The Promise and a Ring

“Hey Surya… Where did you get this pendant? It is really pretty!” The elder lady spoke looking at the said girl’s neck. Had it been a guy whose eyes were fixated there he would have gotten a slap from her by now.
“Oh this one! I got it from Stylori. It is called Winter Leaves!” Surya beamed as she held the small diamond pendant with her delicate fingers.
As the two ladies sat down for lunch the elder one threw another question at her. “Is that a diamond stud as well?”
With a slight confused look “These are ordinary quilled earrings…”
“No dear. The second piercing. It does look like a diamond to me.”
“Oh yeah! That one is a diamond alright.” she smiled this time.
“But why are you wearing just one?”
“Oh I got both the ears pierced. But the left one got infected and I had to remove the first earring. So I have two piercings on my right ear alone now.”
“What about the pair of this diamond stud then?”
All Surya did was smile with a distant look on her face.

*Six years earlier*

“This time we get to say proper goodbyes.” she lightly punched his arm.
“When will you stop pointing out that one time and rubbing it on my face Surya?” the tall dark fellow asked her in the most apologetic tone a guy could muster.
“Until you learn to keep up your promises!” she laughed.
Being friends for as long as they could remember they were ready to part ways at the cross roads. Tarun was leaving in a day for his longest voyage. Surya was taking up a job that required a lot of travelling.
“Oh before I forget! Here you go!” she handed him a small box.
“A jewellery box?” he raised his eyebrow.
“Just open it T”

He opened it to find a pair of solitaire diamond earrings. With a round cut stone it shone so brightly.
“I know you were looking for a stud. So I took the liberty of purchasing one for you.” Surya beamed with pride.
“But you have been with me all the time since I came here. When and where did you buy these?” he took one out inspecting the stone as if he was an expert in that field.
“I just chose one from this app. They delivered it this morning.” she showed him her phone with the Stylori App opened. He looked at it without any interest and went back to his work of inspecting the white gold in his hand.
“But I will look like a gay wearing this!” he pouted.
He actually did pout. SMACK!
“Ouch woman!” he said rubbing his head. As he proceeded to put it on removing the tiny ring on his ear he asked “What am I to do with the other one?”
“You don’t have to worry about it buddy.”
Surya took the other one and wore it on her second piercing. Since her left ear healed and closed up the piercing she had been wearing two earrings on her right ear alone.
“We will stay connected this way!” she laughed making him laugh in turn. When she stood next to him their studs will come to the same level.
That was the last selfie they took together before he bid his goodbye and left.

*Somewhere on the Indian Ocean present day*

“Dude!If we ever want to search for you in a crowd we just need to look for a dazzle. That stud of yours must be at least half a carat.” he heard his friend eye the diamond stud for the thousandth time. All he could do was roll his eyes.
Even he didn’t know how many carats that stone was. He never bothered. But his friend made sure to remind him every single day about it.
“It was a gift. Never bothered to get details.” he shrugged as they walked towards their bunks in the ship. Finally he was heading back to his motherland.
He could finally lie on his soft bed and sleep all day. Eat his mom’s special dosas.
Finally he can meet his best friend.

*A month later*

Surya stood by her car. The smell at the port was never a pleasant one. Or even something she could tolerate for more than a couple hours. Thankfully Tarun had just messaged her that he will be out in sometime.
She was supposed to be standing here as a couple this moment. She sadly looked at her ring. The all too familiar voice broke her train of thoughts. “Oye shorty!”
She ran to him and hugged him. And then punched him. “Don’t call me that!”
Their friendship hadn’t changed a little bit.

“I will see for dinner tomorrow. Get some rest now.” Surya sang her usual take care of your health song as she dropped him off and left.
Once he settled down in his room he checked quickly opened the laptop and started browsing through the internet.
He never slept that night.

*After Dinner*

“You finally learnt the trick of making circular rotis.” he joked as they both walked through the small park in her apartment complex.
“It has been more than five years since you saw me make those world map rotis. Shut up.” she said as she sat down in the swing. Tarun sat next to her.
A comfortable silence wrapped them. It was moments like these Surya cherished with Tarun.
“Why do you still wear that ring Surya?”
She was a little stunned. She was not expecting this question all too soon.
“I did tell you right. I will take this off when I find another worthy ring to wear.”
“Then find one.”
“What about a promise to go with the ring?” She asked him innocently.
He smiled at her question.
Tarun got up from his swing, stood in front of her holding a small box.
“Now I know that you lost the one who promised you a life. He loved you and I am sure he is still up there smiling at you and looking out for you. But stop holding onto him. I will make you a promise instead. And this time I will live up to my word.
I will be your North Star. That one small star that shines no matter what. I will always be there with you no matter what. I will always be the one friend you can hug tight and cry!”

She removed her engagement ring and put on the Stara Ring he had brought for her.

She knew for once he won’t and can’t break this promise.

Who said only couples needed a ring to seal the deal?

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This story is actually for a contest conducted by Stylori which is the online shop of NAC Jewellers. 
Being part of a bunch of bloggers is such a nice thing that makes you meet weird people (yes weirder than me) and bond with them. 

Thank you CBC!



Well the story behind this one is my best friend. I know he won’t be reading this. He never reads my blog. Well technically we are not even friends anymore. But the friendship we had formed, that was a beautiful one. Still is. 
A part of me hopes he will read this and realise that I will always be his north star!