When Hearts Meet Brains: Part 3

[Continued from Part 2: The Phone Call]

Part 3: The Date
After preening for the umpteenth time, I kicked myself out of the house. I had to look my
absolute best today. My brain had prepared a checklist:
**
Brushed twice? Check.
Rinsed with Hydrogen Peroxide? Check.
Shaved like crazy? Check
Hair Serum? Check
Face cream? Check
Violet Half-Sleeve Shirt? Check.
Black Jeans? Check.
Woodland Shoes? Check.
Perfume? Check
Chewing gums? Check
Got a rose for her? Check
Got a book for her? Check
Looking Handsome? No comments. (But yeah, better than that geek who went to the
library.)
**
(I reached our reserved table ten minutes ahead of schedule. I was wondering what she would
wear and how she would react, upon seeing me.
There she came.7 pm, on the dot. Wow! She just seemed sexier. She walked with a panache
which could only come from a smart, beautiful and a confident woman. She wore a black
sleeveless gown down to her knees. Sexy but not vulgar. Exactly as I had expected. She was
wearing a pearl necklace and black studded earrings. She had tied her silky black hair up in a bun
with a couple of stray strands kissing her cheek, which formed a part of her triangular jaw. I felt
jealous of them. She had a beauty spot to the left of her lower lip and a nose as sharp as her wit.
Her strawberry-colored lips were glossy, but their shine was overpowered by her lightning smile
as she made an eye contact with me; while putting the hair strands behind an ear. She was a doeeyed beauty.)
**She is an Angel! Dude, you are dating an Angel!**
She:"Hi Handsome!!"
**Okay. CHECK**

(That was it. I was overwhelmed beyond limits. I simply froze. I was looking at her like a child
looking at a rainbow for the very first time. Without breaking eye contact, I gave her the red
rose. My hand was moving like that of a robot whose battery was critically low. I think that was
also because of the fact that I had worked out extra hard at the gym.)
She(Blushing): "Thank you."
(I simply smiled.)
She:"Say something."
(I messaged her.)
[ Me-That is all I can say when I am speechless.
She- Sweet. You do know that we need to talk on a date? Right?
Me-Yes.
She-Speak up!
Me- No.
She-Okay. Here's the deal. You shall receive a kiss from me tonight if you start speaking.
Me- Kiss? Where? The cheek or the lips?
She- That depends on how fast you start speaking. The faster, the better.]
Me:" Hi! How are you? I missed you so much! The wait was..... (I spoke at a speed which
sounded like watching a Japanese movie at 3x speed.)
She:" Wow! That is one good way to tame a guy. And by fast I meant the time to start, not words
per minute."
Me:"Okay. So what am I getting?"
She:"Is that all you guys can think about? Anyway, let us not ruin the suspense ."
Me:" Suspense huh? Well played!" (I fantasized.)
She:" Are you imagining it right now?"
Me:"I am most certainly not!" (My eyes shifted for a couple of seconds.)
She:"You liar!"
Me:" Okay. I am good with imagination. I can't help it. You brought up the topic anyway!"
She:"Point taken. So, what do you do? "
Me:"I cup your face in my palms."
She:"Moron! I am asking about your profession."

Me:"Oh! That? I am a Mechanical Engineer currently employed at KC Corp."

She:" Your awesome flirting skills totally second that."
Me:"Haha! Yeah it is really bad. You know in our class of 130 we had only one girl."
She:"My God! So your ex was from which branch?"
Me:" I don't have an ex."
She:" What do you mean? You have never been in a relationship before?"
Me:" Fact of my life."
She:" Unbelievable. Don't you want to know about my ex?"
Me:" Tell me when you're comfortable. A first date is not a good time to discuss that variable.
You always end up getting extraneous solutions."
She:" Haha. How do you know these details?"
Me:" Remember where we met? I read."
She:" My eyes?"
Me:" Have you memorized our conversation? No wait, there was a recording device, wasn't
there?"
She:" Every moment that we have spent together so far has been recorded in my mental hard
disk."
Me:" I hope that it has a lot of capacity then. At least, infinite."
(We looked into each other's eyes for a long time. For the first time ever, we were at a loss of
words. We had dinner with a few discussions here and there about our families and relevant past.
I found out she had completed her MBA and was pursuing her PhD in Economics. I remembered
that I needed to do a masters soon. We went to have ice cream after dinner.)
Me:" Here's your cone and a book for you."
She:"Thank you. 'Journey... to.. the.... East' ?' "
Me:"Yeah. Come back lady!"
(Her loud laughter sounded like that of a ghost in-charge of a haunted mansion. The clouds
rumbled ominously, making the metaphor seem so real.)
She(suspiciously): "You bought a book just to make this joke?"
Me: "Hey! I bought it last year. It is a mystery fiction story of a secret society and a journey that
transcends through space and time. Although, it can definitely be used to make jokes."
(There was thunder again.)
She:"I think it is going to rain and I left my coat in the car."

Me: "Good. I am sure the car will keep it dry."

