Life can be bitter and sweet at the same time. Some find love and are successful in it while some lives are spent waiting for their true love. I am one of those lucky people who didn't only have my first love with me but also her family's love too.

Sandhya's parents treated me as their son and were supportive of our relationship since the start. I couldn't believe I had gathered the courage to finally ask Sandhya to be my girlfriend on Veer's birthday. Since then my life had been nothing but an amazing adventure with Sandhya as my partner in crime.

We visited a lot of places from our childhood. We went to meet my late mother's parents who lived abroad; they were thrilled to meet Sandhya. After that, there were trips to our relatives' places, some destinations on our bucket lists, a few pilgrimages, and a lot of adventures.

Time flew by like a blur, and after four years of stabilizing myself in my career, I gathered the strength to ask Sandhya's hand in marriage. I had always imagined and dreamt of that moment ever since I realised that I was in love with my monkey.

Sandhya's parents had already shown their approval, but going the traditional way was always on my mind.

So today, in remembrance of me and Sandhya being in a steady relationship for 12 years, I prepared something special for her. In the morning, as usual, we celebrated with our family, and Sandhya and I got busy with our work for the day.

We were 30 years old and still Sandhya never bothered me with the marriage talk. She would always discuss about how our marriage would be like and etc. but never pressurized me on that. She knew I needed time as I was fully focused on making my mother's unfinished works come into fruition.

Sandhya, you are the best blessing in my life.

In my office, I finished off my work early and left the office. The clock ticked 6:14 p.m. when I sat down in my car. I gripped the stearing wheel tightly and closed my eyes.

Okay, Ved, don't mess up and carry out the plan smoothly.

After reaching my house, I called Sandhya's mother and asked her about the progress. Aunty told me that she had told Sandhya to get ready for a family dinner. I thanked her and prepared to get ready myself.

It was foolish to think of Sandhya rejecting me, but I needed to keep that in option. We loved each other, but in no way I was going to force her into marrying me if she didn't want to.

That thought kind of seemed stupid since Sandhya herself talked about our marriage, but she might have wanted to delay it for some reason. I wanted to keep all the options available for her.

Just don't leave me, monkey. Please.

I took my time and got ready. My heartbeat kept rising with each passing second. Even though I was busy getting ready, I could sense two people outside my room. Their anxieties were matching mine.

Once I finished getting ready, I opened my room's door; Veer's and Dad's tensed faces greeted me.

"Do your best, okay?" Dad encouraged.

"Better not mess up, bhaiyya," Veer said anxiously.

At 18 years of age, Veer stood an inch taller than me. As a kid, he was a spitting image of me, but now, he had a mix of Kritika Mom and our father. His curly hair were thicker than mine though.

"Chill, Veer. All the things are going according to the plan," I said.

"Make sure Sandhya Didi doesn't get disappointed."

I rolled my eyes. Veer and Dad had been bugging me about my plan since I told them about it. Before they could interrogate me more, I called Mom and bailed myself out of the situation. All of them wished me best, and I left to pick up Sandhya.

She was already waiting for me outside her house and tapping her feet on the ground. I stopped my car and got out. I opened my arms wide as I walked towards her.

Her lips curled up in a beautiful smile and she slowly let herself fall into my embrace. She wrapped her arms around my waist and rocked us from side to side.

"Love you, Princess. I missed you," she said and kissed me lightly on the neck.

I stroked her hair. "We met in the morning."

She looked up and narrowed her eyes. "So what? I can miss you any time I want. Now come here and give me a kiss for making me wait."

"With pleasure."

I sealed her lips with mine, and all of my stress went away. I held her hand and gave a peck on her cheek.

"You look gorgeous."

"And you look ravishing." Sandhya giggled.

And with that, she again gave me wild ideas. I kept my thoughts in check and shook my head when Sandhya noticed me turning red.

We got inside the car, and I turned the engine on. She glanced at me in confusion when I started the car.

"What about Mom and Dad? Did you forget them?" she asked.

"Nope. They said they would come along with my Mom and Dad. Veer will pick them up," I lied.

Sandhya furrowed her eyebrows. "They didn't say anything to me though. See, this is what I am always talking about. They treat you better than me. You also agree that they love you more, don't you?"

I flicked her on the forehead. "Stop badmouthing them."

Sandhya made a teasing face but smiled as she kept complaining about her parents not sharing everything with her. I enjoyed hearing her as I slowly drove towards our destination.

Sandy Pandy was busy recounting about her work and students; she noticed that the place where we had stopped was different from our usual hangout spot when I halted the car. She stopped mid-way in her talk when her eyes glanced outside the car's main window.

"Wow!" Sandhya exclaimed. "What's this place, Ved?"

She got out of the car, and I followed her. She instantly took off her heels and shrieked happily as her feet touched the cool grass.

Her eyes wandered around; small glowing lanterns floated in the air, lighting a trail towards the top of a small hill.

