Saturday, January 25, 2020

How I Met You -- The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift

How I Met You Kindle Edition

by Sri Chinnamatur  (Author)
Instagram: sri.chinnamatur
Available on Amazon February 14, 2020 - Taking Pre-orders now
Is it fate or destiny? Is it true love? Only time will tell in this romance novel of a lifetime.



Akshara and Abhay come from two different worlds. She is kind and passionate about helping those less fortunate. He is ambitious and obsessed with building a business empire. They only have one thing in common: a shared contempt for marital chains. While Abhay and Akshara do everything they can to avoid marriage, destiny has a mind of its own and the two race toward an explosive and unexpected collision. The question is: as rivals or as soulmates? With wit, warmth, and wonder, How I Met You recounts a timeless journey to love through self-discovery.

Few Excerpts from “How I Met You” 



 

 

I felt as if the sun had suddenly risen in the dark Hyderabad sky. And then I simply froze. It was her, though the truth still seemed surreal. Gracious, was this a dream? I rubbed my eyes and checked again carefully. I was not dreaming. Yes, it was indeed her. ‘Angel Eyes,’ the one who had filled my dreams for years. I wanted to jump and pump my fist in the air. I had tried to find her whereabouts for years and there she was, right in front of me. God had given me this golden opportunity, and I was determined not to let her go this time.

 
All the streets looked the same. Narrow, dark, and filled with filth and misery. I covered my nose and took a turn as per the instructions scrawled on the scrap of paper in my hand and searched for the location. It was no wonder this place was a safe haven for goons and mafia. I had heard that even police were scared to enter.
 

The stairs opened to a wide hall filled with the stench of cigarettes and alcohol. All the windows were closed, and I was hardly able to see anything. A few tables were placed about, and people were seated at each. Some played cards while others talked in low tones. Did they even know that there was something called a haircut and a shave that had been discovered ages ago? I tried to look past the disturbing lack of pride and hygiene and focus on my mission.
 
Perhaps she realized that I was staring at her as she slowly looked back to her book.
 
And there I was, my gaze locked on to her, pretending to read the magazine. Those deep, sparkling eyes…I had never seen such eyes before. This was a new feeling. It had never happened to me and left me feeling way out of my depth. All my youthful—and often swaggering—assurance had gone out the window. I wanted to talk to her but being an introvert when it came to the girls, it was out of the question.
 
I could let destiny take its own course. I don’t have the strength to face a rejection. If I am in thoughts, I always win. Reality may not be as sweet. Let me live in this little imaginary world of mine where I control everything.






Perhaps it was still in my pocket. I had no energy and couldn’t focus enough to find it. Should I ask someone from the crowd to let me use their phone? I didn’t know. Why were they all just standing there, looking at me as if some charade or drama was going on for their entertainment? Was there not a single soul who was ready to help me?

A few incidents flashed in front of my eyes of times when I had witnessed such accidents and never stopped or offered any help to the victim. So why was I cursing them today? Had I ever come forward and cared about a single soul except myself? I would have done exactly the same thing. I would have simply driven past, thankful that I was not involved.
 
I wanted to laugh. I was getting a taste of my own medicine and yet I found it too bitter to swallow.

What kind of human being had I been in the past? I asked myself. Time was running out, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to bear the pain for much longer. A fresh bout of agony made me grimace and I snapped my lips shut. Slowly, I tried to get up, but I quickly realized I wouldn’t manage. Colorful spots appeared in front of my eyes, and I hoped desperately that someone—anyone—would stop and help me.

Perhaps they had had enough. The crowd had started to thin once the novelty faded. I had abandoned any hope of getting help, and all the muscles in my body were wracked with pain. I tried hard to pull myself up when I smelled petrol. In a few moments, I felt dizzy and sensed rather than saw someone coming towards me.
 
Had I passed out or was someone coming? It looked like an angel. Was I dead? Had the angels come to get me? That thought scared me. Her white dupatta swirled in the air as she made her way towards me. Her glossy hair was hidden under a helmet. But how could she be there? Had I lost my wits? I must have. I was definitely hallucinating.
Even in that situation, I was thinking of Angel Eyes. I was sure, then, it was all over. I was dead. I had heard somewhere that human beings usually had glimpses of their unfulfilled dreams or desires, so assumed that must have been what was happening to me.

I don’t remember anything after that but could faintly hear the alarming noise of an ambulance coming closer. So…I was not dead. It was indeed an ambulance. I looked around to see if Angel Eyes was actually there or if it was my imagination. I tried to look at the ambulance and the people.
 
My vision, however, was hazy, and all I could see was its blurry shape before I was lifted onto a stretcher, I assumed for transfer to a nearby hospital. The inside of the vehicle stank of chemicals. I scrunched my nose and closed my eyes as my body rested on the cool white sheets. A few people were talking but I couldn’t hear them properly. It seemed that they were repeating the words, “We care.”


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QUOTES FROM THE BOOK


 
We believe that all human beings need compassion and it is everyone’s duty to help others.

I’d been lost in the beauty of it though I regretted its passing.

 The general waiting area might have more variety, but with my looming migraine still hovering just behind my eyes, I couldn’t face the thought of so many people in one space -- all of them probably as irritated as I was over the delay.

Love can empower us to achieve anything.

Every relationship now is for convenience and selfish purposes.

Destiny manifests in a sequence of small coincidences, Vishal.

There was something special about chasing your dream, about achieving what theirs only imagined.

Passion had turned her pretty eyes to orbs of fire, and her skin glistened with a sensual sheen of perspiration although the air conditioning was on.

God cannot be everywhere. He wants us, humans, to take care of our fellow human beings in whatever way we can. It is not always about money. Time is important and precious too.

It had been ages since I spent any time alone without any electronic gadget.

If there were ever a competition for the biggest loser and idiot that would go to me.
 
 
 
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It was strange how someone who didn’t know you could influence your life so much.
 
If I am in thoughts, I always win. Reality may not be as sweet.
 
The things that we’re unaware of often become the things that have the most impact on our lives.
 
These nights, o this clime, this seashore, this brisk breeze.
 
I was like a man dying of thirst who suddenly discovered water—even the tiniest drop had to be taken in greedily.
 
I knew for sure that true happiness was in leaving your mark in other people’s lives, by helping them, by standing with them in their hour of need.
 
God cannot be everywhere. He wants us, humans, to take care of our fellow human beings in whatever way we can. It is not always about money. Time is important and precious too.
 
I no longer believed that love could transcend everything and transform the ordinary into something extraordinary.
 
Life was opening up for me, and I was ready to embrace all it had to offer.
 
All of us have to carry on the duty God gave us. God cannot be everywhere. He wants us, humans, to take care of our fellow human beings in whatever way we can. It is not always about money. Time is important and precious too. These people need someone who can listen to them and help them get their issues to the concerned authorities. It gives me great pleasure and joy to do what I can.
 
I was torn between resenting her goodness and loving her strength, and I wished desperately that we could find a way to overcome the impossible.
 
In the mental space between the rush of the last few months and the vagueness of the future, my imaginings somehow found all kinds of reasons why I had been a fool not to pursue her sooner.


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  • File Size: 2736 KB
  • Print Length: 274 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Evincepub Publishing (February 14, 2020)
  • Publication Date: February 14, 2020
  • Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0844WQH6C
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled 
  • X-Ray:
  • Word Wise: Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Screen Reader: Supported 
  • Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled 


 

 


 
 
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