As the wedding day drew closer, my heartbeat was racing faster with every passing moment. A recurring question lingered in my mind-would Krishna truly leave after this? Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I wasn''t as nervous as before. There was a strange sense of trust within me this time. We had booked a hotel close to the temple, and Krishna''s relatives, whom I couldn''t recognize or comprehend, were arriving one after the other.


    Finally, the day of the wedding arrived. The auspicious time was set for the morning of December 25th. The night before, I couldn''t sleep at all. My restless thoughts led me to call Krishna, pestering him endlessly. In turn, he teased me with his playful words, making me forget my worries for a while. And then, the morning dawned-the morning when we were to be wed.


    For the first time in my life, I was wearing such a heavy bridal red lehenga. As I got ready, an indescribable joy blossomed inside me. Each time I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, a single thought crossed my mind-Would Krishna find me beautiful... ?


    When I finally saw him at the mandap, an unexpected wave of emotions overtook me, and tears welled up in my eyes. Dressed in his groom''s attire, he looked like a king-my king, the ruler of my heart. My tears flowed uncontrollably as he approached me, gently held my hand, and tried to calm me with a playful remark, "There''s still time for the farewell (vidai) save your tears for later!"


    His words brought a smile to my face. Sitting at the mandap, surrounded by the echoing chants of the priest''s mantras, I felt an otherworldly peace. I glanced sideways and saw his parents seated nearby. There was something so comforting about their presence, as if they were my own. Meanwhile, I kept stealing shy glances at Krishna, feeling my cheeks flush every time our eyes met.


    As the ceremony progressed, the sacred vows-the pheras-began...With each round my heartbeat was racing with the fire.... my soul felt like awakening with the words of promises. Later, I noticed Krishna''s elder brother, who was throwing flowers on us as well as on Chikuu during the pheras, much to the annoyance of Chikuu, who stood by glaring at him with a mix of frustration and hidden smiles. I couldn''t help but wonder what silent war was going on between the two of them!


    The farewell(Vidai) moment finally came, and I couldn''t hold back my tears. Even though I was going to be with Krishna, leaving behind the family that had stood by me through every challenge, even guiding me to Krishna''s devotion and love, was heart-wrenching.


    Later that evening, we had organized a Satyanaarayan Katha at a nearby temple. The wedding rituals had been completed by the afternoon, and now, for the first time, I sat beside Krishna, not as his beloved, but as his wife. It felt surreal. Was he really my husband now? I couldn''t believe it.


    The difference between before the wedding and now was overwhelming. During the Katha, I wore a sari paired with a sweater, as managing the heavy lehenga had become impossible for me.


    In that moment, sitting beside Krishna during Katha, I realized how profoundly my life had changed. Yet, amidst all the changes, one thing was certain-Krishna and I were now bound together, forever....My heart was telling me this again and again and I found myself blushing to my inner thoughts.


    After the katha ceremony, we sought blessings from the elders, and I met Krishna''s family for the very first time....When I bowed down to Krishna''s Mother ....I felt a sense of strange belongingness from her touch. Despite meeting them for the first time, it felt as though there was some deep, ancient connection between us. The love they showered on me was immense-so immense that I couldn''t put it into words. I felt as though I had entered a space filled with warmth and affection that felt both new and familiar.


    We had all sat together to eat later at night time, the air filled with laughter and conversation. Chiku, sitting next to me, leaned over and said, "You look so different now...." Before I could respond, Krishna, who was seated beside me, chimed in, "It''s the glow of the wedding..... Don''t I look different too?" And then, in front of everyone, he pretended to blush, acting as though he was embarrassed.


    Later, A romantic song suddenly started playing, and the others urged us to dance. I felt a flush of shyness creeping over me as I glanced at the family members around, but the moment my eyes met Krishna''s, the world faded away. Lost in the depth of his gaze, I felt my hesitation dissolve.


    It was such a beautiful moment-he held my finger and spun me gently, his eyes never leaving mine. Each twirl made me feel like I was floating in space, and every time I turned, I found myself looking into his eyes again. Holding his hand, swaying to the rhythm of the music, it felt as though I had stepped into a dream. The way he moved, his hands expressive, his feet perfectly in tune with the beat, was mesmerizing. I couldn''t take my eyes off him.


