Will You Marry Me Cupid

By Sagar Sahu

“I began loving you before always and I promise to love you beyond forever. Please marry me, marry me cupid.”
Sankalp journeys through love led by his cupid. When his final destination is in sight, he turns to look at his beautiful and glorious cupid waiting to be pierced by love.
But, lo!
The arrow is in Sankalp’s hand. Now with a choice! He is dazzled by the kind of beauty that becomes the reason of war in history. This moment changes Sankalp’s life forever.
The story unfolds through a journey filled with dreams, challenges, friendships, betrayal, joy, sorrow, smiles, tears, kisses, hugs, slaps, fights and silence and takes you to a never~heard~of~before climax that paints you with love.
Let love give you wings… and an arrow…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Srishti Publishers
• Release date: Feb 9, 2012
• ISBN: 9789380349527

Book preview

004_Cover.jpg

WILL YOU

MARRY

ME

CUPID

...Let Him Paint You Love!

WILL YOU

MARRY

ME

CUPID

...Let Him Paint You Love!

Sagar

SRISTI_logo_2.jpg

Srishti

P

ublishers

&

Distributors

S

rishti Publishers

&

Distributors

N-16, C. R. Park

New Delhi 110 019

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First published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors in 2012

Copyright © Sagar, 2012

2nd impression, 2012

All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Typeset in AGaramond 12pt. by Suresh Kumar Sharma at Srishti

Printed and bound in India

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publishers.

For You, My Gorgeous Daughter...Samvedna

So here is our second book and thus, our second conversation

before you are born and can exist for half of the world, half

because I strongly believe I will always be the other half for you

just like you are for me and will always be.

Kiddo, this time I wanted to tell you just two things:

a) It might take a bit little longer for you to ‘be’ now. Presently,

there are many things happening in my life ... challenges.

Struggles. I am sorry. I know the more the time I take the later

we will meet and the lesser the time we will have to be and live

with each other. But I know you will understand it someday, that

searching for your Mother and being with her is tougher than

being a Father by making someone your Mother.

b) After writing the last sentence I remembered to tell you that

you will never get this book or this page or any of my books to

read before you turn eighteen, or at least fourteen. You should be

a little mature you know. Just a little.

Samvedna, you are the most important person in my life even

now when yeu are not here. Let’s see how far it goes, how long it

takes ... I know you will wait, because I am waiting too.

Acknowledgements

Before anyone else, I want to thank my Mamma, Miss Single (Priyanka Kumari) and Mini (Akanksha Parihaar). Of course, for the same faith and pampering you gave that helped me grow, shape and be what I am now and can ever be, good or bad, you are the reasons.

I am thankful to Miss Bishakha Mishra for taking the responsibility of reading and editing my book and for many other things. You are surely the best, cutest, and cheapest (will never pay a penny) editor an author can get. Thank you for your priceless views on my writing while you have read thousands of books about which you can talk endlessly. I wait for the day when you will complete your books and ask me for an input.

I am thankful to Himanshu Bhoi for his incredible support in almost everything I do. You are more than a friend to me, and I know that I am the same for you. I am thankful to Ramani Ranjan Sethi and Vasudha Suresh Sawaiker, who messed up with their happiness by making me an important enough part of their lives without putting a full stop or comma on my anger and arrogance, that too when they did not need to bear it. Will You Marry Me Cupid would never have been possible without that sinless anger and arrogance. I am happy I still own that.

I am thankful to Rupesh Kumar Ashok who kept asking little things about this story between those long walks to the flat with his other crap and smoke when I had stopped editing it due to a busy schedule. You always reminded me of two things: a) I need to edit Will You Marry Me Cupid b) I at least did one good thing in my life – I never smoked.

I am thankful to Bitopi Dutta for lending me her innocence and the desire to be understood without even knowing that I am taking it. Though we shared only little time together you are one of the most precious friends I earned in my life.

I am thankful to Akanksha Goyal, Deepa Ramchandani, Pooja Majumdar, Yashu, Roshni Ali, Anandita Dhall, Sharan, Priyanka Jha, Tina, Aanchal Singh and Mehek Desai and hundreds of those who read my first book and became short time fans before becoming friends. The feeling that someone is waiting there to read my stories is the biggest motivation one can have.

I am thankful to (alphabetically) Aprajita Pandey, Arpan Ambastha, Kokila Shetty, Neeru Malhotra, Pratibha Sharma, Rahul Mishra, Rajan Kashyap, Sourabh Pathak, and Saurabh Sinha for NOTHING. C’mon guys, thank your lucky stars for getting to know and befriending me, else who on the Earth would acknowledge you for doing nothing for the book.

I am thankful to Srishti Publishers for making this book possible. But more than them, and more than everyone, everyone mentioned above, and everyone sitting above the sky too, I am thankful to Maddy to mentor me, make me believe and keep that belief in place that I can tell stories.

