An-EXIT

CHAPTER 24 (ENTRY OF A NOT-SO UNKNOWN)

AHAANA

Holidays are beginning tomorrow, and my overly excited friends were not able to control their happiness. I feel happy when people around me flow in their own happiness. It's like.... the most beautiful feeling ever, but when it comes to their priority list, 'romantic love' excels at the top.

If you'll ask me "What does love mean to you?", then I'll end up thinking for the whole day and night. Difficult, way too difficult. In movies, it is portrayed as the significance of life, as the crown for a woman and support for a man. But does it really happen in real life? That feeling, the little tickle in the stomach when you see your special person, does that really exist? Butterflies? Do they really emerge?

Mitansh and Inayat are known for their strong and supportive bond in the whole university. I do agree with them, they look good together, but....not happy together. It would be a lie if I say that they don't have their fanclubs. Seriously, students ship them with their whole heart.

I've seen many videos of them on our unofficial social media accounts. People always try to justify and say things like, "Mitansh was not trying to distance himself from Inayat, he just doesn't prefer PDA." But even in the videos that are taken secretly, they stay the same. Their actions, their behavior towards each other stays the same. I find no difference though their fans can kill to justify and defend their love. Is this what we call 'Love'?

Arushi doesn't believe in these concepts of first love or Love at first sight, whereas Moorna falls in love every other second. But on an actual note, what does love actually mean?

.

I stood up from my bed and walked towards the window. Like always, I was the first one in the room, who woke up early in the morning. It's been a year, and both of my roomies now have settled with the fact of me welcoming their strong sleep with light from the window. I sat near the window sill, waiting for the sun to rise. Do I even sleep? Maybe........ I can't answer that question.

It was 4:30 in the morning. A common stretch of darkness was spreaded all across the streets. Silence, silence was the only thing I wanted to avoid at that time. I hate silence, it suffocates me. I like noises, sounds in the background. Though not too loud but soft and low. In silence, I can't stop but think about random things, all taking me to the same lane. Same situation. Same past and Same memories.

I rubbed my eyes and stood up to open the other half of the curtains. I stretched my arm to push the curtain to the end. Suddenly my focus fell outside the window. The sky looked beautiful. The clouds looked white and fluffy in the dark sky. The stars were bidding the goodbye as soon they would be lost in the light. I placed my palm on the sill and was about to sit back at my place when I saw someone standing at our PG's gate. The main gate was somewhat visible from our window, as our room was in the front section of the building on the first floor.

As dim light coming from the lamp post was the only source of light, the person standing wasn't quite visible. His head and his face were partially covered by the hood. A small reflector logo was printed on the top left chest area of his jacket. It reflected light whenever the light of the street lamp fell on it. 'The logo, I think I've seen it before. Maybe on someone's jacket. But whose?', I thought. I tried to look outside through the window to see if he's alone or accompanied by a group but instead, he saw me. I quickly pulled the curtains close and stood behind it. My heartbeat rose and ust within a second a pebble hit my window. Instead of looking outside I looked at Arushi. She was asleep, covered in a warm blanket, unknown to the fact that I wanted her help so bad.

But the moment I heard "Ahaana!", my eyes widened and my hands started sweating. 'What's happening? Yesterday Mitansh and today, this creepy stranger!' How does he even know my name?