Chapter 6

Amishi looked up to find him staring at her. He had a worried look in his eyes.

She continued reading…

… I hated that I desperately wanted someone to acknowledge me beyond my… handicap…

But then when I saw you again at the window with the breeze blowing your hair around your face, I was a complete goner. The four floor distance didn’t reduce your appeal at all!! I was spellbound…. You had me…still have me bound by your spell. It’s not just the looks beautiful. I felt I have known you since ages. Something about you speaks volumes about your soul. It’s… it’s without deceit.

 I almost spoke to you the day I came on the bike with my friend. Rahim is my best friend and the bike is his… I hesitated … I was scared…scared you would reject me right away. So just gave you that letter and fled.. That’s been my mistake beautiful, I fled…from you, from all the problems that could have come up…

But the next couple of months were the most beautiful ones of my life… communicating with you daily… I needed that more than my next morsel of food… For once in my life I wasn’t judged for my disability. For once someone acknowledged me for whom I was… the individual in me. But somewhere back of my mind I had that lingering doubt about the whole thing. I had fallen head over heels for you. When you suggested meeting I felt it was time you knew the truth about me… And when you… were SHOCKED to hear me … I saw your expressions… to say I was devastated would be an understatement. I… I just didn’t know what to say to you… I realised later that I had erred by lying…lying by omission. I take the onus upon me… it was my fault entirely.

I am so sorry, beautiful… I should have told you the truth about me… but… I guess I loved the fantasy that I was living in … I didn’t want it to end…

These last few days I kept myself away…. Telling myself, you deserved better. Someone normal… Someone who can actually have those conversations with you. Not just by messages or …letters. But it was torturous… I could neither focus on my studies nor football nor sketching… I absolutely loathed myself. I have been a douchebag for not responding to your messages. These were the most painful days of my life… I deserved it for keeping you in the dark.

So here I am. I have severe to profound nerve deafness. I use the best of hearing aids technology has to offer. I have a high IQ so with whatever my parents and professionals helped I could educate myself and have been an achiever. But there will be limitations throughout my life. For instance, you have to speak slowly looking at me so that I can lip read you even with the hearing aid. I can only follow English. In fact  I hate wearing the aids so keep them away most of the time. I have come to love silence…

This is me… with my silence. The only sound I love is the sound of your heart…that’s the sound of love for me…

I love you beautiful…I always will. Any decision you make will be respected. If you say a no…I promise you, you will never hear from me again…

Yours

Pavan Bhargava  

Amishi held the letter close to her chest and cried. She wiped her tears and looked up to see him facing the sea again. Her heart was filled with emotions and they resembled the waves she was seeing before her. She folded the letter and kept it in her bag. His back was still facing her. She rushed and hugged him from behind, burying her face in his back. He released her hands and turned around to face her. It was then she saw, he was crying too.

She went up on her toes holding his shoulders and kissed him on his lips. She lingered and looked into his eyes… . He looked at her with an intensity that caused a shudder in her body. He bent her behind and kissed her. He poured his emotions into it….she felt the turmoil in his heart…it matched hers…

As their tongues touched each other she put her arms around his neck and held him tight. He squeezed her to him as if she would disappear without that. After what seemed like ages, they separated still holding hands and their gazes boring into each other. She pulled him back to the bench and sat. He sat next to her. She turned to face him and spoke slowly, “I am glad you came clean. The other day, I wasn’t upset about your so called limitations. I was hurt because you hid the fact from me. I don’t know what would have happened if you had revealed it before we actually started communicating. But honestly, it… it didn’t make a dent in my feelings for you. In fact I am in awe of you….”

She looked away to catch her breath. Then looking back at him, she continued. “I don’t consider you disabled at all…. In fact you are a far better human being than so many abled people I know. You are brilliant, super talented… I love your sketches and your poems make me laugh… you… can read me like a book even when you don’t see me. It’s like you are my other half… You know how to improve my mood when I am upset….

… Look at yourself through my eyes… I see a strong man capable of love… I see an honourable man who doesn’t hesitate to accept the challenges of life thrown at him…. I see a man whom I have come to love more than life itself. So my decision stands…  I love you… I want to be with you…

…as for silence, you know…. what is the sound of love? Its silence. Because I don’t need sound to feel you… there is so much chaos around… we need silence to feel each other…

….i don’t find anything amiss in your speech. I can understand what you say. It’s because your heart does the talking and my heart does the listening…

…So, my dear football guy, I love you… totally…”

She could see tears in his eyes but he blinked them away. He put his arm around her pulling her close to him. She laid her head on his chest. They both gazed at the rising waters… hoping that the love between them overcame all obstacles in its path just like the giant tide that rose up in front of them….

