Love is Mysterious

chapter 2 : The seven roses

The annual temple festival arrived once again.

The entire village seemed to come alive overnight.

Colorful lanterns hung from ancient trees.

Flower garlands decorated every archway.

The scent of incense drifted through the warm evening air while temple bells echoed across the crowded grounds.

Families from neighboring towns filled the streets.

Children laughed.

Vendors shouted.

Music played.

Yet amidst the noise, Kamlesh heard only the frantic beating of his own heart.

Because today, Diya was coming.

And today, he had made a decision.

He was going to tell her the truth.

No matter what happened afterward.

---

For weeks, Kamlesh had thought of little else.

Every sunrise reminded him of her smile.

Every sunset reminded him of her absence.

Every conversation somehow returned to the same name.

Diya.

The girl who barely acknowledged his existence.

The girl who looked annoyed whenever he appeared.

The girl who had completely taken over his thoughts.

Perhaps everyone would call him foolish.

Perhaps everyone would laugh.

But he no longer cared.

Because for the first time in his life, he had found someone worth risking everything for.

---

As evening approached, Kamlesh stood near the temple entrance nervously adjusting his shirt.

Rishi shook his head.

"You look like you're about to face an execution."

"It feels worse."

Rishi laughed.

"It's just a confession."

"No."

Kamlesh swallowed.

"It's Diya."

That single name explained everything.

---

Then she arrived.

And the world stopped.

Kamlesh forgot how to breathe.

Diya stepped from her family's vehicle wearing a breathtaking emerald-green saree embroidered with golden thread.

Elegant earrings swayed beside her cheeks.

Glass bangles chimed softly with every movement.

Silver anklets glittered beneath the temple lights.

The setting sun painted her skin with warm golden light.

For a brief moment, she looked less like a girl and more like a dream.

Kamlesh simply stared.

Speechless.

Completely captivated.

Rishi glanced at him.

"Oh."

"What?"

"I think you've fallen much deeper than I realized."

Kamlesh didn't deny it.

Because it was true.

Hopelessly true.

---

The ceremony began shortly afterward.

Families joined the traditional ritual walk around the temple shrine.

Diya walked alongside Shanaya while the rest of the family gradually moved ahead.

Exactly as Kamlesh had hoped.

His pulse exploded.

This was it.

Now or never.

---

Hidden behind one of the ancient stone pillars stood a bouquet unlike anything the village had seen.

Seven roses.

Seven different colors.

Each chosen carefully.

Each carrying a meaning.

Red for love.

White for sincerity.

Pink for admiration.

Yellow for friendship.

Orange for passion.

Purple for enchantment.

Blue for devotion.

For weeks he had planned this moment.

For weeks he had rehearsed his words.

Yet now his mind had gone completely blank.

---

As Diya and Shanaya rounded the corner of the shrine, Kamlesh stepped forward.

Directly into their path.

Both girls stopped.

Shanaya's eyes widened.

"Oh no."

Diya frowned immediately.

"What are you doing here?"

Kamlesh couldn't answer.

Not right away.

His heartbeat was too loud.

His hands trembled.

His throat felt dry.

But then he looked into her eyes.

And suddenly every word returned.

Slowly, he dropped to one knee.

The crowd around them began noticing.

Whispers spread.

People stopped walking.

Watching.

Waiting.

The temple bells echoed in the distance.

Kamlesh held out the bouquet.

Seven brilliant roses glowing beneath the evening lights.

"Diya."

Her eyes widened.

"What are you doing?"

He smiled nervously.

"Probably the craziest thing I've ever done."

A few people laughed softly.

Shanaya looked like she wanted to disappear.

---

"From the moment I first saw you," Kamlesh began, his voice shaking, "something changed inside me."

Silence fell around them.

Even the crowd seemed to disappear.

"There are thousands of people in this world."

His eyes never left hers.

"But somehow my eyes found you."

Diya stood frozen.

Unable to move.

Unable to speak.

Unable to understand what was happening.

"The more I learned about you, the more impossible it became to forget you."

His voice grew steadier.

Stronger.

"I admire your kindness."

"I admire your courage."

"I admire the way you love your family."

"And every day, I find another reason to admire you even more."

The crowd watched breathlessly.

Shanaya covered her face.

Mortified.

---

Kamlesh took a deep breath.

Then said the words that would change both their lives forever.

"I love you, Diya."

The world seemed to stop.

