When Love Blooms In The Garden...

Bella had been turning up the pages of the diary. Most of the pages were blank or were filled by very few dull lines. Her mother was experiencing unhappy days as her father was nowhere around. Suddenly Bella stopped at a page. It was very colourful with smileys all over. She quickly read over her mother's most beautiful week.. She was living into her mother's life peeping at a cheerful girl in love.

Her father's first proposal was unique and different. After months of not even glancing at Juliet, suddenly one day, Lawrence appeared infront of her. Juliet was being proposed by one of her classmates that day. He was a psycho and fearing a frank rejection from Juliet he held her hand and refused to leave it. Out of nowhere, Lawrence appeared and slapped the guy on the face. Holding her hand, he walked away from the campus towards the road. Both were looking red, one was extremely angry and the other was blushing beyond words..

" I'll walk you to your home." Telling this Lawrence walked with a surprised Juliet, still holding tightly to her hand. Juliet never said any directions, but Lawrence seemed to know the exact directions to her home.

Juliet started playing with the locket in her neck.. It was what she usually did when she was too excited.. The locket was gifted to her by someone a long back when she was very young and she did not remember who it was. But it was always with her as she never felt to part with it.. Lawrence looked at the locket and smiled at her..

" How do you know where I live?" asked a confused Juliet.

" How will I not know my girlfriend's home?" That's how Lawrence proposed Juliet.

They were officially dating after that day. They were inseparable and were always seen together.

" These are my best friends, Rosaline and Andrews. We have been together for quite a long time. Let me introduce them to you." Lawrence introduced his two friends to Juliet one day. Rosaline looked as if she was scowling but they shook hands anyhow, though with great difficulty. Andrews looked lively and he instantly liked Juliet.

Lawrence and Juliet were the most romantic couples of the campus, they were inseparable..

One day, Juliet had invited Lawrence to her home. Before he comes, she wanted to inform Annie about him. She expected Annie to accept him instantly since he was a wonderful man. But Annie was angry.. ,

" I have already heard about your love affair from the neighbors.. But I expect that you would get over it.. I ve heard that the guy you are talking about, he is an orphan.. We had been living without a family for these many years. I wanted you to have a family, with in-laws and relatives. I really wish you would forget him and we can find another man for you.. "

Juliet cried and begged her sister to accept Lawrence but her sister was not convinced, but she still agreed his visit since she has already called him home. But Lawrence never came. Juliet wondered why he did not come.. As she sat in the doorsteps awaiting him, she saw a bunch of flowers lying on the ground. They were the most beautiful bunch of rose flowers and she knew who might have left it there.

The next day she wished to meet Lawrence and promise him that they would convince Annie for their marriage. But Lawrence did not come to the college that day, neither he came a week after,.

Juliet was heartbroken. She did not know what to do. How to meet Lawrence or whether they will meet ever in the future, she was not sure. She walked through her garden and the garden seemed to reflect her sadness. It had started to dry up and she was noticing it for quite a few days now. Even the roots have started to dry up and Juliet was greatly alarmed. She started watering it, took care of it day and night, but nothing changed.. Her garden was getting destroyed completely. She was feeling everything around her shattering. She started rummaging through books and enquired around everyone.. She wanted to learn gardening anyhow, but her every way was blocked. Everything she did went in vain. She started enquiring about who had built their garden..

After days of sleepless research, she finally came to know the builder of their garden, the famous gardeners.. They were the most wonderful couple who loved gardening.. with their little boy, they build beautiful gardens, it was not their job, but a passion.. They never demanded much money, hence were never rich but were really famous.. She searched about their whereabouts only to find that they had died fifteen years back leaving behind their only son and the son was brought up in an orphanage.

Juliet rushed to the orphanage and searched for the boy's name and was shocked beyond belief.. Lawrence Abraham.. it read and he was sent to a her college for Literature since the guy was so good at studies.

Juliet was completely out of her senses… she rushed to the boy's hostel of her college and asked for Andrews.. After about an hour of waiting, Andrews came out..

" Please tell me where Lawrence is.. I really want to meet him.." Juliet begged in teary eyes..

" I should have told you earlier but Lawrence asked me not to inform you. But I think you ought to know it.. Lawrence had been hospitalized with severe fever for the past one week.. the situation has turned out very critical.. I think you should meet him.. He is at Mariam Hospitals, Rosalin is with him, I'll be there in a few hours, you may go there and meet him.."

Julie felt her head spinning.. She couldn't believe her ears.. Her Lawrence was sick and she did not know it.. She rushed to the hospital to find Rosalin guarding the door of his room..

" I don't want you to meet him.. You should understand Juliet, you are ruining his future.. Its better if you stay away from him.." Rosalin was blocking her way..

It has started turning dark and as soon as Rosalin started dozing off, Juliet skipped inside the room.. She saw him sleeping in the dim light.. She went near him.. and sat by the side of his bed.. Tears started rolling from her eyes.. She leaned forward and kissed him in the forehead.. She suddenly heard some footsteps and was startled.. As she raised her head her locket in the chain got stuck over something.. There she lay on his chest when Rosalin switched on the light..

Juliet gazed at her locket.. It was bound to a similar locket on Lawrence's neck. It was like another half of her locket.. They fit each other perfectly..

"You are.." Juliet was still gazing at Lawrence blankly as she saw him with his eyes wide open..

" I told you to stay away from him.." Rosalin came and caught hold of Juliet's hand.. She started pulling her out of Lawrence, but Lawrence interrupted her..

" Please let Julie stay here for a while.. We have something to discuss in personal.."

Rosalin turned red in anger and embarrassment.. She turned and stamped out of the room.

" Yes.. Its me .. Don't you remember me at all.. You still kept this locket I gave you.." Lawrence raised an eyebrow..

" I was so small back then, I knew someone close had gifted me this locket long back but I really couldn't make out it was you.. So was it you who came to my garden at nights..? And I never saw this locket on your neck before..?" asked Juliet..

" Your garden was the last creation of my parents and the best one.. When I turned fifteen, I came to visit the garden and was in a shock when I saw it in a mess.. It took years for me to gather up my parents' works and study them to recreate the garden and restore it back to what it is today. I saw you in the garden but never had the courage to talk to you.. So I just watched you from a distance.." Lawrence has started coughing severely and he was spitting blood..

" The locket was there always with me but I wore it yesterday since I felt I needed someone near me when I got severely sick, and the locket reminded me of you.." Lawrence said smiling weakly..

Juliet held him in her hands and spoke in teary eyes.. " You have to recover quickly.. our garden needs you and you have to teach me gardening too.. "

" Julie, please take me to the garden, will you..?" asked Lawrence..

" No, you are not recovered yet.. We can go after a few days.."

" No Julie, once I get there I'll be fine, please.." Lawrence was now begging her..

Julie took a wheelchair and stealthily took Lawrence out of the hospital, towards her home, to their garden.. He pointed to a door for Juliet.. "Have you ever noticed this room? This had been my study for over ten years.."

Juliet noticed a tiny room in the garden made of softwood and rose wines..It was very beautiful.. It had many papers piled on a small table .. He took a few things from the study.

They strolled towards the middle of the garden.. Lawrence was already walking tiny steps. It was late night and he started spraying water on the rose plants and the trees.. He was adding other few mixtures which he took from the study.

Later on, they both lay in the garden on a bed of dry leaves under a huge pink trumpet tree which had not yet bloomed..

They gazed at the stars and the moonlight blazed the union of a beautiful pair as the night embraced their hearts..