I'm Ready

Music... It was Dhwani’s passion. She saw it as her friend. Her best friend. But today why did she feel it was tormenting her. Though there was a certain string pulling her from within. She then remembered what she had told Ved... Ved.. the man of her dreams... She told him she felt exactly the way Mr.Rochester felt, in one of her favourite books, Jane Eyre. She recollected the dialogue

“It feels as though I had a string tied here under my left rib where my heart is, tightly knotted to you in a similar fashion. And when you go to Ireland, with all that distance between us, I am afraid that this cord will be snapped, and I shall bleed inwardly.”
She was bleeding...Bleeding inwardly... two years ago... The wounds were still there... She recollected the times when she had only AR Rehman for company. It was her dope.. His songs were the tranquilizers she needed. But she didn’t want to go back to those memories. She wanted to go farther down the memory lane. To September 8th. When Ved had become hers. Or so she thought.
“I’m ready... to love you... I’m ready to hold you.. Don't you know” sang Bryan Adams as Dhwani was getting ready for the food festival
Ved had just proposed to her and they were going to meet for the first time after that. She felt elated. Probably more than just elated. She felt like the whole world was hers.
“I'd like to see you, thought I'd let you know
I want to be with you everyday”
The phone rang.. again with the same song... It was their favourite song... It was Ved on the line
“Hi ! I am waiting in front of the gate.” Ved sounded pretty formal at the other end.
“I am coming down.” Said a rather nervous Dhwani.
They were practically living with each other on the phone all these days. But today was something very different. They were to see eye to eye for the first time after expressing their feelings for each other. She went down.
Dhwani was not one of those great looking chicks that anybody would fall for. But she had a certain charm. Her ways with people, her smile.. She might not be breathtakingly beautiful but she was someone who could bring life everywhere she goes.
Ved on the other hand was a smart guy. Not a great physique but close to six feet tall. Too fair for a guy but had a smile that anybody would fall for. Today he seemed extremely handsome to Dhwani, in her favourite white tee shirt and blue jeans. She walked down in her pink salwar with a card in her hand.
She had the card with her but couldn’t say anything beyond a hi !
“Whats wrong with me. I have known him for an year now. We have spoken about everything under the sun. Why the hell am I not able to say anything beyond a hi. Damn me” she thought to herself
Ved, who was usually very comfortable with the opposite sex, was also unusually silent, that day. They just smiled at each other and boarded the auto to reach the food festival, where they met two other friends. Srinivasan and Vaishnavi. Together, they had dinner and it was time to leave.
“Bye Vas. Bye Vaishu. I have to leave. Its already late” said a perturbed Dhwani. It was almost curfew time.
“Dhwani..”
Her name sounded so different. It was the first time he had called her after they had met. She fell in love with her name. Instantly. It sounded so beautiful when he had called her. She was floored. She tried to compose herself as he spoke again.
“I am coming with you. Lets take an auto. Ill drop you off at the hostel and go back home from there”
“ Vedant, its ok. Its already late. You might not find buses to go back after this. Its too cold. You must go”
“Its ok. Come.”, as he said this, he waved to Srinivasan and Vaishnavi and wrapped his arms around Dhwani.
She was dazed. She felt that moment to be what people call heaven. She experienced heaven. She was close to bliss. She was the happiest girl... No.. did I say girl.. Then I am wrong.. She was the happiest woman.. She felt like a woman...
They sat in an auto. Again there was silence. Dhwani picked up her phone. Ved took it from her. He took his ear phones out and together they listened to it. The song. The song that made them feel like they were one..
“Cause I've got a feeling that's beginning to grow
And there's only one thing I can say, yeah
She left me a long note, when she left me here
Told me that love was hard to find
But baby it's easy and I'll make it clear
That there's only one thing on my mind, oh yeah”
Bryan adams was talking to both of them. When the song ended both of them felt goose bumps. Still they had not spoken a word. Sometimes... Silence is the best conversation... Not the saying but the not needing to say is what that counts.
“Vedant..”
“Yes Dhwani”
“Vedant, I love you. I am happy you are mine.”
“Then call me Ved.” He said this and flashed his smile which made Dhwani lose her senses. She melted... her insides melted, everytime she saw Ved smile. She loved him. Truly loved him
She had ten minutes to go to reach her hostel. She looked at Vedant and then a sudden thought..
“Anna stop the auto. Inga vitudunga”
“Dhwani we have not yet reached your hostel. What are you doing”
“Anna change vachikonga (keep the change)”
“Ved. I want to walk with you. Walk with you till we reach the hostel.”

"Fine Dhwani. Anything for you. A hundred times over :-) "
“Dhwani... I had this for you. All these days.. But I did not know it was love. I thought it was care.. friendship... It was Navin who made me feel it.. Navin who made me feel how much you meant to me. How foolish I would be to miss you.”
“Vedant... I mean Ved... I don’t know if this is what love is. But I feel a certain happiness. Ved I want to tell you how I feel. I want to talk to you. Ved can I go on..”
He held her hand in his and kissed her palm and nodded. She looked down and started.
“Ved... with the limited knowledge and education of music that I have.. let me tell you how it evokes feelings... How it numbs you... How is Ar Rehman or John Denver or Bryan Adams able to create the magic that they create.. Your inner ear contains a spiral sheet that the sounds of music pluck like a guitar string. This plucking triggers the firing of brain cells that make up the hearing parts of your brain. The sweet melody that you hear hits you at some area in the brain called the Broca’s area. It is then that you feel like you have been doped. You experience music. You are controlled by it. I have experienced this in quite some songs. But I have never been controlled by it. I have always wanted to listen to a song that can control me like a drug. Make me feel peaceful.. Happy... I feel it now.. A certain bliss that some songs cannot create. But this is not some song. This is THE song I have been waiting for. You are the song. You are the song I have been waiting to hear for ages. You are the song I wished to be charmed by. I love you Ved.”
Dhwani was particularly good at this... Explaining everything with a theory.. A science...A logic..
“Dhwani. I am not as good as you are with words. But I can still tell you how I feel about you.”
He looked straight into her eyes and said
“I'd like to see you, thought I'd let you know
I want to be with you everyday
I want to be with you everyday
Cause I've got a feeling that's beginning to grow
And there's only one thing I can to say, yeah
I'm ready, to love you
I'm ready, to hold you”
As he said this.. they reached the hostel gate. A lone tear trickled down her eye. She was truly happy. From the bottom of her heart.
When all this was happening.. there was a man... strumming his guitar.. in the grounds of his college in Chennai.. in the wildest manner possible. He was unbeatable when it came to playing the guitar. Sujay... the toughest man one can ever meet. A man who was multitalented..A man so good natured and loved by all .
It was time for Dhwani to leave. Ved let go of her hand.
He wiped the tears of joy and smiled..
Yet again.. she melted.
She could feel her insides melt like hot chocolate on brownie. Damn I know she will kill me for this analogy. But I already told you. I am poor at writing.. especially romantic stuff.. I got to stop it here for today before I start making analogies like these.
To be continued