"Why do you even like me?" he asks as we settle on the third bench, the leaves forming a canopy over us.
"What?" I ask in confusion, placing a thigh above his.
"Why do you like me? Why me?" He reiterates, raising his eyebrows at me.
"Well," I start as he gives me an encouraging look.
I think of all the times he has called me beautiful when I felt like a mess. Or the time when I had been feeling so lonely that he accompanied me, and we randomly took a bus to Udupi. The thought of us screaming Golden Hour while walking flashes in my mind. Nobody before him, neither friends nor exes, ever tried to understand my family history and here he was- trying to see everything in my shoes. How do I explain that when we scream Golden Hour, I imagine us slowly dancing in the dark?
When everything falls apart, he keeps me in place. I never imagined that someone would encourage me to work more on a hobby that I was believed to suck at. I never thought my voice was pretty but the way he appreciated me just made me wanna sing more and more.
How do I explain that everything feels better when I am with him? He is part of the day I look forward to, and it is only because of him that the thought of tomorrow excites me. The tales of finding a guy version seemed out of reality for me, but when I found mine, I was beyond elated. I had hit a jackpot as my guy version also happened to be a gentleman.
He is the only one I can truly be myself with and how much ever I say that nobody else is as understanding and sweet as him, he laughs it off. I try telling him that his chivalry is a blessing for me, but he brushes it off saying that everyone does that.
No Ban, not everyone is as sweet as you.
His checkups on me, insisting I eat properly, dropping me off at my therapy sessions, running silly errands with me, walking all the way to collect my parcels because I'm busy, listening to me babble for hours on end, enduring my mood swings, hugging me as I cry, surprising me with the bars of dark chocolates- why would he ask me why I like him?
Coming a day early to surprise me at the bus stop, joining Pinterest as I wanted him to, listening to cringe love songs that I ask him to- how much sweeter can a person get?
Moreover, how do I explain the gleam in his eyes that I absolutely adore when he gets excited?
He is not the guy I dreamt of- he is much more than that, so how do I answer his question when I know his modesty would not allow him to believe me?
"Well?" he asks again, still waiting for an answer.
I face him, my mind racing as I try to think of a way to make him believe me.