Completely.

"I don't know if you could ever feel the same way."

His eyes softened.

"But I know what I feel."

"I know that I've never met anyone like you."

"I know that I can't imagine my future without you in it."

"And I know that if I walk away without telling you the truth, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

His grip tightened around the bouquet.

"I would wait years for you."

His voice lowered.

"I would wait centuries."

A strange emotion flashed through his eyes.

Something fierce.

Something unwavering.

"Will you give me a chance?"

Then, after a brief pause:

"Will you marry me someday?"

---

Diya's entire body went rigid.

Marriage?

Marriage?!

They had barely spoken.

People were staring.

Dozens of them.

Maybe hundreds.

Her face burned.

Her thoughts spiraled.

Nothing made sense.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't think.

All she knew was that she needed to escape.

Immediately.

Without warning, she turned.

And ran.

The bouquet remained suspended in Kamlesh's outstretched hand.

The crowd gasped.

Shanaya stared after her cousin.

Then back at Kamlesh.

Then back at Diya.

"Oh dear."

---

Kamlesh remained frozen on one knee.

Still holding the seven roses.

Long after Diya disappeared.

Long after the crowd dispersed.

Long after the whispers began.

Because for the first time since meeting her...

He wasn't sure what came next.

Diya didn't stop running until she reached the far end of the temple grounds.

Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.

The evening breeze brushed against her flushed face, but it did little to cool the heat burning beneath her skin.

Marriage?

The word echoed endlessly inside her head.

How could someone propose marriage after barely speaking to her?

How could someone look at her with such certainty?

Such conviction?

Such frightening intensity?

She leaned against an ancient banyan tree, struggling to steady her breathing.

For the first time in her life, she genuinely didn't know how to react.

Part of her was annoyed.

Part of her was embarrassed.

And another small part—one she refused to acknowledge—felt strangely unsettled by the sincerity she had seen in Kamlesh's eyes.

Because he hadn't looked like he was joking.

Not even for a second.

He had meant every word.

That realization somehow made everything worse.

Meanwhile, back at the temple, Kamlesh stood alone.

The seven roses remained clutched in his hands.

The crowd had long dispersed.

Only Rishi remained beside him.

"Damn," Rishi muttered.

Kamlesh forced a smile.

"That bad?"

"You proposed marriage to a girl who has spoken maybe ten words to you."

"When you put it like that..."

Rishi sighed.

"You scared her."

Kamlesh looked down at the bouquet.

Maybe he had.

Maybe his feelings had overwhelmed his common sense.

Yet despite the humiliation burning through him, one thing remained unchanged.

He still loved her.

Perhaps even more than before.

The following evening, Diya and Shanaya resumed their usual walk through the village.

The sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and pink.

Normally, Diya loved these quiet moments.

Today, however, her mind was a mess.

"What exactly is wrong with your classmate?" she asked suddenly.

Shanaya laughed.

"Which one?"

"The crazy one."

"Oh. Kamlesh."

"Obviously Kamlesh."

Shanaya bit back another laugh.

"You have to admit it was romantic."

"Romantic?"

Diya nearly choked.

"He proposed marriage in front of half the village!"

"Because he likes you."

"We barely know each other!"

Shanaya shrugged.

"Love doesn't always follow logic."

Diya groaned.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to meet your friends."

Despite her frustration, relief lingered in the back of her mind.

Her vacation was almost over.

Only a few more days remained before she returned overseas.

Soon everything would return to normal.

The awkwardness would disappear.

The distance would solve everything.

At least, that was what she told herself.

Unfortunately, Kamlesh had entirely different plans.

The rejection at the temple had only strengthened his determination.

For three days, he debated what to do.

For three nights, he barely slept.

Every scenario ended the same way.

He couldn't let her leave without trying one last time.

Even if she rejected him.

Even if she hated him.

At least he would know he had done everything possible.

Late one afternoon, Kamlesh finally gathered enough courage and made his way toward Diya's temporary residence.

The moment he arrived, panic immediately set in.

What was he doing?

This was insane.

Her entire family was inside.

If things went badly, he might never recover from the embarrassment.

Yet his feet refused to turn around.

Not this time.

Not when she was about to leave.

He called Shanaya outside.

When she saw him standing nervously near the gate holding an enormous bouquet of flowers, her eyes widened.

"Oh no."

"Please help me."

"No."

"Please."

"Definitely no."

"One minute."