    Even as I stumbled, distracted by his charm, he would grasp my hand firmly and pull me back into the dance. For a moment, it felt like we were the part of a movie-a fairytale unfolding in real life.


    But then, after some time, the moment I had been dreading arrived. The thought that had haunted me all day whispered in my mind again-Would Krishna really leave now? As I walked toward the room, the question kept echoing in my head. My heart was racing, my mind filled with uncertainty. What would happen now?


    Everyone left me at the door, saying, "Krishna is waiting for you inside." My hands trembled as I reached for the door handle alone. With a deep breath, I pushed it open. Suddenly, a blinding light flooded my eyes, forcing me to shield them.


    When I managed to steady myself and open my eyes, I was no longer in the room. To my utter disbelief, I found myself standing in the temple-the same temple where it had all begun. The room, the door, everything had vanished.


    In front of me was the temple''s sanctum, and there stood the previous one shining blue(shyam) deity of Krishna, radiant in its divine glow. I was frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening. How did I get here? Where was everyone?


    I called out, "Krishna?.... Krishna!" My voice echoed in the empty temple, but there was no response. No sign of him. Panic began to set in. Was all of this just a dream? Had I imagined everything that had happened till now?


    But no...., I looked down and saw the sari I was wearing. I glanced at my hands, still adorned with mehndi. It couldn''t have been a dream. It was all real. But then, how did I end up here? What was happening to me?


    The questions swirled in my mind as I stood there, lost and desperate, calling out his name, hoping for an answer, hoping for him.


    When no answers came to my endless questions, I found myself returning to the place where it all had begun-the blue(Shyam) deity of Krishna. Last time, he had appeared before I could even touch it. Perhaps this time too, something similar would happen. Maybe the answers I was seeking lay within the deity itself. With this thought, I began walking toward it.


    As I reached closer, I searched for him, my eyes darting around the empty temple. But he wasn''t there. Turning back one last time, I called out his name, my voice trembling. When he still didn''t appear, I extended my shaking hand toward the deity. The moment my fingertips brushed against it, the deity began to dissolve into the air. The shimmering bright blue hue of the idol started spreading through me, seeping into my very being.


    I could feel something shifting inside me, something powerful and incomprehensible. The deity vanished completely, leaving nothing but that divine bluishness, which now covered every inch of my body. Tears began streaming from my eyes, unprovoked and unstoppable. My head and chest started aching faintly, as if the transformation wasn''t just external but deeply internal. Clutching my head, I whispered his name, "Krishnnnnn," before the pain overwhelmed me, forcing my eyes shut.


    In that very instant, I felt myself slipping into another world. A swirling black tunnel stretched endlessly before me, with a piercing white light speeding toward me. My heart pounded violently, my breathing became erratic. I wanted to open my eyes, to see where I was going, but I couldn''t. The light grew brighter, closer, until it enveloped me completely.


    And then, images began flashing before my eyes-so vivid, so intense, they felt like old memories. A sharp, ringing tttttnnnnnnn sound echoed in my ears, almost unbearable. What I was seeing felt strangely familiar, as though it was a part of me, fragments of my own soul. These weren''t strangers; these were my memories, even though the faces were unfamiliar.


    ______


    I saw myself in a family that traveled often, moving from one place to another. I looked younger, perhaps only thirteen or fourteen. Everything seemed ordinary until the scene shifted-I was riding in a bullock cart with my family when I heard a voice. That voice... it stirred something deep within me, something primal and inexplicable. It was as if I had been waiting for this voice my entire life. My heart recognized it before my mind could comprehend it.


    I turned, catching only a glimpse of a back and a hand. I couldn''t see his face, yet he felt like someone I had always known. There was an ache, a longing in my chest, as if something lost had finally been found. I watched, felt everything-the yearning, the joy, the sense of recognition-as though I was living it all again.


    The scene shifted again, and now it was night. In the divine glow of the thunder, I saw him clearly for the first time.....that boy which I saw earlier on bullock cart. It was Krishna-young, radiant teenager, his presence was otherworldly. His white garments shimmered like moonlight itself, making him look less like a human and more like a divine being. Seeing him in his youthful form felt like a blessing, an honor I couldn''t put into words. His innocence, his playful smile, the way he gently held a bird in his hands-it was all so pure, so breathtaking. I found myself hiding, watching him from afar, afraid to approach yet unable to look away.


