Something More…
"I hate you!" she said.
"The feeling is mutual!" he replied before turning around and storming away.
She sighed.
Those were the very same words she had said to him the day they had met.
Even today, she could remember that day so clearly, as if it were yesterday.
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She was five years old and it was her first day at school. She had fought with her mom, insisting that she be allowed to wear her favorite blue frock to school. She was stubborn even then. Eventually her mom had given in. He had once told her how she had looked through his eyes.
"With those two, silly pigtails swinging back and forth, that backpack you insisted on carrying with you everywhere and that tacky blue frock which gave me an eye-sore, you were the most different and interesting girl I had ever met!"
"Which isn't much of a compliment considering I was only five years old!" he had added jokingly.
She remembered the thing that had intrigued her the most about him. His hair. They had piped her interest. He had the longest hair among all the boys. She wanted to know if they felt as maddeningly soft as they looked.
During break time, he had sat next to her.
When she didn't acknowledge his presence, he had spilled his juice all over her favorite frock.
"Well I wanted to get your attention and couldn't think of a better way." He had told her much later.
Seeing her favorite dress getting spoiled, she had burst into tears and yelled at him-
"I hate you!" before running away.
He had followed her and sat next to her on the soft grass.
After a moment of silence, he had said- "I'm sorry!"
She had just folded her arms and looked away haughtily.
He had then offered her a tissue. She had accepted it hesitantly, looking at him from the corner of her eyes.
Holding his ears this time, he had apologized again-
"I'm really sorry!"
"It's ok."
And then he gave her a freshly-picked yellow daffodil which had smelled like summer and she in turn had given him a watery smile.
Ever since, yellow daffodils had become her favorite flowers.
"I'm Swayam!"
"Hi! I'm Sharon!"
And ever since, they had become best friends.
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She sighed yet again.
They had, had their fair share of little tiffs. But this one had taken the cake. It's my fault, I guess. She thought.
It had started as something small and silly. When had it got blown into a full-fledged fight she couldn't tell.
She had seen him flirting with a girl in the college. At least it looked like flirting to her. She had to admit it. She had felt a little jealous. When she had teased him about it later, he had seemed greatly affronted. When she had asked him, quite rudely, what the hell his problem was he had told her that she was insensitive and didn't know what was right in front of her. And things kind of escalated from there and before she realized what she was doing she told him that she hated him.
I should probably go and apologize to him. She thought.
She headed towards his house.
While walking, she was lost in her thoughts.
They had always been best friends. But somewhere, along the way, she had fallen for him. But she could never muster the courage to tell him.
Her phone rang, bringing her back to Earth. It was Swayam's mother.
Before she could utter a greeting, his mom had started talking.
"Sharon, Swayam and his dad met…met with an accident," she said, crying furiously through the phone. "His dad's leg…leg.. got fractured and he got a few bru…bruises…." She continued, hiccupping at intervals. "But…but Swayam…Swayam…."
She didn't hear another word. The phone slipped through her fingers and crashed on the pavement. The world reeled around her. Her vision became blurred. She realized it was because she was crying.
No! she thought. It's not possible! Swayam can't….he can't….
She couldn't even bring herself to think about it.
Tears were falling from her eyes like torrential rain. Unrelenting and unstoppable.
She suddenly stood up, realizing for the first time that she had fallen down. She started walking in a dazed manner towards Swayam's house. After a few staggering steps, she started running.
"Oh God! The last thing I said to him was I hate you!" she thought. "Oh God! I can't believe it! I have to tell him……I have to."
After that her thoughts became so jumbled up that it was impossible to point out a single train of thought.
When she reached his house, she paused for a moment, steeling herself for whatever awaited beyond the door.
She knocked a few times and after what seemed like an eternity, the door finally opened.
She didn't realize she had been holding her breath all this time.
When she saw the person who had opened the door, she heaved a huge sigh.
It was him.
The relief that washed over her was so powerful, that it knocked her down and she crashed on her knees.
He joined her a second later.
Before he could do or say anything, she kissed him right on his lips before flinging her arms around him and hugging him tightly.
He was shocked. But thinking that she had probably kissed him out of relief, he let it go.
He hugged her back, rubbing circles on her back, trying to soothe her.
"It's okay. I'm here. It's alright. I'm okay."
"But you mom said…."
"She was going to say that I was fine, but the call got disconnected before she could."
She started sobbing harder. When her tears finally subsided she said-
"I don't hate you."
"Neither do I" he replied, smiling a little.
"I'm sorry for teasing you about that girl."
"Actually I was talking to that girl to make you jealous." He said, sheepishly.
"Why?" she asked, surprised.
"Because I like you!" he said. "More than just friends."
Her heart skipped a beat.
And for the first time in the day she smiled.
"Good!" she said. "Because the feeling is mutual."
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The End.
Cricket
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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