So how did it happen??

well, it’s a long story. I will try to make it short and simple :)

I saw her for the first time (...that is when I at her :P )

There was some fair setup in Udupi. I was with my parents roaming around. I was in my third year of engineering and had come to native. While I was simply looking at the stores, I saw this gal - fair and pretty. My mind started searching for the possible data entry to see if there was any match. My brain said - match found. I had seen her in the college - one among the fresher. When a new batch comes to the college, I need not tell you again that all boys start checking the new faces (gals of course).

Back to the fair - I gave a look (stare) at her. Perhaps she didn't even noticed me. Well, I don't blame her. I was horribly skinny those days so could've gone easily unnoticed!

Who is this Guy? Prateek?

Since then we hardly came across each other. And then this day came when I became the organizer of a musical event. My phone number was published all over the campus along with the invitation for registration. Thanks to "Canara Idol" which gave me some existence in the college along with some female fans. :P (Well, I appreciate the support gals though I wasn't so talented... This gal was not one among them until then.) That night, I got a message from an unknown number enquiring registration for the event. I spelled the name incorrectly as Prateek and I called her "dude" in my reply.

Yup - what an unusual beginning!

From strangers to close friends:

She saw me performing during the event and I listened to hers. Well, she wasn't feeling well perhaps that might have troubled her voice. So, being a nice guy (Yup! that’s me :P ) I consoled her as she was disappointed (through msg's.. .. Well, cell phones & sms's - what a wonderful innovation by the mankind ;) ). I thanked her for the participation & had no tricks in my words.  That certainly made her smile. Since then, we became pretty close over the cell. Forwards (msg) became routine/general sms.. We shared lot of things about ourselves. She felt I was funny & caring. Well, I couldn't control myself from caring her so much. I wasn't sure if that was just a friendship. I was really happy for getting such a nice, close female friend. She was tomboyish, talkative, very much enthusiastic, positive minded and energetic gal. That way, I was completely opposite to her. May be that is when I got attracted to her. (You see opposites attract). Back then, I was a great admirer of her (and I am still.. )

I wasn't expecting anything more from our friendship. Mainly because, I knew she wasn't looking for anything more either. We shared secrets, personal matters, you can say - anything and everything. Soon, she had become an integral part of my life. But only as a very close friend.

Dark Period:

Then came this time, where I went away from her life for 'backing me up in another fight'! Yup, I can be so unpredictable, stupid and rude at times... Basically, I had to choose between two closed ones. I couldn't select one. I was very much confused and did the horrible. Obviously she broke down, disappointed for getting neglected.

May be god set this up, just to make us understand the value of each other! You see, we understand the real worth of a person while he/she is not with us... .. ..

The great come back:

We miss them (loved ones) the most, especially when we come across something similar/close to them. I was watching this movie 'Jab We Met' while I was in Coorg. The character played by Kareena in the movie was so much like her. (But priti in real is so much more practical) The wound I had in my heart eventually started aching even more. By the time I finished watching the movie, I was deeply into her thoughts.

Can I go back? Will I be ever able to get her friendship? … “Well, you hurt her so badly that if I was in her place, would have not even cared to store your memories - came a sharp reply from my inner mind!
I prayed to god for another chance and he granted one. One fine day, I got her message saying she remembered me during the cultural day of our college. Needless to say I had finished my engineering. I took my cell and called her immediately. We went on and on for about an hour! It was amazing. After about 4 months of break, we could speak just like old days...

What did my mind say?

Soon, we were friends again. Inseparable over the call & messages. Long calls at night became our daily routine.

Wait a minute… Am I expecting something more? Is this just a friendship? do I need to ask her what she feels about me?
…  Yes you dumbo. You love her... Don't take so long this time, else you will be a loser - came a sharp reply from my inner mind!

But the fear of losing her again stopped me thinking more about it. I decided, I shall keep those feelings to myself. But you see, our mind always has two parts to it. And this time, I had become just like how she was... I started thinking positively ;)

What is she upto?

I must tell you, gals mind is like evil maze! You can never find the way out unless, they let you do so! I changed my strategy then. Tried to get as much as clues from her. I started creating my own questions and slowly started asking them.. some personal questions like how does she wants her soul mate to be etc. I chose the indirect way to know what is there in her mind rather than jumping into a conclusion. Every time she spoke about her dream guy, I evaluated myself and tried picturizing me as the guy... I know it is stupid, but yes I was kinda desperate to know if she has any feelings towards me.

What could be her answer if I ask her directly? Will she accept my proposal? If I have to, then how should I approach? –
… Dude, chill don't keep it a secret for a long time. Otherwise one day she’ll call you and tell that she's committed and invite you for your engagement! – inner mind again!

I was totally confused. Like how they show it in movies - take help of her friends or setup something stupid and come out of it as some super hero! well it was neither practical nor of my type. At the same time I knew she wouldn't like it either. I prayed to god, please help me... Then I got this idea of writing a poem :) Though I am not a poet, as they say – love helps you become a poet... Thanks to Google and the rhyme finder, I could make it look like a poem! (wanna read? Click here..  ) But I must tell you. She was very smart, never gave me a clue... (Later I found that it was her trick to know what is there in my mind... :-O )

When cupid smiled...

It was the day when we had tulsi pooja @ home. After trying the indirect way for so long, we had reached a point where both of us knew we had feelings towards each other. We had not admitted the fact though... maybe we were waiting for the right time, or shall I say - the magical moment. Somehow, it got conveyed that I was interested in "someone". (she knew I was referring to her). And then she took some time and came up with the - I would say question of life time! When I finished reading the question, I was sure that - this is the moment. If I answer the question now, there are two possibilities.

1. I will be in a position to propose her

2. I will be out of this race in no time!

It was a tricky question. So I had to choose my words carefully. I read the question twice or even thrice. Then I started typing. Hands started sweating and so did my forehead. I decided to keep it simple, to the point and no lies no exaggeration. Once I hit the send button, the 2 minutes before she replied- were the longest 2 minutes of my life! That is when the cupid smiled and I got the answer that I was looking for. She got convinced that I can take good care of her and can be the "one" she always dreamt about. I didn't think twice. It was the perfect time for me to take a step. No more indirect way of communication.

I proposed… :) and she said ‘yes’… :) :) what a relief. After waiting for so long, almost an year to do the investigation :P I could finally get the 3 magical words out of my mouth. That night, we broke all our previous records for the longest time over the call. Our lives had changed in no time. We were committed. I felt like going to an open ground and shout my heart out.. we were sooooooo happy! ! !
I knew exactly what I had to do next. I felt strong and confident. Wow! what a wonderful night!

The final hurdle...

Convincing parents is always shown as a difficult part in almost all love stories. Fortunately in our case, it wasn't so. Because, we both knew what our parents liked. We are grateful to god for having such wonderful parents. They made it easy for us.
I had to take the initiative and so I waited for one opportunity. That night I was alone with my mom. And she started the topic of marriage. Needless to say thats exactly what I was looking for. I jumped in and told her everything. Then the ball was in her court.

There wasn't much of a difference in her part of the story here. Except the reaction of her mother which was even better!  Our parents kinda knew that something was going between us. May be they were expecting something of this sort by then. And so, they weren't surprised. We both had separate interviews with our respective in-laws later. And then they took it forward. 

:)

Huh, so now we have reached the final part of what is going to be a new step or a new beginning of our lives! and what am I feeling? well, I don't have words. Actually I used them all above ;)