Thin rays of golden yellow sunlight peeped in from between the tightly pulled blinds. Abstract patterns danced on the bed as the curtains swayed in the autumn breeze. He turned over in his slumber trying to evade the sunlight and groped for his wife with one hand. On encountering a bunch of linen instead of his newly-wed, he propped himself on one elbow and glanced around the room. The digital clock blinked 7.40 am on the bedside table. Finding no signs of her presence, he craned his neck to check for lights from the gap beneath the washroom door. It took him a whole minute to acknowledge the aroma of coffee drifting through the bedroom door and the low notes of instrumental music emanating from the living room.

She pulled aside the curtains and let the bright sunlight caress her face. Taking in the warmth for a while, she switched on the radio and plopped herself on the overstuffed sofa. The mug of freshly brewed coffee was placed next to her on the table. And beside the mug, a very ornate frame held the photo of two people grinning broadly at the camera. She picked up the frame and smiled to herself. It was hard for her to believe that she was now living with the man whom she had loved all her life! She pinched herself hard to confirm reality. Hearing a muffled chuckle, she looked up to see the man in the photograph leaning casually against the frame of the bedroom door, smiling at her.

He knew that she was happy. The radiant look on her face, deep dimples on her cheeks and the way her eyes sparkled conveyed more to him than words could express. His protective arms around her said millions about how much he cared for her. Taking her mehndi adorned hands in his and looking straight into her deep dark eyes, he said in the most honest of tones, what she had felt shy to utter all her life - "I love you".

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To Priyya, Mahesh and their 21 day old angel, Nanditha !

When he first saw her, he couldn't take his eyes off her. His voice was caught in his throat. He was sure, one blink, and his watery eyes wouldn't hold their joyful tears for long.
Her head was jutting out of a white cloth that tightly secured her arms and legs leaving her completely immobile. Bluish green veins were visible on her flushed rosy cheeks. He touched her soft hair that reached the nape of her neck already and gingerly brushed them away from her forehead with his fingers. Carefully, he traced his finger down her tender cheek. She responded reflexively by craning her neck towards the finger, enjoying the tingly warmth of her father's touch.
Merely due to the loss of words and the inability to utter something sensible at that moment, he said in a hushed baritone - "Hello". She merely blinked at him. He found himself staring at another pair of the same black doe shaped eyes which had attracted him to his wife.
He gently picked her up. With one hand firmly supporting her neck and head, he ensconced her meanwhile adjusting her wrap. After cradling her in his arms for a while, he carefully placed her on his shoulders and patted her back. She gave a burp and rubbed her cheeks on his freshly laundered white Giordano t shirt. A few paces and some out-of-tune humming later, his first born was asleep. Very unwillingly he placed her in the cradle and sat beside it looking at his daughter sleep for the first time. A few minutes later, her tiny grayish pink lips curved lopsidedly, which he assumed to be a grin. Her first dream, he thought. He wondered as to what could be amusing her so much on her very first night in the world. He whispered -"I'm going to make every dream of yours come true, my love."
"So, will you change your opinion at least now?" asked his wife, stirring from her semi-conscious state.
He grinned sheepishly and held the hand of his first love who had brought about this little angel into their lives and changed both their lives forever.
"If you had to give me such an example to prove that Love at first sight does happen, then, I bow, you win !"

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