    That feeling of secretly observing him, the thrill of our first accidental touch, the joy it brought me-it all came rushing back, vividly and intensely.


    While watching the memories.....I felt the pain of being hopelessly in love, of loving someone who seemed untouchable, unattainable. I saw myself writing letters to him, pouring my heart out, confessing my feelings in hidden words I could never say aloud. Krishna wasn''t just a person; he was magic, something beyond this world, and that magic drew me to him, made him impossible to forget.


    But then, I saw the moment I made my mistake-a mistake that had caused me so much pain. I had done something to him that I shouldn''t have, yet it brought me closer to him.


    I had decided to take full advantage of that moment, and one day, I finally confessed my one-sided love to him. The pain was searing, almost unbearable, as I heard his rejection. He had told me that he was bound by the chains of duty. I could feel my heart breaking as those words escaped his lips.


    That day, I had said to him, "Even if you are bound, I am free to love you..... Say no if you must, but I will still love you from far, without disturbing or burdening you."


    Then after having some debate.... He showed me his divine true form.....His divine form stood before me, his presence radiating the ethereal glow of a god who could grant anything-but not love. It was as if his very being was saying, "Ask for anything but I can''t give you love


    ...... I am a god; I can grant you any boon, but cant give love not at this time ....may be in future......"


    But what could a lover do with a future promised in gifts when all she desired was the present moment? Krishna, I wasn''t begging for your love. I was simply expressing my own. Perhaps that was my mistake-to expect the impossible from him.


    And so, that day, I decided to correct my mistake. I told him, "If you must grant me a boon, then grant me this: forget me completely, forget everything that has happened until now. At least then, I can love you freely, without restrictions. At least then, I can steal glances at you from afar, even if it is in secret. If my love troubles you, it''s better this way-you forget it."


    Every emotion overwhelmed me in that moment, and I felt the depth of my love for him and the pain it brought. That day, I had asked for only one thing: for him to read the three letters I had written .....I asked him to read those before the morning came, before he forgot everything. Only for one time.... I wanted him to see himself through the eyes of my love, only for just once.


    That night, as he went to wash his face, I sat under a tree, waiting for him with those three letters. Minutes turned into hours, but he didn''t return. I stayed awake all night, my eyes searching for him in the shadows of dark night, my ears straining to hear the faintest sound of his footsteps. Every rustle of the wind, every whisper of the night made me call out his name, hoping it was him.


    But he didn''t come.


    By the next morning, my body felt as though it was rooted to the ground. My feet refused to move. It felt like my very soul had been drained, as if life itself had abandoned me. I remained there, unable to think, unable to act.


    As night fell again, something stirred within me-a desperation I couldn''t understand. My trembling feet carried me to a nearby temple, a temple of Maa Kali, my family''s ancestral goddess. The dark, haunting silence of the temple mirrored the turmoil within me. I stood there, unsure of what to ask, unsure of what was left to hope for.


    Collapsing before the Maa idol, I cried out Krishna''s name, banging my head against the stone floor. The physical pain was nothing compared to the torment within me. My soul was heavy, weighed down by the love and loss I couldn''t bear to carry anymore.


    I didn''t realize when I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in my Maa...Maa kali''s lap. She was gently caressing my hair with so much love and care. In that moment, I remembered-the same tender touch I had felt from Krishna''s mother, who was present in the wedding .... who had been my mother-in-law. The memory stirred something deep within me.


    Maa pulled me into her embrace, and I broke down like a child, pouring out my pain to her. "Maa, I think all I''ve ever given Krishna is pain... only pain. I know I shouldn''t have made that mistake, but I did. Why did you save me, Maa? ....Why didn''t you let me die?.... I''m nothing but a sinner who causes hurt to everyone. Krishna is so hurt, so angry with me that he didn''t even come to see me one last time before forgetting me last night. Maa, please let me die... How can anyone force their love on their beloved? I''ve sinned. I''ve committed a terrible sin."


    Maa continued stroking my head and spoke with infinite love, "How could loving the one who already holds the love of the entire world be a sin? ..... My child, remember, what you see in this moment isn''t always the ultimate truth. Don''t forget, my daughter, sometimes an end is merely the beginning."


