Discovery

June 24

00:15

"Can't sleep?"

"Not at all, I'm so excited for tomorrow!"

"Clearly... your excitement is pretty infectious too, I've got to give you that."

"Awww, did I just elicit a compliment out of you Vidhi?

"It's one for the history books, darling."

"Darling? My, my! What has gotten into you babe?"

"Ahhh, let's see then.... nope, you're the only one inside me and my heart right now Akshaya," Vidhi winked.

"Ewww, that's so gross. Go back to sleep, we don't want a late start tomorrow that will disturb the entire itinerary."

"I just love how organised you are about everything!"

"Well, if only you would go to sleep and not mess it up babe," Akshaya grinned sheepishly.

"Of course darling... let me kiss you goodnight, or is that not listed on your planner?" Vidhi smirked.

"I have room to accommodate a cute, little divergence - come over here!"

09:00

"We're all set to go, aren't we?" Akshaya inquired tentatively, eager to keep a tab on everything.

"I guess so, we've managed to tick off everything on the 'Must Do' checklist you prepared, except for locking the door," Vidhi affirmed her.

"Such a relief that we're right on track. Let's lock up the apartment and get going, yippee!"

"Alright, I call dibs on the wheels," Vidhi said excitedly and prepared to dart off downstairs towards the car in case Akshaya decided to put up a challenge.

"Urghhhhh, you beat me to it - AGAIN."

"I've been in love with driving from way before I've been loving you!" Vidhi nudged her slyly.

"So does that make me a jealous mistress then?" replied Akshaya, happy to play along.

"The law is the only jealous mistress in your life right now.." Vidhi broke into a chuckle.

"Oh damnnn, that's crazy wordplay right there, Vidhi and Law, righttt?" Akshaya responded a couple of seconds later, her face lightening up suddenly upon making the connection.

"You look so adorable right now, I'm going weak in the knees," Vidhi said affectionately, flushing various shades of crimson on her face.

09:30

With this flavour of banter, Vidhi and Akshaya began the journey from their shared apartment in Mumbai to the hilly landscapes of Manali. They had finalised this trip after a lot of back-and-forth over the destination. Having grown tired of the cliche Goa and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara or Dil Chahta Hai kind of exploits, they ultimately figured that the hills would be picturesque and serve as an escape from the multitude of beaches which they frequented in Mumbai. Courtesy the pandemic and its concomitant lockdowns, a long period of time had elapsed since they last enjoyed an outing together. This was in total contrast to the beginning of their courtship where they embarked upon one adventure trail after another. In fact, they had been introduced to each other by a mutual friend at one such trekking trip in the outskirts of this mega city.

Vidhi, who preferred to keep herself reserved from extracting conversations such as those with strangers you have to put up with during a trek, found in Akshaya a companion who was outgoing and spirited enough to tackle the unflattering comments about two young women going about their lives as they willed. Akshaya really spoke her mind and her words were like daggers that often stabbed the perverted men who crossed the threshold of decency. Together, they mastered the art of cornering those who dared to question their freedom. Albeit at a tortoise's pace, this solid companionship eventually transformed into a fragile courtship. The fragility was borne not out of the nature of their feelings towards each other, rather, it stemmed from the unsettling gaze which fell upon them like a spotlight once people around them had learnt of their unconventional relationship.

17:00

"Vidhi, why don't you pull over and let me drive now."

"What? Seriously.. You should just sit back comfortably, play good music and enjoy the ride!"

"Pleaaseeee, I am itching to do something after so many hours of idling and sleeping and watching your sparkling eyes focus on the road. Give those tender feet some rest now babe, they've earned it."

"Alright fine," Vidhi conceded defeat and stopped the car, "we have almost entered Vadodara, so there's another two hours to Ahmedabad from here...drive away."

"Yeah, I know all that, I'm the one who meticulously planned it all out, in case you were too tied up to notice," Akshaya winked at her while stepping out to stretch her legs. They switched seats and were quickly on the move once again.

18:30

"I was meaning to say this earlier but forgot - lunch at Surat was so tastyyy, great pick... I kind of get now why they say Surat Nu Jaman Ane Kashi Nu Maran, their cuisine is lip-smacking," Akshaya expressed her delight.

"Absolutely!!! It was a grand last minute tip from Meher to take a pit stop in Surat for lunch, wasn't it?"

"Ohhhhh...so this is what you were discussing with her last evening, nice."

"Yep, it was Meher's birthday the day before so I had called her to catch up on all of the gossip from the bash they had."

"Cool, quick question though: WHEN WILL YOU FINALLY INTRODUCE ME to Meher?" Akshaya pounced upon Vidhi in a rage. "I mean, I feel like I've come to learn so much about her through all of your tales but each successive story makes me even more desperate to meet her in reality! It's about time too."

"Right," Vidhi said thoughtfully, "you know what, let's take a detour through Delhi and stay a night at Meher's?"

"Really? That would actually be really wonderful, I will be glad to do this. Are you positive about messing up the itinerary?"

"Are you kidding me - I would never willingly give up on an opportunity to re-unite with Meher and Utsuk, they are my family."

"Woohooo, let's do this then!"

19:00

The day's drive came to an end in Ahmedabad on that bright note. After checking-in to their hotel room and freshening up, Vidhi and Akshaya settled straight into bed without any fuss. The pit-pit-patter noise of the drizzly raindrops attacking their balcony's marble flooring appeared to be music to their ears. They pulled the comforter over themselves and galloped into a silent and drowsy-yet-intimate cuddle before drifting off to sleep.

June 25

06:00

"Can you believe it? We've managed to successfully wake up early for two days in a row!" Akshaya exclaimed.

"I can now back myself up with proof beyond any reasonable doubt in declaring that sunsets are definitely more romantic than sunrises," Vidhi groaned.

"Nooo, early mornings are so peaceful. We just need that little push, or shove in your case haha, to step out of bed and get going about the day."

"What's so good about this morning, huh? I could have easily slept for another hour..."

"For starters, the best part is that since you're too worked up about mornings, I'm the one who gets to drive," beamed Akshaya radiantly as Vidhi squinted hard towards her.

"Keep driving honey, I'll go back to my beloved sleep. Wake me up when we reach Udaipur."

"I don't suppose that will be possible," Akshaya sniggered, "Indian roads don't support the sleep-in-car feature yet."

"Whatever."

