Rab ne Bana di jodi

 

 

It was the night of the first full moon of the year. Dusk had just fallen and everything at Shantivan embodied its name. Peace and serenity enveloped the mansion and its surrounding gardens.

 

He stood gazing out across the expansive lawns. The lights had just come on and the lush green grass glistened after its evening watering. This was his favourite time of day. A time to pause and reflect on the day gone by. And a time to get his fill of her with no interruptions.

 

She spent the day darting around with nary a pause. Giving him tiny, unsatisfying glimpses. Her brocade and her gotas and her Pom Poms dangling along merrily as she whizzed past. The tinkling of her silver jewels announcing her arrival long before she came in view and lingering long after she disappeared from view. His heart beating in sync with the sound.

 

It wasn’t long before the moon rose to hang low over Shantivan. Bathing it in its silvery light. He waited with bated breath for her. He knew she’d be there soon. Taking dainty steps to revel in the coolness of the grass. Her milky skin glowing in the moonlight. The elegant arc of her neck turned up to pay homage to the elements. Waiting for the appearance of the stars to twinkle down on her. Their twinkling, their homage to her beauty, his lovelorn heart was convinced.

 

She was here. His senses went on high alert even before the wind whispered of her arrival. It was uncanny how it happened. Every time. It was no wonder they said Rab ne bana di Jodi whenever they spoke of him and her.

 

As he gazed at her, the brown in his eyes melting, he reflected on just how much she had come to mean to him. The journey from indifference to awareness to faraq was sprinkled with myriad memorable moments. And now she was as important to him as the breath he drew. It mattered a great deal if she was there or not. An unwelcome thought crept up catching him unawares, making him shiver.

 

What if… what if… he lost her. No, no. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He had to make her his. For hamesha. He would take steps to do just that. Today. In fact, now.

 

He strode up to her and dropped down on one knee. Undaunted by the blank expression looking back at him, he spoke softly.

 

“Will you be mine for hamesha? Tumhe toh pata hain tumhare bina meri saansein ruk jaayengi.”

 

He looked deep into her eyes searching for an answer. Fortified by what he saw, he decided to make matters official immediately.

 

Allowing the wave of impetuous courage, some would say foolhardiness, to carry him inside the mansion, he knocked on the slightly ajar door of the matriarch of the house. Entering when she called him in, he reminded himself that Jab pyaar kiya toh darna kya. Ignoring the mocking voice of his subconscious telling him that  love can reduce anyone to anything, he stepped up to her and bent his head slightly.

 

“Naniji, I have come to seek your permission for a proposal.” He hesitated as the old eyes looked at him quizzically.

 

“I seek a forever with L.. L..Laxmiji.” HP blurted out in a rush. Adding defensively when he saw the dawning horror on her face, “The Fangirls on IF said ours is a match made in heaven!”

 

Nani shook her head in despair. She would have to have a word with Chhote to try and curb the outrageousness of his fangirls.

 

 

I wrote this for a Valentine OS / Drabble competition on IF. Their theme was ‘Proposal’ with ‘characters from IPK’. So, this popped up in my head. If not the spirit, I stayed true to the letter of the law 😉 I was inspired by a gif I had seen years back. Here is the link: https://i.imgur.com/9LcNk.gif