Love you like a dream

“Barshan, you know I love you so much?”

“I love you too, my sweet bird.”

“What’s wrong with you? Haven’t you woken up yet? How long will you keep sleeping? You forgot, didn’t you—there’s a college function today, and you’re the host! Get up, Megh!”

At her elder sister’s call, Megh opened her sleepy eyes and mumbled, “What is it, Apu? You broke my dream! You know, just a little more and Barshan was about to—”

“Yes, yes, I know exactly what he was about to do,” Mehul interrupted with a teasing tone. “I’ll tell Uncle today to fix your engagement as soon as possible. Now get up!”

Megh, still half-asleep, rested her head on her sister’s knee, wrapping her arms around Mehul’s waist. “Apu, please, let me sleep a little more. I don’t feel like getting up. It’s so cold outside!”

Mehul gently stroked her sister’s hair. “Sweetheart, you’re hosting the college function today. You need to go early and check everything, right? Come on, get up before Aunty starts shouting again.”

Reluctantly, Megh sat up. She was terrified of their aunt—though not for her own sake. If Megh ever made a mistake, their aunt would never scold her directly; instead, she would hurl cruel words at Mehul.

The two orphaned sisters had been raised in their uncle’s house since childhood. Their aunt, Dilara, often bragged to the neighbors, “I’m such a kind woman! Imagine, keeping those two unlucky girls in my house! If it were someone else, their graves would’ve been overgrown with weeds by now!”

Mehul and Megh heard everything silently, bearing it all because they had nowhere else to go.

Their uncle, Mahtab Uddin, was their only comfort—he loved them dearly. In secret, he often brought them gifts despite his wife’s anger.

Mehul was twenty-seven now—an age when most women had families of their own—but marriage was something her fate hadn’t allowed. Every time a proposal came, her aunt would sabotage it. After all, who would willingly lose two unpaid housemaids?

Both sisters were bright, but while Mehul had to stop her studies after high school under her aunt’s strict orders, she didn’t let Megh’s future die. She begged and cried until her aunt finally agreed to let Megh continue—on one condition: Megh must always come first in every exam.

If she ever placed second, her studies would end immediately.

Mehul had declared proudly, “You’ll see, Aunty—my Megh will never come second!”

And Megh kept that promise. She topped every exam and now studied at one of the country’s best medical colleges, securing admission with record-breaking marks.

Her dream was to become a renowned doctor one day—and to open a hospital in her sister’s name.

For Megh, the world consisted of only two people: her sister and her uncle. But recently, a new name had been added—Barshan.

They first met at a coaching center. At first, Megh didn’t care much for him. But Barshan’s cheerful nature, his helpfulness, and the respect he showed everyone slowly won her heart.

They got into the same medical college, and before long, their unspoken feelings found words—Barshan confessed his love.

That day became the happiest day of Megh’s life. She had cried in his arms, overwhelmed by the feeling of having gained something she had only ever dreamed of.

Megh wasn’t extraordinarily beautiful. Her skin was a soft shade of dusk, her kohl-lined eyes long and deep like still lotus ponds, her thick black hair always braided neatly. The small mole beside her neck seemed to complete her beauty.

Whenever she remembered the day Barshan confessed, a smile always found its way to her lips—even in sorrow.

It was after class; everyone was busy around the campus. Megh was looking for Barshan but couldn’t find him. Then a girl told her he was near the grove behind the hall.

When she reached there, she stopped short—rose petals were scattered all over the ground.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a message:

“Take one more step forward, and you’ll find me.”

Cautiously, she walked ahead, and suddenly, someone covered her eyes from behind. Megh laughed softly. “Barshan, what are you doing?”

Surprised, he asked, “How did you know it was me?”

Megh giggled, “You don’t know how well my sixth sense works.”

“Then don’t ruin the surprise,” Barshan said, leading her gently by the hand.

After a few steps, he whispered, “Now open your eyes.”

When Megh did, she was stunned—her classmates stood around, each holding a blue lotus. One by one, they handed her the flowers. There were one hundred and one in total.

Then they stepped aside, revealing words spelled out in petals:

“I love you, Megh. Will you be mine forever?”

Barshan knelt before her, holding a ring.

“Megh, will you be mine?”

The crowd cheered, “Say yes, Megh!”

Her friend Ohona nudged her playfully. “If you don’t say yes, I’ll take him myself! Boys like Barshan don’t come twice!”

Tears welled up in Megh’s eyes as she extended her hand. Barshan slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her into a tight embrace.

From that day, their journey together began.

Megh told everything to Mehul—she never hid anything from her sister. Mehul was overjoyed; she cried happy tears thinking, at last, my Megh will have a home of her own.

But Megh had made one promise:

“Before I marry Barshan, your wedding will happen first, Apu.”

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To be continue........,

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