9:45

Vidhi was still fast asleep when they reached the majestic city of Udaipur. Akshaya brought the car to a halt at a roadside eatery, switched off the air conditioning and relaxed a bit while adoring her partner's sleeping beauty. She caressed her hand gently over Vidhi's forehead and awakened her with a fanciful kiss of true love. Vidhi's eyes flickered open-and-shut twice before she could gain complete control over them and her mental faculties. Once she had though, her hands immediately clutched her abdomen and Vidhi began to squeal in pain.

"What's wrong Vidhi?"

"Oh it's that usual suspect," she sighed.

"I don't understand," Akshaya looked nonplussed.

"Stomach's feeling bloated and fatigue's kicking in...I'm PMSing. Ughhh."

"Ohhhh, right, yes, I should have remembered this Vidhi, I'm so sorry! Do you want me to get you something?"

"No, it's okayyyy, don't worry about me. I'm ruining the day for you too now, aren't I?" Vidhi said sorrowfully.

"Awww, don't hold those tears back, let them flow babe. Tell me all about how you are feeling, come here," Akshaya did her best to make Vidhi feel comfortable with a warm embrace, "and no one is ruining anything for anyone, okay? It's all good."

"You're very sweet Akshaya, I'm gonna make it up to you some day!"

"Really?" Akshaya curled her lips into a tight smile, her dimples basking in their glory.

"I love you so, so much good lady, but please stop showcasing your dimples...they always steal the limelight," Vidhi quipped.

"PMSing or not, ladies and gentleman, she's always got the wit by her side," Akshaya responded and intertwined her fingers into Vidhi's.

"Not just the wit though, I also always have you by my side Akshaya. Seriously, I love you a lot," Vidhi said, "and as an expression of this love, I hereby permit you to take up driving duties for the entire day."

"YOU DIRTY DEVIL, permitting me to drive since you do not want to with all of that pain...what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?" Akshaya questioned mockingly, breaking into laughter.

13:00

Once Vidhi had recovered a bit to a stage where her pain was of manageable proportions and she felt comfortable enough to endure the next few hours in transit, they took a quick sightseeing tour of the city's palaces and lakes. Among the places they checked out were the City Palace, Lake Pichola, Saheliyon Ki Bari and Fateh Sagar Lake, all of which managed to live up to their expectations of royalty from Udaipur.

"This is a very random thought, but looking at the magnificence of these palaces, I really feel like heading over to Agra too. After all, there's no clue when those maniacs will bring down the Taj Mahal in order to unearth their temples underneath," Vidhi opined.

"Look at that romantic in you, the Taj Mahal. Wow!!"

"You don't want to go?"

"I do, I do...I've been there thrice and yet the excitement to visit again is unparalleled," Akshaya jumped on to the bandwagon eagerly, "and of course, there is the issue of those maniacs and their drive to spew hatred not sparing anything that poses an obstacle."

"What's more dreadful for me as a lawyer is that the judicial institutions are hand-in-glove with them...it completely shatters the remnants of my trust in the judiciary's ability to dispense justice."

"Such a shame."

13:45

On their way out from Udaipur, Akshaya noticed an old couple, probably in their late sixties, trying to hitch a ride by the highway-side. It was certainly odd to come across hitchhikers in these parts, especially on an access-controlled expressway. They were still more than half-a-kilometer away when Akshaya spotted them and began to contemplate the idea of offering a lift. She was troubled with the thought of leaving them behind trudging along the road in the scorching summer sun. There wasn't going to be any rest-stop either for a while since they were only at the beginning of the highway. Vidhi, having pre-empted Akshaya's intentions to stop from how she had already begun to slow down the car, objected astutely.

"Don't tell me you're seriously thinking of giving those oldies a ride with us?"

"I am, what's the big deal about it?"

"You are perfectly aware of what the big deal is.."

"Come on, I'm not buying any of that dangerous and unsafe crap. We're out on an adventure, maybe you should treat this as another chapter that we didn't bargain for. I'm stopping."

"No...urghhh, you're getting on my nerves now Akshaya."

"This is unchartered territory for me as well you know, I hardly ever sign up for stuff until I have had the chance to process dozens of iterations of what could possibly go wrong with it. Now this is something I'm doing on a whim after a long time. Here we go!!"

Akshaya stopped the car a few steps ahead of the old couple and rolled down the passenger side window - "Do you need a lift? Where are you heading to?" she shouted out once they had caught up.

"Umm...Jaipur, we want to go to Jaipur. Can you help us out?" the woman spoke tentatively, appearing to be as afraid of Akshaya and Vidhi as they were of her.

"Of course we can, please hop right in, I'll open the boot for your luggage," Akshaya responded with a smile and ignored the faces Vidhi was making towards her. Their journey resumed in a short while once the couple had settled in properly, which seemed invariably difficult for some time due to the old man's visible discomfort, for no apparent logical reason, with Akshaya's driving. It wasn't until Vidhi displayed a bit of hostility in asking the man to put up with it or leave, that he compromised on his position.

15:30

"So, I can't help but ask how you two ended up on the road in this manner?" Vidhi breached the brooding silence in the car, letting curiosity get the better of her at last. The woman, more at ease now than before with the passage of time, proceeded to describe their ordeal of the past couple of hours in such great detail that Vidhi was beginning to regret she ever asked. The man kept interrupting at frequent intervals to exaggerate the plainest of facts and spice things up with irrelevant information. Vidhi felt captivated at the idea of mincing this superfluous man's evidence testimony apart piece-by-piece in a cross-examination if she ever got the chance of calling him into the witness box at a trial.

Courtesy the couple's inquisitive nature, Akshaya and Vidhi ended up divulging a lot of particulars about their personal lives which they would have rather not. The old couple's combined dexterity and experience from handling numerous similar interactions over the years made it seem like their victims didn't have any authority in refusing to give information about themselves. Akshaya perceived that a stranglehold had been placed upon them to let out as much information as they could and also to seek the old couple's counsel in all matters. It was in such a hypnotic setting that the topic of conversation shifted to relationships, marriage and the likes; things that the Indian society is particularly obsessed with. The old couple had obviously put two-and-two together by now and realised that the two women had more going on between them romantically than they had first ventured to imagine. Their fishing expedition had now reached a phase where the two fishes had blindly swum towards the bait and it was all about being patient and skillfully drawing them in until they got stuck, before viciously pulling them out of their habitat.

