ONE NIGHT THAT LIGHTED MY LIFE (FIVE SHOTS BY WS) PART 5

So last part huh…!
Thank you for all the love and support…all of that means alot to me…!
Love u all so so much..
Now without wasting any time….here i bring to u…

PART-5

One week has passed and all I have been doing this whole week is follow him. I followed him that day after our meeting on the bridge. Then I waited for him next morning. Oh my god I had never woken up so early in recent years. I mean of course I have a job and the strict boss that everyone has, but I swear, that even for my boss I didn’t had to do this much to get just one nod. This Shravan! Ughhhh!
Yeah so I found out that his so called office was at a lonely place where I couldn’t get my car and so I had to walk really really carefully. I followed him for the next few days, using different vehicles so that he doesn’t grow suspicious.
He has totally turned me into a stalker. Usually its the boys who do this kind of activity but I think, that he must be a feminist, that’s why he believes that even girls should stalk boys. He doesn’t know that I am stalking him but he has anyway led me into this.

So after one week of detective work and stalking here I am finally with my most awaited chance.
I really had to nearly fold hands in front of my boss to convince him invite Mr. Shravan as the guest speaker in our company anniversary party. He at first was very unsure and reluctant but then I showed him Shravan’s articles and he was quite impressed. But still he was not ready as he didn’t know how to contact him. I told him that I will do this work for him. I requested him that he shouldn’t let him know that I work here. He nearly killed me with his bouncer questions but I patiently diverted all of them.

So now I am ready, wearing this black gown. Dark you see. It is plain black with a gold V- shaped neckline. Its sleeveless and allows no portion of my back to be seen. I tie my hair in a messy bun which causes loose strands to fall on both sides of my face. My eyes lined with an eye liner look smoky. My long eyelashes hover over them making them look even darker. My lips are of my natural colour, baby pink with gloss applied over them. Simple golden small earrings adore my ear and I carry a clutch of the matching colour in my hand. I take a final glance at myself in the mirror and smile as I think about what’s coming up.

I reach the party and the place looks beautiful, just as I had wanted it to be. I personally took care of the decorations and everything related to it. I meet a few friends from my office on my way and we talk for a while. I start getting tense as my boss approaches me.
” You look gorgeous young lady.” He says and though it is a comment I have been listening since I came here but something makes me feel suspicious. Not in that way. I mean come on, my boss must be in his late fifties and he has wrinkles over his face. He has a lovely wife and two grown up children. So its not that suspicion but I feel that his comment was meant as a warning, as sarcasm, as if he knows why I did all this. And the thought of loosing my job flashes in my mind.
Mr. Shravan, if I loose my job then I swear I will never ever leave you alone. You are making me do things which I have never done.

“…..that he comes.” I hear my boss’ voice and I realise that he was saying something and I missed it. He must be talking about Shravan, I can tell by his expression.
” Yeah sir, he will definitely come.” I smile at him. He nods and moves away.

After some time I sense commotion and so I get it that he has arrived. I move back away from the crowd, where he can’t see me. I see him arriving. He is wearing a black tuxedo as I expected. His features perfect as ever and I just can’t go on describing then again and again. He has a bouquet of fresh white tulips in one hand. My choice again.

He moves towards the stage to address the audience. He talks business. He talks about how the designs we come up with should be expressing something more than just material or texture.
Oh I forgot to mention that I work for a fashion designing company. I am not into the designing part though. I work in the fashion communication sector where our job is to plan the marketing of the products we come up with. I am the chief editor and I have reached to this position after years of hard work. I am good at my job. Describing things in a way that they seem real and expressive has always been my forte. My boss is mostly impressed with me, that’s why he agreed for all that’s happening now. Saying this I turn my attention back to what Shravan is saying.

He talks a while about the expressing part, talking that how the colours we choose, should mean something and shouldn’t be there just for the sake of being something. He moves on to talk about marketing and how this plays the most important role as it all depends on how we present it to people. He goes on for a while keeping everyone hooked with his usual charm.

I never knew that he’d be good at all this but as he said, he likes to explore. He doesn’t have a specific job and thus he ends up keeping knowledge about most of them.
I am interrupted by the sound of claps all around. The whole hall is echoing with the sound of the claps. I observe peoples faces. They seem happy, satisfied, that their time was not wasted. Finally I move to look at my boss’ face. He seems mightily impressed and he has joined the claps that doesn’t seem to end. He turns to find me and succeeds. He gives me a thumbs up and I smile and nod. I take a quick glance of him standing in the stage having his usual contagious smile on his face.

