Mumbai romances with rain. And so does anyone who steps into the city during this amazing season! Saurabh could sense her proximity. A rain drop trickled down his cheek, as he remembered their first kiss! He just couldn’t get enough of her in his mind. He wanted to see her! They say, ‘Distance makes the heart grow fonder’…He was living it each second!

The chaos at the airport, where a hundred people gather to receive a single person, with lots and lots of PDA! He too awaited to get her first glance after 2 longest years in his entire life. He walked up n down the airport waiting area.

Saurabh thought to himself, “Reaching 2 hours earlier wasn’t that a great idea!”

He sat on one of the empty benches, n looked around. He saw a numerous sights!

A mother meeting her daughter, probably years post marriage. Yet telling her how to take care of herself. Saurabh smiled at the little argument that took place between them, the first welcome!

A family returning to motherland, for ever! The relief and happy tears in the family receiving them, was beyond words.

A beautiful foreigner looking for her driver, invariably many eyes following her. He too glanced at her, and wondered if Anamika would look something similar.

Before leaving, two years back Anamika was a healthy(!) girl with rather plain and simple looks, wheatish skin, long brown hair, and deep brown eyes. He wondered if she still looked the same. He smiled thinking of the times he’d tease her for being overweight, yet loved her beyond limits. He knew how much she loved him back. The way she’d cook for him. Write him letters. Make small handmade gifts. Buy tiny souvenirs. Keep bills and movie tickets. Random photographs clicked in his presence. And the list was endless.

He eagerly waited to know if she still possessed all those old things he loved. Or had she changed in the two years. Would her hair still be that long? Black? Overweight? Simple styled? He grew all the more restless to find answers to these.

The rain poured even heavier and so did his thoughts.

Their increasing arguments, over her career choice. The distance. The family pressures. The miscommunication grew. And the perfect love story turned sour. They parted off in bitter fight. Even after involving parents, matters only worsened.

Saurabh was overwhelmed with all those memories. All he wanted was to tell her how much he 

 missed her in those two years, and how dearly wished to apologise her for refusing to patch up after her repeatedly begging for it. Her willingness to choose him over her career couldn’t melt his rock hard heart. And here he sat full of hopes of winning her over and starting off a life together. And hence came even before her parents showed up! 

The hours stretched longer than usual, and the two hour long distance seemed longer than the two years of separation. How he regretted refusing to meet her while the short trips in vacations.

How he wished he’d travel back in time, and mend the things in past.. It was hard to hide back the tears which found their way down his stubble-d cheeks. He just couldn’t wait to see her.

Finally the wait was over, he could see her flight listed as ‘Arrived’.

He avoided spotting her parents and family, waited at a distance from the main door.

A crowd started to walk out of the exit door. He had goosebumps imagining the scene that’d take place in a few minutes. His eager eyes, eyed every single girl that walked out. Hoping to see Anamika.

He was startled by her sight! She surely wasn’t the same old her. Had turned out to be one of the most gorgeous one walking in the crowd. Slim. Tan skin. Pretty hair. Stylish attire. Confidence oozed out with every step. Was she the same Anamika, who walked away from him. Meek n docile? He was totally taken aback!

He eyed her from a distance, debating whether to approach her or not.

 Before he could think ahead, he spotted her family, and hit himself behind a column.

He saw a smart man walk towards her. Puzzled, Saurabh wondered who he was. None of her brothers or distant relatives. The man was tall, had a tanned skin, and muscular. In simple words, he was plain ‘handsome’. A weird sense of insecurity grew in Saurabh.

The man walked towards Anamika, kneeled down with a ring!

Saurabh was shaken to his roots. What did he just witness? The man proposed her right amidst the whole Mumbai international airport’s crowd. TRUE GUTS! But somewhere down, Saurabh was cent percent sure, that she would reject saying she already loved someone else.

Saurabh intently watched them.

She had tears in her eyes. All she managed to say was a, “YES!!”