No, even angry would be an understatement!
It was Valentine's Day for heavens' sake! A day of love, togetherness, passion...And where was I? Stuck in my office, proof-reading the articles for the magazine I worked for...
"Screw you 'Tabloid'!" I cursed the magazine for the nth time that day... "And screw you Armaan Mallik!" I cursed my boss, who had given me the task and kept me back till late while everyone else except the two of us had left for the day, enjoying their Valentine's.
I sighed...
Did I mention that my good-for-nothing boss was my boyfriend as well? We had been dating for 6 years now...I tried not thinking about it...Because every time I did, it made me realize that we were still where we were 6 years ago...But I still didn't have the heart to tell him how disappointed I was with this no-progress relationship we were in...I was scared of losing him.
It wasn't that I didn't trust him...I did, and I knew he loved me to death...But was that all I was going to get all my life?
I looked at our photograph on my desk and smiled...What am I thinking? He was perfect...The perfect boyfriend ' good-looking, annoying, considerate, annoying, caring, annoying, loving, annoying, protective, annoying, possessive, annoying...Wondering why I'm repeating annoying so much? Well that was because every time he did something over the top for me, you could expect his stupid jokes surfacing just the next minute...He couldn't be serious even for a second.
That fact widened my smile ' I was the only thing he had ever been serious about...He was the typical blue-eyed, chocolate boy, with a hint of that hot, kick-boxer body, and was every girl's desire...His name was true to his personality...But he didn't spare those dim-witted girls even one glance...
Okay, maybe that was a bit exaggerated...Obviously he looked at other girls, he was a guy...But he normally did that only to get on my nerves...!
Then why was I getting so worked up, I wondered? He was all that I could ask for, the only family I had after my family had given up on me and had called my writer dreams a 'fairy-tale which would never come true'. But I was glad they hadn't believed in me; I wouldn't have met Armaan otherwise...
It had been 7 years since I had been working for the 'Tabloid'...It had been a dream come true when I had been told that I would be an assistant intern working under the editor of the magazine ' Craig Hemington.
I had met Armaan on my first day there, he had been an intern as well. We had hit it off instantly, and I had taken to his appealing good-looks, witty sense of humour and his charming dimpled smile...It was actually his grey-blue eyes which made me fall for him! He later told me that he had fallen for me the first time he saw me; obviously I didn't believe him, because he took a year to ask me out!
In these 7 years, owing to our hard-core journalist experience, Armaan had been promoted to the job of the Assistant Editor, while I was promoted to being his assistant. Obviously that had been the cherry on the cake for the two of us, because we got to spend every hour of every day with each other, and although I had my doubts at first, none of us got bored of each other!
He had given me things I had asked for and even things which I had never pictured myself having all my life...He had made every dream of mine come true in such a way, that I felt blissful...
So who cares if we're not married, my mind asked my heart...He was much beyond a husband for me...We were already living together, he looked after me, I looked after him, and above all, we loved each other!
But then why wasn't he just bridging that small gap and marrying me, my heart argued, but I shoved that thought aside...I would not let anything jeopardize our relationship, and if he was happy this way, so was I!
Finishing on the last bit of the articles, I proceeded towards his cabin and found him deep in thought, staring at a piece of paper in his hand.
"I'm done! Can we head home now?" I asked and plopped myself on the couch, while he looked up and gave me a vague smile.
"Yeah...Just one favour please! Can you read up this last article...Need your feedback on it, and please make the necessary corrections...Then we can head back home..." He gave me an apologetic smile while I glared at him. He was testing my patience big time, and the point was
that he knew that!
"Armaan, it's Valentine's Day okay? Can't we just finish this tomorrow? I'm exhausted!" I sighed and got up.
"I understand honey, but seriously we have to get the feature ready for print by tomorrow afternoon! St. Valentine isn't gonna come and finish this for us! Please! And I'm right here right? Like who cares if we don't go to any fancy restaurant? Your valentine's right here! " He grinned at me but then stopped smiling when he saw my nostrils flare. "I promise I won't make you wait longer!" He added to appease me. But that word 'wait' was the last straw for me!
