It was a balmy afternoon. They had walked into the woods, into the abode of silence. But for the occasional sounds of insects and birds that broke the sound of the breeze.
When in Rome, do as Romans do – and so they did too. In the house of silence, they were silent. The only sound that escaped them was the sound of dry leaves crushing beneath their feet. And the times when they breathed heavy owing to the uphill climb to reach the woods.
She loved the woods, and she suspected he did too. They had walked in together, hand in hand. With huge rocks on one side and a steep fall on the other, they walked. They walked on the loose, red soil that had started to dirty their shoes and the fold of their gray jeans. They walked on the path, not many had taken.
The grove ahead promised something they had not experienced before. She threw back her head and let the sunlight that filtered through the tall trees kiss her face. The woods got denser, and they found themselves admiring the wild flowers that looked colorful even in the dull surrounding, the fresh-as-dew, maroon baby leaf that waited to turn green and mature, and the faraway mountain that was engulfed in a film of mist.
She wanted to take a photo of him, walking. He obliged. As he strode ahead, he turned back to see if the distance between them was enough to make a good photo.
Standing a hundred yards away from each other, they did not take their eyes off each other for the next three seconds or so. Three seconds were enough for her to realize what he meant to her, and how special he was. And her heart skipped a beat. She secretly hoped they would somehow get lost in the woods. And that this moment would last forever.
His eyes said he hoped for the same.
No photo would look good with them so far apart.
And so he walked towards her. And went down on one knee. As he opened his mouth to speak the first words in a long time, she knew her life is about to change.
(thank you mala... a very beautiful post... i guess u knew it would remind me of matheran)
