"I have the ability to instantly fall in
love." I said. She laughed like anything and her scooter did a little
zigzag on the road. I, the pillion should have been afraid, but I was smiling.
We stopped for ice-creams. A girl shouldn't eat ice-cream with a guy watching
her, it does things to him. Lips and cream, her little giggle (as I joked to
cover my admiration); and a song in the back of my head "Kabhi ajib si,
kabhi haseen lagti… “That was the instant. I wasn't lying.
She went down the hallway running and turned.
Her hair swirled and landed over her shoulder. She shouted, "you are too
slow." and it echoed. "And you are too beautiful." I replied and
it echoed too. She stood there smiling and I paced up to reach her. She grabbed
my arm, or hugged my arm and smiled. We both did. I wanted her to know that I
love her, but we were best buddies, and it was the most difficult thing to do.
Some of her hair somehow landed into my mouth
when we were travelling together... always. It was annoying. I was sitting beside
her in a three-wheeler, we were returning back from her shopping spree. She
realized it was happening again and started tying her hair into a bun. While
doing that a lock came over her face and she pulled it back. I held her hand
while she was holding the bunch, brought it down, and let her hair fall over
her shoulder. "Kya?" she wondered. "Nothing." I replied.
Confused, she started tying her hair again and one lock of hair came over her
face again. "Let it be" I said before she could pull it back.
"It will make any guy to fall in love with you." I smiled. She let it
there, kissing her cheek; while I controlled my urge to.
If I hadn't hugged her that tight, I wouldn't
have known her pain of letting me go. Her heart beats told me about it. It was
10 minutes for my bus to leave. And she stood there, grabbing my arm, or
hugging my arm. I had told her that I love her and she had maintained that I am
her best friend... just that.
"I'm sorry, I didn't fall in love with you.“
She whispered.
"I'm sorry, I didn't remain the best
friend you wanted me to. “
She smiled, "You will always be my best friend.
“
"I will be leaving now, is he coming to
pick you?" I had to say something to break that silence- the imprisoning
silence.
"Yes-Yes…” She smiled a smile that
barricaded her tears. "I wish you never had to go. “
She hugged me. Wind blew, some of her hair
landed into my mouth. I saw her boyfriend emerging on the platform.
We weren't supposed to meet, me and her. I had
disconnected all routes of communication there could be. Years had passed, and
we both had moved on with our lives; yet of course memories pinched in the
voids of time. On that hot summer day, in the capital city, somebody tapped my
shoulder. She had hardly changed. It was in fact only four years, they seemed
decades long though. Face hardly changes in four years.
"Hey!!" I said.
"At least you remember my face." she
smiled.
"How have you been?" I missed a
metro.
Heart beats have their own stories. Mine talked
about remembering a lot more than face. Hers.. I don't know, about missing a
friend may be.
She have been fine, successful.
We both had nothing much to do. I had, but it
hardly mattered. We went to a cafe.
After lingering onto various topics, I enquired
about her boyfriend.
"We aren't together anymore." They
looked wonderful together, I knew.. and somewhere I prayed they get married.
They believed it was never going to happen, and
it was time for her to get married; she would be, by the end of year.
I wished her luck. Hope of being with her had
already died in me years back. I just hoped that she finds happiness. I prayed.
While walking back to the metro station, she
stopped at a ice-cream stall.
"Ice-cream?"
"Ok."
A girl shouldn't eat ice-cream with a guy
watching her. It does things...