    Through my tears, I asked her, "But what if he''s not mine now? Doesn''t that mean he''ll never be mine later?" Maa smiled, her serene and knowing smile, and replied, "What is yours will always remain yours..... And what isn''t yours-what''s the harm in losing it?"


    Her words sent a chill down my spine. "So you mean he''s not mine, Maa? ....Should I forget him?" I asked with trembling desperation. But Maa, her voice still filled with gentleness, replied, "You already know the truth,.... my child. The one you love is not just yours; he belongs to the entire universe..... He is eternal-without beginning, without end..


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version... If your love is true, he will come to you in the form of that love..... It''s not necessary for everything to come to us immediately...... Sometimes delays have their own reasons..... Just as a flower isn''t comes in its true beauty until it has fully bloomed, so too does nature give us certain things only when they have reached their ultimate truth."


    But I couldn''t stop myself I replied "Maa, I don''t want his love out of obligation or force..... I only want him to feel my love, to accept me when he feels the same within..... I don''t want to bind him, Maa.....And yet, I''ve already trapped him in my love, forcing him to care for me because he''s God.... He has no choice now!"


    Maa smiled faintly, as if seeing through me. "Then tell me, my daughter, what do you truly want?" she asked softly.


    "I want Krishna to forget me," I said, my voice trembling. "I want him to forget me until he feels love for me within himself..... Until then, I will keep loving him, carrying my share of the love alone."


    I don''t know what she was thinking, but she finally nodded and said, "Very well, my child. I will place a part of your memories from this life as a key in a safe place. The day Krishna truly feels love, then this key will unite you both, and after that you will be free-completely free. Krishna will remember everything too at that moment....and will come back to you!!."


    Mother embraced me tightly one last time and then left me with a strange sense of peace. From next day, I kept pretending to be a stranger, watching Krishna from afar, hiding in the shadows. Days blurred into years as I quietly admired him from a distance and adore him like a one sided lover. Eventually, I left Dwapar Yuga behind, fading into anonymity.


    The birth death cycle continued....It seemed as though I had been reborn in Kaliyuga, but this time in a different place. Once again, I was a devotee of Krishna. Yet, by the end of that life, while I found devotion, I never truly found him....There was still something remaining.... In that life, too, I had no memories of the past. Life after life, birth after birth, Krishna always found his way into my existence. But somehow, every time, our union felt incomplete, like a story half-told. I couldn''t understand it that time.....but now I knew it was all happening because of me only. This infinite universe, this endless cycle of time-countless DwaparYugas, TretaYugas, Kaliyugas, and SatYugas came and went.


    In each of my lives, something new happened, yet sometimes echoes of the past lingered. I don''t know how many times I played that role in Dwapar Yuga. Each time, my one-sided love for Krishna was rejected in a new way. And then, everything would begin again, repeating endlessly.


    But this time, something felt different. This time, after Krishna had again rejected away from my love and when I again gone to meet maa.... Then after that, I secretly began to watch him again from far. One day, as I quietly placed roses in his room, a few guards spotted me. They accused me of being a thief and dragged me outside.


    I ran, hiding and escaping their pursuit. I didn''t want Krishna to see me like this. But while running, my foot struck a stone, and I stumbled. My head hit a large rock, and I fell to the ground.


    A crowd began to gather around me.....blood was flowing from by head..... Strangely, I couldn''t die, no matter how hard my body struggled. It was as if my soul was holding on to something, as if it was waiting for someone.....As if my soul was waiting for its real owner...real home.


    Then, suddenly, it happened-a miracle. Krishna appeared before me....The real owner of my soul.... My blurry eyes, already brimming with tears, met his..... But today, his eyes were filled with tears too, and it felt like my heart was being torn apart.


    I wanted to wipe those tears away from his face, to comfort him, but my body no longer had the strength. He knelt beside me, placed my head gently on his lap, and began to weep.


    With trembling hands, I tried to wipe his tears, but my strength faltered. Instead, I handed him those three letters I had written for him....In them all my one sided love essence was drafted. I don''t know why, but it felt like these letters were the key to my release.


