Love is forever...

Chapter 2

Two weeks passed by in a jiffy. The more Aditya tried to get close to Amaya, the farther she moved away. On the other hand, Amaya's life became chaotic with Rhea moving in with her in her room. She started spending more time outside her room. Someday she spent her evenings studying in one secluded corner of the library, on others she found a spot for herself in one corner of the hostel compound. She was nowhere to be seen during the lunches and breaks. Rhea had made her life difficult. Evading the bullying during the day was still manageable but there was no escape during the night. Her only driving force to go through her day was the thought of finding a good job and becoming independent.

Aditya was losing patience. Never in his life, did he have to chase anything. He got whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. And this game of shadows made Amaya irresistible for him. His desire to get close to her was driving him crazy. He spent his time away from his friends, trying to find Amaya. But his restlessness grew by seconds. So, against his better judgement he thought of penning his feelings down and sharing with Amaya. Completely unsure of the outcome, he escaped his friends and went to the farthest corner of the library. He sat down, still unsure of the idea of a letter. Lost in the thoughts of how to best express his feelings in words, he dropped his pen. When he bent to pick it up, he was in for a surprise. Just two tables away, Amaya was sitting under the table with her books. He couldn't help but smile. On realising she was caught, she gasped for air in shock, opening her mouth wide, but quickly covered it. Her expressions went from that of shock to, guilt, to fear. She looked at Aditya and without uttering a word, signalled him to not speak of it. Aditya was amused and assured her his silence with a nod. She dived back into her books but Aditya was lost in her. He had not expected to be writing a letter for her while sitting in front of her.

Aditya was in complete loss of words. He so desperately wanted to pen his thoughts but had no clue how to do it and what to write. He kept staring at her, smiling all the while. She buried her head in the books fully aware of the eyes staring at her. "Stop staring at me please." She shrugged at him. "Alright. But if I may ask, why are you sitting under the table?" They were having an actual conversation. "Your girlfriend doesn't let me live in peace." His smile faded at the mention of Rhea as his girlfriend, that too by the girl he likes. "I told you; she is my ex-girlfriend." He did not want to be rude, but his voice was stern. "Sorry. I know. I am sorry. But you know, she is everywhere now. She is in my room when I wake up, she is in the class and then again in the room when I am back. I have become a refugee now, finding refuge here and there." Amaya vented her frustration. Speaking to Aditya somehow felt easier.

"I did not realise; it was this bad." He felt bad for her. "It was bad before. Now its worst." She banged her head against her book and continued, "That day, she followed me to the library and tore the book I was reading. I had to pay a fine with the money I don't even have. She has either coloured or punctured hole in all my clothes. Hey, that reminds me, thank you for helping me that day. And I still have your pullover. I am not getting a chance to wash it. 'Rhea terror' you know." Aditya was mesmerised by her voice but the moment she mentioned about washing his pullover, he came out of his trance state. "Absolutely not. No washing. You just give it back to me. I don't want you to wash it. Please." Amaya was a little taken aback. "Sure. I did not know you were very specific about washing your clothes. I would have used a good soap." She teased him.

"Yeah. Sorry. No. Just don't wash it." He had been hoping to wear the pullover that she had worn, in the same state, hoping it would be reminiscent of her. She smiled at him. He couldn't contain his excitement. He was smiling and so was she. And it quickly occurred to him what he wanted to write in his note to her. His little love note was quickly done. He spent the rest of the evening on his phone waiting for her to be done. He even managed to get a picture of her.