Somewhere Beyond The Horizon

He stands there at the edge of the cliff. Reminiscing the moments he had with his wife. Going through all the memories that still seem so vivid to him as if it all happened yesterday. It’s been four years since he married Yashika. The love of his life. And this is where he proposed to her on Valentine’s Day. In front of the summer hill. There is this place in Shimla at the Kufri-Chail road from where one can see the exquisite view of summer hill. It’s a popular tourist spot where people on their way to Kufri, often stop by to take photographs.

February 14, 2011

It was a beautiful day and after spending the night in Shimla, the two were leaving for Kufri, hoping to see some snowfall there. It was Valentine’s Day and Ritwik had planned a candle light dinner at their hotel in Shimla. So, they were going to return before it gets dark. After passing a few kilometers, Ritwik brought the car to a halt. (It was the same place where he is standing right now.) Yashika looked surprised. She had no idea what’s going on. The two stood there face to face. She didn’t say anything but there were questions on her face. And then all of a sudden, he was on his knees with a diamond ring in his hands, asking her to marry him in front of everyone. Yashika was completely shaken. This was the most wonderful thing anyone had ever done for her. She couldn’t figure out what to do or say. Tears rolled out of her eyes. “Say yes. Say yes,” came the voices from behind. And wiping off the tears, she finally said, “Yes, I will.” And the two kissed in front of everyone almost like we see in the movies.

Present day

That’s why this place has been so special to him. But this time he’s alone. It’s a full moon night in the month of August. 11:35 pm and it’s all desolate. But wait, there’s something wrong. He doesn’t seem okay. He looks thin as a sheet, probably lost at least 10 pounds. His eyes are bloodshot red like he hadn’t slept for several nights. He’s holding a half filled bottle of scotch in his left hand and his iPhone in the right one. Scrolling down the pictures of him and Yashika, his eyes get stuck on a picture of them together which was from his cousin’s wedding. It was where they first met. And all of a sudden, he goes back to the time reliving all those moments again.

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