Now, let's get to the main point. After reaching she smiled and walked inside the temple. I followed her, unable to take my eyes off her. It was the first time I was ignoring my Krishna for someone else.
I looked at Krishna and spoke to Him in my mind—"Can you help me in this matter, Krishna? See, this is the first time I'm telling You about someone special. And as an important part of my family, You must help me out. Please, please!"
I kept chanting His name with my prayers, closing my eyes.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of her movements. I slowly opened my eyes... and saw her bowing to Krishna at that moment. And once again, my focus shifted from Krishna to her.
As soon as she stood up and turned around, I quickly shifted my gaze back to Krishna—to hide the fact that I had been admiring her.
"Thank you, Krishna," I murmured under my breath and started walking behind her.
She turned to me and asked, "So, you want to meet the painter?"
How could I tell her that I had been waiting for this moment for so long?
I'm the kind of person who loves to talk, but at that moment, I just wanted to listen to her. So, I simply nodded while looking into her eyes.
"Actually, I am the painter," she admitted. "I didn't tell you the truth yesterday... sorry for that."
"No problem... I mean... actually, it's alright. I just wanted to meet the painter, so it doesn't matter," I said, stumbling over my words.
How could I tell her that I already knew? But I couldn't reveal that truth to her.
She smiled, and then... I don't know what happened to my usual confident way of talking. We both just stood there awkwardly, like fools, in front of each other.
"So??" she finally broke the silence.
"So?? What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"I mean, you wanted to meet me for a reason, right? That's why you asked for this meeting. So... what's the reason?" she asked with a forced smile.
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"Ohhh... that... yes, yes... actually, I am an art teacher... or well, just a trainee at a nearby institute doing my internship there. And... I'm a big fan of my hero, Krishna. I know it sounds weird, but that's what I call Him—'hero.' He's my best friend, my family, my everything. So when I saw you... I mean, your paintings... I just wanted to meet you and tell you something."
I took a long breath after saying all that.
But what the hell did I just say?!
What if she thought I was weird? Who even says all this in a first meeting?
I was drowning in these thoughts when suddenly she smiled and said, "Really?! I'm so happy to meet you. Do you know... you're the first person here who calls Him something other than 'God'? Actually, I just moved here a few months ago, and most people here are very strict about only seeing Him in His divine form. So I always felt a little... out of place. And look! Today, I told Him about this, and He made me meet you!" "By the way, what was that thing you wanted to tell me? I'm curious."
I hesitated for a moment but then spoke, "Actually... your paintings say a lot about your love for Him. Even if you hadn't told me, I already knew that you love Him as more than just God. The way you paint Him... it feels like you have a deep, personal connection with Him. But still, I feel like there's something you always try to hide. It's as if you're suppressing something."
She looked at me, surprised. "Like what? Sorry, I don't understand."
"It feels like you're trying to hide Him... not Krishna, but your relationship with Him... in your paintings," I said, hesitating a little, because I truly felt it.
She looked away for a moment before replying, "Umm... thanks for telling me that. Actually... I'm not sure how to explain it. I'll tell you the reason another time. But thank you for telling me."
Her face showed nervousness, so I decided to change the topic.
"Wait... I have something for you. This color set," I said, pulling it out of my bag with slightly shaking hands.
"I can't take it..." she said, giving me a forced smile.
"Take it as a gift from my hero—I mean, Krishna. I know you can't say no to Him," I said, placing the color set in her hands.
"Ohhh... thanks... I... I will also gift you something. I mean, your hero... next time," she said, looking at the colors and then at me.
"Sure, sure! Then gift Him a portrait of Him made by you. But this time, don't suppress your feelings—just go with the flow!" I said with a smile.
She smiled back and said, "Sure... but I need some time for that. My exams are starting soon, so I'll make it sometime next week."
"That's fine. Your Krishna will wait for you," I answered with a smile.
We both laughed, and after some time, she left for home.
I watched her walk away, but this time I was feeling so happy.
That whole night, I kept humming a love tune.
And from the next day, we started meeting daily at the temple at the same time.
Soon, our friendship deepened... and I found myself falling for her even more and more.
I used to confess my feelings about her to Krishna...after all, He was my best friend and the only one I could talk to about her.
She always started our conversations with Krishna, and somehow, we always ended them with Him too.
And in the process... I found myself getting even closer to Krishna.
Because Krishna was her favorite too.
And as people say... in love, your lover's favorite things slowly become your favorite too