Ballons with red and golden coloured LEDs in them surrounded the small setting on the top of the hill. Sandhya glanced at the sky and twinkling stars welcomed her.

Her feet moved forward, and I watched in amusement as she took in everything around her with awe. The preparation was simple and nothing over the top. I didn't want to overwhelm her. Moreover, this place had a special place in my heart and I wanted to share it with my special person.

After a few minutes, we reached the hill's top and Sandhya took a deep breath. From the top, we could see a major portion of the city bathing in night lights. I guided her to the small bench beside a tree that had the best view.

She patted on the spot beside her. I sat down and she entwined her right hand with my left.

"What's with the change of location today? You lied about the family dinner, didn't you?" she accused.

I smiled. "Spot on, detective Sandhya."

She pulled my cheek. "The view is amazing. Thank you for bringing me here. I love it."

We sat in silence as we appreciated the nature's beauty. With Sandhya, even the silence was breathtaking.

I checked the time, and when the watch showed 9 p.m., I got up and lied about getting snacks and water bottles from the car. Sandhya didn't get suspicious and kept admiring and shooting the spot with her phone.

I went behind the tree and picked up the items that were going to decide my future with my Sandy Pandy.

I prayed to my late mother and sat down beside Sandhya. I gave her a water bottle and some chips. She ate and turned her lips down.

"Ved, I am hungry. Let's go, eat something and return. What say?"

I rubbed her head. "How about I first complete my most important mission and then treat you to a wonderful dinner?"

"You know you shouldn't keep a girl hungry, right? And what mission are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

I knew Sandhya wouldn't be able to focus if her stomach wasn't full. I was prepared for even that.

I got her the food I had prepared for her and she gave me a lovely kiss in return. I could wait for her to finish off her food. The anxiety had dissolved my hunger.

When Sandhya was done eating, she rubbed her tummy and patted it. "If you keep feeding me such good food, it will soon become round like a football."

She laughed at her own joke and I kept admiring her. We fell back into silence, and I decided that it was time now. I took the small basket with some hay and one bird statue in it.

I placed it in front of Sandhya's eyes, and she first smiled at it but then asked me why I had it. I asked her to open her hand and placed another small bird statue in her palm.

I stared deeply into her eyes. She blinked rapidly at the bird in her hand, and slowly, her expressions turned serious as if she sensed my intention.

She returned my look with the same intensity and gave me a small nod to go ahead.

"My monkey, my Sandy Pandy, please picture this small poor bird in this basket as me and the one in your hand as you. All these years with you have been blissful, and you have supported me through thick and thin.

"I would like to continue our relationship and take it a step forward. Don't feel pressurized though."

I put the basket between us. "Would you like to build a nest with me, Sandy Pandy?"

Sandhya blinked back the tears that were about to fall down. Her love for me was clearly reflected in her eyes. She rubbed the bird in her hand lovingly.

She wiped the lone tear that managed to fall free and held the basket with one hand. She glanced at me, and I could feel my heart drumming through my whole body as I waited for her response.

Slowly, she shifted the bird in the basket and placed the one in her hand beside the first bird. My heart smiled at her action and was busy in planning the perfect execution of the next step when Sandhya suddenly took the basket in her lap.

She snaked her hand around my neck, and within a split second, I felt my lips crash against hers. The force was powerful but the kiss was soft and gentle.

After a few seconds, Sandhya broke the kiss and nodded.

"Yes, my Princess, I would love to build a nest with you."

"Will you marry me?" I asked.

"Of course."

It was my turn to give a kiss to her. After our kiss, I took out the velvet box from the basket and opened it. A hybrid star and heart shaped diamond ring shone back at Sandhya.

"I will ask again." I winked. "Will, you, Sandhya Rai, accept me, Ved Rajput as your partner? Will you marry me, Sandy Pandy?"

"Yes, yes, and... yes!"

I slipped the ring on her finger and hugged her tightly. I didn't realise that both of us were crying and mumbling about keeping each other happy.

We kissed again, and she asked me why I chose that particular spot to propose.

"This was the last place where I spent time with my late mother. She loved this place. It was our secret spot to hangout," I said.

Sandhya rubbed my back and kissed my forehead. "She must be looking down at us now."

"She would have loved to meet you if she was here," I said.

Sandhya nodded and pulled me closer to her. "Promise me you won't close yourself off and share every problem with me. I will take care of you and protect you, okay?"

I smiled at her. "Sure."

She laid her head down on my shoulder, and I glanced at her face. I felt eternal peace.

"Love you, Ved. Love you very, very, very much." Sandhya hugged me tightly.

"Love you too, monkey."

Mom, thank you for giving birth to me. Please look upon us and give us your blessings. I will always miss you. You will always live in my heart.

Sandhya and I will be beginning a new phase of our lives. Be with us in our every step. Love you, Maa, love you a lot.