She:"Hey YOU said the ice-cream shop was close by."
Me:"I have my jacket , don't worry."
She:"Oh! So like they show in movies, you will give me your jacket."
Me: "Mad or what? I don't want to get drenched. I was merely offering to share."
She:"Boy you are moving really fast, aren't you?"
Me(innocently):"No. This is the slowest I have ever walked."
(The clouds rumbled for the fourth time and it started raining heavily.)
Me:"Code Red. I repeat. Code Red. Ma'am, you are requested to enter this protective jacket."
(We barely managed to share the jacket, since I was particularly muscular. I knew it was a stupid
idea, but I did not want to lose out on the opportunity. She knew it too.)
She:"Okay. This is not working. We both are getting drenched. Let us wait somewhere for the
rain to subside. Maybe, under that Banyan tree."
(She pointed towards some tree like object in the dark. I strained my eyes.)
Me:"How do you know that's a Banyan tree? I can barely see it."
She:"Is that your concern right now?"
(She had a point. After dinner we had walked away from our vehicles for close to a kilometer;
engrossed in our conversation. We waited under the tree whose identity was still equivocal. I
removed my stupid jacket which was wet from the inside now; making it pointless to wear. I
noticed her stare at my biceps which were emphasized due to sticking of the soaked shirt. I
smiled. She removed her hair pin, opened her hair and adjusted it with both hands. It was my
turn to stare.)
Me:"Why the hell does it need to rain every day?"
She:"Maybe that's why people call it the "Rainy Season"?"
Me:"I am not very fond of the "Rainy Season". I have some bad memories associated with it."
She:"Why? What happened?"
Me:"Well, for starters, my school always reopened after vacations during monsoons. Then there
were the bullies who threw me into every puddle they found; punishing me for topping the
class."
She:"Oh dear! My coochie pie! Did they also snatch away your chocolates?"
Me:"Yes. Actually!" (I faked a cry.)

She:"You are so cute."

(She hugged me. The feeling was beyond words. She was the softest thing that I'd ever
touched.Well, apart from my teddy bear Fufu, which I stopped hugging upon getting thrashed by
my mother. Simply the feeling of having her in my arms made me feel on top of the world. I was
leaning against the tree; her head on my chest. I could feel her warm breaths. I was thankful to
the Rain Gods for making this happen. I stopped hating the Monsoon Season that moment
onward. It was time for new memories now. Memories with my Rose. We were in that position
for around ten minutes. I wondered if she had fallen asleep.)
Me:"Rosey?" (I whispered in her right ear)
She:"Hmm?"
Me:"Are you going to sleep like this?"
She:"I would love to."
Me:"Not that I mind, but this stem has a sharp edge which has been poking my butt for the last
ten minutes. I noticed it just now and it HURTS! Ouch!!"
(She laughed hard. I shifted from my position. She whispered back into my ear.)
She:"Adi? I am surprised that you didn't ask for your reward."
(I whispered back. I think we had started playing Chinese Whispers, unintentionally.)
Me:"I have never stopped thinking about that. I did not ask you because I did not want you to
feel compelled. Our nascent relationship is way beyond this."
(She looked up into my eyes. I could see intense admiration in them. I could see the passion
which I was feeling all along. She brought her lips close to my face and stayed there; maintaining
eye contact. **Oh God this is the moment! Please choose lips. Please God! Let it be lips. What is
she doing? Acquiring her target? Oh come on lady, do it!** She did it. Her lips brushed against
mine for a couple of seconds. Then she pressed them. I was on cloud eleven. For a moment, I
couldn't believe what had just happened. The feeling was pure ecstasy. It was like kissing a jelly.
After close to fifteen seconds we broke contact but she was still very close. So close that, the
warm breaths that I had earlier felt on my chest were obliging my lips now.)
She:"That's your reward." (She said looking towards the ground, probably hiding her tears. I
think it was something to do with her past.)
(I had a lump in my throat.)
Me:"The secret to your name has been revealed sweetheart! It is your lips; just like The Rose."
(She looked into my eyes again. Maybe she no longer cared if I found out about her tears. Her
moist eyes sparkled like diamonds. They were looking even more beautiful than the other night.)

(I cupped her face with my palms. I wiped the tears formed over her cheeks using my thumbs.)
Me: "As gorgeous as your eyes are looking right now, this is the last time I want to see you cry.
You are with ME now!"
(We kissed again. This time deep. The passion was like a raging inferno. I don't remember for
how long we kissed.
The only thing I remember is waking up below that tree. I still wasn't convinced it was a Banyan
tree. There was a hint of dawn. The rain had stopped. I was sitting on the wet, muddy ground
with my back against the bark. My lips felt really sore. I could barely move my mouth. She was
still asleep. Her head once again resting on my chest. My nose felt moist. I had probably caught
cold.)
"Aa...aaan..aanchoo...."
(She woke up with a start; glaring at me.)
She:"Is this the way to wake someone up?"
(She looked even more pretty when angry.)
Me:"Ask that to the cold virusss...Aaan.....aanchooo."
(She smiled and stood up.)
She:"Well, this is the craziest and also the most romantic thing I have ever done in my life."
Me:"Yeah me too. My numb rear seconds that. Also, considering my history of relationships,
any romantic thing I do with you will end up being the most romantic thing I have ever done."
(She smiled while helping me up and gave me a tight slap on my right butt-cheek.)
She:"Get it some massage and it will be alright."
Me: "Care to oblige?"
She:"Control those horses............ horny creature!"
(I smiled)
Me: "Alright! Let's get some coffee and head home."
She:"You know, for a guy who has never been in a relationship before, you are a really good
kisser."
Me:"I have to thank the library for so many reasons. Then there is YouTube too."

(She giggled again, the way I always wanted to see her. I could do anything to see her smile.)
We walked towards the horizon hand in hand, our fingers entangled; gazing at the early morning
sun without a care in the world. I felt her glance from the side. I looked back. I think we both
knew what that meant. It was happening. Happening fast, but yes, it was indeed happening.
After all, you never know when love strikes you.

The End
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OR
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Is It?