************************************************************************

Epilogue

Three years later.

Amishi paced the waiting area of VIshakhapatnam International Airport. Her brother tried to talk to her to make her sit down. She was far too agitated with anxiety to sit still. She looked at the seating area and saw her parents who were chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Bhargava, Pavan’s parents and her to- be in-laws. She smiled as she saw the scene before her. Things hadn’t been so easy for her and Pavan after they confessed their feelings for each other on the beach that day.

They dated for a couple of months till he finished his degree. He got selected for MS in Massachusetts Institute of Technology and had to leave soon. He had achieved complete scholarships based on his research on Artificial Intelligence. Amishi had first told her tech savvy brothers about him. They had become Pavan’s fans and technology united them. His parents were cool about their alliance but her parents were initially not happy. But considering how serious their daughter was and when her brothers too convinced them, they agreed.

Amishi and Pavan were engaged a day before he left for the US. Pavan rarely used his hearing aids whenever they were together. They communicated with their expressions… They pushed each other to be better in their respective fields.  Two and half years fled in a jiffy.

She was now working for an NGO which helped integrate specially abled children in the mainstream society. They mainly helped with adoptions which is where she used her skills. She enjoyed working even more in this area because it hit home.  Pavan had just completed his studies and though he was offered a job straight out of campus there, he chose to return to India. He wanted to start a manufacturing unit for software programs, and her oldest brother was only too happy to partner him.

Today he was returning and she couldn’t wait to see him. Most of their communication these three years was via Skype or messages. He still wrote poems for her which made her smile but she missed him, his presence, his touch…

Today he was coming back…

Suddenly there was an announcement that the flight had landed and she waited with bated breath.

The next half an hour was sheer torture as she waited … finally there he was… He still stopped her heart the way he did three years ago. She ran the distance and he welcomed her with open arms, lifting her and turning her around. They hugged and kissed like there was no tomorrow… She was sobbing away as he tried to calm her… to the amusement of people around them.

The following month they were married.

It was the moment of triumph for the lovebirds… they had proved that love mattered most… over everything else…

They believed in their sound of love… they believed in silence….

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dear is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

the end

Chapter 5

Amishi tried to reach him the following week which was her study holiday. She wasn’t going to college. Her folks at home knew that and it would draw attention if she left for college at the spur of the moment. She tried her best to contact him… He didn’t answer her calls. The only solace was he hadn’t blocked her…

She decided to focus on her exams and follow up on him later. But every night without fail she messaged him how her day was spent, general talk and her upcoming placements as an intern after exams.  She knew he had read her messages but he never replied to them.  However she found peace every time she left messages for him, knowing that was her only link with him. It soothed her whenever he read her messages…. She felt a fragile thread of connect with him.

On the following Monday her final exams began. Just before she reached the examination hall she received a text message. Finally he had responded…

All the best, beautiful…  I know you will do well…

Amishi was thrilled. But she chose not to respond. In case he didn’t message back then her mood would not be conducive for writing her paper.

Every day for the next six days she got his good luck message before her paper began. Every night she messaged him, how her paper was that day and other events that took place during the day. He read them but never replied. Though she missed his responses, she was in high spirits. She entered the examination hall with his best wishes daily. She realised, for the first time she gave her examination, stress free. It had to suffice for now. But she never saw him on the ground after their meet in the café.

It was the last day of her exam; she had just finished her paper. It marked the end of her graduation studies. Once her yearlong internship was done then she was officially a qualified social worker. Her batch mates were already celebrating. They had planned some movie outing before going home. But she wasn’t interested. She left the class room as soon as she finished the paper.  She was going home today after a weeklong stay in the hostel.  She was walking towards the exit lost in thought… It was 2pm in the afternoon and the campus was isolated. She had just crossed the campus gates when a hand dragged her to the side. Before she could react he kept his finger on her lips. She looked at him wide eyed… moisture pooling in them. She hadn’t realised how much she had missed him…till then. Tears started flowing freely … she couldn’t control them any more…. The ten day pile up of emotions finally broke the barriers…

He pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly kissing her head. He rubbed a hand on her back trying to console her.

