There was a time I loved the rains, letting my perfectly good hair get wet and enjoying it. The puddles splashed at us, the roads grew so slippery that I often had to hold you up. मी म्हणाले होते, तुटकी चप्पल घालू नकोस, yet you never listened. You, with your bright red cycle in one hand, walking beside me under the rain, half a raincoat over your bermudas and shirt, and my red umbrella sheltering my extravagant outfit. We were quite the sight, truly killing it in the rain.
You never let me walk alone, even in broad daylight. Most of our conversations unfolded during those rainy walks, you ranting about how your music taste was superior, though we both knew the only valid rain song in the whole universe was रिम झिम गिरे सावन. Stepping out of my gazebo was always a delight because I would be with you—just you, me, and the rain on those free streets. We were just friends, definitely!
You used to come inside for tea because our raincoats and umbrellas were always useless, leaving us shivering. We’d waste a nice chunk of time drinking hot chai in the veranda, some heavenly water still splashing us. We didn’t mind. As this became our routine, रिम झिम गिरे सावन turned into तुमसे ही.
It was pure and innocent, like that gazebo scene from The Sound of Music, dancing in the rain—a sweet solace from the thundering storm, a quiet place amid chaos. That’s what rain meant to me when I was with you. I always imagined we’d start dancing somehow.
Then you met her, and I met him. As the rain descended, so did we, finding a new weather. I know you miss the unburdened, simple days. I know you loved our gazebo. But some things are best left unsaid, unaddressed, and unencumbered.
Now we share the gazebo with someone else, but it’s not as innocent anymore. I don’t really like the rain with him, and I know you don’t either. I don’t think I ever did. I liked the red umbrella and the red cycle in the rain together. When it rains, I sit with him and we call you. You answer with her by your side, and we never step out like we used to, but we enjoy our separate gazebos.