The two of us, madly in love were sitting besides each other, all alone in the world of normal people. My most feminine eyes as watered his very sturdy and soothing palm clenched tighter against mine. We were in a misery. What did we do to get that kind of a treatment?

Flashback to January 1st :

I was a flower girl, My brother was getting married to his best friend Patrick. It was a very respectful and beautiful ceremony. Our mothers were so happy and proud that he found his soul mate. I was Happy for him too. More than that I also learnt something about the world and me that day. It was an epiphany of sorts. I was different than most. “Unique” I’d say but that’s not what you say when the kind of different you are, is not really appreciated by every one else.

Little girl I was, barely knew what it meant feeling good about a cute boy smiling back at you in the world of Homosexuals. I thought it was a phase, like puberty, but will go away as I grow up. I didn’t find it necessary to bother my mothers with such a small thing, I’d probably forget in a few months.

That didn’t happen.

Instead that cute boy’s family shifted in the apartment adjacent to ours. What were the odds of that?

I was so happy, and that was strange. It became a routine to catch the school bus with him everyday. Sometimes we waved, always smiled at each other in the morning while waiting for our school bus. Those tiny moments of eye contact and exchanging smiles were awfully blissful.

Until 12th grade, I never had guts to talk to him. I did have a lot of guy friends with whom I used to hang out at school, but this was different. It was a sin here. What if my moms finds out? We’re not allowed to feel this way for a boy. I mean I could have felt that way for his sister! Life would have been so easier that way.

But easy is never an option in life.

After a lot of thinking, I gathered up my courage one day. It was precisely 23nd December. I texted him. A long message I had typed for his Birthday when we were in 8th grade but never had the nerve to send. With so many bursting emotions I go to the settee by the window trying to engross myself in the bustling traffic on the road, waiting for him to reply rather desperately. However, Nothing essentially distracted me I was way too anxious. It was weird and a sin in our culture to fall in love with a guy. Yep! I was in love with him, already. My friend had once told me, when god hates someone, he makes them a Hetro! People considered it gross to involve romantically with the opposite sex. I never understood what was peoples business to get involved in other peoples personal lives. What is so disgraceful in falling in love with a guy? It’s love after all, isn’t it unconditional? Then why does society has to choose who shall love and what shall I do? How could it put so many conditions upon something so eternal and genuine?

23rd December

I looked into his depressed eyes. Smirked and gently hugged him whispering “everything’s gonna be okay.”

Everyone passing by the road either gave us a cold stare or openly passed comments on us, but little did we care. We’ve faced enough to care about this. We live in a world where people care more about others business than theirs so this was inevitable. & Well, Ignorance is bliss sometimes. That wasn’t it, the worse was yet to come.

5 minutes later,

He felt a strong push behind him. It was so strong that he almost fell off the bench we were sitting on. Behind him were 5 well-built policemen. We were in a whole different city. I was astounded. How did they even find us here! They cruelly pushed him again. This time he fell off the bench totally. And before even we knew what is happening they were kicking him mercilessly. I spontaneously got up and tried holding back a policeman ruthless kicking my love. With all the energy I had I pulled his uniform. Another policeman callously pulled my hair threw me into his police van tied my hands and shut the door. I was screaming and crying hopelessly. They were still thrashing him outside. There were still people passing by the road nonchalantly. I hated myself. I hated the world.

After 5 minutes of continuously kicking his head and wounding his whole face and stomach. They picked him up and cruelly threw him like they did it to me, in the front seat. I watched him helplessly as I wiped the blood from my head. I wanted to talk to him, hug him. I want him to be fine. I hated seeing him this way. The car seats were parted with a glass subset, all I could do was watch him in pain helplessly. It was like a nightmare coming true.

My phone beeped. Yes! It was him. He told me to meet him at the backyard late that night. Wow! I was super happy, nervous and excited!

Somehow, all my qualms and inhibitions were overpowered by joy.

I still had 5 more hours to meet him. I quickly showered. Took dinner & watched television with my mothers.

Super excited was I, reached there almost 45 minutes early. Surprisingly, he was early too. It is almost risky for us to meet this early at the building backyard. But little did we care. We hugged and embraced each other tightly. It felt surreal & beautiful. Besides, It wasn’t gross and awkward at all It was unlike what people had described it as.

Before we could realize it was 4 in the morning. Wow! After 8 years this is how much we had to talk to each other! He was flawless. The only thing I regretted at that moment was waiting for so long to initiate.

It was 4:30, we had to leave and go back to our home by now. If we stayed any longer definitely someone would see us together.

23th December

We reached the city police headquarters. We were pulled out of the car inhumanly. Our hands were still tied up. When we went inside, were made to sit on a settee until they were preparing our arrest warrants papers.

We had our chance to run away. That’s when we decided to take this drastic step.

What else could we do! If they’d arrest us, our lives would be ruined forever. I never felt so humiliated in my life. This is the kind of democracy our country has. We can’t even choose who makes us happy and that with whom we’d want to spend our lives with? Where am I ruining state’s interests in living with a guy! Well, some questions will always unrequited.

We had our chance to run. We had 10 minutes, while they were preparing the papers. Without much thinking we fled. We had no idea where we’re going but one thing for sure, we’re never returning back. One thing I really want to clarify is that we didn’t run away cause we were cowards. We ran for love. We ran for peace. We ran for happiness. After all that we’ve faced, I don’t believe we should be termed as cowards.

Suddenly, we both realized we don’t want to go back home. It was 4:30 in the morning already we didn’t have much choice. Unless, we decide to never go back.

And yep! We did that. We decided to leave the city. I don’t know how that came up. But it just seemed right. I do acknowledge that maybe fleeing away from your home is not a very good idea. But little would you understand what it is to be a heterosexual in the world of Homos.! We are considered a result of iniquity by our parents in their previous births. Gods supposedly hates us!

And yes, that night we fled to another city, we though no one would ever catch us.

23rd December.

After we fled from the police headquarters, we 1st went to nearest locale hospital. Both of us were way too injured to think anything clearly.

We told the doctor of our “weird” situation. The doctor clearly refused on the grounds that it’ll be a bad luck for him if he helped two people earnestly hated by god.

We sat on the pavement outside the hospital. We couldn’t go back home. We knew the police is going to find us soon, no matter where we go. This time it’ll be worse. Fortunately, there’s still one place no one will ever find us. How much ever they try, they’ll just find our bodies. Our souls will always be with us. And we’ll always be together. No matter where we go. The whole world hated us. We had taken a lot of drastic steps that day. There was just one more to go. Very little options did we have, thus we did what we had to. For love. For peace. For happiness. And we were not cowards.