    Krishna opened the letters and began to read them in a choked voice. As he reached the final words-words where I had teased him, warning him to not let that sleeping disorder consume him-I don''t know why, but I smiled at him for the last time and slipped into eternal sleep.


    ___


    Then, suddenly, I woke up....In this present time. My eyes fluttered open, and I realized I was still in the same temple, surrounded by the dim, flickering light of the oil lamps. Tears began streaming down my face on their own. My heart felt restless, filled with a longing I couldn''t comprehend.


    "What is happening to me?" I whispered, clutching my chest.


    And then, as if the universe had stilled for just a moment, I heard his voice-soft, sweet, and unmistakable.


    "Ramana Sakhi...!!"


    He said my name, and in that instant, it felt like my soul had been liberated. That single moment, that single word, held the release I had been waiting for across lifetimes.


    Though I couldn''t see him, his voice filled the temple. It surrounded me, soothed me, and gave me the peace I had craved for so long. It felt as though, in that one moment, my endless wait had come to an end.


    "Sakhi.....," he continued, his voice carrying both tenderness and pain, "did you think that by forgetting, you had eased my suffering?.... No, my dear,..... you only made it a thousand times heavier. Every time I crossed paths with you, I could feel it-that there was something incomplete, something missing. In every lifetime, I tried my best to meet you again, but that same incompleteness followed me, gnawed at me, and brought me unexplainable strange pain."


    Krishna''s words wrapped around my heart like a bittersweet melody. "You don''t remember," he went on, "but in Dwapar Yuga, there was a painting in your room-a portrait of a girl with only half her face visible. That girl was you. You would come to me incomplete, even in my dreams, and it would tore at me...... Do you know how excruciating that was for me?......The day of the incident, when they accused you of theft, you left behind one of your anklets in my room with roses. When I found it, I couldn''t stop my heart from sinking again. But this time, I decided to end this cycle of incompleteness."


    "I ran after you....saw you lying in the ground with pain.....I held you in my lap. I don''t know why, but my tears just wouldn''t stop. In that moment, it felt as though you were the answer to all the unspoken questions that had plagued my soul. I still remember your <u>last words</u> as you gazed at me: "Krishna... you are the most beautiful masterpiece of the artist I am in love with...!!!"


    "It was then that I realized... there was something extraordinary about you, something that set you apart from everyone else..... As I read your letters, I felt myself being carried away by emotions I couldn''t name or control. I didn''t know where they were taking me, but I didn''t resist. And when you took your last breath in my arms, smiling at me as though that smile carried the weight of lifetimes, my heart couldn''t help but smile back, even through the pain.


    "In that moment, everything became clear. I remembered everything I was meant to know. But perhaps it was destiny''s wish for it all to happen this way......That night, when you called me to read those letters, I wanted to come to you. I wanted to be there. But destiny had other plans-another game to play.


    "Your <u>last words</u> gave me the clarity I had been searching for across lifetimes. Through you, I finally saw myself... as I am. Do you know how rare that is? Most people get so lost in me that they forget who I truly am.... But you....saw the real me....!!"


    Krishna''s voice trembled as he continued, his words heavy with emotion. "I performed your final rites with my own hands. How I managed to stay composed, even I don''t know. Afterward, I went to the tree where this story began-the tree under which it all started. And there, as I touched the tree. I stepped into this present timeline through this temple on Sharad purnima day, crossing the fabric of time to find you again.


    "I saw the blue(shyam) deity of myself....that you had been drawn to-the one that held the key to your release, the gateway to our union. As I came here..... You also entered to this temple after a while..... Though your form had changed, you were still the same. Your face still carried the same innocence, the same light, as when you used to secretly watch me from the shadows in Dwapar Yuga.


    "When you reached out to touch the deity, I stopped you. Not because I wanted to hold you back, but because I wanted you to feel the love you had once shown me in those three letters. I wanted you to see that love not from your eyes, but from mine. I wanted you to feel my love as deeply as I had felt yours.


    "That''s why I took you back to Dwapar Yuga. I wanted you to meet the lover you had cherished in that era-the one you loved. But now, it was time for you to meet the lover who has always loved you. That''s why I orchestrated all of this-to show you the love that had been incomplete for so long, the love I could never express fully. And now, finally, after so many lifetimes, that love is about to be complete." He took a pause after his last word.


