'Love is different for each person. But its also differ depending on age. School love is at an innocent age. It leads to shy glances, red faces, sweet hand holds and at most secret kisses. That's true but for 90s kids. Not for this generation where media makes us an adult before we understand what it means.'
~A folded book page of a book Manya's class fellow gifted her and which she never read.
So, it started. The secret dates. Sometime Manya would go with driver to purchase a book and sneak out to nearby KFC for a date with Parth.
Sometimes, Parth would sneak into her room through the balcony.
Sometime, he wouldn't come to school and she would pretend to be sick and leave school. But instead of her driver it would be Parth waiting outside to take her to his home.
Love taught Manya how to sneak out and lie to her family and teachers without blinking an eye. She was surprised at her own bravery. Not that she wasn't scared but for the youthful her it was thrilling. Many times she couldn't help but snicker when her mom would scold her for something. After all she finally had a person in her life who didn't always found faults in her. Who loved her and her flaws.
When she told Parth, he would be amused as he didn't have to face the same situations. He lived in a house under the supervision of his uncle who never really bothered with him. So for him, it was thrilling when he sneaked into her room but there wasn't any true fear.
Maybe that's why he became bold day by day. From hand holdings, they proceeded to kisses. Manya had great expectations from this event as first kiss was discussed in drama forums and dramas as a very important step in love life.
She wasn't disappointed. As she planned their first valentine day trip to a theme park in the city with matching couple shirts her cheeks kept turning red remembering the last secret date.
This happiness wasn't dimmed when her mother showed her disapproval for her barely passing marks in mock exams and mentioned her brother's examples. Her brothers had always aced every exam they sat but then they had always been personally tutored by her father. A father who had never managed to find time to do same for her.
She knew deep down that she wasn't expected to outshine her brothers in anything. After all they were males. They were superior as her grand mother had told her mutliple times in childhood. Her parental grandmother had a special disliking for her because she was the only female to be born in this family tree. What an insult it was in her eyes.
Her mother suddenly became silent as for the first time she noticed the disdain in Manya's eyes and smirk on her lips. Manya carefully hid her true emotions.
'Go to your room and study.' Her mother said and Manya was happy to see that there was slight tremble in her voice.
Manya thought as she left the room, 'At last you noticed I'm different now, mom. But I don't care what you or anyone think now.'
