Crushed: A Midnight Summer Fling

Crushed

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He left me and now all that remains is crumpled hopes and a crushed piece of my heart.

It all began during my college days. Pathetic, I know. He used to be in my Chemistry classes, and no matter how distraught the subject made me feel, he was the only reason that made me look forward to attend them. But what still surprises me is that out of all 67 guys in the entire section, why did my heart have to choose him? Despite knowing about his heartbreaking past, his mentality and his preferences, that opposed mine, my hopeless heart yet beat the tune to his presence. How did I know? It just happened. During one of our classes, the seating arrangements were haphazard for some reason which I fail to recall after six long years. His seat happened to be in the first row, right in front of my line of vision, thus obscuring my view of the board. I was seated in the last row. All it took was a tiny fraction of a second; a fraction that took away a portion of my heart. He was looking up at the board, seated beside his best friend, when the shadows crafted by the half-tinted windows began playing on his features. His hair - oh, his hair. I have forever longed to brush my fingertips along every soft chestnut lock of his hair. How I wished to replace his hands each time he ran them through his hair out of habit. But my woeful thoughts brewed inside me for the last seven years.

And only a chance encounter was all it took to reverse my fate. Whoever saw that coming?

***

"Okay mom, I'll be back home before 11 PM. Don't worry. Yeah. Bye. Love you too."

Was I delusional this whole time about my entering the Tweens finally putting a stop to my parents' worries? I'm 24 for goodness' sake! Perks of being an only child.
Well, time to get started on my lonesome window-shopping. It isn't as though I have anyone to tag along with me. Might as well get an ice-cream first.

"Hello! What would you like to have today?"

"Hi. Could I have the cookies n' cream flavoured one, please?"

"Alright, one cookies n' cream for the lady. Anything else you'd like for the topping?"

"No, thanks."

"Here you go. Enjoy your ice-cream!"

Enjoying my ice-cream never was meant to happen.

"Marlene? Is that you?"

There in front of me, in a Captain America t-shirt, stood he. What's more, he was right behind me all this time, next in line at the ice-cream parlour.

Time to bring out the 'just-friends' façade.

"Oh my God. Harry! Look at you, all grown up and everything."

"Will you ever stop teasing me about my height?"

"Hey, I wasn't teasing this time! You did grow taller. But your physique is still lacking in that area, tch tch."

"And here I was under the impression that friends are supposed to hug their first meeting out after all these years of separation."

My God. Hugging is the farthest thing I want to do right now. If I come anywhere close in contact with him, God help my meltdown right on the spot.

"Nope. Friends are supposed to point out each other's noticeable differences after all these years of separation."

"Really? Okay, let me do the same then. Hmm, let's see."

I hope his close inspection of my face doesn't decode the reason behind my flushed skin.

"Other than a little glow in your face and - wait, you've shed some weight, haven't you?"