The Fire Paintings - Episode - 02 : Meeting of lovers

° 1st Paragraph :

"As an only child in the family I had always lived with my parents,

the sadness of being away from them and coming all the way here was completely washed away by this beautiful environment...

As an artist, I felt that connection deep within my soul...

I couldn't help but feel that someone had meticulously designed this university for the most perfect purpose, in the most perfect place...

When I first arrived, everything was so unfamiliar. The language was my biggest obstacle... since they mostly use Swedish here.

​Inside the university premises, it wasn't a problem because English was widely spoken...

But for day-to-day chores outside, the language barrier became a bit of a challenge... Back in those days, English wasn't used as heavily as it is now...

​But somehow, over time, I adapted to everything...

​Back then, I lived in a student apartment located in Södermalm... and I used to take the metro to the university..."

​"I even remember the days I chose to walk just for the joy of it... Even though it was a bit far, I was young back then, so it didn't bother me at all..."

​"Oh, wow... Madam, we are living in Södermalm too!... But we commute by bike..."

​"Yes, I remember many of our peers used to come on bikes back then too..."

​"So, about two weeks after I arrived here, there was an exhibition held at the art gallery... After my lectures were over, I went to take a look at it...

​And that was the exact day I met the most special person in my life...

​There was a specific section in that exhibition where paintings were put up for sale... and there was this incredibly beautiful painting...

​It was titled 'Fire'... It was truly breathtaking... As I walked up close to that painting and stood there completely transfixed by it, I heard a voice behind me...

​'Excuse me... are you planning to buy this painting?'... a deep voice asked in English.

​The moment I turned around to face that voice, he stood there staring at me, as if he had suddenly lost his speech..."

​"Standing there was a very handsome Asian boy, about six feet tall...

​After a brief pause, I said, 'Excuse me?'... and then he asked me in English if I was Indian...

​'No... I am Sri Lankan,'... I replied in English.

​'Does that mean you are a Sinhala person...?' he asked in Sinhala, surprising me deeply, despite his unusual accent...

​To be honest, that was the very first time I had heard someone speak in Sinhala since moving here.

​'Yes, I am Sinhala... so, are you Sinhala too?...'

​'Yes... I am Seth Ramanayake...'

​'Oh my God !... This is the first time I've met someone from Sri Lanka here.'

​'You're not the only one... this is the first time I've seen someone from here too...'

​Both of us burst out laughing... I felt an immense sense of joy just to find a fellow Sri Lankan right here at the university.

​'What was it that you asked me earlier...?'

​'Ah... whether you were planning to buy this painting...'

​'Oh... no... I was just staring at it because it is so beautiful...'

​'Oh... thank God...'

​'...Why do you say that...?

​'I am deeply in love with this painting... in fact, I came here today specifically to buy it...

If you were going to buy it, I wouldn't be able to have it... so now I won't miss out on it... that's why I said that...'

​'I love this painting too... but I never thought of buying it...'

​'Well, I have already shared my name... what is your name?'

​'I am Kalpana... Kalpana Jayamanna.'

​'You've come here for a postgraduate degree, right?... What is your course?'

​'...Painting...'

​'Wow.... I am same..... second year...'

​'I came here on a scholarship...'

​'Oh... wow... then you must be exceptionally talented... because the competition for scholarships at this university is absolutely fierce...

Not just for scholarships, even those who pay to get in find it quite difficult to secure a spot...'

​Seth spoke Sinhala in a very unique, distinct way... It sounded beautiful when he spoke... It made me want to just keep listening to him.

​'Where are you from in Sri Lanka?... I am from Negombo...'

​'Ah, right there lies a little problem, Kalpana...' Seth said, masking his face with a playfully serious expression.

​'I left Sri Lanka when I was just a newborn... Even though I speak Sinhala fluently like this, I have never been back to Sri Lanka since then...'

​'Oh……. why is that...?'

​'Wars, riots, this and that... my parents keep postponing the trip day by day... But somehow, I need to go there soon...'