SANKALP LOSER DUTTA

FACE, the icon of a psyche – a page where the Almighty writes his stories. Just a turn of the head and we find faces, faces and more faces, thousands, and millions and zillions of faces...fair, black, dusky, smiling, crying, calm, violent, known and unknown faces. We see one, then another, and another, and never turn back to those again. Face, the icon of a psyche – a page where the Almighty writes his stories.

Every moment zillions of unread stories breathe around the world, unread because we do not read any face except the one we always see in the mirror, our own. But I read a story which was not mine, the story of my owner Sankalp Dutta, yup, owner because I am fixed on his nose since he was fourteen. I am his spectacles, his vision. It was prior to the age when I-phones and Facebook dominated human life, cell-phones and Orkut had just come in and people were making new friends all over the place. But I was so dear to him that he did not replace me even when the world passed through hundreds of fashions, yeah that’s a different thing that he forgets me here-n-there, but then he always comes back searching for me, his weakness. That’s the thing I always liked about Sankalp, unlike others he loves his weaknesses. Well, that can also be the reason why he was a loser since I entered his life. He might have been one earlier too but I’m not sure because I can treasure only those pieces of life which I witness, just like the troubling moment which became the most outré turn of Sankalp’s Life, the moment, when he entered a room to be interviewed for the so called most daring reality show in India.

Sankalp walked slowly to the chair placed in the center of the room and stopped, looking apprehensively at both the judges. One of the judges was fair, bald, in black attire and bespectacled. The other judge was in a white shirt, dusky and curly haired. Both of them were busy writing something on the papers in front of them until the bald one noticed Sankalp.

Goddamn, Baldy worded shaking the dusky judge from his shoulder, look there. Dusky looked towards Sankalp, and he too fell numb finding a fair, underweight, 5" 8’ inches’ tall, thin boy in a loose Kouton’s t-shirt and a low-waist denim jeans.

Who are you? Dusky asked Sankalp.

The abbreviation of Sankalp Dutta, Baldy replied before Sankalp could, and a titter followed his sentence.

Do we need to lick that chair for you to sit? Baldy added some fire in scorn and took a form from the table.

Sorry, Sankalp said and sat down.

So tell us Mr. Dutta, why is a loser like you here, in the most daring show in India? Baldy asked Sankalp calmly.

Excuse me, Sankalp opposed lightly, I am not a loser.

Each letter on this paper screams that you are one, Baldy replied showing Sankalp’s form.

How can you say that?

Who can not? Baldy asked passing the form to Dusky.

But what did I write that leads you to this conclusion.

Don’t you know what you wrote?

I know, but what is it that seems problematic to you?

Every single word, Dusky said glancing at the form, you have written that you believe in nonviolence.

Yes, I do, Sankalp replied.

Why?

It’s the supreme power. The whole world follows it.

Not the whole world, Dusky reacted visibly irritated, only a jackass like you follows it.

Please do not abuse, Sankalp opposed nonviolently.

I will, Dusky replied crossing his arms in front of his chest, what will you do? Sankalp never had the guts to reply to such a question. He just kept looking at Dusky helplessly and hopelessly.

Gosh! Am I interviewing a stone? Baldy queried dispiritedly, where is the X-factor man?

I have it. Try me once, Sankalp said, I deserve this show.

Tell that to your Mum, Dusky reacted sarcastically, no one else can have faith in such a loser.

I said I’m not a loser.

And I said you are, Dusky shouted back glaring at Sankalp. Sankalp was shocked. He ignored the eye contact out of fear. Dusky placed his head on the desk closing his eyes. Bald)" snapped his fingers to catch Sankalp’s attention.

I will put my soul in the show Sir, Sankalp insisted, I will win.

So sure...? Baldy asked calmly. Sankalp nodded.

Prove it, Baldy demanded and looked at Dusky once.

Okay, but how?

Do something.

What?

Umm...take 20 dips, Baldys said.

20 DIPS! Sankalp exclaimed at a higher pitch, surprised.

Yup, any problem... ?

Actually, Sankalp began, then paused and added, I have never been into a gym.

No one needs a gym for dips you schmuck.

Yeah but... Sankalp was about to give another excuse but Dusky interrupted raising his head, 10 dips Sankalp, only 10 dips, and you will get the easiest entry in the history of this show.

Even in the heavenliest dream no one would get such a chance, but on the contrary, Sankalp reacted as if he were in a nightmare.

This is how you will win the show? Baldy taunted Sankalp signing his form and forwarding it to Dusky he added, I am done.

No, Sankalp said stubbornly.

What do you mean, ‘no’? Baldy asked angrily.

You cannot reject me on the basis of physical strength alone, Sankalp protested, that’s nothing if someone is mentally and emotionally stronger than...

