“I don't like to give up on people when they need someone not to give up on them.”
She looked at her watch. 20 minutes past twelve. The sun over her head, she stood in the sweltering heat wondering how on earth could a guy possibly get lost in broad daylight.
"Doofus", she mumbled.
And sometime later, he appeared, from the corner of a tiny lane, wiping off the sweat from his forehead.
He approached her with a straight face.
She wonders out loud, "What am I even doing here?"
"Sorry I am a little bad with roads."
"Clearly" she said.
They don't hug. Pricey missionary education doesn't quite accomodate that.
"So where do you want to go?" she asked.
"Ummm"
"Subway?"
He gave her a confused look and beseeched her to take a call.
"We could go to Cafe Coffee Day later." he said. Doof loves his frape. The only thing in life which is sure about. Perhaps.
Over the most horrendous tuna sandwich, hours of conversation followed. She hated his condascending tone, his horrible gentlemanly antics and his stupid cute face which looked in awe of her, as she animatedly nudged him to speak more.
"Say something."
"Like what?"
"Anything?"
"Let's go to CCD?"
Yeah so while she spoke, all he could think of was a ice cream laden cold coffee. Well, who wouldn't?
The day was a bummer. He didn't believe in talking all the time. And all she did was talk.
They parted ways with a handshake. Yes. A FREAKING HANDSHAKE. Respectful and polite. Hallelujah!
Two months later, both were back to their respective colleges. She was crushing heavily on a guitar player while he was... doing what he did best. Sulk and top his class and be mindlessly ignorant about any girl in his class who tried to interest him in a conversation.
He called her two months later, huffing and puffing heavily, blurting out the sanctimonious three words. It was the first time he spoke continuously while she just listened. She was again baffled by his guts when he said, "I can't stop thinking about you."
She pushed him off, told him to take it easy, promised him that he will find some one who wouldn't be an emotional wreck, like her. He backed off without so much as a grimace.
A year passed. She graduated. Moved to a new city. And then she fell sick. Menses, motions and fever.. all at the same time. She howled under her pillow, thinking of taking the next flight home. He came to know of it and kept her engaged with stories from their meetings .. he remembered things which even she had forgotten. The tears dried off in some time. And then words found shape. And from being friends.... they became more than friends.
5 years of knowing each other. Three years of inconsequential Facebook chats. 4 dates. That's all it took.
