Sweetheart under the moonlight

This strange love

~Viraj~

I reached goa within a day. But the actual great task laid ahead of me. How could I find Maithili in such a vast place? Though I remember her telling me that she loved baking and had a bakery back in Mumbai, I doubted she might have been working as a baker in Goa too. That was the only clue about her. I didn't even have her picture to show to anyone and ask about her. I wish I could show them the visuals of Maithili that was etched in my eyes.

I clearly remembered her face. She looked perfect. Her dark brown eyes, her refreshing smile, her black wavy hair, and everything else about her looked as if God has crafted her with some extra efforts. If only words could do justice to the beauty she was! And something inside me desperately wanted to see her after so many days. My eyes longed for her sight. I knew I had to find her by any means, because we didn't say goodbye properly. And to be honest, I didn't ever want to say goodbye to her.

I just roamed around in a hope that I might find her. Soon, I started looking for bakeries where I expected she might be. I didn't eat anything, which made me feel weak. So I entered a restaurant nearby. I just ordered some pasta. And while I was eating and looking outside the window, I saw Maithili. I felt as if I would stop breathing, because she looked breathtaking. I felt as if a mission in my life is now completed.

I rushed out of the restaurant without even completing my meal. She was walking on the pavement when I finally reached to her and called her name. She quickly turned around. I don't know if she was surprised or shocked after finding me there, but I was definitely relieved on seeing her.

"Maithili, where were you? Do you even have an idea how worried I was when I got to know that you didn't go for your checkup and neither have you taken your medicines? Do you even know how far I came for you?" I just blurted without even realising that I was holding her hand and was standing a little too close to her. She simply looked at me, startled. And at that moment, my eyes finally met hers. I badly wished for time to stop at that moment. I was wanted everything to freeze. I wanted to frame that moment in my mind forever. I wanted to tell her that something about her absence bothered me, something that even I couldn't understand.

And then, she gently broke the eye contact and freed her hand from mine. I started to feel awkward for the way I behaved on seeing her. She didn't say anything but just looked at me. "Take these medicines. And go to the hospital. Or else, do whatever you want to do in your life but stop bothering me at every step", I said with a change in my tone.

" What's your problem? You were talking so nicely just a few minutes back and now you're scolding me as if I told you to bring my medicines. What's wrong with you?", she finally uttered.

Her question made me rethink all that I said. How could I answer her question when I myself didn't know the answer? "I'm sorry", I finally said. That's all I could say.

" You wanted to know right? Why did I come here? Because that city felt suffocating. I couldn't stay there any longer. I needed to move somewhere to at least breathe freely. I needed to change my environment to grow. I just want to live somewhere where life is peaceful ", said Maithili with tears in her eyes.

" Let me take you to such a place then, if you allow?", I asked her.

She didn't reply and simply looked at me. Maybe she thought something for a while. And then she agreed. We sat in my car where somehow, we started to talk more frankly. We laughed too. It took us around half an hour to reach there.

~Maithili~

I had no idea where Viraj was taking me. But I trusted him, I don't know why. Soon, we reached to a place that looked a little different from the city. It looked like a rural area, free from the hustle of city life. Through some muddy roads, we finally reached near a cottage where Viraj stopped the car.

We got down the car and together went inside the cottage. It was phenomenal. It gave such a pure countryside vibe that I could've stayed there for my whole life. The entire atmosphere was pleasant. It felt like a house straight out of a fairytale. It had two rooms and a small kitchen. It looked well-maintained. I assumed someone was living there.

"This is my home. I come here every week on Sundays, when I just want to escape from everything and spend some time with myself", Viraj said. I wondered he could read the questions on my face.

" Come, we'll have tea", he said as I kept admiring the house. I had to admit that he was really good at cooking, and especially tea. He then told me to come along with him to see the backyard. I was totally amused. It looked like a dream come true.

The entire backyard was full of a variety of plants and flowers. As I walked forward in admiration, my heart skipped a beat by looking at a small stream passing right beside the backyard. It was all mesmerizing. I could live there forever and never complain about a single thing.

"Do you like this place?", Viraj gently asked while sitting beside the stream with me.

"I love this place!" I exclaimed.

"My dad gifted me this cottage on my 18th birthday. Since then, this place has been my escape from the world. It does have a sense of peace, doesn't it?"

I simply smiled and nodded. I was just totally in awe of the place. There were no neighbors around though, which made it even more peaceful.

"Viraj, it's getting late now. I think we should leave", I said, breaking the silence between us.

" It's already sunset, Maithili. It'll be quite late by the time we reach the city, and the roads are not safe here at night. If you don't mind, you can stay here for tonight and we'll leave tomorrow morning ", Viraj said.

I didn't have a problem staying there. Nobody would ever refuse to stay there. But my only concern was that it was a secluded place, with no people around. It was unknown to me as well. And I'd have to spend the whole night in a cottage with a man that I had barely known for a month. I had mixed thoughts about the entire situation.

"I'll make our beds under the stars tonight", Viraj said. Can anything be ever better than this! It all felt perfect.