"Yeah right! Not make me wait longer? Seriously? You don't know exactly how much you've made me wait! 6 years Armaan! I've been waiting 6 years! And a year before that for you to make the first move and ask me out! How long? Isn't this long enough? I'm sick of this! Every morning, I wake up and hope that maybe today would be the day when you take this relationship a step ahead, but you disappoint me every time! I'm fed up Armaan!" I yelled, as I felt two fat tears of frustration roll down my cheeks.
Armaan just looked at me with a forlorn expression, but didn't make any attempts to come to me, give me a tight hug, tell me he loved me, and that everything would be okay...
"Just proof-read this once and you're free to go then..."
He mumbled, while all my expectations flew out of the window. I didn't know why, but I had this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that his words 'you're free to go' meant something else...
Sobbing silently, I took the report from his desk and kept wondering ' what just happened? Was this it? The end? Had I screwed up by telling him all this? Screwed up big time?
Leaning back against my chair, I sighed. I wiped my tears and decided to get done with the task and call it a day, sleep on it for the night, and hope...Hope that nothing would change after this night...So much for a nice, lovely Valentine's Day...
I took a deep breath and began to read, but then sat up as I read...</font>
"Riddhima...
I won't say this over a candle-light dinner on the beach.. you know how those romantic beyond belief kind of things never appeal to me...
Although words would never explain what I feel for you, I $felt it was the best way to let you know, since it was our passion for words which got us together! I thought maybe it would be best if I penned down what I had to say, what I felt, what you mean to me, and how these 6 years we've spent together have changed me and made me what I am today...
I know I've kept you waiting...Waiting for very long...And I don't know if I would be justified when I say that these 6 years I've spent with you have been so amazing, I didn't have the heart to move forward lest all of that would change...
But now, I think I'm ready for those changes which I had been avoiding all this while...And I don't mind telling you something I've been dying to say since the past few years...
I love you Riddhima...I'm madly, crazily and head over heels in love with you!
I can't promise I'll never hurt you...But I promise to make it up to you every time...
I can't promise I'll never let tears come in your eyes...But I promise to be there to wipe them off...
I can't promise that we'll never fight...But I promise that I'll love you through it all...
You can get angry with me how many ever times you want, but I'll never fail to bring that smile back on your face...You can shower me with your all your love and all your abuses, and say that you hate me, but I'll love you no matter what...
I know you think I'm perfect for you, and also seem to think that you aren't for me...But if imperfections are gonna be as beautiful as you, then I don't mind having an imperfect life...
You complete me in every way possible, and you've changed
me in ways no one ever could!
I know you always wanted that perfect romantic setting at the time I would ask you, by the beach, in candle light, with slow and soft music, but for me, everything is perfect the way it is only if you're part of it all...
And that's why, I'm just gonna ask now..."
The tabloid ended there, and I turned the paper around to see if he's completed it...But he hadn't...What did he wanna ask me?
"If you have some time to spare, will you be my valentine for the rest of my life?"
I turned around to find him on his knees, his hand held out with a tiny box in his hand...He opened it, and revealed a heart shaped diamond stone for a ring...
"Will you marry me?"
And then, my tears gave away...I would give away a lifetime for this beautiful moment, 6 years was no big a deal! Armaan grinned and got up, and pulled me into a tight hug...
While I sobbed into his shirt, clinging onto his collar, he pulled my other hand and put the ring into my finger...I smiled slightly as he kissed my hand...
"I don't remember saying yes!" I teased, while he cocked his eyebrows sceptically. "I might have to check my diary you know...Since my boss keeps feeding me with so much of work; I doubt I'll have time to spend my life with you!" I sighed dramatically, while he chortled...
"I guess we'll just have to ask him to lay it off now don't we?" He grinned while I laughed.
Pulling me up slightly, he pulled me into a sweet, gentle kiss, and I savoured the moment...
"Oh and Happy Valentine's Day!" He pulled back and smiled, while I just kissed him again in response...It was the best Valentine's I could have ever asked for!
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