Falling In Love

 Decembers were normally characterized by late sunrise and long hours of sleep. Waking up in time for brunch and postponing bath to the last moment was the norm. Such a lazy day was ahead of me and I trudged my way towards it. 

My sister was huddled away with a mug of hot, steaming coffee and a book in her hand, completely ignoring my existence. I had finished about 7 books of Tinkle and Champak, and still, the boredom wasn't anywhere near gone. 

 I wanted a distraction and so I started browsing through my phone looking for some novels to read. Usually, they kept my attention for 8 to 10 hours. I stumbled upon an old book that I had saved for later. 

"Storm and Silence" by Robert Thier. The cover posed a man in a tailored suit and the pic hid his face. Allured by the mysteriousness, I started with the novel.

12 hours passed in blissful joy and I finally reached the end of the book. Having a vast idea in romantic novels, this book was a welcoming surprise, with its pace. The ending was not at all what I expected. 

Spoiler alert, the protagonist drowns in the sea. I had spent half a day on a novel in which my most favorite character dies in the last chapter. As a normally unemotional person, I was surprised by the pools of tears freely flowing from my eyes. 

I started ranting, cursing and even praying to god. After almost 2 hours of tea and tears, I finally understood why I was so attached to a character. A fictitious person. It was a heartbreak. It also hit me that we can't experience heartbreak without love. I fell in love with Rikkard Stony Ambrose and I didn't even know it till the end. 

The realization hit me hard and I started looking up the author, in a mad frenzy. I was ready to write a 12-page request letter, asking for his revival to Sir Rob.

Somehow, my dumb brain came across a page with all his cited works. And I found that there was, indeed a sequel to Storm and Silence. I had won numerous accolades in school but none came even remotely close to the elation of seeing the next book. 

Now, after 3 years, I am currently in the final book (6th book), happier than ever, having bittersweet moments with the ending.