Read Online Stories Of Young Love by Abhilash Gaur - Free Book Online

stood silent,
weighing the possibilities and grinding the grass with my heel.
“Let’s sit somewhere,” I said at last. She led the way to a bench
under a fluorescent light, and we talked.
    “Promise first
that if you don’t like what I say, you will laugh it off and not
feel hurt or angry ... You will not allow it to stand between us,
ever.”
    She knitted her
brows and nodded slowly. This was certainly no laughing matter for
her.
    A couple walked
past us and I remained silent till they were out of earshot. Then I
began: “You are the best friend I have had in years. I value your
friendship very much. I wouldn’t want to lose it for anything”.
    She had shifted to
the edge of the bench to better watch my face as I veered closer to
the truth, and seemed to be holding her breath. At that moment she
looked more beautiful than ever and I found myself losing courage
till she whispered: “Don’t stop”.
    “I love you,” I
said and then sat petrified. Would she cry, yell at me, walk away?
Better shout than walk away. Just stay, do whatever you want to but
don’t leave me, I prayed, silently watching her.
    She shifted back
in the bench and crossed her arms. Now she wasn’t looking at
me.
    “And?” she
said.
    “And what?” I
said.
    “So, is that all?”
she said and burst out laughing.
    I felt silly,
embarrassed.
    “Yes. No, I
mean...”
    “You expect an
answer?” her voice was stern and cold and I was very uneasy till
she laughed again and ruffled my hair. “Don’t be silly. I am way
older than you. You don’t want people to call me a cradle snatcher,
do you?”
    “Never mind
people, tell me what you want.”
    “I like you, but I
don’t think it will work. You will change your mind when you go out
of the institute in another month.”
    “Maybe I won’t.
Try me if you don’t trust me.”
    “I will think
about it.”
    It was more than I
had expected and I was happy. When we walked into the computer lab
after that I noticed she was beaming and friendlier than usual with
the few classmates who had come in to surf as the internet speed
used to go up at night.
    She never said “I
love you” in the four weeks we were together till our final exams,
and I would have laughed had she said it, because it wouldn’t have
been like her at all. But we both understood and felt that
something had changed after that evening. We became a group of two
in our already small group of five. The others understood, it was
clear, but never mentioned it. We started spending most of our
evenings together. I used to walk with her till after dark. We
talked about our folks, she had an extended family she was very
fond of and I was happy to hear their tales, rather her singsong
laughing voice.
    I had been placed
before the final exams and took them easy, but she was edgy through
them because she was counting the days to my departure. I had to
leave the morning after my last exam but delayed it by a day to
cheer her up. That was the day we hugged in my room. And then,
early next morning, I left for home and did not see her again these
past 26 months.
    ***
    There was more
rumbling and grumbling on the street below. The curtains had begun
to glow with the light outside. I checked my watch, it was 6am, and
the time to sleep had passed. She might be stirring in bed now to
rush to me, I thought. Maybe she had not slept a wink, in which
case she would be grumpy and I would have to be careful with what I
said, or did.
    She had promised
to be with me by 8am, but I felt sure she would come sooner. Then
the front desk would call me, and I, what was I to say? Send the
guest up, or ask her to wait in the lobby? How could I ask her to
wait when she had rushed across town just to be with me? But what
would happen if I asked her to come up? Just another hug?
    What would we do
before she started asking me questions? THE question. We would hold
hands, for sure, and hug impetuously. That was a given in the
privacy of the room. And then, a kiss?