The next day, Theo and Ronny meet at the nearby mall for lunch. Ronny orders a roasted chicken sub sandwich while Theo orders a beef hot dog, his all time favorite. Sitting at the table, Theo asks, "So how is your dad? He is probably gonna miss you a lot."
Ronny too, is a little reluctant to leave her dad all alone. She sadly says, "He is okay but I don't know for how long. I am gonna miss him too. By the way, I am gonna miss you too" and after a pause Ronny continues, "and also HOPE." Theo can see her pain and how helpless she is, through her eyes. Although she tries to behave normal, yet her pale eyes and hung head speak everything. During the entire conversation, Theo can only count the number of times Ronny mentions Hope's name. In every topic they discuss, nothing can stop Ronny from taking her love's name.
The same day, Hope's mom knocks at her door, "Love..please open the door..I want to talk to you." Hope reluctantly opens and asks, "What happened mom? Is there anything?" Her mom is still worried about her. She wants her daughter to step out of the house and breathe some fresh air. So she says, "I am going to the mall to buy some groceries. Will you accompany me? Your dad is busy. Don't say no. I want you to come with me. You can take it as an order." Hope is definitely not willing to go out anywhere, but since her mom insists her so much, she decides to go with her, forcefully.
In the mall, after they are done with shopping, Hope's mom asks her to go to the food court to grab some lunch. Hope agrees and they head towards the food court at the top most floor. While walking through the food stalls, Hope's gaze suddenly falls on Ronny and Theo sitting across, at a table. Seeing Ronny, her heart immediately skips a beat. She can feel a burning sensation in her chest, a lump of sadness in her heart that crunches her gut, ripping her apart. She had never experienced this kind of feeling before, even when she broke up with her boyfriend. There is something so strong about Ronny that she feels like hugging her right away.
Hope feels extremely uneasy standing there, looking at Ronny. She doesn't want herself to be seen, either. So she says to her mom, "Mom I am feeling really unwell. Please let's go home, right now." Her mom shocked at her sudden behaviour asks, "Oh God what's wrong with you Hope? Okay let's go but, atleast buy something to eat." Hope refuses to buy anything and forces her mom to head home. She finally leaves with her mom, not letting Ronny and Theo see her.
In the evening, Hope lies on the bed with a book in hand, thinking about Ronny and how she saw her at the mall and had this strong urge to go talk to her. She mouths the words, "I am not straight" for the first time in her life. She tries to feel the words and let the words sink in her mind. But she fails. She still can't accept the fact that being different is okay- that not being straight isn't a curse. As she is lost in her thoughts, battling with her heart, she hears a knock at the door. "Who's it?", asks Hope.
"Theo here. Will you please let me in?", says Theo. Theo has finally decided to speak to Hope, in favour of his best friend, Ronny. After meeting Ronny at the mall today, Theo realized that he should do his bit for their friendship, because the love he saw in Ronny's eyes for Hope was beyond imagination. He knows now, that he cannot surpass Ronny ever, when it comes to loving Hope. Hope's mom gets delighted to see Theo. She never knew the reason behind Theo and Hope's breakup. Yet both her parents like Theo. She sends Theo to Hope's room, upstairs , with a hope that her daughter might feel alright after seeing him. On hearing Theo's voice, Hope jumps out of her bed and opens it quickly. Theo enters and gives her a tight hug. This time, unlike other times, Hope too participates, giving him a warm hug, full of love.
She says, "I missed you Theo. I am sorry for whatever happened." Hope genuinely missed Theo after their break up. Because after withdrawing herself from Ronny, Theo was the only person who could comfort her. In fact, in the course of their relationship, Hope was starting to consider Theo a very good friend, if not a lover. Theo with a grin, says, "It's okay Hope. It wasn't anyone's fault. And I missed you too." He sits on Hope's bed making himself comfortable. He too, like Hope's mom can sense the sadness lingering in her room.
He then continues, "Hope, I am here to talk to you about Ronny. And let me finish first okay?" On hearing Ronny's name Hope can feel her stomach pulpating but anyways she nods at him and he continues, "Okay, so...emmm....Ronny came to my place yesterday to say sorry for whatever happened earlier and she explained to me about her feelings for you. Let me tell you one thing Hope. Ronny is in love with you and trust me, I saw that in her eyes." Hearing this, as usual, Hope wants to interrupt him and ask him to stop but Theo gestures her with his hand to stop and listen to him first.
Theo continues, "You know what, I always thought that I loved you the most and nobody could ever surpass that. But now, seeing Ronny's eyes full of love for you, I admit that I was wrong. Nobody can love you more than her. The usually chirpy, bold, funny Ronny has changed so much longing for you, that your absence in her life has made her quiet and depressed..emm..it seems that she has suddenly grown matured. I can sense the pain she is going through right now. She is leaving New York tomorrow for London by 7 AM flight..and listen don't misunderstand me. Ronny has not sent me here to talk to u...she doesn't even know that I have come to meet you" Theo takes a pause to look at Hope for her reaction, but Hope's face is blank as if she is trying to let things sink in.
Theo continues, "And, emm...I don't know about your feelings, but I am sure I could always sense it in your eyes, that somewhere deep down you missed Ronny a lot. So, if you too, love Ronny the same way, then there's nothing wrong in accepting it Hope. I am not pressurizing you in any way, but please don't hurt yourself and Ronny by doing this, by keeping quiet. Go talk to her and sort things out, like any matured girl would do."
Hope doesn't cry or nod or react at all. She is quiet. After a pause she says without any emotion, "Theo it's late I need to sleep, but thanks for coming down to see me. I really appreciate that."
Theo nods and leaves..He understood that she needs to be left alone, as it was too much to sink in.
YOU ARE READING
Hope Bound
General Fiction"Hope Bound" is a heart-warming story about three friends Hope, Ronny and Theo and with time how their relationship with each other takes a drastic turn giving us an insight to their hidden personalities.