    ___


    "Where are you, Krishna? Come in front of me... I can''t take this anymore," I said in a voice filled with restless desperation, after his pause.....my eyes darting around as if searching for him in every corner.


    "Ramana..." a voice called from behind me. It was him. As I turned, there he stood, draped in the same white attire I had first seen him in-the moment I had fallen in love with him. My eyes filled with tears, and an overwhelming tide of emotions swept over me. I couldn''t comprehend how to put into words what I felt at that moment.


    "You... you look so beautiful!" I whispered, tears streaming down my face as I gazed at him.


    "Do I look beautiful only from afar? Wouldn''t you want to come closer and see for yourself?" he asked, a playful smile dancing on his lips.


    "Krishna....!" I shouted his name, and without a second thought, I ran toward him. It felt as though my feet were gliding through the air. When I reached him, I touched his face as if to confirm he was real. A wave of completeness began to wash over me. I studied every detail of his face, afraid he might disappear again. His eyes-those eyes that spoke volumes without uttering a single word. His unruly hairs locks that seemed to entangle my very soul. And his lips... oh, those lips.....I found myself drawn to them, unable to pull my gaze away. Taking a shaky breath, I whispered, "Sorry....Now I am unable to control...!!"


    I stepped closer to him, my hands moving instinctively toward his chest, my lips inching nearer to his. For the first time, despite my racing heart, my feet didn''t retreat. I kept moving forward, focusing only on his lips. In that moment, it felt like a river finally meeting the ocean, merging completely.


    As if reading my heartbeat, he whispered softly, "Me too....!!," his voice carrying the weight of lifetimes, a deep breath escaping his lips. Then, gently yet firmly, he cupped my face with one hand, his other hand resting on my waist. At his touch, my eyes closed instinctively, as though my very being surrendered to him. It felt as if I were ice melting under the first rays of the sun, dissolving entirely. But now, the ice had transformed into water, flowing freely, merging into the vastness of the ocean.


    When his soft, rose-like lips touched mine, the world around me disappeared. Time stood still. It wasn''t just a kiss-it was a union of souls, of energies, of lifetimes that had waited for this one eternal moment. I felt as though I had lost everything and gained everything all at once. The past and the future ceased to matter. I existed solely in the beauty of the present, in the perfection of that moment.


    I didn''t know how much time had passed by experiencing this reunion. The fear I had carried for so long of how I would handle my first kiss had vanished completely. I wasn''t thinking;.... I was simply feeling, surrendering.....I was tasting the sweet nectar of his love, a honey that was now wholly mine.


    One of his hands, which had rested on my waist, slowly moved to my face. His fingers brushed my cheek, tracing gentle lines that made my skin tingle. His other hand slid into my hair over the neck, sending a soft shiver down my spine. As he slightly pulled himself away, his forehead rested against mine.....I slowly opened my eyes.... Our breaths were mingled, shallow and uneven. I could feel the rhythm of his breath, his nearness pulling me into a trance.


    He tucked my hair behind my ear with a tenderness that made my heart ache. As I let out a long breath and tried to step back, needing to compose myself, he wrapped his arm tightly around my waist and pulled me back into his embrace. Resting his chin on my shoulder, he whispered in that magical, hypnotic voice of his, "Just stay like this for a little longer..."


    His breath tickled my ear, sending current wave through my body. His warmth, his touch-it all made me feel as though I were dissolving into him. He held me close, and for a while, neither of us moved. I could hear the sound of his breathing, his soft sighs mingled with faint sobs.


    And then, without understanding why, I began to cry too. My face pressed against his chest, tears streamed down my cheeks as my heart struggled to contain the overwhelming happiness of our union. It felt as though my body could no longer handle the sheer intensity of the moment, so it released everything in the form of tears from eyes.


    But when his quiet sobs didn''t stop, I pulled back slightly. Placing my hand on his face, I wiped his tears gently and asked, "Why are you crying?"


    Holding my hand in his, he smiled faintly and replied, "Because you''re crying too..."


    With tear-filled eyes, I looked at him, a shy smile spreading across my face. Suddenly, I leaned forward, kissed his lips, and pulled away from his grasp. Without waiting, I ran to the nearby stairs and sat down, blushing and smiling to myself.


