The Great Indian Wedding Romance

16. Golden

Probably from the first day they had met, Chetna had known she couldn't stay apart from Siddharth. She had found herself helplessly drawn to this virtual stranger. 

She was no saint like her sister Chaarvi but she was generally a very sensible girl.  She had had her fun in her teens but she was always smart about it. Never getting caught, never getting into trouble, never getting involved. 

But every single cautious thought in her head flew out of the window when it came to him. The one who made her feel at peace with her own self. She didn't feel like her ravings were that of a lunatic when it was him who listened. 

She still couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that made her spill her story to him on the very first day they had met. Especially after he was the one who got her in trouble. There really was something about this man that set him apart from all the others. 

Chetna hadn't expected her first kiss to feel so natural. Like she had been doing this for years. Almost like she was meant to be here, at this very spot, with this man. Everything felt so... right. There was no other way to describe what this moment felt like.

This was natural progression. This was bound to happen. She was pulled towards him with an unshakeable force. She had known that deep down, almost from the moment she had met him, on that starry night, not too different from this one, and they had shared a cigarette. 

***

It was only when the first rays of the morning sun cast a gentle orange glow on her closed eyelids did she open her eyes and realised that it was morning. 

As the golden morning light hit everything in her vicinity, Chetna felt like she was in a dream. She had never been happier than she was at that moment. Elated was a better word for what she felt. 

She could have died right then without a shred of regret. 

Strangely she also felt shy meeting Siddharth's eye. She kept her eyes focused on the potted plant placed at the edge of the terrace. The leaves seemed alight with life. It seemed like they had waited an eternity for the warmth of the sun and now that it was time, they wanted to soak everything in. To bask in it, to not miss a second. 

"Chetna?" Siddharth said softly, unsure of how things would go on after this turn of events. 

He did not have a single regret. He had wanted this even before he had realized how much he liked her. What he wasn't sure of was how she would take it. She had seemed into it at the moment but what about now? Was she regretting it? Was she beating herself up?

When she didn't answer straight away, Siddharth began to spiral even more. Why wasn't she saying anything? Was she in shock? Denial? 

He almost grasped her by the shoulder to shake her out of her reverie but decided on a gentler approach first. 

"Chetna?" he tried again. 

"Siddharth," she answered. 

It was barely audible but he was satisfied. At least she wasn't catatonic. 

"Please say something. What are you thinking?" he asked trying to sound calmer than he felt. 

This was the first time in his life that Siddharth had had to coax somebody to speak. It was usually the other way around. 

"Honestly? For the first time in years, I am thinking of nothing. I just feel happy. Let's not talk and ruin that," she finally looked at him and smiled. 

That smile, that familiar twinkle in her eye and that was all he needed to quiet his anxious spiral of thoughts. He exhaled and laid back down to stare at the beautiful orange hues melting with the blues.