Ilimitado Amor

Bro-Zoned

Priya called me aside. She hesitated at first, but then spoke, "Dhruv, I have always taken you as my elder brother. I trust you, that's why I am telling this to you...".I asked her to carry on. She hesitated, but then spoke up, "Dhruv, you and Rohit, have always helped me. You have always been as a support for me. I always thanked god to give me such wonderful 'brothers'." I understood, what she meant.

She continued, "I never had any emotion of that kind for Rohit." I understood what she meant. "I don't want to fall in any sort of love at least for now. Tell him, that we are still best friends, and I always trust him for any kind of support and will continue to do so. Tell him, that I am sorry, but he is like a brother to me..."

I thought, "Once bro-zoned, it's very hard to come out of it."

I was in a problem. How could I tell Rohit, what did Priya tell me. Both were standing on the same plank, but at the opposite ends. They had completely different emotions for each other.

Bro-Zone. Once a boy falls in this category, it is next to impossible for him to come up to a position, where love is present on one side and brotherhood on the other.

Priya, just gave one reason of not accepting him as a lover. "He is like a brother to me." This was the monotonous-cacophony message, which was ready-to-fire, whenever someone asked about her relations with Rohit.

He was hurt. Rohit was the best-boy, Priya could get. Her biggest mistake was loving a boy, who just wanted to use her and rejecting a boy, who would do anything to protect her and keep her happy. She acted or perhaps was too immature for this...

Rohit was broke. It is obvious. But the good thing was, that he moved on quickly. He accepted the truth and decided to accept the hard truth, and move on. But till date, Rohit does love Priya. Though far from him, Priya always had and always will have a special place in Rohit's heart.

Meanwhile, Viraj returns from his home. I had ordered a crescent-shaped, glow-in-the-dark necklace from him. I had told him to get it after Diwali, but he bought it after New-Year. And the irony was that, the necklace was ordered for Annandi, but now, it would go to Sonia. This was the perfect irony, which was created through a passage of time.

When I took the necklace, from Viraj, I said, "I'll give this necklace to Annan... Sorry, Sonia." I hung my head. Viraj patted me and said, "It happens." I truly felt like crying. I did say 'Yes' to Sonia, but deep inside, I still loved Annandi, and those feelings, will stay with me throught the journey of my life.

I cried. I cried a lot. I realized when you truly love someone, it's impossible to eradicate feelings for them. However hard we try, however hard we cry, we even if we wanted to, can't put/see them in trouble or pain.

My some friends, did tell me, "We'll tease you in front of Annandi by Sonia's name. Let's see her reaction... ", but I denied. Still one day, they executed the plan. I was walking along with them. Annandi was walking beside Shubhangi. My friends' Umar, Rohit and Suraj started shouting, "Oh ho Dhruv! We heard that you have found someone better than Annandi..."

At that very moment, Annandi's face turned gloomy. Her face changed colours, as if going through a book of patterns, before post-time. She suddenly fell silent. The whole day, the same monotonous expression remained on her face. Umar narrated the whole story to me.

I sat down, pondering, "Does Annandi love me or not?" It was truly confusing. The following Sunday, Sid, Rohit, Anushka and I, went to the tuck-shop together. Annandi, was also present with Shubhangi. There was an odd expression on Anushka's and Sid's face.

I was sitting, a bit far from them. They called me. Anushka told, "Dhruv, Annandi is calling you. She wants to talk to you. " I replied, "No! I won't go." Anushka then told me, "Dhruv, you can't deny anybody like this. And whenever you have called her, she has always come, without being cranky about it."

Well, that was true. Whenever I called her, she always came, without being annoyed. I thought, 'If she has called me there must be a reason, so I should go.'

I went up to her and asked, "Annandi, did you call me?" With a cute expression and a sweet, she said, "I think you are mistaken. I haven't called you." I replied, "Oh! I am sorry Annandi." She smiled and replied "It's ok." My god! That cuteness, she showcased over there got me, wanting to fall for her love again and again. I still remember, that innocent face, the cute expression, the sweet voice. I remember it distinctly. For sure, it was humiliating. It was later, when I got acquainted with the fact, that the whole act was planned that to with Annandi...