After a few moments when her sob had subsided, he released her. He held her shoulders and kissed her forehead. He said, “Aam THsorry. Buhth aai caanth thse aafe anhimo. Aai..Aai luffa Yuu” (I am sorry. But I can’t stay away anymore. I…I love you)

She held his face and looked up into his eyes. “I love you so much it hurts. I… missed you… like hell.” She held his jacket lapels as if needing support. He smiled as he held her hands at the wrists. “Comm fith mei” (come with me).    He took her toward the Royal Enfield bike. He gave her a helmet and put on the other one. He took her duffel bag and hooked it behind the bike. She had once mentioned how much she loved the bike. He had remembered. She sat behind him and hugged him tightly as they rode away. She didn’t ask him where they were going. She was ready to go anywhere so far as he was with her.

They rode for about half an hour and reached a beach. Shringar beach was a popular tourist spot in their city. There were many shacks lining the beach stretch. Since it was early afternoon most of the shacks were empty. He held her hand as they walked towards one of the shacks. He ordered lemonade… again her favourite. And they sat next to each other on the bench in a shack. They were facing the roaring waves. As they sipped the lemonade, he kept looking at her every now and then as if he wanted to say something but always looked away. All the time he kept holding her right hand fingers interlocked. Finally after about fifteen minutes she couldn’t hold it any more. She kept her lemonade glass on the table and turned towards him. He followed her and looked towards her. She saw his five o’ clock shadow and dark circles below his eyes. He looked tired as well.

“What is the matter with you? Why did you shut me off…?” she asked.

He looked at her lips as he lip-read her. He released a deep sigh. He then took an envelope out of his jacket and handed it over to her. The envelope had a pencil sketch of her face with hair blowing. It was beautifully drawn. He had mentioned his love for drawing in one of his messages. But this was very intricate….

She smiled and opened the envelope and took out a letter. She looked at him. He indicated her to read it as he stood and went to the opening of the shack. He leaned on the support bamboo hands in his jeans pockets. He was facing away towards the sea.

She opened the letter and began to read.

Hey beautiful,

As much as I would love to tell you the following words, I can’t. I just can’t take a chance of the misunderstanding because of my speech. I can’t even explain what I went through these days without seeing you. You are my angel… my breath of fresh air… the sound of music in this silent world of mine. You are my sound of love… You are a dream come true…

She wiped her eyes as she continued to read…

… I was born with hearing impairment. My parents gave me the best possible life they could afford. Be it my hearing aids, my speech therapy sessions throughout childhood, my school and college education, my football … But I have faced shortcomings all my life because of my disability. People judge me for it even before they have known me. But honestly it didn’t make any difference to me. I have been an achiever in spite of bullying, ridicules. I was living a life, in its routine, happy with the silence, busy with studies… It was then I saw you few months back…

She suddenly looked up startled. When did he see her and where? She looked back into the letter.

…I saw you paint murals near the local garden in Shastri Nagar. I often go there to sketch the world around me. It’s cathartic. You were so full of enthusiasm in that crisp brown coloured trouser and navy blue loose fitting t- shirt… painting away to glory as if there was no tomorrow. I have so many sketches of you from that day. You have invaded my dreams so many times since in the same outfit… I thought it was the last I would see you. But fate had other things in store. I saw you a week later at mural exhibit near Mahima nagar. I was a volunteer this time. SIT was in charge of refreshments and logistics for the guests. I saw you in that white coloured gown. You just took my breath away. But how could I approach you? You would probably have looked the other way if I would have spoken. For once in my life I was scared… scared of breaking the fantasy that I had built around you….

For the first time in my life I hated my disability….

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dear is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

Chapter 4

She was frowning …

He then asked in his voice sounding hollow. “whaath happen?” (What happened)

She was annoyed by now; she asked him, “Why are you speaking like that?”

His smile dropped and he frowned and looked away… it was then she saw something in his ears. She was now in tears. “What… what is that? In your ear?” she asked pointing to his ear.

He sighed and took that out of his ear. It was a pink coloured shell like structure with a wheel like thing attached to its one end. “Ith a hearin aidh. Aai haafa Hearin phoblam…. I am hearin Impaith…” (It’s a hearing aid. I have a hearing problem. I am hearing impaired. )

She folded her hands. She didn’t understand the flow of emotions she was going through at the moment. She blinked back tears as she looked away. She was feeling cheated.

