“Pyar dosti hai,”🎐 says Shah Rukh Khan in one of the many romantic films he has featured in. And I couldn’t agree more. Love is being so comfortable with someone that the rest of the world fades away, leaving only the warmth of the presence of that person. I may be only 16, but what a privilege it is to have experienced a connection so deep and a feeling so profound at such a young age.
🅷I always thought love would simply fall into my lap, but no one told me it would arrive with beautiful brown eyes and an adorable button nose—what a delightful surprise! I suppose the only way to define love is through what I feel right now—gratitude, being truly seen, a sense of ease, a willingness to give and an irresistible pull towards the one who holds your heart.
Lipstick:
🌊Something she carries everywhere. Either that or a lip balm. Just in case she needs it. It makes me curious. I carry my headphones everywhere, just in case I need them. Is it the same with her lipstick/lip balm? I look at her when she applies it when it comes off while sipping on a drink or eating food. I find it cute. I have a smile on my face when I see her do that. It makes me feel as if we are the same in a different way. It makes me feel okay about carrying my headphones everywhere.
Heart wings:
🌠It was something that she wanted. She liked it on Pinterest. I used my technology-crazed side to quickly find an exact replica of the pendant. It took me seconds, in fact. I could not contain my excitement. I wanted to share her joy as quickly as possible. I wanted to see her smile. An eager me told her I found it. She turned red in excitement. My mission was accomplished.
A cross heart:
ꦡA consideration. A gift that was never bought. A thought left behind, to bite the dust. I found it aesthetically pleasing. I thought she liked such stuff, so why not? The more I looked at it, the more I thought about it. Why the cross? Why the heart-shaped cross? What has religion got to do with love? Are they bound together? In what sense? Why would a cross have crimson red embedded into it? I found it strange. It looked as if the heart was being pierced by numerous crosses. Was it intentional? Did the designer make this remembering that the cross was used to put people to death originally? Or the designer put it because it would look “rad”.
Batwing:
ꦉA shared token, one to feel and remember that the other one has the same thing. A sort of false presence created for the sake of comfort. Sounds like something you shouldn’t do, but it’s surprising how safe you feel. At least I do. Having it makes me remember that she also has it. It makes me feel giggly, the feeling of being interlinked manifested in a physical form. Why shouldn’t someone wear matching stuff, the same as the person he/she loves? Does everyone feel safe? I’m not so sure about that, but I think it’s okay. It is what it is for me. It is for them to figure out what they feel about it.
Scrunchie:
🦹Something of hers that reminds me of her. Sometimes I feel weird without it. Looking at it and knowing that it is hers gives me a sense of confidence. I feel accomplished that she has shared her personal belonging with me. Something I wear around my wrist with pride and don’t feel embarrassed about it at all. I do feel odd when someone points at it and says they could never do this when they were younger and end up making me feel sorry for having it. It isn’t my fault that times were like that. Why am I responsible for the pain in your life? I look at the scrunchie again. I think it’s okay that I have her scrunchie.
Broken ring:
💫Even though it is just a broken ring, it makes me feel unsettled. I took it as a bad omen, a promise that would be broken in the future. It made me feel alone. I thought it would all end in due time and while trying to prevent that, a singular sound or light would bring me back to the forefront of reality, making me hope that the person I chose to intertwine with would bring me closer to the promise.
(Gurmehar Romana is a Grade 11 student. He studies art and design)
(This appeared in Outlook’s Valentine’s Day 2025 special issue on love and loneliness in the era of technology. It was published in print as 'When Vaani Met Guru')
