What's so special about going on a date? People meet, chat, eat a little, and then wander down their own paths once again. For years I believed that there's nothing out of normal that'd make that day so special. And yet, when I went on a date today, I could feel that magic around us. Something that wasn't there before. My first date is what changed my perception about a date.

It was never going to be a normal day. I knew it from the moment she asked me to wake up at 4 am. Who goes on a date that early? But her mind was made up, and I knew better than to protest. So I woke up as instructed and drove to the Dreamer's Park. Since the day we met each other in this park, this has been the destination of all our out-of-normal meetings. And believe me, once you enter the Dreamer's Park, everything is a dream in itself.

As I reached out usual spot - a tea post at the far end of the park - I saw a smile creep over her face. Her smile is way too addictive for me to ignore. It always has an effect on me. No matter what mood I'm in, her smile always spreads itself across my face too. No, she ain't the only one who makes me smile, but she's definitely a special one among them. After all, it was this smile of hers which turned us into friends from strangers. It was some six months back, I was jogging in this very park and we happened to cross each other twice that day. When the third time our eyes met, I saw a radiant smile spread across her face. I had to stop and admire. She left me no choice. No, her smile left me no choice. One thing led to other and a week later, we started jogging together.

Today was no different too. Once we exchanged the smiles, we were off to jogging on the familiar track. Nothing different than normal. I started to wonder why this was supposed to be called a date when we were doing the same things we did yesterday, but the surprise was yet to be revealed.

By the time we reached the tea post after a couple of rounds, we were both mildly panting. Though the weather was kind enough to keep the sweat away, our body demanded that extra second to steady its breath. As we settled on the stools in front of the tea post, kaka came in with our usual tea.

"Aaj itna jaldi beta?" he asked in his caring voice.

"Kya kare kaka, madam ne hukum kia, to hum aa gaye," I winked at her.

She nudged me hard on the shoulder as we broke into a laugh. When kaka left, she picked up our tea cups and started walking away from the tea post. At that time of the morning, only the jogging track remains lit in the park. Darkness engulfs rest of the park. And to my utter surprise, she walked straight into darkness. I had no other option but to pick up our stools and follow. We were now successfully away from the sparse crowd present in the park.

Even in that darkness, I could see that grin on her face. She was upto something. My doubts were confirmed when she insisted on us sitting on the grass. The grass was cool and moist with dew settled over it. As we took the first sip of our tea, she suddenly jerked up.

"Oh shit, I almost forgot," saying this, she started to rummage in her bag.

I was still in a state of shock as to why was she suddenly acting such wierd. Was she trying to be different just because we were meant to be on a date? I was still trying to find the answer in my head when the sudden glow of light drew my attention. There, in between us, burned a candle, illuminating her beautiful smile.

"Since our relationship is rare, shouldn't our date be rare too? Welcome to the candlelight tea party Mr Rare."

In that one moment, in that one sentence, I understood why date is called special. Its not about doing special things, it's all about doing the normal things in a special way.

When we finally parted today, the magic of our date trailing behind us, we once again had those lovely little smiles spread across our face. Those moments with her in the flickering light of a candle felt really special today. We were drinking the same tea, we were having the same talks, yet, it all felt different. And it was all because we called this meeting a date.

A candlelight date.