She looked at him. He was putting the aid back into his ears and looking at her… his face devoid of expression. She said with a strained voice.  “Why dint you tell me this before? You discussed the world with me for…two whole months. Didn’t you… didn’t you feel it necessary to tell me about this?” she pointed to his ear.

Amishi was rooted to the floor. Suddenly the whole world around her had stopped. She gathered herself and released her hand from his grasp. He indicated for her to sit. He dragged her chair out for her, like a gentleman and then took his seat opposite to hers. He kept his hands folded on the table and with that smile lodged on his face he asked moving his hands, “Tho… whaat dho yuu wan tho eeth? Thaanwith ith beth hei” (so… what do you want to eat? Sandwich is best here).

He looked stricken. He drove a hand through his hair and said, “aam thsohrry… aai dhon no whath thu thse… I thoth yuu wiil Undhuhthsaan… thsohrry.” (Am sorry…I don’t know what to say…I thought you will understand…sorry)

She stood up pushing back her chair. Sniffling tears she said, “I…I want to go home.”

Then she turned and left without a backward glance.

That night she kept looking at her phone but it didn’t ping… there was no message from him, for the first time in two months. She was surprised she was still waiting for his messages…

Today…

It was two days since she had last communicated with him. Last night she had googled about hearing impairment and its effects. She had stayed up long into the night reading about how people cope with the disability arising. She realised Pavan wasn’t stone deaf. She read about the different categories of hearing impairments. She also read about hearing aids. Their benefits for the hearing impaired and limitations. Considering what people face or go through, Pavan seemed to have done well for himself. She realised she wanted to know more about this part of him….this aspect of his life, his struggles and how he overcame them. The information on internet though was enlightening and she felt she understood his situation better. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand his speech at all… but she was upset because he had hidden it from her. Why did he do that?

She wanted to speak with him and clear things. She knew there was more to it than just what met the eye. She wanted to hear him out… his side of the story…? Occasionally she felt guilty as well. The signs were there in front of her all the time… she was the one who didn’t realise it. Somehow it dawned on her that it made no difference to her if he had this impairment. He was still the same guy…whom she had fallen in love with…without hearing him speak…

She was a social worker for crying out aloud. The first thing they were taught was empathy especially when they worked with the differently abled. Her Pavan…. Yes HER Pavan was different…he was special…

She missed him…. Even yesterday when she was busy in the fieldwork she thought about him. She visualised his stricken look when she had left the café. Her heart was breaking. Her eyes welled up every time she thought about him. She wanted to share her day with him. Her project  had got cleared because of his tips. She wanted to tell him about that. She had started reading about parallel algorithms and had surprised her techie brother with her knowledge the other day… she wanted to boast about that to him… there was a huge void suddenly in her life.

Somehow the library walls felt like closing in on her…

None of her friends from school or college could match up to him when it came to comfort levels or matching of wavelengths. She had started to depend on him emotionally and intellectually. He had ruined her for anyone else. And the way he addressed her… her heart always fluttered and yearned to hear more from him.

Yesterday she was busy with the emotionally draining field work but today she longed to see him… she wasn’t even able to focus on her lectures.

She had to take action. Where was he?

She took out her phone and typed,

Hey football guy, you didn’t play the match today? SITians missed their defender today…where were you?

There was no reply though he had seen her message. She waited for half an hour with a pounding heart before she dialled his number. The ring tone was heard but he didn’t answer it. She started to worry. Was he alright?

She messaged again,

Hey you ok? I am getting worried…

Immediately there was a reply

                                 Hi beautiful

Sorry for what transpired

Trust me…though I ache

That wasn’t what I desired

Your heart I didn’t want to break

I fought the world and now am tired

I want to no more stay awake

I miss our moments together

Let’s stop this communication once and forever

Henceforth find no more odes

I will miss you for I love you loads…

Pavan

That broke the dam and her emotions flowed… She didn’t care that three were people watching her. She covered her face with her palms and sobbed.  Her heart fell… she could fell it break into tiny pieces…

How could he alone decide to stop communicating? Why was he punishing her like that? What was her fault? Yes she was shocked…. But who wouldn’t be? She deserved a second chance… would he ever give her one?