"So, Mumbai's quite an expensive place to live in for young, working men and women...I bet you two share an apartment together to save on costs," the old man tried to surreptitiously broach the subject of their relationship by clothing it in money talk.

"We do, yes, we've been living together for a couple of years now!" Vidhi let out.

"Ohh, it's great that you girls found a trustworthy friend in each other to reside with, but I've heard many youngsters nowadays, especially young ladies like you, go to these metropolitan areas and start living with their boy-friends, as you people refer to it, even before they've found their feet in the city," the old man continued patronizingly.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Like you just said, as long as the other person is a trustworthy friend you can be comfortable living with, then it shouldn't be a matter of concern if its a boy or a girl. Simple as that," Vidhi explained gently at first to see if the old man could be reasoned with.

"That's very bold of you to say. Okay, even if I am for a minute to accept that there is no issue in living with a friend of the opposite gender, the issue is that you lot don't ever set boundaries for yourselves. You get carried away and engage in sexual activities too... a woman having sex before marriage, that's blasphemous."

"These people have also come up with a fancy, new term for it to create a halo of modernism around themselves: live-in relationships are what they call it," the old woman chimed in.

"WOW!! I'm equally disgusted and horrified at what you just said. It's so, so wrong on multiple levels, I don't know where to start."

"You should start by thinking about your own welfare for once.. what would happen if you were in a live-in relationship and got pregnant? Who would marry you?"

"Explain something to me please, why do all the reasons you've recited against live-in relationships target only the liberty of a woman? A woman having sex before marriage is blasphemous, and what about the man? It takes two to tango mister. I cannot believe how patriarchal your concerns are about young ladies like us going to metropolitan cities and choosing to live with their partners, or even alone for that matter. It seems to me that you lot don't want women to have their taste of freedom but wish to keep them confined to the chaar-deewaari of your minds so that they can continue to serve you," Vidhi spoke succinctly, "and that is precisely why you find it abhorrent that we, the subjects of your domination, try to find an escape route from a world that is populated by people like you."

"Come on there, this is not what I meant, you are misinterpreting my anxieties," the old man uttered, "it is a father's solemn duty to look out for his daughter and ensure that she is married off timely to a good man who will then take over the reins of looking after her well-being."

"I'm stunned," Akshaya felt nauseated at these hollow, deceptive words, "it's so easy to exploit us, isn't it? We're drowned in household responsibilities and made to cater to every need that our fathers or husbands may have - something that our man-made economic system has no value for. That's a serious flaw in this society's capitalistic programming."

"Akshaya, I think that escaping from their world and finding refuge in transitioning metropolitan societies isn't enough for us anymore. We ought to be cutting such people off from our lives completely and go about constructing a better world," Vidhi elaborated.

"Cheers to that! Inquilab through and through," Akshaya appreciated the idea.

"And you know what, the best way to kick-start this revolution would be to dump our old guests out of the car. Sounds like a plan?"

"Right now, here? It's in the middle of nowhere Vidhi..." Akshaya tried to reason.

"I don't care one bit about them. Besides, as far as it goes for the old man, its not like some creepy pervert will sneak up and harass the shit out of him. Only us women have to face that crap, all because of the free hand given to men like him."

"Well, I can't argue with that. Even so, you can't punish the woman, she's a victim of patriarchy too. It's not her fault she is married to him. I can bet my life that she never had the chance to choose her husband, or if she wanted to get married at all in the first place. It's evident how he doesn't want to let the world hear her voice and has manipulated her into parroting him."

"But it doesn't look like she is a big fan of ours for taking a stand against it..." Vidhi was in a foul mood now.

Akshaya could sense her increasing displeasure and offered a suggestion, "You know exactly why she is unable to put up a fight herself and can't support us either, so just stop bickering about it. Let's drop them off at the next rest stop from where they can catch a bus to Jaipur and that'll be an end to this fiasco."

"Fine," Vidhi accepted glumly. The two fishes had finally recognised the bait and managed to strike together a fierce chord of resistance which forced their anglers to back off from fishing further in those troubled waters.

16:40

The past half-an-hour had snailed past slowly and it looked like everything had been frozen altogether, for there was no perceptible difference in the scene inside their car. They had been driving steadily on cruise control at ninety-five kilometers per hour yet no one inside the car had budged an inch. Akshaya was driving but there wasn't much to do there either on a straight, empty road in the middle of a barren desert. Her hands, sitting on the steering wheel in a nine-to-three position, had begun to ache. The weather wasn't so joyful with the heat catching up with them quickly as they moved further up north. Vidhi was looking out of the passenger side window dejectedly, her left elbow resting on the arm-rest and fingers fidgeting with strands of her hair. Akshaya felt sad for her, having had to begin the day with such sharp pre-menstrual pain and then dealing with these nut jobs! It would be another twenty minutes to reach the nearest bus halt where the old couple could be counted out of their lives as a good riddance. In the meantime, they were still there in the back-seat, sharing an earphone connected to the woman's phone and bobbing their heads to the beat, probably listening to some cheesy Bollywood songs.

It's an old adage that curiosity killed the cat, but, Akshaya was a firm believer of its modern rendition where satisfying the curiosity supposedly brings the cat back to life. Akshaya wanted this satisfaction desperately because she felt that they had earlier been a bit fearful of letting the old couple know about the depths of their relationship and had sub-consciously tried to divert their attention from this aspect. If she could gather the courage to speak of their love openly with those villains sitting behind her, it would be a glowing testament to their bond. Beginning this hot pursuit, Akshaya drew in a deep breath in preparation for tackling a barrage of moral assaults and then asked them, "What do you think about same-sex relationships?" Vidhi momentarily raised her eyebrows in repulsion, but kept quiet. She was interested to hear this as well.

"What about them?" the old man responded curtly.

"Do you approve of them? Is it, like, okay...or is it something that's unnatural and stuff like that?" Akshaya tried to piece words together.

"Does it matter to you if I approve of them or not?"

"Not even a bit."

"Well then, there we go, it doesn't look like I need to volunteer my opinion," he shot back in a very matter-of-fact tone. He clearly valued his opinion highly and was too drunk in his ego to openly preach it to someone who harboured the opposite viewpoint.

