Fantastico love

Some part of me believes that one day, I'll re-read this and laugh at myself for ever trusting that I knew what love was or what I wanted it to be. But another tiny part is scared that I'll never love like this when it's needed.

To be able to love, love someone for her beauty, to be able to love her for the marvel that she is, is what's love. To be able to appreciate her intricacies. To see how wonderful, how perfect her personality is. To be amazed and awed by her. To want to be the reason for her smile, and to want her to smile even if you aren't the reason yourself. To want her to look at herself with pride, for your own happiness is in hers. To say, to express what you feel for her when you know it makes a difference to her. To make her feel appreciated.

To be able to write a book about her. To even want to write a book about her. To understand her, and to want to understand more. To want to know more; to see more sides of her, to hear more of her stories. To be able to feel the magic in her voice.

To look at her possessions like they're  precious; to want to know her history. To be able to wipe off every tear from her face; to destroy the reasons of her tears forever. To make her feel alright whenever she's in pain. To care about her family. To learn her language. To remember little details; to make an effort. To do the things which you know would matter to her, even if costs a thing or two of your own. To think that it was worth it.

To boast about her, to be proud when you're around her, just to be with her. To want to know and appreciate all of what she thinks, because she deserves that kind of praise, just for being as amazing as she is. To reward her for how special she is.

To let yourself be transported into another world when you're with her. To not want to get away from it. To never get tired of her. To make sure she's always well-protected, even if you're not the one protecting her.

To love in such a way that it influences your own life. In a way that inspires you to ape her - the admiring kind of love. Love that shakes your ground so gently, that you don't realise when it started. Love that doesn't bind you. Love that makes you see things a little differently from where you stand now. Love that adds to its own value, just by being the giver.

That kind of love would be simply fantastico, wouldn't it?

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The impact of a breakup

We don't just let anyone impact us; we only take seriously those who we let near enough to us. We all have our guards up when we meet someone new. But some people manage to walk through our shields, our walls crumbling to the floor as they make their way towards us. It's rather beautiful; it makes you happy. And slowly we begin to form an opinion on them in their favour. We allow them closer and closer, and reach out to them as well, beginning to get comfortable. Then there's a point where enough is not the same it ever was before. No amount of the person is enough for you; they're a never ending ocean of things you relate to, things that interest you and make you feel good. Once you get close enough to confess that the feelings are mutual, and more than just friendship, it turns into something different altogether. Once you decide that there's no living without each other, that you form an integral part of each other's life and personality, you call it love. And from then onwards, all that exists is sweet talk, cute nicknames and the desire for more.

But all this lasts only until you discover each other’s quirks; the ones which you don't find lovable. But for the sake of everything else, that is so lovable and still keeps you longing for more, you go on. Slowly the quirks begin to outnumber the perks of being with the person, and then you stay on only for the sake of old times. You begin to realise that you called it "love" too soon.

All this goes on until one person decides they've had enough and makes a rough exit, leaving the other person's shattered heart behind. He walks out, keeping a straight face and trying to hold the pieces of his own heart tightly together. Breakups are one of the most commonly impacting things that happen to people.

They shatter your soul. They make you lose your self-respect; you start hating your own self, sometimes. The old memories keep flashing in your mind, and the desire to have that kind of love with someone again never dies out. Solitude makes you lonely, and happiness turns into something you only see far away from yourself. You're left wounded and alone, undulating between whether you want to go back to an older time, or whether you're glad to have come to a newer one. Nevertheless, they say time heals wounds; I disagree. I think intention heals wounds better than time. Intention has won many a battle, where time has lost.

With new found self-esteem and appreciation for all that we DO have, we put our head up, and try to make ourselves happy again! But the impact of the breakup never leaves us; nor do the teachings we derive from it. And maybe, just maybe, it's something to be thankful for.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Love in the midst of music

Summer of 2008:
Arnav watched as Shreya played kho kho with her friends. The way she laughed. Her smile. The way she ran. Her competitive spirit. The way her school dress fit on her. He liked her so much! But she didn't like him back. He knew it; they were different people, with different types of friends. He sighed. Maybe some people were never meant to be together; he was going to have to get over that fact.

...
March 2010:
It'd been three years since Arnav had started liking Shreya. Everything about her was perfect, and always would be. Their tenth grade board exam results were out, and the entire batch was in school for the awards ceremony.
Shreya had gotten the most marks in French, and was on stage to collect her medal and certificate. Arnav wondered. What if this was the right time to approach her with his 'proposal'? They were old enough now, weren't they? He waited until she got back to her seat in the crowd, next to her friend, and then he mustered up the courage to get up and occupy the seat on her other side.
A tiny drop of sweat formed at his brow as he wondered what to say. Shreya looked directly at him; his heart skipped a bit.
"Shreya," he pushed himself to say.
"Yeah?" She said, sounding formal. Of course she sounded formal; she had never spoken to Arnav directly, and the rumours that he liked her hadn't escaped her ears, so she preferred not to have any kind of relationship with him. Not even friendship.
"I think you already know that I like you. So..." His voice trailed off.
First Shreya looked bewildered; then she looked embarrassed. Arnav felt a little bad for putting her on the spot like that.
"I- well- uh," she sputtered.
"I think I've got an answer," he said, smiling sadly, and standing up.
Shreya paused for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry."

...
March 2013:
What were the odds! Arnav and Shreya ended up being the only few who went to the same coaching, and now they even were in the same college. She still maintained sufficient distance, and there was always awkward silence whenever they were forced to speak to one another. Year after year, Shreya turned into a woman from a young girl, and Arnav's heart ached to know that she would never be his.
Tonight was one of those forced uncomfortable situations of awkward silence between the two; it was musical night in college, and the two of them had arrived too early for any of their other friends to be around yet.
'This is silly,' Shreya had thought, before she went over to speak to Arnav, who was sitting a little away from her.

For a while they only spoke about class, the subjects and exams; the formal stuff. But then the lights went out, and the first band to perform went up on stage. Shreya had no choice but to stay seated next to him.
"I love this song," Arnav told her, tapping his fingers to the rhythm.
Shreya's head jerked in his direction. "Really?!" She exclaimed. "I love this song too! It's so underrated!"
"Haha, yeah!"
They spent the entire show talking about their music interests; which kind of music was overrated, their favourite songs that didn't get as much recognition as they'd have liked- everything! Their tastes were so inexplicably similar that it knocked the wind out of Shreya. She'd never met anyone so much like her!
And that's how the two of them hit it off.
Once their friends showed up, Arnav and Shreya were too busy to pay any attention to them. They went from topic to topic, telling each other everything there was to be told.
'He's so easy to talk to,' Shreya thought.
'She's so much more beautiful now that I know her too,' Arnav thought.
'He's charming,' she thought.
And that's the tale of how music joined two hearts in love!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.