Revelations of the Heart

CHAPTER 8

When we arrived at his house, it was already midnight. He opened the door with a loud, stamping sound—a habit of his. Whenever he enters a room, it feels as though he is about to raid it. It is rather annoying, to be honest. As we stepped inside, I was struck by its beauty. Unlike the large mansion, this house bore personal touches: numerous pictures of Kunal, wind chimes, paintings, and quotes adorning the walls.

Kunal informed me that the room in the right corner was mine, and he then retired to his own room without uttering another word. Eager to explore, I began by examining his photographs. He had been an adorable baby. Everything was going smoothly until I came across one of his college pictures, and I was taken aback. I could hardly believe my eyes. How had I not recognized him after all this time? It was undoubtedly the same person. Though he had never explained the reason behind our marriage, I was certain it was connected to the past. Perhaps I had never looked at him long enough to recognize him before, but this was simply unbelievable.

In a hurried state, I carried my suitcases to my room and began unpacking, eager to find my journal. I have been journaling since childhood, and I could not leave my journals at home for fear that Ruhi might read them. Thus, I packed them all—six in total. I quickly searched for the one I had during my sophomore year. When I found it, my hands trembled as I opened it. I flipped through the pages until I found that particular entry.
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Hi Toto,

You know, being a sophomore is really fun, but it's even more fun when you have a crush during your sophomore year. Yes, you guessed it right. I have a crush on this really cute guy who also rides our college bus. I saw him on my first ride, and since that day, he always catches my attention, no matter how many people are around. I really want to talk to him; he sits on the seat in front of me. These feelings made me realise that I have a crush on him. I'm not planning to do anything about it, but it's just so much fun seeing him.
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Hi Toto,

It's getting serious now. It started getting serious the day we shared the same seat, and I just couldn't control my heartbeats. That day, I took a close look at him. He's tall and muscular, always listening to music. He has big brown eyes, and I want to drown in them. The best part is his voice, which I heard when he was talking to his friends. Our hands touched a few times, but he paid no attention to it, while my heart raced so fast after that. I can't even describe in words what I feel about him. His smile makes my heart melt, and I fear there will come a day when I will never see him again.

During the entire ride, he laughs, talks, and tells jokes to his friends. Sometimes he sings along to the lyrics of the song he's listening to. One day, I even saw him studying in the bus—perhaps he had a test that day.
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Hi Toto,

You would not believe what happened today! I’m so happy—I can’t stop replaying the moment in my mind. So, when I got on the bus, someone was sitting in my usual seat, so I had to stand. His stop is just after mine, and when he got on, he came and stood beside me. After a while, a pair of seats became available, and he went to sit on one. The other one was empty, but I was hesitant to take it. Then, he said, “You can sit here; no one is sitting here actually.”

I looked at him to make sure he was talking to me, and it was true. He was looking into my eyes, waiting for me to respond. After carefully forming a sentence in my mind, I said, “Thank you so much, I would love to.” I sat next to him, and then he asked, “Are you in your senior year?” I wasn’t expecting this question, but I quickly replied, “No! I’m a sophomore. You?” hoping to continue the conversation.