Keep that philosophy in your pocket you bloody mongrel, Baldy screamed, and what mental and emotional strength are you talking about? Baldy threw the form at Sankalp’s face and added, This? The form fell on the floor. A stressful silence lingered in the room for a few seconds.

I did not get you, Sankalp broke the silence.

What’s your answer for question number thirteen? Baldy worded, How many times have you cried in public?

Twenty two, Sankalp replied hesitatingly.

Even the girls did not cry more than twice or thrice and you, Baldy said passing a look of hatred at Sankalp.

I accept that I wept, Sankalp replied, but I had reasons for that.

Wow, this boy is interesting man, Dusky said.

Are you nuts? Baldy reacted looking at Dusky.

No pal, think once, how many people on this earth are nonviolent, mentally and emotionally stronger than others and have twenty two reasons to cry in public? Dusky queried staring at Sankalp, Shouldn’t we insult him some more so that he commits suicide out of sheer shame?

Baldy looked at Dusky in wonder, and kept looking for a few seconds. Dusky shrugged.

OKAY. Baldy resigned hopelessly, Do what you want.

Sankalp was stunned. I doubt he even had a clue as to what was going on between the judges. Dusky turned to him and said, Tell us those two reasons, which made you cry the worst. If we find that you are right, then you are in, but if we find you a loser...

Dusky’s incomplete sentence was enough to make Sankalp uncomfortable. After all, he had to tell them two of his weepiest incidents, the incidents which could melt him into tears even on the happiest day of his life.

Pakhi Mitra, my first girlfriend, Sankalp began, we were together since kindergarten, always shared a bench, lunch, pocket money and when I proposed to her in class ninth, she promised me to share her life too. But in class 11th we fell apart, because she chose math and I chose commerce.

Did you cry for the changed sections? Baldy interrupted. Sankalp shook his head and added, The reason of weeping was Rajan Pujari, my best friend before he betrayed me.

Go into the details, Dusky prodded.

Actually Rajan had a naughty nature, like a Casanova, and he was sharing the bench with Pakhi in the math’s section. He knew that Pakhi and I were in love, and I too had faith that he would not go fishy with her but... Sankalp did not say further.

So your girlfriend was not faithful? Baldy questioned.

No, she was faithful, Sankalp replied quickly, in reality Rajan played a trick on us. He told me that he loves my class captain, Yogita and wanted me to write a love-letter for her as I am good at writing stuff. I agreed because, you know, he was my best friend. But the whole love thing was a trap.

How...? Dusky asked back.

I wrote the letter, of course without Rajan’s name on it for the sake of safety in case Yogita would complain, and then gave it to him. But instead of proposing Yogita, he showed the letter to Pakhi proclaiming that I was cheating on her. She too recognized my writing, and then...then she dumped me.

Didn’t you break Rajan’s teeth? Baldy asked Sankalp.

Fighting would not get Pakhi back to me Sir, but yeah, Rajan’s truth could. I tried to convince him again and again, but he was desperate for Pakhi. And lastly, we really had a fight.

Did you take your revenge? Baldy asked Sankalp. He shook his head and added with a deep breath, He was too powerful for me, and then there was something worse than... Sankalp abruptly stopped the flow of his words.

Yeah, Dusky said, the worse was?

As Pakhi came to know about the fight, she ran towards us, Sankalp explained, I thought she had come for me, but, but no. She kissed Raj an on his cheek in front of the whole crowd and made it clear that she wasn’t in love with me anymore. Sankalp stopped for a few seconds, and let out a long breath and added, It wasn’t the swollen parts of my body which made me cry there, but the kiss. I left the school the next day.

Dusky whistled looking at Baldy. Baldy shrugged. Dusky turned to Sankalp and said, Hmm, interesting...quite interesting. Now go to the second reason without a commercial break.

It happened recently, and this time it was Neha Awasthi, my love interest after Pakhi. She is also in my college and...

Come to the point, Baldy interrupted. Sankalp passed a look at Baldy. He did not even blink. There was a dead look in his eyes as if his soul left his body on the chair to travel into the past, and his lips uttered the words feeling the same pain again.

It was 13th of May, Sankalp’s birthday, which Sankalp celebrated with Neha and some other friends on the terrace of his home. This birthday was the most awaited day of Sankalp’s life, as he had decided that he would propose Neha for marriage in front of all his friends, and then the day turned the happiest for him when Neha gave her hand in Sankalp s. Yup, she agreed to marry him.

As the party rolled up, Sankalp went to drop Neha back at her home, and just before the last turn, she asked Sankalp to stop the bike.

Why here? Sankalp asked slowing down.

I want to take a walk with you, Neha replied. Sankalp stopped the bike and parked it at the side of the road.

Neha and Sankalp were silently walking towards the faculty quarters in the campus of Jiwaji University. Her sensual aura stood out starkly in the complex chemistry