A Long, Long Time|KR OS|Kria's Return

A long, long time
KR OS

It had been a long, long time.

Since his heart beat was this fast. It was like he could feel his veins pumping under his skin- the way his heart pounded loud and clear in his chest, as he waited for her to speak.

The night was silent. He could no longer hear anything, but his own breathing, and faintly hers, as they drank in each other. Her eyes gleamed, shined against the lights of the basketball court. Those big, beautiful beady eyes that gazed at him with an emotion he was no longer afraid to give a name to, made him all the more anxious.

She's back. Finally.

This time, he was not hallucinating. She was just so- Real, so beautiful, like she ever was...and his heart ached at the thought that she might say No. That she might say that she hated him. But, somewhere down he knew, that he deserved it. He deserved every bit of her hatred.

A small part of his mind battled against the dominant part in the muted silence of the night.

Damn it, why the hell isn't she saying anything?

It was after 11 freaking days of complete hell, that she had returned. He wanted to hear her voice. After everything they'd been through, after the continuous one-sided conversations that he had heard with her phone calls to Sharon and Swayam (None to him), he wanted to hear his voice so much that it hurt. After the almost confirmed news that they had lost the affiliation, and that she wasn't coming back...he just wanted to hold her and never let her go.

But both of them knew why they were silent. His feet were rooted to the ground, tensed in anticipation of her answer, as she continued to gaze at him.

And he couldn't help but replay the scene for the hundredth time in his head.

"Rey..."

"Swayam, please. If you say that she's busy, I would also like you to explain how she's busy only when the time comes to talk to me? No calls, no messages, no emails for me...but for you guys, regular calls? Why? Do I mean nothing to her?"

His best friend was silent for a while. He looked up at him, and the latter sighed.

"Rey, it's because you mean more to her than anyone else of us does."

"What?"

Swayam smiled wryly, "You don't know, really? Haven't you still figured it out?"

He looked away, not wanting to answer. Of course he had figured it out. It wasn't that difficult to admit it to himself than it was to hide it from the others. He Loved her. When had he stopped?

He stalked away from the locker room, and noted with surprise and gratitude that Swayam didn't stop him. His head was throbbing so hard, it felt as if it would burst any moment. It was a way, to keep his mouth shut and let his mind scream to all glory- everything he felt, everything he wanted to say but couldn't, every bit of her memories that hurt.

He mechanically gulped down the coffee he'd ordered, burning his tongue in the process- trying to quench his dry throat, and to somehow ease his throbbing head.

His mind was racing with anxiety when he swallowed the last sip, and kept the cup on the table. He knew exactly what he had to do.

He got up abruptly from his chair and walked away from the canteen, not bothering to heed to Sharon's voice calling him. It was now or never. He didn't stop walking till he had reached the basketball court. As he sat on the concrete benches outside the court, he did not wait another second before pulling out his phone.

He didn't know if it'd work. He didn't know if it was right. He just had to do it. Once.

With almost shaking hands, he dialled he number. Her phone was switched off- and he faintly wondered what time it was in New York. Frankly, he didn't care. She wouldn't have picked his call anyway. The call switched to voice mail.

"Hi, this is Kria...I'm not available right now, so please leave a message...Thanks!", said her cheerful voice, which he was dying to hear.

After the beep, he took a deep breath.

"Kria...Hi. It's me. I just- I know that you don't want to talk to me, and I also know that it's fair, but there is something I wanted to say, but couldn't. I shouldn't have waited this long...and I can't hide it anymore...", he paused, "Please, please don't delete this message. No matter how much you hate me, just...please, hear me out."

"...When I said that I wanted to be friends with you, I was battling my own feelings. I did not want to get hurt again. I was scared, but now, all I think is...the way I feel after you left, it's worse than any heartbreak. I took a long time but...Kria, I Love You. I really do. And I miss you. Please, please come back. Please...", his voice cracked, and he hung up immediately, not being able to speak anymore.

The message he had sent was 2 days old now, laying undeleted in her inbox. And he had no freaking idea what it did to him. Or maybe he had, since she was standing in front of him now, in pitch darkness of the night, only illuminated by the street lights and the lights of the basketball court, silent.

After what seemed like eternity, tears swam in her brown eyes and she whispered, "I'm back, Rey."

He didn't know what made him do what he did the next moment. But he was glad that he had held out his arms, for she ran into them without hesitation, and sank deeper into his chest as he held her tighter.

"I love you too Rey...", he heard her murmur, her voice almost inaudible.

He felt her tears on his shirt, and did not stop his own as they ran uninterrupted down his cheeks.

He felt alive, more than anything else.

After a long, long time.

******

Please leave your views! Thanks! :D

And also, please please pray for me that my exam goes well tomorrow (This is kind of selfish on my part, but I can't resist asking)

Love,

Maitree.

My Other Oneshots on KR here :

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3852063