​Even within that short conversation, I could see that Seth was highly friendly, slightly mischievous, and incredibly attractive.

​'I should head out now...'

​'Kalpana, where do you stay?'

​'In the student apartments in Södermalm...'

​'Ah... great... my home is in Östermalm... Alright then, Kalpana, you're getting late to leave... I have some more work to finish up too... let's meet again.'

​After that, I left the university and headed to the metro station to return to my apartment..."

° 2nd Paragraph :

"I remember a wave of immense happiness washing over my entire heart that day, for reasons I couldn't quite fathom... 

The surroundings appeared far more beautiful to me that day than ever before...

​The very next day, right when our lectures were ending, Seth had come to meet me... I felt deeply surprised and felt a great surge of happiness...

​'How did you know I would be here...?'

​'Is that such a big mystery?... I moved to the second year only after spending time in the first year, didn't I?'

​'Oh... well, that's true, isn't it?'

​'Shall we go to the cafe and talk over a drink...?'

​It was right here in this cafe that we sat and talked that day... Afterwards, Seth walked with me all the way to the metro station...

​From that day on, we became the best of friends... As I grew closer to him, 

I realized that Seth was a genuinely kind-hearted person, truly living up to the meaning of his name...

​Seth helped me immensely with my university assignments as well as my day-to-day errands... 

To someone like me, who knew absolutely no one and struggled with the local language, his help was invaluable...

​Seth possessed such a gentle nature... Truth be told, I had never met anyone quite like him until that point in my life...

​If anyone were to ask me what kind of person Seth was, my only answer would be that Seth was perhaps a little better than the absolute best person in this world... 

As I unfold this story a bit further, Sara, you will understand exactly why I say this...

​Just like you, Seth spoke Sinhala with a very unique twist... I absolutely loved listening to him speak Sinhala... that accent was incredibly beautiful...

​After some time passed... on one beautiful evening, while the two of us were sitting on a bench near the sea, 

Seth told me that he had something very special to share with me...

​'I never believed in love at first sight before this, Kalpana... but now, I truly believe in it...'

​'Why do you say that...?'

​'...I fell in love with you the very first moment I laid eyes on you...'

​'I cannot find the words to describe the emotions that stirred within me when I saw your face that day... In that exact moment, I honestly found myself unable to speak...

​I love you deeply, Kalpana... and I can feel that you hold a similar feeling for me... That is why I chose to speak to you about this directly...

​Take your time to think, and give me an answer...'

​As Seth spoke, a shiver ran through my entire body... I couldn't utter a single word in response...

​To tell you the truth... there was nothing to think about... I felt as though I had been waiting all along to hear these words from Seth...

​Afterwards, both of us sat in silence for a while, gazing out at the vast sea...

​'...Don't you have anything to say to me, Kalpana...?'

​'No, Seth... I was just thinking about what I should say to you... To be honest, what you just asked me... 

feels exactly like something I was already anticipating you would ask me...'

​'...There is nothing to think about, Seth... I love you deeply too...'

​I can still vividly remember the expressions that lit up Seth's face when I said those words... 

That night, when I went back to the hostel, keeping the memory of his expressions fresh in my mind, I painted a beautiful portrait of Seth...

​I still possess that painting with me.

​No matter how many beautiful paintings I have painted throughout my life, 

I truly believe that portrait remains the most beautiful painting I have ever created...

​That day, we walked away from the beach not just as friends, but as lovers...

​And it was from that day that the most beautiful chapter of my life truly began...

​It was a love of absolute purity... Seth looked after me just like a father protects his daughter... 

or how a brother takes care of his sister... with boundless love... and profound care...

​There wasn't a single spot on this island that we didn't wander through together...

​Gazing at the sky above the sea until our eyes grew weary, trying to decipher the shifting colors of the sunset...

calculating how long it would take to walk around the entire island and measuring the distance... 

standing on the Golden Crown Bridge and watching the night fall... those became our absolute favorite pastimes..."

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