THE EXCHANGE

-NIHAR GOLWALA

It all started with an ardant request. 'Can I have your number?' I asked to a girl. The girl was one who took breath, minds and many more things of mine away from me. Probably whole of me was taken aback. But question stands why? The answer is- come on she was like the prettiest girl in my class. I was a guy who happened to be a nerd but was on a lanky and tempestous road of transformation into a stud who entered into his college with a dream to be hit by a sweet cupidity. Yes it was happening. The first day of my college brought with it bigger surprises than I had supposed to see. At first struck by sheer disappointment of not having a single beautiful girl, saw me going into a trench full of disjoy, frustration and agony. And than I saw a magic infront of my traumatized yet eager eyes.

She enters, she enters in a subtle attire. Her attire had a quotient of simplicity. The quotient that left no dividends in me, apart from a remainder that had in it a memoir of her elegance. I stayed baffled, and time passed against my desire to see her coming in my sight. Nothing seemed happening. And slowly in the most disappointed terms I gradually gave upon the thought of ever getting a chance to have a talk with her. She from far seemed to be a quite and reserved, one who rarely turned up into lectures, who hardly talked much to boys and most importantly the one who had probably never given an eye to my being. Days passed by, I stopped stopping for a sight at her and suddenly after two and a half more months of sharing the same classroom something happened. Something that on any other day would have been no more than nothing. But this something was very special to me. We happened to be in a common team of four for a competition. No doubt the competition was a greater disaster than it should have been. But the midways of it brought to me a chance to share a talk with her. The words were less, sentences were short and time was equal to null. But for me it was priceless. And that was the day I said it... I rather asked... "Can I have your number Jennet?"... she said "probably yes Edwin". And with the number came more than a month of opening her messenger account every single night, and staring at what was displayed as her introduction picture. It was the assignment submission season. It was than, that I saw a chance to grab a conversation with her.

"Hey Jennet, do you have any credentials about the assignments -Regards Ed (Classmate: Birmingham Kings Park University)". This was the first message I sent to her, though the assignment was never a concern because I was intelligent enough to solve assignments. But my motive was to just come into her recognition. She replied "No Edwin". The conversation could have broke at that very moment but I didn't want it to happen. I gathered courage to spark the blowing off conversation. And it started. It started to end after more than 3 hours. In these few hours I had probably opened the complete person in me to her, though in return her replies were quite monotonous. Still that never mattered to me much. Atlast what else do you want when you get a chance to share so long time on virtual space with a girl whom you always wanted to talk. I assumed her to be a big introvert but to my amazement she entertained me quite a bit. Days passed with hello and goodnight greets across our phones but there happened nothing special immediately, rather she only started noticing me and my feelings after a month and half more of talking over phone. And than came that special night when I told what I felt about her, strangely she only reacted to be on a positive notion. She started trusting me, but other side of her saw a great mess in her love life, which though ended a quarter of an year back but did not stop bothering her. That was the time she found just me to open up her agony to. And hands down I was always a patient listener and a great person to share problems with. Fortunately my actions happened to be very calm and comforting that did nothing else but to increase her faith in me plumbs deep and evetually taking our friendship into that of best friends. Days passed by, and than the night of my best friend Xavier's birthday arrived. The day was full on fun, frawl and importantly alcohol. I was actually on fire. And that night was so crazy that I told Jennet each and every bit of what my heart and soul felt for her. Though I did not call Jennet out into a relationship. It was certainly good of me not to ask her to be my girlfriend or ask her to be a part of my soul for rest of the life. It was good because probably I had to wait until she was cured from the ravages of her last relationship. But she was getting healed. She was getting healed with my talks, my jokes and most importantly the disguised love I showered upon her. But this healing treatment had a strange quick pace in it. She had started liking me. And sooner than I expected did she even fall for me. Now was the time that both of us were hit by the cutest cupidity that could have happened. But we both were so very much dumb to understand each others love. And than there was this big party that Xavier gave in joy of his newly built mansion. Yet again a day full of alcohol, and for me a day full of Jennet. Strangely my crazy crush consumed a lot of alcohol than the doctor ordered. She was on a hit, but to my benefit for the first time did she confess her love for me. Her confession was so sweet that I still have it's memories fringing infront of my love struck eyes.

As a fairytale orders she held a vodka bottle to use it as a mic and suddenly bursted out saying "hey you Mr. Nerd, yes you Mr. Ed or Edwin, whoever you are I don't care with your name but boy what have you got in yourself. You dog you are a complete hypnotizer, you changed my minds... you made me fall in love, you made me fall in love with you. You dog I promised myself to never ever fall in love again, but shit it happened. I feel like hell's gate is pulling me when you stay away from my sight for long. Dude I don't know anything else except from the fact that I love you loads. Now either you drop me home in this drunk state or else do whatever you want." And with this she bursted out into tears, tears of shyness and even a bit of embarassment. With this my feet knew nothing but to roll and run towards her. I held her to do nothing else but to look into her eyes that were wet and whisper, whisper gently "Jennet I love you too. Please be mine forever." And I smiled into her eyes saying these words. The party ended and I took her to my car and placed her on the seat next to driver's seat as the most precious treasure of mine. I just kept holding her hand and drive. Her home was there, she dropped down of the car and went in to fall into sleep of love. Love that was just for me, love that just revolved around me and just counted about and upon me. I feel I am the luckiest person to be loved by her, and frankly I neither wanna make love with her or love her body. All I want is to just feel that sublime love in her eyes. All I want is to be loved by her, and spend each day with her as it comes by, without thinking and worrying much about the tomorrows or the day afters or even the next years.

Our story started with exchanging our number but who knew we would end it with exchanging our heart, neither did Jennet thought nor did I, but yes deep down I wanted it to happen.