I move to the place where I know he would be arriving soon. Its a place away from the noise. Its a place in the back garden, kind of a small stage. Its decorated with lights and a table has been arranged for two people. All this is done by me again.
I wait for sometime when I catch sight of him, wandering aimlessly. He finally sees this beautiful place and moves towards it but stops in mid track as he sees me. His face registers shock and pain takes over soon.
I expected him to run away but instead he approaches me. He stands directly in front of me now with his clear brown eyes staring in my dark ones.
” What are you doing here?” He says in a muffled voice.
” I work here.” I reply simply.

I don’t want to let him know that all this was planned and that also by me.
He nods at me. He tries to divert his eyes away from mine but I won’t let him. After all these days of hard work and waiting, I won’t loose him.
” Shravan.” I say softly holding his hand.
” Please Suman. Not again.” He says looking away.
” Look Shravan, I listened to you that day and now its your chance. You said that we are not meant to be together, that destiny hasn’t written this in our fates but I don’t think so. I think you feel that and you are forcing that on both of us. You feel that you are nothing like me. That’s even better because I feel, then we would complete each other. Isn’t love about that?

Don’t worry about me not being able to catch up with you because I am sure that if you hold my hand and take me along you, there would be no need for me to catch up. Don’t worry about me chasing you in the darkness and getting lost in it because I don’t care where I am if you are with me. Don’t worry about our paths being different because I will leave mine and follow you cause I know that our destination is the same. When you will want to explore then I would be with you even if I don’t like it because nothing matters to me more than you. You said that I am the moon and you want me to shine and not disappear in your darkness but you forget that that the moon needs darkness to shine. Its nothing without it. So protect me as the darkness protects the moon and allow me to provide beauty to you. I am nothing without you and you are nothing without me. We are made for each other and I won’t let this change ever. I love you and I will never stop chasing you.” Huh. Speech for speech. What was that? Goddammit that was so hell long!
I look over to see his face and he stands there frozen, as if an invisible force had hit him right where it hurts the most.
” But Suman…” he begins.
” Do you love me or not?” I put a finger on his lips and interrupt him.
He turns his face away.
” Answer me Shravan.” I say.

He refuses to say a word. Can’t he see how hard I am trying?
I am tired. How to make him understand? I just can’t. I have tried my best. So finally I let go and start leaving.
But as I walk a few feet, I hear his voice.
” Stop. Don’t leave me.” He says and I turn towards him.

” I am sorry. I just couldn’t understand. I love you more than anything in this world. Please come back to me. I….” I don’t let him complete because I run over to him and jump into his arms. I am hanging on him by my arms around his neck. He moves his hands to my waist and holds me tight.
” I never left you.” I whisper into his ear.

After some time together when we are dancing with him holding me, I suddenly break our romantic eye lock by hitting him.
” Ouch! What was that for!” He says.
” You are asking this huh? Do you even know what all I went through all these days while you were away from me? ” and I narrate him my whole story including me stalking him and planning all this.
” Okay sweety, I am sorry. ” he apologises and cups my face in his hands.
” But did you really follow me?” And I know he is trying very hard to suppress his laughter.

” Yeah so what? Only boys have the right to stalk or what?” As I say this, he erupts into laughter.
” I am proud of my choice. You really are different.” He winks at me.
We dance for a while when another thing strikes me.
” Anyway. You know what I just love my surname.” I say and he gives me a confused look.
” So?” He says.

” So, I will not change my surname after marriage. Oops, sorry I forgot that you don’t have a surname.” I giggle.
He takes a step back and says,” Hello, I am Shravan… Shravan Malhotra.” He forwards his hand.
” Change of plan. ” I say as I hold his hand and go back into his comforting hug.

As I stare lovingly into his clear eyes, I think about our moments together. How can anyone fall in love in just one night? But now I know that we can because love happens the moment you see more than what lies in the person physically. It happens the moment you can see what’s written in your partners eyes. It happens the moment you feel alive in their presence even in the darkest phase of life. In short, love happens when we don’t expect it to. Even out of the darkest nights, a beautiful sun rises every day to light our lives. That night was something magical, not because we had each others company but because it gave us hope that we could have a tomorrow where love exists between us. It gave us the chance to find love. It gave us chance to find our parts long lost in the darkness. That one night lighted my life. And I am sure it would be the same for him.