"Alright, that's fair. I simply intend to let you know that Vidhi and I aren't just friends who happen to live together, we have chosen to live this way out of the desire to be together all the time, to enjoy the fruits of our mutual company and to understand one another far more intimately. I love her, no matter what you think of us. I've always been slightly worried about how the society perceives us, but thankfully, this interaction has destroyed the very core of that thought," Akshaya made an emphatic declaration of her feelings. It was meant to provide more of a re-assurance to Vidhi of their faith in each other, even though it ran the risk of sustaining collateral damage by kindling another war of words with the old couple.

"There's no need for us to hide from despicable, judgemental minions like you who create thorns in between the path of love. We're going to fight back," she continued her tirade.

20:15

"Phew, we've finally reached Jaipur. A long, winding day that I never anticipated could test us so much," Akshaya exclaimed.

"Yeahhhh... I guess it would be better not to act upon whims for the rest of this trip and trust that super-organised mind of yours instead," Vidhi smiled weakly, tired to her wits' end.

"We'll see about that. Do you want to go grab dinner?" Akshaya was still as lively as ever, making herself comfortable in their new surroundings at the resort.

"Not really, I've lost my appetite after all the food for thought those two have fed us."

"That's true. On the flip side, however, they've also given me so much to write about in my upcoming columns!"

"You literary freak...to imagine that this ordeal might just turn out to be the break you need to set wings to your writing aspirations. We'll have that couple to thank for your success, wouldn't that be fantastic."

"Stop stop... I'm going to have nightmares now about meeting them again," Akshaya lay down on the sofa with her head in Vidhi's lap.

"By the way, Akshaya, about all that you said earlier in the car - thank you, thank you so much. It really meant the world to me!" Vidhi beamed, stroking Akshaya's forehead with her warm hands and staring into the oblivion of her eyes.

June 26

10:30

The duo woke up late in the morning after all of yesterday's fatigue and feasted on a hearty breakfast to prepare for the day's drive. They had planned to reach Meher's place in Delhi well before sunset by embarking upon an uninterrupted four-hour drive to Agra and then another three hours to their destination for the night, halting periodically only for restroom breaks or to switch drivers. Whereas Vidhi was eager to be back behind the wheels after missing out for an entire day, Akshaya was pleased to let her drive to her heart's content while she gazed at the landscapes and processed her thoughts in peace. Vidhi had already taken the car out to get it refueled nearby and by the time the clock-tower struck eleven, they were ready to rock and roll ahead.

The Pink City really lived up to its name in the way everything, literally everything, was drowned in pink. From compound walls to metro pillars and from the magisterial Hawa Mahal to the stately Jaigarh Fort, shades of romantic pink were charmed across all of them. It was no wonder then to Akshaya that hordes of tourists, from within India and beyond, flocked to this appealing place to mingle with its playful spirits. The welcoming pinkness of the environment around them, which they had inevitably failed to notice in the dark upon their arrival last night, placed the couple in a very jovial mood and raised their optimism over the long drive ahead. The splendour of Jaipur's numerous havelis reminded Akshaya just why the city was one of the most preferred destination-wedding locations for the who's who of this country. Naturally, not everyone could afford to pay for the glamour on offer and send their lives spiraling in debt. In fact, it must only be a life grounded in privilege and luxury which can spare the time to even dream about getting hitched in a palatial wedding resort. Akshaya was someone who had had that privilege from the day of her birth, and thus, her mind sprinted immediately on to the fantasies of her own marriage that she been harbouring ever since she got the idea of authoring a piece on the subject.

"I am thinking about writing on marriage for my next column," Akshaya dropped these words into the void very randomly.
"Huh! What was that again?" Vidhi was pleasantly surprised because they almost never spoke to each other about Akshaya's work. The latter never willingly shared her writings with her partner and for good reason - neither did she enjoy hearing any silly, bloated reviews from Vidhi, nor did she want a lawyer's confusing, burdened ideas to interfere in the unrestricted movements of her free-spirited pen. Inescapably, however, Vidhi would come across Akshaya's columns somewhere or the other and then proceed to make her squirm in agony with her comments and teases.

"I said that I'm pondering over writing on marriage once we get back from Manali."

"Ohhhh... well, that sounds like a pretty good subject to talk about."

"That's it?"

Vidhi shuffled her eyes a couple of times between Akshaya and the traffic lined up ahead to ascertain whether the gravity in Akshaya's tone was true in all seriousness or if it was merely a trap to get her worked up.

"Yes babe, that's it. What were you expecting?" she finally asked, trying to play safe to the extent possible.

"Alright, its true that I haven't really given too much weight to your ideas on my writing in the past, but this might just be something where you can pitch in and help me conceptualise perhaps," Akshaya requested earnestly.

"Awwww, how moving," Vidhi jeered. "Stop playing with me, there is no way you need my two cents on your work. We've been together long enough for me to realise and accept that."

"There is still such an awful lot that we don't know about each other, isn't there?"

"Someone's woken up all philosophical today!"

"Hahaha.. I surprise myself too at times honey. But honestly, there really is a deep gulf of mystery between us, don't you think?" Akshaya asked.

"I guess the gulf is a bit of an exaggeration, a pool would suit your description better."

"It's called taking creative liberties. Oooohh, but how would you know about that, wouldn't it be contempt of court for you lawyers to even think about taking such creative liberties in your work...being perennially stuck in those archaically drafted plaints and losing yourself in an ocean of verbosity," Akshaya mocked with a smile.

"There's no disagreeing with that," Vidhi resigned.

"Does it not feel suffocating to be held up in this prison of vanity?"

"It does, a lot. I presume this is also why so many lawyers are actively engaged in other kinds of creative pursuits where their energies can be channeled fruitfully."

"What about you Vidhi, what's your coping mechanism?"

"I don't have one yet. I can sense that quite a lot of my frustrations at the workplace can be attributed to this factor of being locked up mentally. It does begin eating me up time and again that my work essentially contributes to the incomprehensible and inaccessible nature of legal systems in India."

"So, do you ever feel like you have entered into the wrong line of work?"

"Not really, no. You've correctly labelled many dimensions of advocacy as being no less than a perilous prison, nevertheless, I still carry a youthful optimism of change and overhaul. Anyway, it has never been my idea to devote my whole life to this profession, there are far bigger dreams in store to be chased in this pursuit of happiness. In a nutshell, babe, you don't need to start worrying about me just yet, I'm not going anywhere right now but to the court!"

"My my, you look so adorable talking about those dreams and desires," Akshaya expressed her delight, "...these are exactly the type of dynamic little things I was speaking of earlier which are still a mystery for us. It's not enough to learn them once and for all, we must keep abreast with the changes in each other and revise the syllabus, so to say."

