One fine day, they finally saw each other. At the first sight she liked him and he fell in love with her. He knew it was love but she was apprehensive. She found him cute but didn’t know whether this was called love. They often crossed paths with each other- at shops, bus stops, Ganpati celebrations and Dahi Handi utsavs, but didn’t have the guts to speak with each other.
One day, they got introduced to each other through common friends. Their first meeting was very filmy. They met in a bus that was due to leave in 10 minutes. The bus was packed and there were many people around. They shook hands with great nervousness and discomfort. They sat but said nothing.
Later, he tried to meet her or go to her home to visit by finding any possible bahanas. Sometimes, with friends to wish Happy Diwali, sometimes he visited her college ‘just like that’ and sometimes to collect some stuff for his sister. Then there were telephonic conversations, even when he went to his home that was far away from here, where he stayed with his uncle and aunt.
Common friends were more than happy to organise trips and make them meet, as he wished to meet her every now and then. But by now, she had become a little sceptical of his motives and started avoiding him. But he was determined to ask her out…
One fine day, he sent a note to her through a friend saying, “I am going back to my hometown and I will really miss you. Will you be my best friend?” she didn’t reply and saw that he had left his email id in the note. Many days passed by and she thought that she should mail him as a long time had passed. They started conversing through mails now and he tried to give her hints that he loved her. But she was not interested.
He sent her a mail… “I ---- you.” She understood what he meant and called him. She fired him for being insensitive and taking the wrong meaning of their friendship. It all ended that day. He left the city and went to his hometown down south.
After five long years, when they had almost forgotten their teen love, they met again. This time, they spoke to each other and became friends. She had a boyfriend and he had a girlfriend. He had come out of her love. Both laughed when they remembered their funny meetings at bhaaji markets and bus stops. They met at his hometown, when she went there as a tourist and did sight seeing together.
They now keep in touch through mails and phone calls. So much change in a relationship after so many years. Time is truly, the real healer.
(This story is entirely based on facts and real incidents. The characters are real and are living entities :)