Chapter 9
“Why do you look so pissed?” John asked.
“Cos there is a hot law prof who’s visiting the campus and my girlfriend is drooling over him!” said Damien.
“Mr. J” teased John.
“I’m not being jealous!” snapped Damien.
“Of course you are! You are jealous of some prof who’s twice her age and isn’t going to stick around that long!”
“So you’re saying that I have no reason to worry?”
“Yes. You have no reason to worry. He’s probably her temporary crush. She’ll be back with you the moment he leaves.”
Damien managed a smile.
“Anyways, why don’t we go and see him?”
“Really? You want to see him? You have a boyfriend!”
“I know that. But there’s no harm in checking this hot prof out!”
Damien nodded reluctantly and said “Let’s go”
On arriving near the legal block of the campus, they saw a mini crowd gathered around a well suited guy. He was trying to talk to everyone and everyone around him was trying to talk at the same time. The girls were all over him and wouldn’t be wrong to say that some guys were too.
John froze in his steps. Damien looked back and asked “What happened? Why did you stop?”
Kevin…After so long…Is it really Kevin? Yes. Oh my God! What do I do? Do I go to him or do I ignore him? Does he know I am here? Did he visit the campus on purpose?
Damien kept saying something but john was too engrossed in his own thoughts to pay attention. He noticed that the crowd has started moving in the other direction. Kevin was moving. He was leaving…
John didn’t know why but he started running towards Kevin. His brain told him to stop but he ignored it. He ran. He was about 100 mts away when Kevin entered a black sedan. He was surrounded by so many people that he didn’t see someone running towards him.
Just a few seconds more...
Suddenly, he felt a force pull him away. “No!” he yelled. The car started moving away.
He turned back to face to force that stopped him. He was furious. It was Karan. John controlled himself. Karan looked worried. So did Damien standing few feet behind him.
“Is everything ok?” Karan said still with a worried look.
“Yes…yes…” John stammered.
“Why were you running?”
“Nothing” John didn’t want to look at Karan. He didn’t feel like talking. He signaled Damien to come along with him.
“I’ll see you later. Don’t worry” he told Karan and left.
John and Damien sat at the far end of the café.
“What was that all about?” Damien asked. He was curious.
“The hot prof was Kevin”
“Kevin? You mean, THE Kevin? Kevin Lomax?”
“Yes. Kevin Lomax.”
“Wow!” They were silent for a few minutes. Their coffee was served and they sipped in silence.
“You’re still in love with him aren’t you?”
“No…I don’t know” John didn’t know the answer. He had asked himself the same question on the way to the café but he wasn’t able to find the answer. Kevin might not be the love of his life anymore but he was still a part of it.
“John” someone said.
John looked at Damien and he nodded in negative. Someone else had called John.
They both turned to see who had called. It was Kevin. He was standing some tables away. He walked towards them. John didn’t smile. He didn’t know how to react.
“Could I have a word with you?” Kevin asked.
Damien gave a disapproving look to John who was well aware of it.
John felt as if he had lost all speech. He nodded.
Damien grumbled but John ignored him. He walked outside with Kevin. They walked towards the campus park. John didn’t look at Kevin. Neither of them spoke.
“Why are you here?” John asked when they reached the park.
“You don’t seem happy on seeing me.”
“That’s not my answer”
Kevin sighed.
“I miss you.”
“That’s not my answer either.” John knew he sounded cold but he couldn’t help it. It felt like he was losing control of his life. He had gotten past Kevin and now he was here right in front of him and everything could fall apart again; he could fall apart.
“I was invited here to deliver a guest lecture. I swear I didn’t know you were here. Your father didn’t speak a word no matter how much I begged him.”
John raised his eyebrow.
“Yes. I am in touch with Jeffrey. I pleaded him so many times to tell me where you were but he didn’t budge. He asked me to forget you. I didn’t know I would find you here. Actually, I wouldn’t have realized if I hadn’t turned back in the car to bid goodbye to the students. It was then that I saw you. Actually I saw your back but I knew it was you. I couldn’t just leave. I asked the driver to turn back. I had to find you.”
“Why?” John felt pain inside.
“Cos you are my best friend. My only friend.” Kevin had tears in his eyes. John’s posture softened. He didn’t have the strength to act cold towards Kevin.
“It’s been so many years! Everything’s changed. I went through so much and I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I need you John.”
“My wife died. She had delivered our unborn child before dying.”
“What! Am sorry.”
“It’s ok. But be with me. Don’t shut me out.”
“It won’t work out Kevin. You and I wanted different things. Now it’s too late.”
“No it’s not! We can still give it a shot.”
“Give what a shot?”
“This”. Kevin pulled John closer and kissed him. John resisted but slowly started giving in but again he managed to pull himself away. Tears rolled down his cheek.
“No! No! It’s too late Kevin.”
“Why?”
“Cos I’m with someone. And he loves me.”
“Do you love him?”
John stared into Kevin’s eyes.
“You don’t love me Kevin. You are not gay. You are just willing to try that cos you feel you need me.”
“Answer me John. Do you love him?”
“Yes. I do.” John left the place.