"You have such a knack for being right, Ms. Wisdom," said Vidhi, "even so, enough of me, let's learn some little things about you then."

"Ummm, alright Ms. Wit. Shoot your questions."

"Okay, for starters, tell me a characteristic or habit in people which you completely abhor. It goes without saying that I shouldn't be aware of this already, so think hard."

"Great question! I don't need to rack my brains to answer this one though, there's quite a list. First off, I find people who whisper among themselves at the dinner table absolutely disgusting. I mean, when there are other people occupying the table along with you, it's basic table manners to engage with them all rather than to exclude them from your world altogether. Unfortunately, this happens so very commonly that if you were to give me a hundred rupees every single time, I would have collected enough money in the last three months to purchase a new smartwatch... and that's a very casual hint about what I want for my birthday. Moving on, there is the peculiar nature of some shallow, two-faced human specimens to impose themselves into your lives totally uninvited and behave like parasites, no matter the depths of politeness you employ to try cutting them off. You probably know exactly who I'm talking about here, don't you? It's depressing to see how quickly they desert ship once a better host beckons to them," Akshaya ranted.

"Wow... how long have you been holding that in? It seems like you're carrying a lot of despondency on your shoulders," Vidhi inquired with her eyebrows arched up sharply out of concern.

"No no," Akshaya insisted, "I quit fretting over these things a long time ago. It makes me angry, but I've accepted that there's nothing more to be done about any of it."

"True, we can be a bit more confrontational though with those parasites and also stop putting in efforts to get along with them all the time. Anyway, tell me more about what you have in mind for this marriage column."

13:15

Akshaya breathed a heavy sigh of relief on finally managing to get Vidhi invested in discussing her ideas on marriage. She carefully collected the numerous strands of hair which were flying out over her eyes to tickle her nose and slowly tied them into a low bun. She was well aware of how seductive this made the nape of her exposed neck seem to Vidhi, who already couldn't help but steal a few admiring glances. The light blue hue of the hair-band she put on was also one which Akshaya knew to be one of Vidhi's favourite colours. Coupled with the striped red-white crop top and black half-rimmed glasses she was sporting, Akshaya created a spectacularly nerdy look which appealed greatly to Vidhi's senses and was a feast for her eyes. After a few moments of silence in which Akshaya simply watched Vidhi out of adoration without stirring even a bit, she suddenly whizzed back to life and told Vidhi to stop the car.

"What, why? Don't tell me you have to empty your bowels again Akshaya, please!" Vidhi giggled.

"You'll see, come on, just stop by the side."

"Alright, here we go."

"Okay, I want you to step out now and stand a bit further ahead. I'll join you in a minute, oh and be careful while opening the door over there honey," Akshaya continued her tirade of strange instructions.

"I have no idea where this is going, but it better be good," Vidhi obliged and walked out a few meters just as she had been told. She was beginning to get impatient when almost two minutes had passed but Akshaya was sitting still inside the car with her eyes closed, most likely in some deep, rambling conversation with herself. She yelled at her to ask for the meaning of all this but her words drowned out immediately even to her own ears amidst the imposing noise of fancy cars and beastly trucks tearing through the howling wind. Yet, she finally saw Akshaya step out and move towards her with a tense gusto in her movements. Vidhi couldn't quite place whether Akshaya was walking unsteadily or if it was the spring in her step that made it appear so.

"Vidhi, honey, will you marry me?" Akshaya fired this bolt from the blue the instant she caught up with her partner. Her eyes shone with anticipation of glory in the overarching radiance of sunshine that was emanating from almost directly over their heads. Those glittering eyes spoke in a language of their own and were earnestly demanding an answer from the set of eyes in front of them.

"Excuse me!" Vidhi was astounded.

"I..I have been wondering if you would like to tie the knot with me?"

"Woahhhhh, woahhhhh...this is really very unexpected Akshaya. Is this why you've been fixated on talking to me about this column on marriage the entire morning? And when I finally came around to discussing it, you popped the question..."

"Well, no, not exactly. I didn't really plan anything out, the thought came to my mind spontaneously when you asked me to tell you more about the column. But I really do want to marry you Vidhi, truly, it's not as if this is the first time I have dreamed of this moment - the proposing part, obviously, not of it happening on the roadside of a national highway somewhere in Kotputli," Akshaya broke into half a peal of laughter before correcting course upon facing Vidhi's deadpan countenance, "so, what do you think?"

"No," Vidhi laid bare quite flatly and painfully watched Akshaya process this rejection as her expressions transcended from that of hopeful joy to absolute denial and ultimately to that of an incomprehensible shock. Vidhi's face reflected a sympathetic look which was frightened of the events that had just unfolded and also of those that were about to take place. The colour of her nose attained one of the shades of pinkish-red which they had seen so prominently the same morning in Jaipur. However, far from offering any sense of romantic comfort, this time around the pink was symbolic of anguish and embarrassment.

"Ummm, I don't understand why Vidhi. Is there something wrong between us? Do you not love me the way I think you do? Are you reluctant to commit to this marriage because its illegal, or because it's considered by society as immoral? There's no real problem if that's so and we can work around that. In fact, that's one of the facets on which I'm going to write in the column. You know we can even think of relocating to another country where no one would bat an eyelid at us getting married, it wouldn't be too much trouble..." Akshaya could have kept going on without pause had Vidhi not interrupted.

"Hold on Akshaya, hold on, it's not what you think," Vidhi pleaded with butterflies bouncing vigorously in her stomach.

"What is it then? I think you owe me a proper explanation, at the least. Please."

"I cannot stress it enough how important it is that you interpret me rationally without mixing it up with any sentimentality. There's no doubt that you are by far the most integral part of me, because, simply put, I cannot even begin to fathom a life devoid of your love. Sometimes I wonder how monochromatic the picture of my life seemed like before you splashed colours into its palette! It's not as if I wasn't happy before, but there was always some spare drive in my heart remaining to go on a greedy quest for conquering more happiness. Its different now though, I don't feel the need to be any happier than I already am and that's because at some point of time during the past four years, I realised that the quest had been left far behind. I am no longer in a race to be the happiest, for I had already become a winner the moment you trespassed upon my heart's empty space and made it your own," exclaimed Vidhi as a couple of tears began to roll down the contours of her face.

"G..Ggo, go on," Akshaya stuttered, overwhelmed with emotion.

