A brightly lit room, with indoor plants, cozy sofa and homely vibes!!
That wasn't exactly the image Nakul had in his mind when he thought he would be meeting a counselor. It was nearly a 35 minutes ride from his school. He had to leave his car at school since he came with Dhiraj.
A woman in her 30s was sitting in front of them wearing a warm welcoming smile. Nakul indeed felt welcome. There was something about her presence that put him at ease.
A few minutes had passed following their arrival. To her, Dhiraj seemed confident, rather she sensed a tint of cockiness from him. But the other man was a different case. It was evident he didn't want to be there; fingers fidgety and a whiff of nervousness around him. She must calm him down first, which later she did. After a few moments of silence, she finally began.
"Nakul...?!"
Nakul promptly looked up as if a teacher called out a student who wasn't paying attention in a class.
'Adorable!! Hehe.'
The counselor let out a small giggle. It wasn't a giggle mocking Nakul. Rather it came from a place of nostalgia. Nakul's fidgetiness reminded her of her own counseling session.
"You know what? Seeing you here like this, reminds me of when I took my first counseling session with my husband. He is a monochrome. And well, I'm his chrome." A blush was evident on the mention of her husband's name.
"I...understand what you are feeling. So much confusion. Out of nowhere, you meet this person and all it took was just one eye contact to realize how important they could be to you."
She took a pause, letting those words sink into Nakul. Smiling, she continued.
"Please don't be nervous. We aren't going to 'decide' anything here. We are here, just for a discussion."
"A discussion it is" Dhiraj emphasized.
"Yes. Let's first go through some things. To start with, we have these sessions so that the monochrome and their chrome can figure out things with the much needed care and attention. As you both know that, the conclusions get drawn in these discussions are life altering, we need to take those decisions in a way that both of you are comfortable with. Okay?"
She waited for a moment to make sure all three of them were on the same page. The pair nodded in agreement, signaling her to continue.
"Often it is depicted that monochromes and chromes end up in a romantic relationship, but that is not always the case. We can start off as being friends and figure out a point where both of your wants align. And then-"
She halted mid sentence since Dhiraj had to make one thing crystal clear.
"Actually, I seek a romantic relationship here-"
Pausing for a moment, he whispered, "I hope you don't hold a prejudice against us"
The counselor hadn't seen such a straight forward confession coming; she was too stunned. Regaining her composure she replied, "No-I-I-don't"
Nakul's eyes were left wide open with shock. 'How can this man spurt out these things' was all he could wonder. He closed his eyes and hid his face not wanting to face the embarrassment.
Seeing Nakul uneasy made the counselor all awkward.
"Great" continued Dhiraj, oblivious to Nakul's discomfort. "I fell for him the moment I saw him. and I would love it if we could move together and...just enjoy our time together. Right babe?" He completed, grinning proudly.
Dhiraj turned towards the other man in discussion to see his reaction, only to find a fuming Nakul trying so very hard not to burst out in rage. Ignoring Dhiraj's existence, he turned his focus on the counselor.
"See?! This is what I don't understand. Firstly I'm not into guys. And the thing is- even if I was...I; I don't understand how he just fell for me?!" Nakul desperately wanted to get his point across. He continued, " like...this love at first sight stuff? I don't understand it. Neither do I believe it-"
"Why do you keep saying that?" cutting Nakul, Dhiraj pleaded.
"Dhiraj let him complete what he's saying first." The counselor suggested with a smile. Turning to Nakul, she patiently waited for him to complete.
"Thanks. I was saying- yeah- even the whole love at first sight issue, let's keep that aside for a minute. The main point is- I don't want any of this. I don't want any arrangements or any sessions. I'm not planning to be with the chrome. I want to be on my own." He finally stopped, making himself crystal clear.
'That would never be possible. I would never let that happen.' Dhiraj clenched his jaw, determined and somewhat enraged. He ran his hand through his hair, a habit he subconsciously does to calm himself down and regain his composure. Losing his cool now would be greatly disadvantageous to him.
Moments of silence pass by.
"Is there any particular reason why you feel this way Nakul?" asked the counselor in her ever calming tone.
'Things will get really messy?!' Nakul thought and that was something he 100% wanted to avoid. "No particular reason. I just don't want to get involved in these things."
"Okay. This is what we are here for-", the counselor said in a cheerful voice, trying to lighten the somber air. "to discuss what's working or how to go about things. Right?"
She took another pause assessing the situation and turned her attention towards Dhiraj. "Since I now know what Nakul wants out of this, I would like to know more about your side of things, Dhiraj. Tell me more about how you see yourself in this situation."
Dhiraj's eyes immediately lighten up, clearly he loved and enjoyed professing his love for the young lad. Sitting up, he started.
"As I mentioned earlier, the moment I saw Nakul I fell so so very hard for him. Surely it's difficult for me to make him understand why I feel this way. Even I, myself, don't have quite a convincing explanation for it-".
Dhiraj was a master at crafting narratives. It wasn't out of nowhere that he could run two successful companies. He most definitely had the required skill set. He could easily weave words in a way that the listener connects and can empathize with him. Placing himself in a position where his intentions and passion genuinely resonated with the people in front of him was his secret weapon. And it was now the time to use this weapon to its full potential.
"all I know is, things like these; these emotions...aren't something that I always experience. And that day when I first looked into his eyes...I just wished...time could stop." he smirked looking away, in an attempt to hide his evident blush.
What began as an act to convince people, was turning into something more candid. Soon he wasn't stating his thoughts to the counselor, but instead was only focused on Nakul.
"I mean just look at his eyes, aren't they pretty? And his baby face. And his pouty cheeks. And the way his brows furrow when he's angry. But instead, they make him look so adorable." He lets out a small giggle. The counselor had long faded into oblivion for him. All he could see now was Nakul.
"You have no idea how hard I'm trying to resist the urge of holding you in my arms and hugging you tightly." Dhiraj inched closer to Nakul.
Nakul had never been more conscious but his eyes were glued on Dhiraj. The man in front of him had a soft and sincere gaze. Nakul's breathing paced up as he gulped. Goosebumps all over his body as those intense eyes looked at him with so much passion.
Dhiraj was quite close to Nakul. Slowly, he held Nakul's hands into his. His act was long dropped. All he wanted was to let Nakul know how he truly felt.
In soft whispers he continued, "I know you would hate me for doing that but I'm sorry. That's just how I feel. I know you might find it weird that a guy feels this way for you. but I genuinely want to spend more time with you. go for movies. Go out on dates. Just hangout together doing nothing. Hold hands. I just want to get to know you better. And I just am determined to do everything that will take me one step closer to this goal. Just give me a chance. Or rather, give us a chance."
Those intense eyes kept looking at Nakul, as if waiting for an answer.
Nakul was flabbergasted. It was the 1st time in his entire lifetime that he had experienced such strong emotions directed towards him. for a split moment a part of him was tempted to give in. After all, even Eve wasn't able to resist the temptation of the forbidden fruit. But the subsequent consequences flashed through his mind, drawing him back to reality.
"Uhhmm" the counselor cleared her throat, helping Nakul to regain his composure. Nakul shook off Dhiraj 's hand and shifted himself to distance from Dhiraj. His surprised eyes changed into discomfort which in turn brought a scowl on Dhiraj's face. He definitely had felt an impact of his words in Nakul's eyes so why was it that Nakul was looking away from him awkwardly?
***