An Urban Date

By Yash Gupta

Proposals are hard. Commitments are even tougher!

But once you are into it, it all seems to be flawless.

That's the beauty of love, isn't it?

It was a similar flawless nimbus that day!

They had been together for a long time now, and things were getting pretty static.

All the gifts one could think of were exchanged, every DIY had worked its way towards existence, every date place explored , every cheesy flirt-line done and dusted!

Things were getting tricky now. The flame was now flickering, and neither of them knew what would rekindle the lost spark!

But like any other hopeless romantic, he did what he always does best. He just kept holding on.

And she mimicked this persistence of his and that was how they managed it all.

So the 14th was just around the corner. Neither of them had any surprises up their sleeves and they were trying to salvage every ounce of creativity to make it all special.

It was no good. The castle of disappointment seemed to touch the sky and the knights of time were defending it. There was no way they could have turned this 14th around.

Giving up the fight, they decided to settle just for a simple meet and call it a day.

But it looked like cupid was not quite done!

Things became even worse when the drive that was supposed to take them on a utopian frenzy proved to be a disaster as traffic jam grinned at their misfortune.

All the energy levels had dropped to point zero.

It was the point of surrender.

But just as they were about to accept this defeat, their first love song made it's way through the radio.

It all began with barely audible humming, and with a blink of the eye; both of them were singing at the top of their lungs.

The song found itself unable to cope up with the enthusiasm that had just filled the numb car.

They kept singing it aloud even when the actual song had ended, and as every minute unfolded, radio was turned off as they tuned in to the rhythm of their hearts.

The frenzy had begun. With every breath came a lyric line dedicated towards the better half, with every laugh the long lost spark turned into fire! Every note of every song was linked to a different memory and without them even realizing, they were reliving all those moments amidst a stupid godforsaken traffic jam.

I find love funny! I find it pure!

What other emotion can transform the essence of 'home' from a place to a person!

What other emotion could turn a stoic into a writer!

It can be rigorous, puzzling, demanding and challenging; but once you get the hang of it, nothing could replace it.

Once you are into it, nothing can replace that person.

Cupid smirked as they both waved goodbye to 14th with hands cuddled close together.

And as the dark of night closed in, the rekindled fire was ready to light up the path!

By Yash Gupta