up for now, the reason will reveal itself soon."

“Nothing else I can do as well, isn’t there?"

I knew that the moment had come and now I had to do it.

“I had promised to you 5 years ago that one day I would fill the empty box, and I would give it to you. So here I come, with one promise satisfied and with another promise to make."

With this, I whipped out the box from the pocket of my jeans, and opened it in motion. I took her arm and kissing her hand once I looked her in the eye and continued.

“This box holds a lot for you. It holds my feelings, my love, my heart and also what I promised- all for you. Niki, I love you from all my heart, and I wish for you to accept it all. My heart has belonged to you from the moment I saw you, and now I hand my reins to you."

Niki stood there, shocked. She did not move a muscle, not even as I slipped the Platinum Ring on her finger and only nodded when I asked her something.

“I want you to be at my side till eternity, and I want to be with you till that time. I want to fill your life with all the happiness and love there is in the world. I want to steal away your problems, and I want to stand up always to have you by my side. Will you give me the chance Niki? Will you marry me and be mine forever?"

Niki just kept nodding as a silent lone stream trickled down her cheeks, which emanated a glow producing more light than the lamp beside her. I got up and with a rush, Niki hugged me and started weeping, incessantly nodding and saying yes.

After sometime, when the happiness subsided, Niki said, “Let’s go."

“Where?"

“To talk with dad, of course!"

“What! Now?"

“When else will you talk to him?"

“Fine, let’s go."

I acted scared and terrified of the idea of going and talking to Niki's dad right now, but in my mind I felt jubilant. I was happy that I knew Niki so well that I had speculated this move. This was the reason why I had decided to get all four parents at the same place, just to add surprise. And I smiled to myself.

We raced down the lanes, and as we reached Niki's building, I sounded a steady blast from the bike's horn, as was the decided signal. Preparing myself to be exposed to Niki’s anger, I followed her to her home, taking the same path which I had walked some days ago with my parents.

Niki knocked on the door, and when no one answered she fished out a key from her pocket and walked in while calling to her father. The house was surged in pitch black darkness, and while following Niki in, I bumped into her. She turned and fell straight into my arms, as our lips met in the darkness, and we both melted into each others' arms.

Holding her tighter to support myself, I put my hands around her and steadied myself as the lights came on.

“What is this going on in my house? Who are you young man and what is your business here," asked Niki's dad with a resonant roar of anger.

“Dad this is Karan. I wanted you to meet him today, and uh, he has something to tell you."

“You go inside, and let me talk with him alone."

“But dad..."

“Don’t argue with me, just go!"

As Niki went into the room, Niki's dad smiled at me and nodded. As we awaited Niki's startled scream on seeing the spectacle in the other room, he said with a wink, “Find a better to place to do what you were doing before, or at least tell me when to keep the house free."

“No need for that sir. It was just a mistaken brush in the darkness, and we collided."

“I have had 'collisions' as well Karan, and I know what you mean."

As he completed saying this, Niki came rushing to the room and slapped me. Following her were my parents and her mom; and they all just looked on, startled by this violent action. I was scared, and horrified. And then, to my relief, Niki hugged me and said, “Why didn’t you tell me? This isn’t fair! And I’m sorry if that hurt, but you did deserve it."

The others came forward to congratulate us on our Platinum Love moment and blessed us as well for a bright future. As we all settled, I asked Niki, “How did you like this surprise honey?"

“I still don’t know the whole story Karan, no one’s telling me. All they said was that there was a plan, and that it worked.”

“Haha, I love it when a plan comes together,” I said, using the words from one of my favorite movies.

And with this, I began my whole tale, from the moment we had met a week ago at the beach. I included the whole planning, and the sad moments in which I wasn’t able to comfort her, and all of the meetings.

"Wow! Don’t tell me you thought it all alone Karan and that this is true! It seems just like a fairy tale!"

“Well, it’s true that he planned the whole thing, and yes, the part about the meetings is true as well," said Niki’s mom.

“From when did you become so filmy, Mr. Blogger?"

“From the moment I decided to make you Mrs. Blogger."

“Once a blogger, always a blogger. Is it something like that Karan," asked dad with a laugh.

“That's a secret dad."

“Well Karan, there was one flaw in it all," Niki interjected.

“Now what did I do wrong," I wondered.

“You got the wrong ring, idiot! You have to get a gold ring with a diamond for marriage, and you just got this."

“That's just a notion Niki. I had the same misconception, but I later came to know that platinum bands are better. Platinum is more reliable as a metal, and is more inert as well. It ranks above gold, silver and bronze in Award systems as well, and thus it is deemed more precious and invaluable, just as you are. And it is so rare that King George had announced that it was fit only for kings, and so I got this for you, my princess."

“Did you know all of that or..."

“Of course I did...not. Google and Wikipedia do rock, don’t they?"

As I said this, we all collapsed into laughter and Niki came and hugged me. My hands clasped her tightly, and held her close to me, and in the happiness of the moment, I savored her presence in my arms, and slowly, our lips met, again.

“Thank you so much for all this Karan, I love you so much sweetheart. And yes, I accept you proposal and I allow you to endure me for the rest of our lives.”

“You said it too early baby. I will be with you till eternity, I promise.”

“I know, and I promise the same to you.”

It was truly a happy platinum moment for me, just like in the movies- Happys Ending...

This is my entry for the Platinum Love Contest by indiblogger.in. For more information on Platinum Jewelry, you can visit the official site by clicking here (www.preciousplatinum.in/en/about-platinum/platinum-day-of-love).