    He walked slowly toward me, his footsteps deliberate and filled with an inexplicable calm. Sitting beside me without a word, he reached out, lifted me effortlessly by my legs, and placed me on his lap. I sat there, facing forward, unable to look at him. His presence behind me was overwhelming, and I could feel my hair brushing against his face.


    He gently wrapped his arms around my waist, as if securing me with the softest seatbelt, and slid his hands over mine hands, holding them firmly in his grasp. Then, with tender precision, he pressed his lips against one cheek and then the other, leaving my skin burning with warmth. Embarrassed, I pulled my hands free and covered my cheeks, by whispering, "What are you doing....?"


    "If you didn''t like it, that''s fine," he whispered near my ear, his voice filled with mischief. "But I like it. So, if you do it too,.....I certainly won''t mind."


    I shivered at his words, his warm breath against my ear making my heart race. Trying to divert the conversation, I said softly, "Leave all that... Tell me, did you really miss me this much? Did you truly forget about me? Or... were you avoiding me on purpose?"


    As soon as I said this, his grip on me tightened. My back pressed against his chest, and I could feel his heartbeat.


    "Actually....I loved the plot of your story," he said, his breath brushing against my ear. "So, I decided to become a character in it.... That''s the only reason I can sit here with you like this today." His voice carried a teasing, magical quality that ended with the softest laugh, sending waves of warmth through me.


    "So... this was all a game to you?" I said, pouting and turning my face slightly.


    "Don''t you enjoy playing games with me?" he murmured, resting his cheek against mine. His hands found mine again, holding them tightly as if he''d never let go.


    "No... That''s not that..." I whispered, pulling my cheek away slightly. "Actually, I was thinking... Should I write down everything that happened till today in a story?.....Maybe as those three letters?"


    "Why you want to do everything now....? And what''s the need of drafting our story.....? When I am with you here... why would you want to write anything down, or remember it for later on?..... Trust me... I wasn''t going anywhere, not for even a moment!" He gently pressed his cheek to mine again, pulling me even closer, his voice full of conviction.


    "You may be God... but you might not realize... that God blessed humans with the gift of art... so that even if they aren''t immortal... they could make something precious to them live forever through it. And... you..... are already eternal... but what I wish is for this world to look at you through my eyes, so that the love I hold for you in my heart becomes immortal, too!" I whispered, my face flushed with shyness.


    "Do whatever you want," he replied, his voice was low and magnetic. "But don''t take your hands away from mine...... Here, I''ll give you a magical pen. It''ll write on its own whatever you think. All you need to do is start remembering from the very beginning."


    He loosened his grip on me slightly, allowing me to relax, and then handed me the pen to control through my mind direction. I did as he said, closing my eyes and letting the memories flow. The pen began to move on its own, writing down every moment of our story. I watched as the words appeared before me, each one bringing back vivid memories of how I had first met Krishna, how I had spent time with him, how I had fallen in love with him all over again, and how those forgotten pieces of my heart had returned to me....when all these things were happening during that time Krishna kept looking at my face...making me blush more and more.


    As the pen reached the present moment, capturing everything that was happening now, I suddenly felt Krishna was doing something at side of my neck. Shivering, I turned my head slightly and asked, "What are you doing to my neck? ......And why isn''t the pen writing what I''m thinking anymore....?"


    "Not everything is meant for the readers....,B.B" he whispered with a playful chuckle. "Some moments are just for us.....Special moments,.... you know?.... Besides, not every detail needs to be shared with everyone."


    He paused for a moment, his voice growing softer, almost reverent. "Now, I need to ask you something. It''s your choice whether you want to spend the rest left of your life with me here on Earth-grow old with me, so I can hear your coughing fits in our later old years-or if you''d rather want right now to come with me to my dimension and stay with me forever.... Either way you choose, you''ll be with me always. But decide soon..... Finish your writing, and give me your answer....."


    "Let me think for a moment...!" I whispered back, my heart pounding at the weight of the decision. No matter what I chose, I knew I would always be with him. After all, Krishna had already given me the key to his dimension.... My journey to him was my destiny. Now, let''s see when and how you will discover the key of your Krishna''s dimension.


    ?radhika krishnasakhi


    The End


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    Ariiiiigaaaatooooooooo??


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