"My point is that you are definitely not the reason I said no, and there is definitely nothing wrong between us. This will probably sound crazy to you, nevertheless, the thing is that I'm not saying no to you, but to marriage altogether," she continued. "The institution of marriage is totally against whatever principles I stand for and take pride in. To actively participate in such an abomination as is marriage would surely be the death of me. Hear me out...what is marriage in essence but a contract of patriarchy? Take the example of any marital relationship you have had the chance to be intimate with and run your mind through it. Sooner or later, you'll find that it's always the woman who ends up subdued in all sorts of ways, be it physically or emotionally. It's the woman who is always expected to sacrifice her dreams and desires without entertaining any second thoughts. For a woman, happily married is quite the oxymoron. Once married, she is nothing but a possession who cannot have an individual sense of existence separate from being her husband's wife. Those fighters among us who don't readily succumb to the oppressive constraints of this marital fabric are morally spat upon by society for being too difficult. It's terrorizing for me to imagine how many women are raped by their husbands every night without any fear of consequence because their marriage has provided them the license to do so. Many of us educated folks put this abhorrence down to a failure of the drafters of the law to account for this, but I believe that's all hogwash. The law has deliberately been crafted in this manner to provide men with the right of sexual access and remove any impediments which may come in the way of imposing patriarchy. After all, who drafted these laws in the first place? Men. There can and have been varying degrees of reform within the confines of those patriarchal norms which apparently seem to make conditions better for women and emancipate them step-by-step, but they are akin to giving a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank. Until the handcuffs of wedlock are not snapped off completely, there cannot be liberty and equality in love."

Vidhi's long explanation was met with an equally long silence from Akshaya as she took her time to let all the words sink in properly and interpret their full implications. Evidently caught up in long consternation, she suddenly held her hand out to Vidhi and said, "let's get back on the road, shall we? I'm driving."

15:25

They were now in Agra to visit the Taj Mahal just as they had decided upon the previous day. Vidhi had been pretty excited in the morning to revel in the breathtaking architecture of the famed temple of love, however, the sudden ongoing turmoil within their lives had made her comprehend the Taj Mahal from the perspective of a tomb that it really was. A tomb which was conceived out of grief and embodied a strong metaphor of love. She was feeling some guilt in the manner in which she had to turn down Akshaya's manifestation of love, but appeased herself by augmenting her belief that she was in fact doing this to protect the sanctity of that very love. Sitting comfortably with their legs outstretched in a garden adorning the marble pool stretching out from the Mahal to its gateway, Vidhi taunted Akshaya by saying, "Tell me something. You knew that we would come here in a couple of hours and yet you still chose to propose the question of marriage on a highway rather than at the Taj Mahal? That's unbelievable! This would have been such a picturesque spot to pop the question...a thousand times better than where you actually did it. Couldn't keep it in your stomach, I guess?"

"I would say I'm quite pleased with myself that I didn't hang around longer to do the grand deed here only to get spurned by my beloved," Akshaya recited her tale of tragedy with a tinge of humour.

"Touché!"

When they began to walk out of the heritage monument towards their vehicle after a quick photoshoot, Akshaya seemed to be on the edge of a precipice, ready to jump back into the conversation they had left off. Once they were en route again, she proceeded to speak her cluttered mind with as much clarity as was possible at that point. "Okay, listen, I get where you're coming from and this gives a lot of perspective on why you didn't even flinch before rejecting the idea of our marriage. It's obviously a massive relief to my heart that it wasn't me who you rejected, but marriage altogether, as you put it earlier. Even so, I still want to try and change your mind about this. Let's hope I can present a sound and compelling argument against a lawyer of your caliber," Akshaya winked as she finished her sentence. "The thing is that I agree with all the points you've so eloquently put forth, but find them irrelevant to the subject-matter of our marriage. That's how you do it in court, right, sieving through the relevance of arguments to the facts-in-question? See, I am a jack of all trades. Our marriage will be far different from those run-of-the-mill patriarchal ones that you've been referring to. Why? Because our union itself is a challenge to the traditional proprietorial notions of wedlock. There is no man involved in this relationship who can assert dominance over his spouse. We are two adults freely entering into a contract of marriage that has its foundations in equality and balance. In fact, two women tying the knot would be such a fascinating act of defiance against the patriarchy, they're going to hate us for it and we will cherish this for the rest of our lives."

Vidhi, who had been wandering restlessly in a jungle of silence for some time, responded, "You do make very persuasive pleas these days Akshaya and I believe the entire credit for this development is owed to me. I concede that because we are both women, a marriage between us would inevitably be more equal in respect of neither of us having any higher authority over the other, but if you think about it, it will still only be a more equitably distributed contract where both of us have proprietorial interests in each other's bodies. It definitely is a big leap upwards from the current marriage set-up and must be encouraged for those willing to settle into such a framework, but I don't want us to be caught up in these restrictive tangles. Let's be free birds instead and flap our wings as much as we want. It all boils down to whether you think that we need to get married in order to be happy? Do we require societal acceptance and validation for living together?"

"Hmm... That's a lot to think about honey."

"Yeah, it sure is. The one who pops the question is usually the one to say this but regardless, there's no pressure from my side babe, take as much time as you need," Vidhi laughed.

"Oh how the tables have turned! I can't believe you have lawyer-ed your way out of a marriage proposal."

"That's my job. What a trip this is turning out to be, wow! By the way, what was it exactly about your column that you wanted to discuss with me Akshaya, we never got around to that earlier, did we?" poked Vidhi with a gentle smile.

"Never mind about that, you have already given me more thoughts to process than I required. That monologue on why you oppose marriage was golden, it's still ringing in my mind and tugging at my notions of the nuptials. Besides, if today has been any indication of how you plan to serve as a sounding board for my ideas, then there are definitely going to be lots and lots of opportunities for you to weigh in on my work."

"Ahhh, I would love that," Vidhi yawned, "I'm feeling so exhausted right now that even the exhaustion is tiring. I can give up everything at the flick of a finger for a chance to snuggle into bed right now against the warmth of your body babe."

"At this rate, I feel like by the time we arrive in Manali, you might sleep away the entire trip."

