Unforgettable

The past - Chapter 1

12th December 2016. It was the day that changed Ananya's life.

The yellow glow of the lamp filled the dining room, gleaming off the polished wood of the table and cabinets. The cool breeze wafted in through the open window, a gratifying brush on her skin amidst the stifling monsoon night. Ananya paced the room, phone in hand and a smile playing on her face.

She had recently told Sameer that she liked him; he had disclosed his feelings for her too. Ever seen a girl dancing around the dinner table? Well, that's she felt like doing. She was home alone then - her parents who were against her dating any guy before the age of eighteen, thankfully missed this unusual behaviour. She was glad that she was home alone, to be honest. She could smile whenever she wanted to, whenever he replied, without her mom inquiring as to why she was smiling while looking at her phone.

Sure she had had other crushes before but he wasn't the same as every other guy. She thought he was special but her friends could not agree less. For them, he was just a regular guy with no particular taste in fashion, or anything else really. Ananya had never dated any guy before. Now she was 16, about to turn 17 in just 2 months, and she really liked him. Hell be damned, for she wasn't going to wait another two years till she could date someone.

One of her best friends, Anjali had already told her that Sameer had feelings for her a week ago. A reliable source, Anjali was his good friend too and they shared secrets with each other. Sameer was waiting for school to reopen so that he could ask her out, he was waiting for the right moment, and wanted the date to be perfect. Dating was new for him too, he did not often talk to girls and was always busy playing his keyboard and winning video games. He often took advice from his best friend, Rohit.

He never tried to be someone he was not, showing off was never his thing. That's why Ananya started to like him, because she felt that he would never want to change her. Throw his vibrant smile in and she was a goner.

Winter holidays were going on, and they were going to end in two weeks. Just two weeks. That is what Ananya told herself. She was eagerly awaiting the day when she would get to meet him, but at the same time she was nervous. What if he had changed his mind? Meeting at a cafe or someplace outside was not an option because he too had strict parents. There was this secret excitement of rebellion against her authoritative parents - maybe she wanted to explore something new, something other than the pre-planned world her parents had created for her! Ananya hoped that Sameer felt the same, and that he would hold on to her. Possibly forever.

Who knew things would be a lot different the same time next year?

Ananya couldn't control her excitement and wanted to tell all of her best friends about it, who were Shreya, Vanya, and Aditi. Anjali already knew. All of them did know that Ananya had a crush on Sameer but didn't think that it would last long. She told everyone on their group chat and everyone was happy for her.

"Did he ask you out yet?!" Shreya replied on the group chat

"Damn girl", that was Aditi.

"Not right now, I think after school reopens maybe?" Ananya told her.

"What's the problem with right now?"

"Ask him"

That's where the conversation ended. Of course he wanted his time and Ananya respected that. 

Maybe he was waiting for the right moment. Both of them, Ananya and Sameer were in same classes but the one in which they actually got to spend time together was in the computer lab. Their conversations had an aura of science and the world of computers, something which was thought to be "weird" and boring in the world. They shared jokes, memes, and talked about their plans for the future. A future with each other. Two weeks passed by like a tsunami sweeping off a tiny piece of land. The nervousness in Ananya to face him was making her uneasy and she wanted to just hide inside her closet. That being said, she was happy too, happy for both of them. She had found someone who understood her, her ways of doing things, and she hoped that he had too. Her mother did notice this unusual behavior and asked her what it was that had been bothering her.