The Routine

“You may call me Mrs. Darcy only when you are completely and truly and incandescently happy.”
"Mrs. Darcy" he sighed  
(Pride and Prejudice, the movie)

---

And she wondered if such an emotion really did exist, that someone, rather she could be completely and truly and incandescently happy and in love.

---

It was a long day and she came back home after midnight. After her routine for the night and she sat cross-legged at her kitchen table, she called her father while eating a peanut-butter sandwich. They talked about the morning and the day, they talked about work and work-outs, they talked about girls and boys, they talked about cloths and world events, they talked about home and college, they laughed, they scolded, they giggled, they sighed, they advised, they listened. At the end of the conversation and way into the night, her father asked, “So is my little princess, completely and truly and incandescently happy?”

She paused for a moment and ran through a recap of her day, her short life. It dawned to her that this time when she came home exhausted and took a shower to ward off the day’s dust that for the first time she liked how rugged she looked, how she smelled, how unkempt her hair was, how the kohl in her eyes was smudged a little, how her lip-color was almost gone. She liked how liberating it felt to be this girl to come home with. And then she wondered if she was in love with her individuality, with her being, with her surroundings, with the people that were a part of her life, with her work, with her dreams, with the things that got her breathing and with the things that took her breath away. She loved that she was finally living and was in a state of no-numbness.

She thought of all these and replied in composure to her father, “Yes papa, your little princess is finally completely and truly and incandescently happy.”

---

A lunch conversation

It started with a lunch conversation.

“Hey, I am a summer intern here. Are you here for training along with everyone also?”

“Yeah. So have you been here all summer?”

“Yeah. So where are you from? What are you studying?”

And so the lunch conversation progressed. Over the climbing steps, phone numbers were exchanged with almost a sudden anticipation of what would follow through the day.

But nothing followed.

Then at night, a few texts were exchanged and still nothing happened.

The next day, another lunch conversation progressed. Over the climbing steps, room numbers were exchanged with almost a sudden anticipation of what would follow through the day and beyond.

But nothing followed, until late evening.

“Hey, so I was wondering if you were free and wanted to come hang out here or something.”

“Sure. Give me a few minutes. I am about to finish my work for the day. I will be there with you in a bit.”

At his door, they hugged and sat close to each other on his bed. They talked, had a couple of welcome shots and discussed interests.

But nothing followed.

He initiated an Ask a Question game and they both got rolling.

“Are you attracted to me?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“Yes. Would you like to do something?”

“Yes.”

“So then why are we just sitting here?”

“Because we both are playing it too conventionally!” she said in haste as she lowered her eyelids to give him a full kiss.

And then, yes many things followed.

Talks of dreams and aspirations, stories fantasies and truth, tales of love and bitter lies and offcourse, a few kisses.

Next day, they shared a continued lunch conversation.