She wanted to tell him…She didn’t care he was hearing impaired… She still loved him for who he was. But if only he would hear her out….just once. Her study holidays were commencing in a couple of days. It was not possible to meet him for at least a week. How would she bear the grief? She had to be strong. She had to study for her final exams….

She wanted to desperately mend things between them. As tears trickled down her cheeks she hoped it wasn’t too late for them…..

As she travelled back home later that evening her brother had switched on the car stereo… He was a diehard Kumar Sanu fan. The song playing was from the movie Deewana suited her state of mind aptly:

Teri ummeed tera intezaar karte hai

Eh sanam hum tho sirf tumse pyaar karte hai….

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvevXfFGPFY)

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dear is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

Chapter 3

Amishi couldn’t focus on any of the lectures next day. She kept stealing glances at her watch. She couldn’t wait for 4pm. Finally after the last lecture they all went to the auditorium. Their college festival committee was meeting up and wanted the students’ opinions on the upcoming events. Usually Amishi was very actively involved but this time she excused herself citing health issues and as soon as the meeting commenced she slipped away and went to the window. There he was standing in her favourite football jersey. He waved to her and she waved back. He sent her a flying kiss and she giggled silently. He pointed towards her and then his face. He gestured touching his forefinger to the tip of the thumb as if showing beautiful and again gave her an air kiss. She blushed and looked away. When she looked back he waved his phone and started to type. Soon her phone pinged.

She checked the message.

Hi Beautiful… you look stunning as ever. I wish I could see you closer…like right in front of me… can you send me a picture?

What? He didn’t want to actually meet her? She wondered.

She looked at him and saw him place the phone on his chest on the left side and rub there indicating heart ache. She grinned shaking her head.  He was full of drama. But somehow she found it cute.

Then someone called him and he had to go… He looked up towards the sky and slumped his shoulders indicating he didn’t want to go. He spread his hands in front of him and hugged himself. Then pointing towards her he gave her a flying kiss and ran off.

Amishi was disappointed. She wanted to meet him now… wanted to know him… to know why her heart was galloping out of her chest every time she saw him… She longed to speak to him… hear his voice… She wanted to call him but knew he had practise till late evening. She too got busy with her meeting not before getting a full length picture of hers clicked by her unsuspecting classmate. She sent it to him. She kept checking her phone every half an hour, rest of the evening but although he had seen her picture, he hadn’t replied…. Didn’t he like her? She shook her head. Since when did she bother what others thought of her looks? Especially boys?

That night too he messaged her ….

Hi Beautiful, i never hated my team mate more before today… when he called me and I couldn’t look at you….But thanks for the picture… It was the only sunshine in today’s dull evening….

She had been upset not hearing from him, but still she smiled. She replied,

I wondered where you disappeared… Can we talk? My parents are not home today and my brothers are busy watching TV. No one can hear me…

After what seemed like ages, he replied,

For as much as I would love to speak with you… I have this urgent list of submissions. Football takes up all evening…So its late nights working for me… hope you understand… So good night beautiful. See ya tomorrow… (kiss emoji)

Amishi was disappointed. But she didn’t want to sound desperate.

Good night Pavan…

This became the trend for the next few days. She would see him from the fourth floor or at times from the second floor auditorium window and he would wave and throw air kisses then run off sending her some sweet messages on her phone. Then at night they would chat on and off for at least an hour. She would be so engrossed that she often skipped her sleep deadline she had set for herself. She had to go away for field work for a couple of weeks. She was in a remote village in Guntur where the cell phone reception was poor. At times she felt lonely because she didn’t fraternise much with her classmates. But she received regular messages from him which always brought a smile on her face. He was busy with his exams but still frequently messaged her. She thrived on them.

He was a very knowledgeable person. He was brilliant. But then, studying in his final year B.Tech Computer Science, in Siddhartha Institute of Technology was no mean feat in itself. He was doing his research project based on Artificial Iintelligence and though she never was interested in the area, his way of explaining had her glued. She even started to read about it these days. He was a fitness freak and an avid football player. He was his college defender in the sport. But what appealed the most to her was that he showed keen interest in her work. He gave her tips and links to ease her problems with Research methodology. He frequently asked her different questions on her upcoming field work cases and gave valuable tips. She was amazed at how well he could analyse and fathom human emotions.