"Still no."

Kamlesh sighed dramatically.

"You're cruel."

Shanaya laughed despite herself.

Unfortunately for her, Diya had already noticed the conversation through the window.

Moments later, she stepped outside.

The instant she saw the flowers, her expression darkened.

Kamlesh forgot how to breathe.

She looked beautiful.

The late afternoon sunlight danced across her face.

For a brief moment, he forgot every speech he had prepared.

Every carefully rehearsed sentence vanished.

Only one thought remained.

Don't let her leave.

"Diya," he began softly.

"No."

The immediate response stunned him.

"No?"

"No."

"You haven't even heard me."

"I know exactly what you're going to say."

Kamlesh swallowed.

"Please."

The desperation in his voice surprised even himself.

"Just listen once."

For a moment, silence hung between them.

Then he stepped forward.

Holding out the bouquet.

"Diya, I know everything happened too quickly."

His voice trembled.

"I know I probably scared you."

She crossed her arms.

"You think?"

A few relatives had begun peeking through nearby windows.

Mortification flooded Diya.

This was exactly what she feared.

A public spectacle.

Again.

But Kamlesh continued.

Because he no longer knew how to stop loving her.

"I just need you to know that my feelings are real."

His eyes never left hers.

"I've never felt this way before."

"I think about you constantly."

"I wait for every opportunity to see you."

"I know it sounds ridiculous—"

"It does."

The interruption stung.

Yet he pressed forward.

"I don't expect an answer today."

His voice softened.

"I don't expect anything."

"Then why are you here?"

Kamlesh's expression became painfully honest.

"Because I couldn't forgive myself if I let you leave without trying one more time."

Something inside Diya snapped.

Weeks of discomfort.

Days of pressure.

Endless unwanted attention.

The public proposal.

Now this.

Everything exploded at once.

"Enough!"

Her voice echoed through the quiet street.

Kamlesh froze.

Shanaya froze.

Even the curious relatives watching from the windows froze.

"I don't understand why you're doing this!"

Diya shouted.

"We barely know each other!"

Her frustration poured out uncontrollably.

"You keep appearing everywhere!"

"You keep following me!"

"You keep forcing these situations!"

Tears of anger filled her eyes.

"Have you ever considered how uncomfortable you've made me?"

Each word struck Kamlesh like a physical blow.

Yet she wasn't finished.

"I never encouraged you."

"I never gave you hope."

"I never asked for any of this."

The bouquet trembled in his hands.

For the first time, genuine heartbreak appeared on his face.

But Diya was too overwhelmed to stop.

"You need to move on."

The words came out harsher than intended.

Much harsher.

"You need to stop this."

Silence followed.

A brutal.

Crushing.

Silence.

Kamlesh stood motionless.

His fingers slowly tightened around the bouquet.

The vibrant flowers that had seemed so beautiful moments ago now looked painfully out of place.

For several seconds, he simply stared at the ground.

Then, finally, he looked up.

The hope in his eyes was gone.

Completely gone.

"I understand."

His voice sounded strangely calm.

Too calm.

And somehow that made it worse.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Broken.

Empty.

Painfully forced.

"I'm sorry."

Diya's anger instantly cooled.

Regret stabbed through her chest.

But it was already too late.

Kamlesh lowered the bouquet.

"Thank you for being honest."

His eyes lingered on her face one final time.

As though trying to memorize every detail.

Then he turned away.

And walked down the road.

Without looking back.

Three days later, Diya boarded her flight.

As the airplane rose above the clouds, she stared through the window.

The village gradually disappeared beneath her.

Along with everyone she knew.

Including one stubborn young man who had refused to stop loving her.

A strange heaviness settled inside her chest.

She ignored it.

Months passed.

Then an entire year.

The world changed.

A global pandemic swept across countries.

Flights were cancelled.

Borders closed.

Travel became nearly impossible.

Diya never returned that year.

Nor the year after.

Yet thousands of miles away, Kamlesh remained exactly where she had left him.

The village moved forward.

Life moved forward.

But his heart stubbornly refused.

Every temple festival reminded him of her.

Every familiar road reminded him of her.

Every sunset reminded him of the girl who had walked away carrying his heart without even realizing it.

Still, he waited.

Perhaps she would return next year.

Perhaps the year after that.

Perhaps someday.

Hope was all he had left.

And Kamlesh had always been terrible at giving up.

To Be Continued...