Chapter 18

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5 November, 2003

It was hard to believe that it was an year already.  We literally went from  being two egoistic friends rubbing off false reputation on each other's faces, to becoming these independent individuals, fighting against our problems on our own, having each other's backs despite every difficulty we encountered on our way and celebrating our lives by cheering up on one another, whenever one of us slacked behind.

I  won't really say we are co-dependants, we surely weren't one of those couples who used to act like parasites gaining nutrition from their partners, or the quite, blushy ones, or the partner in crimes ones...Naah, We were unique just like all of these couples were. I now realise how desperately I had been waiting for this day to come into existence. We have come so far, since we met each other for the first time. Learnt so many important lessons, together and apart, had so much fun along the way, made so many memories and fun stories to share with others. Laughed and goofed around, fought and cried as well....and here we are, one year later, standing stronger than ever.

We weren't perfect. Far from it, actually. But in reality there is no 'perfect' for me. Me having him by my side, is what I would call 'perfect to me'. Funny story, we had actually never properly proposed each other.

Be it the direct, "hey, I think I like you. Would you want to see where this goes?"

*punctuated with a Colgate smile*

or the flirty, dropping hints, "Hey wanna grab coffee later?"

*Punctuated with a wink of the eye*

Or the random 1a.m. text messages, sent out of impulse, "hey, I think we have a lot in common, do you mind me taking you out?"

*proceeds to go underground for a week*

and then comes the all time classic. "I love you", followed by a full length speech and happy tears and full on cheese to be honest.

We  never really did that....it all really started with us being best friends, living true to the motto of,  'if you fall on the ground I'll laugh rather than picking you up'.

So, I decided to ask him out that day.

A girl trying to propose a guy? Not an everyday event, but I don't mind. He deserves all kinds of pampering.

It was a thing romanticised in our high school years. A guy should go out of the way to propose the girl of her dreams and send her flowers and compliment her and bla bla bla, while the girl would just stand there looking pretty.

What if I want to be the one asking a guy out. I know what I want, and I want to be the one deciding what people I want to associate myself...why does it have to be so complicated? Screw that,  I can make decisions for me, thankyou very much. Ugh, modern dating was clearly not my cup of tea. Girls deserve to be treated like queens by their husbands or boyfriends, true.

But here the thing is that everyone deserves to be treated special  regardless of their gender...if I make efforts, you gotta make efforts too..if I walk a mile you meet me halfway, that's called balance.

If girls have to be treated like queens, men deserve to be treated like kings, too. I don't care what anyone says.

Anyways, jumping on to my plan for the one year anniversary, I had a childhood friend Rowan.

I need to mention  how she  had a set of popping teeth since we were young. Once our English teacher had told her not to laugh with her open mouth as her teeth would fall on the desk. But that made her laugh even more. She really didn't get offended easily and she had a 'meme face' . Her face did things you'd usually see in a meme. "Yea, it is what it is people, move on" is what she'd say with a resting bitch face and then burst out laughing.

She had been my friend ever since I was in Senior kindergarten. She had  small cute hands. I remember her having an occasional running nose..."Seasonal change, always gets my system runny" she'd always say. Her  handkerchief was always fisted in her tiny hands, she had  a fragile body...and a fragile mind. She was a multi- talented student, the sort that is hated by the backbenchers of the class, though she herself became one of the backbenchers on reaching the Senior secondary school. Yep, I was a good influence on her.

We were still the bestest of buddies, our thought processing matched. The fact that how we met is yet another true story?.. which is embarrassing to explain. So i'mma skip that out.

Jumping on the sofa set, I dialled her number.

She never picks up my call in the first bell. She is either sleeping and her cell phone is lost.... somewhere around the house.

I dialled her number again, hoping her to pick up the call.

"I am planning to propose him tomorrow." I was chewing on my finger nails...a nervous tick....waiting on what she has to say on that.

"WHATT??!!. I don't care if you are inviting me or not, but I am coming there tomorrow, I'll be hyping you up and recording every single bit of it. Damn!! Tell me the fooking plan." She sniggered, as if she is the one going to propose Ivaan. She is always over excited. I don't mind though.

"Okay then, he has called me up for the party at his friends house...".

"Margon's?" She inquired before letting me finish my sentence. She always does that.

"Yes Margon's house, but I am not planning to propose him there. I'll be meeting him at the lakeside, and get down on my knees as soon as the sun makes it's appearance known, into the twilight sky...and ask him out. How's the idea?" I asked, enthusiastically.

"Such a hopeless romantic you are. Anyways, better than writing and singing him an entire full length song."

*Pause*

"Also... Wait? What time? Morning? You know I am a night person??  Oh come on, Shift the timing.. you could do it at midnight...would be romantic as hell, imagine kissing him in the moonlit sky! I won't mind  coming and filming it for you. Pweaaase." She begged sounding as strange as she is.

"No, that's not even an option. You are coming tomorrow, I don't know, I don't care how. Do you get it?"

"Okay fine. Now tell me what do I have to bring for you?" Sounding like a wounded pup.

"Umm.. Bring some chocolates, bring some dark ones, he loves them. Proposing him with a rose will be cringe I guess, plus he doesn't like roses. Will a sunflower work?" I said earning  a pause on the other line, and then she bursts out laughing...as the typical overly extroverted introvert person that she is.

She calms down a little and continues, "Okay well. You are wierd and so is your boyfriend. Go to hell, I'll see you tomorrow." She said and disconnected the call. I don't know what would I do without her.

So now, it's time for me to take a nap, I don't want any dark circles tomorrow. I want to look beautiful, and not like a raccoon.

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