Read Part I of the story here.
Sahil had been in love before. Meera - neighbour, childhood friend and later, the first object of his teenage desires. He had known her to feel similarly about him. He remembered her soft red lips as he had seen them in the moonlight, hidden away from the prying eyes of the world, in a snow covered corner of Gangtok. It wasn’t planned though Sahil had wanted it for a long time. He’d pulled her in, and as his mind went blank, he kissed her. After what seemed like a lifetime, as they broke apart, she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. They met after school, in the same little corner behind a clump of trees. Six months on, it was time to think about college. Sahil was going to be an engineer, moving far away to Bangalore. Meera wanted Sahil to join her in New Delhi. The last night before Sahil moved away, he asked Meera if she loved him. She begged him to reconsider moving away.
Through fights over who would be responsible for the imminent break up, the question remained unanswered. Meera looked him in the eye and asked, "If you had to choose.. me or Bangalore?" The answer, however heartbreaking, was ready in his mind. "It is my career we're talking about, Meera.. Bangalore, definitely". Angry tears pouring out of her doe eyes, she stomped off with one last retort, "I can't believe you're being this unreasonable.. Selfish as ever."
Selfish, she called him.
**************************************
Three days.. Defence..10th June.. Meera! The phone call last night from out of the blue was back on his mind.
“Sahil?”
He would think about Meera later. “Yeah, right. I’ll just come over to your place. Make dinner? It’s Friday night! Take a break! For me?”
“Okay, 6 pm then”. And with the incessant beeping of the old pager she still carried, she was off for the day.
**********************************************
Sahil had been in love before. Meera - neighbour, childhood friend and later, the first object of his teenage desires. He had known her to feel similarly about him. He remembered her soft red lips as he had seen them in the moonlight, hidden away from the prying eyes of the world, in a snow covered corner of Gangtok. It wasn’t planned though Sahil had wanted it for a long time. He’d pulled her in, and as his mind went blank, he kissed her. After what seemed like a lifetime, as they broke apart, she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. They met after school, in the same little corner behind a clump of trees. Six months on, it was time to think about college. Sahil was going to be an engineer, moving far away to Bangalore. Meera wanted Sahil to join her in New Delhi. The last night before Sahil moved away, he asked Meera if she loved him. She begged him to reconsider moving away.
Through fights over who would be responsible for the imminent break up, the question remained unanswered. Meera looked him in the eye and asked, "If you had to choose.. me or Bangalore?" The answer, however heartbreaking, was ready in his mind. "It is my career we're talking about, Meera.. Bangalore, definitely". Angry tears pouring out of her doe eyes, she stomped off with one last retort, "I can't believe you're being this unreasonable.. Selfish as ever."
Selfish, she called him.
**********************************************
He had already picked up the regular Chinese that they loved. Amna would probably not care about food while there was still work to do but he wanted to make sure they had a fun time. When he reached, she was slumped over the computer, tired from all the references that she had been poring over. He had to use his copy of her key to get in. The living room where Amna had spread out her numerous books, notes and a number of coffee mugs was a mess. On the computer, it was his own name that caught his attention.
"This dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance and the help of several individuals who in one way or another contributed and extended their valuable assistance in the preparation and completion of this study."
A few lines down..
"I would like to mention a special friend, Sahil Verma, for giving me the strength to plod on despite my constitution wanting to give up and throw in the towel. Thank you so much."
"Special friend". He would have to ask her what she meant. There was a sudden brush of hair on his hand. Amna, who was sleeping on the keyboard, was stirring. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she said in a slurred tone, "I was just reading through again. Its all done, ready to hand in".
"I'm your special friend? The only one that gets a mention in the thesis?"
Amna had gone fairly red. Looking intently at the computer, "You read that. You shouldn't have." Her fingers were fidgety.
Sahil knelt, turning Amna's face towards him as he did. They were close enough for him to notice the marks the keys on the board had left on her left cheek. His brain in limbo, they kissed. And then again. Until everything else was a blur and Amna, with her sweet coconut perfume, was the only thing real to him.
Read Part III of the story here.
"I'm your special friend? The only one that gets a mention in the thesis?"
Amna had gone fairly red. Looking intently at the computer, "You read that. You shouldn't have." Her fingers were fidgety.
Sahil knelt, turning Amna's face towards him as he did. They were close enough for him to notice the marks the keys on the board had left on her left cheek. His brain in limbo, they kissed. And then again. Until everything else was a blur and Amna, with her sweet coconut perfume, was the only thing real to him.
Read Part III of the story here.
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