I had a conventional, desi arranged marriage. I liked the guy the moment I met him. You might think I am joking but the bells rang in my mind the time I saw him getting off the car. Now don’t think I was getting desperate to get married. I had other options. But my dil ki ghanti started going off when I met this young man. The man my dad had found for me over the internet. Yes, we today’s coupleprenur found each other through an online matrimonial site and I am proud enough to admit it.  

We met for an hour, decided the same day that we are getting married. Thus started our courtship in a hurry. The whole charade of all night phone calls, him coming to my town to see me etc etc, we romanced, we had fun and a great courting period. He said those 3 words on the 7th day of us getting engaged. I asked him if he meant it. He laughed and said, yes, of course. I knew he didn’t. He wasn't in love with me. Not as yet. He and I, both of us were in love with the idea of being in love. None of us were actually in love so far.

After 5 fabulous months came 14th February. He drove down to Ludhiana to spend the day with me. He went down on his knees, exactly 20 days before our wedding day and proposed. He shouted ‘I love you’ several times. I still didn't reciprocate. Was I never going to admit being in love?

We had driven across to the Sutlej banks on a rainy day to have some alone time. As we started our drive back on the sandy roads, our car tire got stuck in one of the puddles. Mohit tried his best but the tire just started sinking further in. I got out of the car to inspect and suddenly the second tire also started sinking. Now two tires of the car were almost completely stuck in the wet mud. As he tried one last time to move the car and pressed full thruttle the car jerked to the edge of the road which was like a muddy platateu. With nothing but the banks of Sutlej below it. The car hand merkily at the edge of that road which was sinking first because of the rain.

I stood outside 10 feet away and saw everything in despair. At that moemtn, for a flash of a second when I saw the car jerking to the edge of the road I thought the car would topple over. And if it toppled then it would take Mohit along with it. He would obviously get hurt in a best case scenario. I screamed for help and ran to the car. Just as suddenly as the car had almost lost control, two guys came helping from nowhere. Some villagers had spotted us and helped lift the car and mohit out of the mess and onto the main road.

As I pulled him out of the car, the only thought on my mind and lips was, “Shit, I love this guy. I can’t lose him.”

And I am doing everything it takes to keep him mine forever.

- Rupal Bansal