The girl who made my life heaven and hell like

Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

I took Kiran to her favorite ice-cream parlor. How much I missed her no one knows; not even herself. I always lacked the quality of being expressive. When I was accused of playing games with heart of so many girls, Kiran was the only soul to stand by me. Rumors fanned out to an extent of how I even got some pregnant, but mercilessly dumped them, taking no responsibility. I began to hate girls and lose trust in guys, whom I thought were my friends - friends who never bothered to get involved. Kiran - I did not want her to jump into this shit with me. I did not want anybody to ruin her character too, just because she stayed with me. I distanced myself from her, but this selfish heart always craved for her. 

"Which world did you escape into?" Kiran asked, breaking my reverie.

"Oh, you already placed the order!", I said. I did not want to dig into the past and ruin my precious minutes with her. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Ya I did. And for u too, your usual, Butterscotch with dried nuts topping." Kiran replied with a quizzical look. "Is there anything bothering you Varun?"

"Nothing sweetie. Just a blank buzz. Chuck it." I said and looked for a topic to distract her, when she herself picked one.

"Varun, I wanted to tell you something; before u hear it from someone else", Kiran said with an unmistakable hesitation in her voice.

I did not ask 'what is it', but continued to look at her. She refused to catch my eyes, which meant, she thought I was going to be hurt. And I was scared of getting hurt. So, I waited for her to talk.

"You know Vijay, right? Vijay Anand, our batch mate? He, well, proposed to me", said Kiran.

Huh, is that all? "Kiran, why did you scare me for? I was afraid it was a bad news. He is a nice guy and also a good friend of yours. So, it is sure a glad news. When did this happen? You did not even message me about this."

"It was some two weeks back. I was waiting to tell u in person. Glad you made it happen today. So, you ok with this?" asked Kiran, still dubious.

"Come on, what is it for me in this, you silly. You chose a nice guy, so I have no complaints" I assured her and she finally looked up at me and smiled.

I returned home satisfied of having spent a quality time with Kiran. I chatted with mom for some time, and got back to my business, once again burying myself in my project development.

Weeks that followed were quite hectic. I had my project reviews, symposium activities and worst of all, exams. It was so hectic that I almost forgot Kiran's birthday. I managed to pick a last minute gift. She always liked teddy bears, so picking a gift in last minute was not a tough job when it came to Kiran.

There were only three weeks left for symposium, that I left to college early and returned home late of late. Mom was not happy about this. Fortnight meetings changed to every day meeting, which really helped. Things were falling into places slowly and the big picture was beginning to get a shape. I came across Pia often, wherever I went; she smiled whenever she saw me.

Finally, the D-Day arrived. Also, the thing I had been dreading the most - Welcome speech and Walkthrough by the President. Butterflies started to perform in my stomach. I would be looking like a dumbass in front of the whole crowd, if I ruined the speech. I kept vigil at the door for Kiran - I wanted a moral support. On one such moment, I saw Pia enter the auditorium. She was looking bright and dashing in a purple saree. She gave an equally bright smile, the minute she saw me on the podium, and sat right in front of me. She had eyes only for me, with that perfect smile still in place. That smile drove away my jitters magically and replaced it with a warm smile on my face. I began my speech with confidence and eyes set on her; only her.