Love That Went Against Society

"Vinita, Vinita!" shouted Rai. Everyone in the entire corridor turned around at her frantic yelling. But Vinita sped away and Rai lost sight of the slim tall figure, so dear to her. This was the third time in a week when Vinita had purposefully ignored her. Rai was disheartened. The oblivion of the person she thought to be her closest, coupled with the impending doom of an unwanted arranged marriage distressed her. Belonging to a very conservative family of Uttar Pradesh, she had very little say in the decisions of her life, far less in sensitive issues like marriage. So her wedding was decided with a prospective groom double her age and more unfamiliar to her than her next-door neighbour. Her repeated protests were futile as her parents, her father sternly and her mother endearingly compelled her to comply.

The first thing she did after somewhat digesting this unhappy news was to rush to Vinita's house teary-eyed. Rai firmly believed that her mother would surely take her out of this mess as a best friend would. So there she ran and ran till she became breathless.

 "My parents are getting me married and I don't want to!" she had cried throwing herself on Vinita's shoulder but Vinita didn't say anything. She had just looked into Rai's eyes blankly, a look which Rai failed to discern that scared her all the more. After 10 minutes of that deathly calm, Vinita told Rai somewhat rudely to leave her alone and since that day she had avoided sitting with Rai, talking to her and even mere eye contact. 

 "Enough is enough," thought Rai. "This needs to be stopped and stopped today," she decided. Steadily she rushed to the canteen at the farthest corner of the ground and saw Vinita sitting alone at their favourite table beside the rose plant. Rai went up to her and charged her " What are you doing, Vinita? I need you the most now and is this is the time to display your unwanted and unnecessary attitude? And you call yourself my best friend. What the hell have I done? Speak up.." 

But Vinita kept mum. She had the same blank look in her eyes as before. Only at the word 'best friend', a faint hint of a tear glittered at the corner of her eye.

"I am asking you something, damn it!" Rai was angry. She shook Vinita vigorously so much so that her hair turned loose and her brown strands of hair fell across her face.

"I love you not as a friend but as a lover. I want to marry you" shouted Vinita outraged. Aghast, Rai was shell shocked as her hand fell off from Vinita's shoulder. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o'. The intensity of the unprecedented incident was such that Rai just ran away from the spot.

 Running as fast as her tight top would allow her, she stopped at last, at the park just near her college-- the park which had witnessed the unfurling of a thousand secrets, not to mention days of laughter and chats. However, today Rai was in a frenzy. Her heart was beating fast. Whether this was due to her frantic run or due to the incredible words she had heard minutes before, she didn't know. A wave of tumultuous thoughts started crossing her mind, thoughts that she brutally wanted to shun away but could not, and decisions resulting from these thoughts that appeared ominous to her conservative mind.

Months passed and Rai ignored Vinita completely. Not because she hated her but because deep down in her heart she realised frightfully that she felt in no less way towards Vinita than the latter felt towards her. Throughout these painful months, Vinita roamed about shamefaced. Repentance was visible in every line of her sorrowful face, repentance of not only losing her dearest friend but the only person she had ever given her heart to.

The day of the engagement soon arrived. Throngs of relatives gathered at the venue. Vinita also came decked up in the prettiest dress that existed in her closet, her genuine feelings masquerading under her matte lipstick smile. Today she had come with an aim, an aim to patch up with her best friend, shooing away her confessions as a practical joke. Placing the biggest rock on her tender heart, she had made up her mind and had chosen a best friend to lover. But little did she know, little did she know...

"Call the bride, please." the priest said aloud. Rai's mother rushed in and within minutes came out holding her hand. Dressed in the silver-lined anarkali with her hair made in a bun, her white skin adorned with golden ornaments, she looked nothing less of a princess waiting to choose from amongst contesting suitors. 

The mother-daughter duo was just about to reach the heavily decorated mandap when the bride-to-be jerked away from her mother's hold and ran towards the corner where Vinita was standing. Pulling out the awestruck girl from that corner, she hurled Vinita to the centre of the room. So puzzled was Vinita about what was to happen next, that she didn't notice, but if she had, she would have seen a glimmer in Rai's eyes, one of pleasure and achievement, one of solace and freedom..a shimmer that was making her friend's handsome face all the more beautiful. 

"I love you, I love you, I love you to the moon and back and I can't endure one more moment without you." cried Rai as the horrified audience looked on. " I can live with you and only you." ended Rai and before the frazzled Vinita could even answer, Rai bent forward and kissed her. 

Society lost that day but true love, it won.