She waited for their nocturnal rendezvous daily. He never missed a day. He was very punctual… in fact he seemed to gauge her mood even without her telling or messaging him. As if they had telepathy of some kind. She found it easy to confide in him. He was not judgemental at all about her, her work, her choices in life. She couldn’t speak on the phone without calling for attention and their timings didn’t match. But though they hadn’t spoken to each other yet, she was falling for him… she realised with a start one day… She had to speak with him. It was high time they met face to face… She decided to convince him…

That night about two months after they had first seen each other, she had decided to ask him to meet her next day.

But before she could type she received his message. As usual he had begun the message poetically.

                   Hi beautiful,

My mind is in a great turmoil

I have let the storm brew

But … am more worried not to spoil

What I possess here with… you.

I can’t help it though I wish not to…

I am falling in love with you…

Amishi kept staring at the message. She looked at the ceiling fan in her room as if there were answers written there.  She typed,

Let’s meet tomorrow before your practise. Meet me in that café outside our campus? 3pm?

She wondered why she hadn’t revealed her feelings to him. For a few minutes there was no response from him. Then he replied,

Done beautiful. Cu tomorrow 3pm. Good night…. Sweet dreams. Will be seeing you in my dreams like I do every day…

The next day she skipped her last two lectures. It was revision based anyways and she had complained of headache earlier on. So no one suspected her when she left her campus by 2.45pm. She had told her brother she would be finishing early and would go home directly. So now she was on her own. She exhaled with relief as she left the exit gate of her campus with her college bag in tow. She had dressed for today… in a sky blue colour Patiala suit with her favourite phulkari design dupatta…

Would he be the same person when they actually met? How would he sound? Would he have a deep baritone? Anticipation building up she walked towards the café. He was already waiting there. He had worn a full sleeved white cotton shirt and blue jeans. These were her favourite combination. He stood up giving her his magnificent smile…. She almost told him she loved him…

As she came up to him she looked down to calm herself. Then looking into his eyes she gave her right hand to shake said, “Hi… we finally meet.”

He shook hands with her and squeaked… “AAi”

She suddenly looked up at his still smiling face. “Are you…are you alright?” She asked.

He nodded and said, “aai buthifull, … how aa yuu thudhe?” (Hi beautiful, How are you today?)

She stopped smiling and kept staring at him….

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dear is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

Chapter 2

Two months ago…

Amishi attended Durgadevi girls’ college in the remote end of her town. It was one of the top rated colleges in Vishakhapatnam. The area was called Vidyanagar because of the large number of educational institutions that had come up in the place. Her huge college campus boasted of numerous courses for girls and she loved the facilities available. But she liked her room at home even more and her mom’s home cooked food so she travelled over an hour each day. Her eldest brother worked in a company nearby and dropped and picked her up daily. Amishi was preparing for her semester exams. Due to some university issues they were delayed by over a months and she now had all five papers back to back. She had taken permission to stay for a week in the girl’s hostel attached to her college.  That helped her to spend more time in the library and save on travel time.

Right in front of their college across the road, there was a huge ground where very often football matches were held. The ground belonged to Siddhartha Institute of Technology and Research.  It was a top institute for pursuing B.Tech or M.Tech and PhD studies in similar areas. Their campus too was huge and at a distance separated by the ground. So Amishi could only see people from that institute if they visited the ground. She didn’t have much interest in outdoor sports like football and cricket. Having 2 older brothers had given her more than enough headache related to the said sports. She preferred plain running or painting. She had an artistic flair for painting murals. She was a member with few groups and as a part of external field work she often visited places like railway stations, bus depots etc. to paint her murals with those groups.

It was a cold November evening in Vishakhapatnam and she had her research methodology paper next day… she loathed the subject as well as preparing for it. She was in the library bored to death when she decided to stretch a bit. She walked towards the window facing the ground. There was a football match going on.  From the fourth floor, she felt on the top of the world and enjoyed the breeze blowing on her face. The sun was soon to go down so she raised her face towards the sun enjoying the warm breeze. Suddenly there was a loud cheer, probably following a goal and she looked down, only to see a guy staring up at her, hands on his hips. He was in the college football jersey but must be the extra since he was on the sides and now… he was looking at her … He looked good… really good…

She wondered if she had understood correctly. The distance of four floors in addition to the ground floor was quite a bit. Though her vision was a perfect 6 she had doubts… She had always been a tom boy growing up with brothers. She had her share of crushes but never got reciprocated because of her brothers playing the protective card. She herself was dominating so boys she had come across didn’t usually like such girls. Then she was studying in an all-girls institute.  Now such a handsome hunk was looking at her.  She had never seen him before. Actually she had never bothered. She rarely got the time with her college, travel and mural field work. Her heart fluttered. She looked elsewhere as if checking the nature around and then looked back again…he was still looking. She blushed and looked away.  That night she saw him in her dreams… He was in his jersey but standing close…  That was the first time she dreamt about any guy.