"In this drowsy state of mind, that sounds like a plan for the perfect-est vacation ever!" Vidhi had entered into a blissful state of sleep as soon as she finished speaking. To Akshaya, it appeared as if even these last few words were spoken from within a dream or trance. She glanced at Vidhi's drooping head, leaned slightly towards her and pecked her lovingly on the cheek. Perceiving this tactile stimulus, Vidhi looked at the mischief-monger with heavy eyes that were burdened with sleep and remarked in a low tone, "You should see yourself blush Akshaya, how beautiful," before returning to the welcoming arms of sleep like a prodigal child.

June 27

7:45

They had reached Meher's place in Greater Noida at around six in the evening, falling only a tad bit behind schedule in the end. They weren't mindful of that delay at all in light of the magnitude of revelations it had led to, together with the intensification it had brought about in their bonding. It was blissful enough that they had been spared the onslaught of navigating through peak hour traffic by dashing across Delhi in the nick of time. Inside Meher's living room, however, the absence of what one would have expected to be a marketplace of reminiscences from the past two years appalled the participants. Meher and her partner Utsuk failed to clutch at the nerve of this travesty and the lamp of enthusiasm burning ferociously in their minds dimmed slightly. Not fancying the design of ruminating over the affairs of their day, Vidhi and Akshaya decided to call it an early night shortly after an eerie dinner where conversation comprised mostly of ceramic dishes being clanked upon mercilessly by steel cutlery.

Before their hosts, they hurriedly justified their unceremonious withdrawal to the drain endured from riding out crests and troughs of the journey. They expressed their wish to take advantage of a good night's sleep after two long days of shuffling about on hotel mattresses, which no matter how cushy and comfortable they appear to be, simply cannot match up to the security and soundness of sleep provided by a bed at home. That Vidhi still referred to their apartment as home reassured Meher and Utsuk of her heart's feeling of belonging with them and brought a smile to their faces in anticipation of having a better re-union in the morning. Those anticipations had to face a litmus test early next morning which found Vidhi asleep, curled into her favourite fetal position, while Akshaya had woken up and was immersing herself in the first rays of sunshine that were beginning to grace the living room balcony. Meher had been up for quite some time as well but she was busy with her morning workout and so they had only managed to exchange a quick good morning so far. Akshaya knew there was no way she could avoid a conversation now that Meher was wrapping up her exercises.

"Vidhi's still sleeping?" Meher asked.

"Yeah, she isn't an early bird."

"Oh yes! She has never been one of that kind, used to wake up at half past eleven when she lived here, haha."

"Really? Wow... You and Utsuk seem to have habits that are polar opposites to hers. How did the three of you keep sane living under one roof?" Akshaya inquired politely.

"It was a struggle, a demonic battle really. We were on a tight leash then budget-wise too, so our twenty-four-seven lifestyles weren't very conducive for saving money either, but we got along fine anyhow. The daily arguments and fights we had all look so petty in hindsight, like tiny bumps along the way. It was a good time though, no matter what."

"Vidhi sometimes tell me about the ton of fun you've had together, but I don't know much about that part of her life. I would love to hear you and Utsuk reminisce over some memories with me so I can work out a bit of the puzzle that is Vidhi," Akshaya blushed as she looked with hope at Meher's bubbly countenance and spoke.

"For sure Akshaya, that is a great idea. I'm just glad you are interested in whatever we have to say after the drudgery of last night's dinner. I was worried you had made up your mind not to indulge us in any way," Meher poked nervously, her deep black eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about the awkwardness you faced last night, that was completely our fault, mostly mine actually. It's a bit tough to explain what state of mind we were in because a lot of stuff happened yesterday and a lot of it didn't work out according to plan," Akshaya's dimples dropped suddenly and lost their shape in apology.

"It's fine, totally. I have no intention of barging in on your personal lives like this and you don't owe me any justifications for your behaviour. Everyone has their share of troubles to tackle, don't they?"

"Tell me about it!"

10:30

After that tête-à-tête with Meher, Akshaya had shed some of her inhibitions towards being accepted by Vidhi's closest family and was enjoying the comfort showered upon her by their hosts. She fell onto the inviting couch and glanced through the newspapers while Meher and Utsuk prepared breakfast. In the meantime, Vidhi had lazily tumbled into the living room to stretch herself out and shake off the remnants of sleep that were trying to stop her eyes from looking clearly at the clock. Utsuk carried in a large tray with tea and toast even as Akshaya grinned at Vidhi's brave, yawning fight against the sleep monster. Vidhi was leaning her left shoulder against the wall and had her right elbow folded over her forehead to stop the sunshine from breaching her fortress. Meher joined them in the living room with a casserole of bread slices and a plate full of delicious-looking bacon.

"Time for breakfast!" announced Utsuk, accompanied with a hungry stomach growl.

"Come on, Vidhi, let's get started. I can't wait to pounce on all of this," Akshaya said and clapped her hands jovially.

"That's the sentiment! I think you and I are going to get along really well," Utsuk told Akshaya.

"I don't think Vidhi's senses have woken up properly yet. She's still in the boot up phase, you remember the drill Utsuk, it will take a while." Meher added in a motherly tone and went over to Vidhi to give her a tight, long embrace from behind. Vidhi turned around after a while, rested her head in Meher's breasts and said softly in a pitch that could only be heard by Meher, "I missed you." Meher gently rubbed Vidhi's back and pecked her forehead, "I missed you too." The two held this pose for a minute without uttering a word and then broke apart to walk back hand-in-hand for breakfast.

"Well, why don't we dig in ourselves then Akshaya?" Utsuk asked.

"Absolutely," Akshaya approved as they begun tearing into the bacon.

11:15

"What's the plan for today?" Utsuk shouted over the chaotic clatter of plates and tea cups from the kitchen where he was doing the dishes.

"Well, we need to get moving onward to Manali, that's where we're headed for the next three days. I think if we start in under an hour now, we will be able to make it a little after midnight," Vidhi replied, sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

"Oooohhh, Manali really sounds enchanting. It's one place that has been on our list for ages now, but it simply keeps getting substituted by other, more exotic-sounding ones. Right Meher?"

"I know all about it.. you two never could come to a decision on vacations," sniggered Vidhi before Meher could pitch in.

"Here's an idea: why don't you guys join us for the rest of our trip? It will be fun, Vidhi will get more time to catch up and I'll be able to know you two better!" Akshaya brimmed with energy as she jumped out of her couch to make her mind heard to everyone over the noise, "There's nothing better than a road trip to really bring ourselves out to each other, and, of course, we cannot afford to discount so much amazing food out of the equation, can we Utsuk?"

