A Cold Winter Night

And on that cold winter night, Jason had managed to pull off what seemed like the prettiest fairy-tale date ever. It started in the afternoon when he picked up Jennifer who wore a pretty red dress with her hair parted to one side. He couldn’t take her eyes off her but the day was just about to start and the best was yet to come.

Jason took her to a book café that was about 10 minutes from where she lived. They still remembered when they had gone there for the first time but little did, they know that their friendship would one day turn into something that would become even more special. That day they had both almost instantaneously chosen a copy of ‘The Midnight Library’ that was hanging out by the shelf.

Over time they would frequent that place and it served as the perfect getaway down the road. Seema Aunty who owned the café was now more of a friend than a formal acquaintance. She couldn’t help but gaze as Rachel walked in with Jason. She gave them a welcoming and playful smile which borderline hinted that she knew that it was more than just a regular night.

Jason had decided to do a semi-casual look with a neat-fitting blue sweater, black jeans, and black sneakers. It was a world apart from his preferred attire of track pants and a hoodie and anybody who knew him would almost fail to recognise him if they saw him now.

They made their way to a corner of the café where they took, their place on the bean bags that were placed with its back rested towards the wall. They picked up a poetry book that had long been forgotten due to the time that had eclipsed. Maybe the author had himself forgotten about the copy, but they came across it one evening when a determined duo was willing to scavenge through the entire shelf just to seek out some hidden gems and hidden gem they did find buried in a corner.

Rachel slightly tilted her head and let it rest on Jason’s shoulder. Jason turned the page to their favourite verse from the section and they stole glances of each other combined with a burst of suppressed giggles and blushing. She started to play with his hands a bit and as they intertwined the gloss on red fingernails shone like a ruby. She looked around and softly planted a kiss on his cheek. It was a seamless experience until that point. As the evening was starting to set in and more than four hot chocolates already being deposited in their bellies, Jason settled the bill and then left.

They stopped and went a little further to an ice cream cart. He took a Choco chip cone whereas she ordered the watermelon flavour. They went a little further and there was a secluded street in the parallel lane. They both held hands and their fingers interloped as they licked their ice cream amid all that romance. Jason's fingers would slightly tremble from time to time and Rachel would rub her thumb in a circular motion to comfort his hand and make him feel safe here. They walked to the end of the road and sat on the bench. She once again chose to rest her head on his shoulder and they gazed at the stars in what seemed to be a really long time. They finished their ice cream and decided that it was to finally head back.

On the way back sitting in the backseat she covered her arms around him and started playing with his hair. She then saw her home close by and realised that it was time to finally depart. It was the perfect date, one that seemed tailor-made for a Netflix sitcom to say the least. She got down from the bike and then planted another kiss on his cheek. She got closer to his ear and whispered in it, ‘I’m going to steal your hoodie one day.’ He had a secret smile on his face and then he whispered back ‘You can have my heart as well.

 

 

And just then the whistle of the pressure cooker echoed through the house and Veronica was woken up from her daydreaming. She was reading from a journal that she had maintained as a teenager and young adult. It was filled with stories that tried to encapsulate her image of the perfect romance. For a moment she transcended her time and was transported to a different era altogether.

Just then she heard the doorbell ring. She left everything to attend to the door but since the day had started her mind was flying in circles, struggling to keep in contact with the present moment. She opened the door and Ashish had finally returned home. He had gone to Bangalore on a business trip and at that moment in stood in front of her in a blue suit and a bright smile. She saw his face and gave him a big tight hug before he could even enter the house properly.

He then wrapped his arms around her and at that moment, she realised that Ashish had never taken them on that perfect date routine. Flowers were brought but just once in a while. They were both awkward young adults who got squeamish at the thought of physical touch and maybe their past had some role to play in that. His trembling hands and gaze would even worry her at times in those early days

Despite all of this she felt a certain level of safety in his arms that she had never really felt before. There wasn’t ever the need to hide anything from him and she felt great talking about even the most mundane things when she was around him.

She still remembered the day she called him at 3:30 in the morning because she couldn’t fall asleep. He had stayed awake with her that entire night trying to console her after she had just lost her favourite aunt. She would go on to speak with him till the early hours of the morning and it was one of the few things that had gotten her through that rocky night.

He presented her handwritten letters to date. It was something he had done on their first date and something that he would continue to do till this very day. Her head swirled around with another memory, their first Valentine’s day ever.

They walked down the street and winged the entire day. Janice’s boyfriend had pulled off the most fantastic day with a day that included flowers, chocolates, and going to second base as they listened to their favourite song in the background. For some fleeting moments, she felt jealous, but then she saw something that felt like the world. Ashish had been unable to get out of bed until the day before, her protest and solution of celebrating it on another day were only met by a stubborn ‘I want this day to be special for us.’ That is the day she saw something unique. That is the day she saw an uncompromising effort.

The years may have passed by but that effort just grew in different shapes and forms and so had her love for him. That night as they were getting ready for bed, she looked at him and she stared at him for a while. A thin lanky dude from college had finally won her heart.

It wasn’t the kind of love that they show in the movies, it isn’t a story that would be remembered for ages. It was a feeling that slowly walked into her heart and cemented its way throughout the journey.

That day she finally kept the journal back in the draw and realised that she had never been more assured of her love for him than at that given moment. She sat there in her hoodie and kissed him as the night faded into oblivion.