The next day evening too she was in the library catching up on her studies. Her paper had gone bad as expected. She wasn’t in a good mood. She walked to the same window… and looked out. There was no game today so she was kind of disappointed. As she was about to turn, she saw him. He was drinking water from his bottle. From the looks of it he appeared to be running. Some other guys joined him and soon they were hi fiving each other. The others sat on the ground stretching tired limbs while he stood with hands on his hips and looking straight at her. Today she felt him smile. She smiled and looked away. Why was she blushing? She had no answer… When she looked back, he raised a hand as if saying hi.  She paused and then waved back at him. He looked down and dragged a hand through his hair and looked up again… she thought he was smiling…

From that day onwards for the next five days this became a daily occurrence.  About 10-15 minutes of a staring contest. But she never sought to go downstairs and look for him… she had to prepare for her upcoming papers. On the fifth day she had her last paper and was to leave early for home but made it a point to go to the library. This time he was already there on the ground. He was alone and wearing blue jeans pant and white half sleeved t-shirt. This was the first time she saw him in attire besides his jerseys. Her heart stopped…

She wanted to rush to meet him. But suddenly she was shy. She saw him gesture her to come downstairs.  She nodded slightly very sure that he wouldn’t have been able to make that out and rushed down with her bag. Her bag was heavy because of her clothes she had got along for her week-long stay in the hostel.  As she came down she realised her bag was slowing her down and left it in the watchman’s cabin. That took about 15 minutes. Then taking her purse out of it she exited the campus. She crossed over and reached the compound wall of the ground. . She stood on a boulder and tried to peep over the wall but couldn’t see anyone. She was disappointed and embarrassed too. Luckily her classmates had gone off for a movie and some had left for home. Otherwise she would have to answer their curious questions. But where did he go?

She then heard the roar of a bike. As she turned around she saw a Royal Enfield being driven by a guy in a helmet and behind him riding pillion was her football guy. The bike stopped in front of her and before she could react he gave her an envelope. They had a momentary intense eye lock and before she could realise he was gone…

She watched the taillight fade …and caught her bearings. After calming down her racing heart she opened the envelope. Inside was a beautiful sketch of hers…. When did he see her so close? She turned the sketch over and saw a letter written in a beautiful handwriting.

                           Hey beautiful,

As the breeze made your tresses astray

You took my breath away…

You came into my dream

My nights are now your realm

I want to get connected

But only if you are affected,

The same way that I am…

Now that’s my real test of time….

                                                                                    Your admirer

                                                                                         Pavan

Whatsapp me on 981*****28

WhatsApp? Was he serious? But she felt relieved. She wasn’t sure what she should be speaking… For a change cat had got her tongue. But her heart was racing…

That night after dinner as she rested in her room at home, she was still contemplating messaging him. She almost messaged and then deleted it for about ten times in a row. Finally she typed…

Hi Football guy…

It’s me… Amishi… we met today…that letter…

Holding her breath she sent it. She closed her eyes and waited… Within a minute her phone pinged with an incoming message.

Hey beautiful… sorry about today… had to rush for practise…

So… you at home or hostel?

She inhaled a quick breath when she saw him addressing her like that. Then thinking for a moment she typed,

Am at home….And you?

He replied

Here…and there…

Where u get some air…

She smiled and hit the keys,

You like poems is it? You write them?

He immediately sent

When I have a beautiful muse

I get a flood of words to choose

Don’t mind my blatant poetic misuse

I only tried giving my best produce

She laughed as she read it… He was funny…

She typed a laughter emoji.

He replied back.

Aww beautiful, you break my heart… (sad emoji)

She laughed again… feeling light hearted…

Her mobile pinged again

So beautiful, will I see you tomorrow? A little closer? Fourth floor is a bit too far…

She waited and sent

Hmm. Second floor tomorrow. Our auditorium faces the ground. Festival preparation- meet at 4PM. See ya… closer this time…

He replied

Awesome… beautiful, can’t wait for 4pm tomorrow…

Amishi smiled and sent him a good bye emoji.

