So, the day is finally here...

The last chapter of 'Living My Fantasy'

(And there goes my eyes welding up with tears.)

23rd September..

You guys know why I chose this date to publish the last chapter?

Coincidently, that's the date when I met SANAM... Exactly a year back, at the airport.

So yeah.

Baaki ending mein?

Enjoy the last chapter.❤️

***

I could finally see that the jar was filled with sea-shells and fairy lights and the vase had my favorite flowers, lavender. Was this set up for me? My heart was beating so fast with each steps that I felt it numbing and legs- they felt like jelly. I felt my numbing heartbeat stop at the moment when my eyes fell on the shell. My steps slowed down, I stood still staring at it till my numb body gave up and my knees rested on the damp sandy terrain.

I just kept staring... admiring the sight that was in front of me. My mind seemed frozen but I could feel every tiny things around me- from listening the sound of waves to the sound of my beating heart, I could feel the chilly sea breeze brushing against my skin and the warm blood rushing under it in my veins. My body was burning but my breaths were cold, and palms- sweaty. Taking in a deep breath I looked up, asking for a sign from God that is this real or just my fantasy?

The sky was bathing with different shades of colour- red, orange, yellow; the fireball was almost touching the water and the brightest star was twinkling in the sky but, it's shine.. its spark seemed very dull to me compared to what was kept in front of me. I gazed at the shell again, that was holding a diamond ring in it.

A million stars couldn't surpass the shine that this single stone held. With the cold, sweaty and shivering hands, I dared to take the ring out from the shell. I chuckled silently holding the ring in between my fingers and let go of the breath that I didn't even know I was holding.

I couldn't clearly see the tiny peace of jewelry; it was its sparkle or the moisture in my eyes that were making my vision blurry. I tried to blink away the moisture, looking around around for a single sight of the man who was the reason behind my smile that came along with the teary eyes. My smile grew bigger and corner of my eyes wrinkled when I spotted his blurry figure a quite distance away.

Though I couldn't see him vividly but I could feel his smiling eyes on me. I got up from there and holding the ring I ran towards him to get the answers to the questions that I had.

"Stop!" He held out his arms, signing me to stop when I a meter or two away from him.

I stood there looking at him with a confused questioning expression, "Sanam..?" I said softly.

I have so many things running in my mind and you're not even letting me come close to you?

And like always, he answered my unasked question with a smile, and his eyes asking me to look downward.

I couldn't understand why he would ask me to do that so I raised my eyebrows at him asking a why? And he answered my question by repeating his action, his eyes signing me to look downward.

And when I followed his cue, I hold on to my breath once again and loosened the grasp on the ring, letting it fall somewhere on the firm sand, my palms rose to my face covering most of it.

I let the emotion took over me, feeling overwhelmed I once again sat on the beach surface, my eyes never leaving the words that were carved on the sand.

Will you marry me?

Letting the question sunk deep in my soul, I closed my eyes, freeing the tears that I was concealing since long. No! No! This can't be real! This is just a fantasy! Yes, I lived a live like I fantasized but this was too beautiful to be real! This is just a dream! I will open my eyes and everything will disappear, yes.

Gasping for air I opened my eyes and the only thing that changed was him. Sanam, who was standing tall was now sitting in front of me, his one knee dug on the soil and other had his arm resting on it, he smiled at me holding the ring that I somehow lost for a moment.

"So.." he smiled warmly looking into my eyes, "Warisha Ahmed.."

I started shaking my head slowly in disbelief, No..

"The eighteen years old with whom I collided at an airport.." he chuckled softly, his voice was heavy that told me he was as overwhelmed as I was.

"Sanam.."

"The one I was looking out for years.."

Tears were rolling down my cheeks as everything inside me begged him to stop.

Yes, I dreamt about the proposal.

Yes, I dreamt him asking me to be his forever.

But now when it was happening in real, I wanted it to stop. I didn't know that I would survive this most precious, most beautiful moment or not.

Don't do this... Please.

The silent tears were making my breathing shallow and my heart pounding deep inside me.

"The one I finally found, and I've no intention of letting her go..again; ever."

No..no..

I was dreading to hear the words that were carved on the sand coming from him; in his voice. But to my surprise he said something else...

"Marry me!"

Did the slight change in words made any different?

Yes, it did.

I just kept gazing at his beautiful face, looking deep into his eyes, eyes that were waiting for me to answer.

"Will-"

I didn't let him continue with his words as I flung my arms around him, "Yes!" I said, my eyes shut tightly and my arms holding him close. "Yes!" I smiled with tears rolling down my face. I heard his soft chuckle as his arms wrapped around me, "Yes! Yes! Yes, Sanam Puri! I will marry you!" I answered burying my face in crook of his neck, holding him as close as possible.

Holding myself together, taking in a deep breath I moved out from his embrace but still in his arm; I looked into his eyes that were now glistening and I repeated "I will marry you."

Both of us smiled and we closed the distance between us with our kiss. Our arms holding us close to each other, my eyes shut in response to our kiss but instead of darkness I could see all the memories that we shared in these years.