Akshaya had no sooner finished pitching her plan than Meher sprang with joy and announced "I'm in."

"That was quick," Akshaya chimed, "I imagined it would take a lot more convincing to bring you around. What about you?" she asked, moving forward and turning towards Utsuk in the kitchen.

"There is no way I'm coming in the way of this juggernaut of joy, I'm in," he replied.

"Lovely! Let's move it and get going by noon," Akshaya said elatedly and started working her mind over every bit and piece of the jigsaw that was driving to Manali.

17:00

The party of four had managed to be on the move by two past noon after relishing a beefy lunch feast at a highway dhaba in Murthal. They were now cruising comfortably near Chandigarh with Meher sporting the wheels and Vidhi beside her in the passenger seat, while Akshaya and Utsuk brought up the rear. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's mesmerizing qawwalis had thrust the occupants into a romantic stupor that was setting the perfect tone for the drive and the destination it was leading them to. Both the back seat passengers were vibing to the steady stream of melodious song and Vidhi was at peace looking out far ahead at the green hills, specks of white clouds hovering into them innocently to create bursts of rain. The weather had a blissful ring to it, one that slices the heart open to express its suppressed feelings and stimulates the mind to seek the rush of new adventures. A combination of these elements produced a charm that worked its magic on the four of them to erase any wrinkles of worry and emotionally enliven them to not just endure, but to enjoy life. Although they could not have described it with the tenderness which they now felt, this was the very charm that Akshaya and Vidhi had sought from this road trip when it began. It mattered not now whether they reached their destination, because this journey had brought them to discover previously unchartered territories in their lives and provided a fillip to explore them.

"Akshaya asked me to marry her yesterday," Vidhi said bluntly, letting the cat out of the bag.

"Woaaahhh, that's huge for you two. Congratulations!" Utsuk almost shrieked with happiness.

"Yeah, it is huge, just not in the way I thought it would be," emphasized Akshaya with a slight smile at Vidhi, who reciprocated instantly, "it turned out to be a whacking roller-coaster."

"Wait, is this what you meant when you said that not everything worked according to plan?" asked Meher, and a fleeting look of triumph drifted through her countenance at having unravelled the mystery.

"Bullseye."

"Can someone fill me in please? Vidhi?" pleaded Utsuk.

"Well, I turned down the proposal."

"Ohh. Okay, and why did you do that?"

"Come on Utsuk, you know very well how I feel about marriage, we've discussed this countless times now. It's a patriarchal sham that I cannot participate in."

"I know, I know and I respect that. This is going to sound weird, but I felt that nuptials were something you would change your mind about once you had found the right person and were actually facing a proposal from them. It's good to know you proved me wrong."

"I, for one, am glad that you stood by your morals and stuck to your fight Vidhi. This is a testament to the strength of your character," Meher asserted with conviction.

"How are you feeling about this though Akshaya?" Utsuk inquired eagerly.

Placing her hand on Vidhi's shoulder from behind her seat, Akshaya gently said, "What can I say, your girl is a tough nut to crack. She has been making me put in the miles to win her affections from day one."

"Aww," uttered Meher.

"I was shocked initially when she refused and a part of me still is dealing with the shock," Akshaya continued, "but she explained her position to me so carefully and with so much belief that I couldn't help but come around. I can't forget how Vidhi made me realise that it was marriage she was turning down and not me. To make her enter into a relationship she doesn't embrace would mean the end of us."

"That's some real clarity of thought you have there," Utsuk said with admiration, "I would honestly want to kill myself immediately if Meher rejected me like this some day."

"Hang on, are you telling me that you and Meher aren't married?" Akshaya's mouth was left hanging. Vidhi, Utsuk and Meher glanced at each other for a couple of seconds and chortled.

"No, honey. Utsuk and Meher have the same notions of marriage as I do, so this lovely pair never bothered to think of it at all. I guess Utsuk has been waiting for years to see if I would withstand the test of a proposal. Haven't you?" Vidhi elaborated.

"I have indeed!" he answered.

"This is quite a discovery for me. Have I been living under a rock while the world has moved on from marriage? Only two days ago we gave lift to an old couple who made it appear to me that I had very progressive thoughts," Akshaya expressed her surprise.

"Not really, there are only a handful of people who agree with our views. I don't think that marriage is integral to enjoying companionship.... it's more of a blunder to bind yourself to be together forever. The love can eventually fizzle out, you know, so there is no point in forcing two people to remain as companions when the relationship is irretrievably broken. Nevertheless, from my days in family courts, I do realise that a legal contract of marriage is quite important in the present societal set-up as a tool for women against errant men to seek maintenance and some other remedies. Not that this does anything to improve the situation of maritally oppressed women, yet, it is sort of a means to an end," replied Meher.

"I get that and can fathom how patriarchal this entire set-up is, but, and this is the same question I posed to Vidhi, how does this apply to a marriage that will have its foundations in a relationship such as ours that is rooted in equality?" Akshaya asked all three of them.

"You can say that it doesn't, I accept that. That leads us to question the very point of having a marriage. Why do you need to marry in the first place? Why bother about grabbing legal recognition when you can simply enjoy the best of your companionship while it lasts and dissolve it mutually whenever you wish to. You can definitely expect more privacy in your life if you choose not to embroil the state in your relations," Utsuk pitched in calmly.

Vidhi, who had been listening intently to this discourse of thoughts so far, felt a sudden revelation dawn upon her. She wondered about it for a moment and came to the decision that she could not churn it over any longer. Cramped for space in the front, she shifted her seat forward and stepped into the space created at the back. Doing her best to go down on one knee in a moving car, Vidhi looked energetically into her partner's eyes and spoke directly from her heart, "Akshaya, it's nothing as filmy as yours and I don't have a ring or anything, but here goes my proposal to you. I know we agreed to give this more time, but I've come to realise that in this trip and in these conversations, I have discovered love. Love that revolves around you, feeds on your happiness and is blended with the innocence of the mockingbird that you are. I can keep going on and write an essay about my love for you, even so, I'll save that for later and get to the crux... Akshaya, will you like to be my life's companion?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh honey, I don't need more than a second to give an answer. I love you so, so much."

"By the power vested in me by freedom, equity and good conscience, I am pleased to announce you as companions. You may now kiss," beamed Utsuk in a flurry of emotion as the newly anointed couple knotted and coiled themselves into one with a long, clinching spell of kisses.