" Sometimes our light goes out, but it is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being"~ Albert Schweitzer

~'~

India, Uttar Pradesh, Agra:

"India is a country rich in culture and heritage. It's golden past and rainbow present can never be lapsed for it is one of a kind. A live example is the Taj Mahal, Persian for the 'Crown of Palaces," the guide smiled at the crowd.

The four of them looked at the white marbled mausoleum with awe which was located on the south bank of river Yamuna.

"The Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan built this beautiful monument for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal and now it is one of the wonders of the world," he continued. "A monument of love, this is"

"And the monument of the fourth date," Akane, Takumi and Jason said in unison.

Agnes smiled. She looked at the marble dome which looked like an inverted lotus, surmounting the tomb. Jason held her hand as they were ushered inside.

The inner chamber of Taj Mahal had an inlay work of  lapidary of precious and semi- precious stones.

"It's so beautiful here," Agnes said.

They saw the chamber where the graves of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan was, which made them smile.

"It's so sweet. They were even buried together"

"Don't worry, Agnes. Jason and you will be together too. Don't you worry," Takumi smirked.

"You think this is funny?"

"Very"

"Your humour fails"

"Your attempts to irritate me fail"

She sighed.

Finally, after cruising the whole of Taj Mahal, Jason pulled Agnes gently outside. She was biting into her dark chocolate, but on seeing the sky, it dropped from her hand.

Jason laughed. Three fighter planes first roamed madly across the sky. But once they left, their condensation fogs formed the Taj Mahal in the sky- white from the puffy clouds and the fog. A projection from one of the jets showed Agnes and Jason sitting together, smiling.

"Ahem ahem," Akane and Takumi said in unison. "Would you take a look at that?"

Agnes shushed them, blushing. "This is really pretty, Mr. Lecturer"

"Not more than you, Cherry. Not more than you"

~'~

Rajasthan, Jaipur:

"So, is my last date here?," Agnes asked, her eyes alight with excitement.

"No," Jason replied. "Your last date is at night."

"Oh," she said, disappointed. He smiled, content with the fact that Agnes was liking his futile attempt of making her happy. Futile for him.

They were here to see the Hawa Mahal or the 'Palace of winds' in the Indian state of Jaipur named so because it was essentially a high screen wall built so that the women could observe street festivals without being seen from outside. It was a five- storeyed palace which looked like the honeycomb of a beehive built with small portholes. It was constructed of pink and red sandstone.

"You know sister, yesterday I saw a dream," Takumi said, smirking.

"About whom?'

"About Jason and Agnes... who were at the Tej Mahaal... and-"

"Takumi please shut-," Agnes began.

"And Jason was being so ro-"

"Takumi sshh-"

"And-," Takumi said, walking backwards on the street into a narrow lane. Then, he slipped and feel down. Only when he got up did he realise what he had fallen down on.

"OH GOD! TAKUMI THAT WAS COW DUNG, SILLY!," Akane shouted and burst out laughing.

Agnes, too, burst into peals of laughter which she was unable to control. Both the girls held their stomachs and laughed, so hard that tears dropped from their eyes.

Jason, laughing, looked at Takumi.

"You think this is funny?," Takumi said.

"Very!," Agnes replied, quoting him.

"Good. Because I'll show you what's funny," he said, nearing towards her.

"AAAAHHHH!"

~'~

"Diwali is celebrated in India because they believe in the mythology of Ramayana. According to this mythology, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after killing Ravana. This victory was celebrated across Ayodhya by alighting diyas or lamps made out of mud. Diwali marks the victory of good over evil," the guide said.

"It's so beautiful here," Agnes smiled, looking at the city of Jaipur alight with a thousand diyas, lights and colourful designs which was popularly known as rangoli.

The skies were bursting with fireworks, the houses were adorned with lights and rangolis as if it were their jewellery.

"Agnes, Akane?," Jason said. "Remember we wore Egyptian costumes in Egypt?"

"Yes?"

"Well, today since we're celebrating Diwali, would you both wear Indian sarees?," he asked.

Agnes and Akane smiled. "Of course," they replied, taking their sarees from Jason.

~'~

Jason and Takumi sat at the table with their white kurtas on. The two of them looked like Greek Gods in that attire, for it suited them perfectly. With their chins on their hands, they waited for the girls.

"Good for the skin, my head," Takumi muttered, still angry about what had happened to him.

Jason chuckled. "Oh come on, forget it already"

Just then Agnes and Akane entered the Rajasthani restaurant. Akane had a purple saree on and Agnes a navy blue one. Jason's hand slipped from his chin, "Oh my.." 

Agnes laughed as she neared towards him.

"You look divine, Cherry"

"You look no less, Mr. Lecturer"

"Okay, now please sit and eat," Takumi said.

"You're still mad?," Agnes asked.

"Yeah, very"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," she said, embracing him.

He looked at her and grinned. "You're making Jason jealous"

Jason laughed. "No she isn't"

The waiter laid  a typical Rajasthani cuisine on the table. It's aroma filled their nostrils.

"It's all vegetarian, by the way," the waiter smiled and left.

"Finally, a land where vegetarians are welcome," Agnes said and bit into her millet bread which was called bajre ki roti.

"It's delicious!"

~'~

"Now for your last date," Jason whispered. "Look there"

Agnes looked at some children who were lined up wearing Indian attires. They had long sparklers in their hands. Jason nodded at them.

The children lit their sparklers. Much to Agnes' pleasant surprise, each child moved his sparkler to form a letter. Together, they formed one sentence.

I love you Cherry.

A wide smile spread across Agnes' face. Her eyes shone bright. Rockets shot up in the sky, turning the black night into an unsurmountable beauty of colours. Pink, red, purple, yellow, orange- the colours burst into the sky, making the ever shinning stars seem dull.

"I love this festival," Agnes said.

Jason smiled and handed her a sparkler. She moved it in circles and beside her, Jason did the same.

"I can't thank you enough for this, Jason"

"You don't have to. You have given me much more than this"

"Like what?"

"Like yourself. Because my happiness resides in you"

Another rocket burst into the sky and formed the shape of a blooming flower. Agnes smiled.

"Remember you were asking me about the book I was writing?"

"Oh, yes," Jason replied, recalling the times when he had seen Agnes writing in a new diary.

"Well, it's called In three hundred and sixty five days. It's about us. It's our story"

Jason's lips spread into a beautiful smile. "Can I read it?"

"It's not over yet. But I promise you'll be the first person to read it when it's over"

He nodded.

"I love you, Jason"

He kissed her lightly on her forehead. "I do too"

And just like that, the couple realised their story wasn't like any other one. It was a story of love and of life. As the rockets, the sparklers and the lights surrounded Agnes and Jason, the sky seemed to be screaming in happiness. For their love was beyond beautiful. It was brighter than any light that burst in Jaipur that day. The brightest thing anyone could ever see on Diwali that day was one thing alone- Jason and Agnes.

~'~

I guess now you have a slight idea about whose book this is :P

No, but seriously. It's mine xD. Anyway, that was a slight hint about how the book is going to end. Not many chapters are left now, so. Thank you for reading this!

~'~