I saw myself colliding with a hooded figure at airport.

I saw myself getting amused on a call with a stranger.

I saw myself resting in arms of my idol in a parking lot.

I saw him looking at me as I woke up from a nap.

I saw us lighting candles at Church.

I saw younger version of me confessing my love to him in a tower.

But

The warmth of his lips on mine and gentleness of his arms around me were same in my memories as it was now.

I opened my eyes moving apart. Sharing this moment with him somehow calmed me. My breaths weren't shallow anymore. Maybe it was, but the reason was different.

Holding our gaze I asked, "is this real?"

He chuckled to himself, kissing me briefly he replied, "what do you think?"

"It feels like... A dream. It feels like I'm living my fantasy."

"Your fantasy is now your reality, Warisha." He said softly, resting his forehead against mine.

I smiled hearing this from him and so did he after seeing me smile.

"Ab iska kya Kare?" He asked showing me the ring.

I bit my lips at the sight of it. I didn't know what to do. I looked at him clueless.

He smiled digging his hand in his pocket he took out a chain and passed it through the ring. Now that was really making me clueless.

"May I?" He asked.

And I nodded without even knowing what I gave him permission for.

With the same smile his hands rose up and tied the chain around my neck, and the diamond ring rested on my bosoms.

"Ain't ring made for fingers?" I asked him with a soft chuckle.

"It is. I'm leaving that part for our official engagement...or you don't want one?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

I blushed looking at the ring, curling my fingers around it. "Thank you." I whispered, "it's more than I ever asked for." My voice was shaking again.

He cupped my face in between his palms, "you don't have to thank me.." he said softly, "this is what yours, mine, and our love deserves." He gave a single, soft nod with a heartwarming smile that made me smile back at him with same gesture.

I felt like a pricking pain in my knees that made me lose my balance and I fell down on the surface taking Sanam along with me.

"Ouch.." both of us whimpered and chuckled as we untangled ourselves and rested on the sand.

"How long have we been kneeling down like that?" I asked him, chuckling.

"Long enough for the sky to lose its colour, the sun to set down and the stars to shine in the dark sky." His voice was quiet as we broke our gaze and looked above at the sky where millions of stars were twinkling.

I smiled again, remembering the every single time I stargazed with him.

Does he remember?

"You know-"

He cut me off, "are we doing that again?"

"Please.."

He snickered and taking that as my clue I began, "you know..." I inhaled deeply, "I always wanted to lay like this, and look at the stars as far as I could."

His lips had a pleasant smile, "so what was stopping you?"

"Sometimes, something is done with someone special."

My heart melted after reliving this moment with him once again. I rolled on to his side and rested my head on my arm, looking at his beautiful face.

"Don't you wanna stargaze with someone special?" He asked after my action, still admiring the dark sky with twinkling stars.

"I am." I smiled not averting my gaze any other way.

Now, he too, rolled on to the side, facing me, "hello, myself 'someone special', not the star."

"Why? Ain't you a... s t a r ?" I teased.

He arched his eyebrows, amused, "now look who is getting punny!"

Believe me or not but, he was proud of my pun.

"You can call it... Sangat ka asar." I chuckled rolling up on him.

"Array.." he was a little surprised by my action, "yeh Kya?"

"Nothing! Now hush! And lemme sleep." I took in a deep breath and rested myself completely on him.

"Like this?" He was chuckling.

I nodded, "now wrap you hands around me, please, or I might fall!" I requested.

He smiled again fulfilling my request.

I raised my face up to look at him. His eyes were reflecting the twinkle of the stars and I just admired him like that. "Sanam?"

"Warisha?" He met my eyes.

"You're a vegan na? Then how come you used sea-shells, hmm?" My voice was soft and curious.

He chuckled, "and that's why you shouldn't have cried. Your blurry vision didn't notice that the shells were artificial."

"Oh." I giggled resting again, but I looked at him once again- "You know-"

His eyes widened, "again?"

I frowned hitting him lightly, "Sanam!"

He giggled, "acha sorry.. what were you saying?" He asked.

"You know, there was a time when I used to wake up with a dream of you; and now.." I rested my head on his chest, "I'm falling asleep in your arms."

"Correction. Falling asleep on me!"

"Sanam!" I whined for him ruining the mood.

"Acha listen."

"What?!" I pouted.

"Listen na." He said softly rubbing my back.

"What?" I smiled.

"I love you... Warisha." His hold on me became a little firm.

I looked up at him but my gaze had to be down as I was on him, "I love you, too.. Sanam." I smiled planting a tender kiss on his lips and resting my head back on his chest falling asleep with his arms wrapped around me and listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

So, this was my story, my fantasy that started with my dream of attending their concert and ending with me falling asleep in the arms of my idol, my love.

A crying girl falling down with a hooded stranger to falling down, crying with the guy holding a proposal ring for her.

My journey from a being Fangirl to being His Girl.

***

Dear silent readers, thanks for your silence too.☺️