Love From Both Sides

It's not lie

"Who has been tricked?"

All three of us looked in the direction of the voice and our eyes widened. Jen's parents were standing in front of the door. We got up from the coach scared. Fear was evident on all three of our faces.

"You look at us like we've caught your big secret," Jen's mother said as she entered the house.

"Mom and Dad, why did you come so soon? You were going to be late, weren't you?" Jen changed the topic with distraction

"Why? Didn't you like that we came?" Jen's mother questioned seriously.

"Not at all aunty, Jen said you will be late. So we thought we should spend the night here. Jen won't be alone and I will be with them." I spoke with the aim of stabilizing the atmosphere at home.

"You mean girl's night out? I don't think this should be your plan. The real reason is something else" Jen's mother moved her eyes to the bouquet on the table.

I followed her gaze and I closed my eyes in fear and took a deep breath. For now I had a little idea what was going on in her mind.

"Oh.. come on darling. We spoiled the plan of those poor girls. It's just that they're a bit rushed because they didn't expect us to come." Jen's dad spoke loosening his neck tie.

Then he took off his shoes and sat down. Jen brought them water to drink from the kitchen.

But Jen's mother was not ready for all this. She was staring at the three of us with folded hands.

Jen's dad spoke up again seeing the situation, " I think we should go to our bedroom. Come on, let's go to sleep. Girls enjoy your night! Good night."

"G.. Good Night... Uncle. Good night aunty..." Tina and I somehow managed to talk. But Jen's mom had her eye on the three of us.

We bowed our necks to her angry nudges until she disappeared up the very steps towards their room.

We breathed a sigh of relief when Aunty went to her room. Exhausted, we sat on the couch.

"It's good that aunty went to the room, otherwise it was time to catch my breath with her look."  Tina said crossing her arms over her chest.

Jen said seriously, "But Mom doesn't know what happened all of a sudden. She never talks so seriously."

Tina also sat thinking with Jen.

I spoke clearing their confusion, "If someone else's mother was in your mother's place, she would have reacted the same way."

Neither of them understood what I was saying. So I pointed to the bouquet on the table and a light went on in their heads.

"My mother saw that bouquet and thought that...."

"That bouquet is yours. Especially, someone gave you that bouquet"

"That is the reason why she reacted like this." Tina and I spoke, finishing Jen's sentences.

"Forget it! Now you tell us what happened next." Tina said excitedly.

"Tina, we're in tension over what to tell Jen's mom and here you want to hear what happened next!?" I said looking at her in disbelief

"Actually, I'm stressed about it too, but we don't mind listening to you, right?" Jen said teasing me.

"RIYA..... PLEASE!!!" Tina spoke.

"Ok, ok.... Listen"

************

Aditya and I were sitting opposite each other. Both of us were looking everywhere but didn't dare to look into each other's eyes.

My crush who I had a one sided love for. I should never have been in his sight. I never put myself in his sight. I couldn't believe that the person I used to see from afar was actually sitting right in front of me!

I was wondering if it was a dream or reality. Even knowing that this is reality. If the old Riya was in my place, she would have hit the sky but now I was more uncomfortable.

I was lost in my thoughts. But I came to reality when someone placed my favorite milkshake in front of me.

"For you" He looked at me and spoke with a smile on his face. I looked at him first and then at the milkshake he placed in front of me. I picked up the milkshake and started drinking it with a straw. Although I wasn't looking at him, I could feel his eyes on me.

"If you're done looking at me, will you bother to speak now?" I said looking down at my table.

He was taken aback by my words. and spoke clearing his throat, "look. I don't know what to say first and I don't even know where to start. Either you love me and I realized that too late. But time has not yet passed, we can still be together. So I think you and me..."

"wait a minute It doesn't matter what you are going to say and where you are going to start." I said interrupting him, "And I loved you. No, I had a one sided love for you which is no more. And what do you mean you realized that too late and we can still be together?" I asked him in disbelief.

"Riya. I know, You keep sneaking glances at me in college. You used to come to the college garden just to see me. Then how can you say that you don't love me. Was it all a lie?" 

He asked me with a sad look. At first I wondered how he knew all this. But it didn't matter to me now because my feelings for him were gone. I didn't feel anything about him anymore. So I wanted to end it all now. And had to end now because I wasn't going to keep this up much longer.

So I spoke, "NO. IT'S NOT LIE." I spoke loudly. But then I went near the railing to vent my anger. Again I took a deep breath and spoke, "It's true. I used to steal glances at you from a distance. When your eyes were on a book in the library, my eyes were on you. I used to come to the college garden just to see you. I used to see you and only you. But there is nothing like that now and it will never be...."

I was talking to him quietly. But while I was talking he suddenly got up and came near me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him and placed his finger on my lips. I passed out for a moment. He was talking to me without batting an eyelid. I was lost in his eyes for a moment but in reality I was disturbed by the distance between us. 

"Shh...Don't. Please don't say that. Because even though we don't have any relationship now, but we will definitely have a relationship in the future." When he finished speaking, he slowly removed his finger from my lips and waited for me to speak.

At first I was uncomfortable but now my cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. There were words to speak but no words came out of my mouth, I wanted to leave but my legs wouldn't move. I was angry with myself because seeing him so close made me breathless. Seeing my state, he smiled softly and let go of my hand. And I put both my hands on the railing and kept looking ahead. But my breathing became heavy again when he spoke next.

"I still remember the day when you sent that little boy just to know my name."

TO BE CONTINUED...

BY, KV'S DIARY...