He replied with the kissing emoji accompanied with an eye wink.

She laughed and shut her phone… She slept peacefully after many days… Dreaming of the handsome guy in his football jersey… him holding her, instead of the ball…

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dear is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

Chapter  1

Amishi was waiting for the lecture to get over… How she hated research methodology… She couldn’t tolerate statistics subject. In the final year of graduation studies, this was a compulsory subject. She was doing her bachelor of social work and loved studying humanities, science and technology and most of all the field work.

 She loved to be a part of the group visits to various places where the need of a social worker was immense. She loved seeing the changes they made in the lives of people who genuinely needed them. Just yesterday she had been to a municipal hospital. They were following up every week with this young girl all of 16years. She was from a remote village on the outskirts of Lucknow. She had an affair with her relative who was of the same age and landed up being pregnant. The girl had been scared to reveal anything to her parents fearing backlash. However one day her mother suspected something wasn’t right and by the time they rushed to the government hospital close by, it was late. The pregnancy couldn’t be terminated. The social worker there had counselled the angry parents and the girl too. They were convinced to go ahead with the pregnancy and give away the child for adoption. The counsellors there were threading on bare ice because there was a high possibility that the parents would have visited a quack and risked the girl’s life. But fortunately, they had agreed and brought her to Mumbai away from the prying eyes of the village. Here too Amishi’s team headed by her supervisor had been continuously counselling her, talking to her… for last 3 months. They had spent days and many hours of field work…even going beyond the call of duty to help the girl. Finally yesterday she had an induced labour and luckily without any complications delivered a healthy baby girl. Though the young mother was prepared to hand over the child, she was sobbing uncontrollably wanting to see her baby, even though she wasn’t shown the baby as per rules. The parents and Amishi’s supervisor who was a clinical psychologist tried to calm her down but eventually she had to be sedated. The child was sent to the NICU for care taking.

But Amishi was pleased to bring about some kind of closure for that girl. Many times no one understood the importance of her work… accept for him.

The professor announced the project work in Research methods bringing Amishi back to the present.  She was happy the lecture was drawing to a close…She had to rush out of her classroom before her friends started to question her or look out for her.  She couldn’t wait to visit the place she loved the most these days besides her field visit, the college library. She had her hours piled for study and project work and the next hours would be spent in the library… where she would get to see him.  Especially today….it was important that she see him.

Amishi rushed to the library located on the fourth floor of her college building. She spent time after lectures in the library daily… especially in the last two months before leaving to go home at 8PM.  Her brother picked her up from the campus gate at 8PM daily. Today she had about 2 hours with her…  Most of her classmates either went home or stayed late in the cafeteria. She had escaped them to go to the library. Final exams were close.  Their study holidays were starting next week.

Today there were barely two other people in the library besides the librarian and her assistant. Amishi was more than happy. It meant lesser people would spy on her. Not that she bothered but she preferred to keep her secrets to herself. She placed her book stack on the corner most table near the window and dragged her chair towards the window. She took a book in her hand and looked out across on the football ground.

Where was he? She thought… the entire football team of Siddhartha Institute of Technology was present on the ground. But he wasn’t seen… her heart fell. She had waited all day long to catch a glimpse of the most handsome guy she had ever seen in her 21 summers.  The guy who had made a mark on her heart… on her mind…on her soul. She couldn’t sleep last night though she was bone tired after field work. He kept invading her dreams. She waited for the next half an hour for him to make an appearance but… he didn’t turn up. Every time there was a goal or cheer she looked back in anticipation but… he wasn’t there.

Was he alright? She worried. Was he …angry? After what had transpired between them couple of days ago, would he ever want to even see her? But she wasn’t at fault, was she? What could she do? She just reacted that way….

Tears rolled down her cheeks and she brushed them away with a frustrated hand. Since when did she care so much about a known stranger?

Yes… he was a stranger who had the most expressive face and the most beautiful eyes that looked into your soul. He read her like a book.  He looked at her like she was the only girl on this planet… made her feel beautiful inside-out…  Before him, she had been like an empty canvas which he had filled with colours of life. Even now her heart fluttered thinking about him.

If only life were so easy and restricted to special moments… If only life were predictable…If only she knew how she was supposed to react that day…. If only she could rewind back two days of her life she would move heaven and earth to change everything.

But if wishes were horses….

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dear is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.