He strides in, panting, and throws water on his face. Then he notices me, leaning against the wall, watching him. I quickly look down.
“What’s up, Juhi? He asks, still panting.
“Just came to drink some water.” I reply with a smile, waving my bottle. I head to the door when he asks me to wait.
“We need to talk.”
“About?” I ask innocently.
“You know about what. About you leaving. Moving. Whatever.” He says looking down at me with his chocolate brown eyes. It’s true. I was leaving. Next week. It was too much to take. I had been trying to ignore it. I had been in this school since KG. Now, when I’m in 11th, I was leaving. It would bring tears to my eyes talking about it.
I don’t reply. I’m out in the corridor when his voice stops me.
“I always loved you.”
I stop in my tracks. Just what I was scared of. I bite my tongue to keep the tears from rushing down. I decide to ignore it and start walking again. He catches my arm. I turn to him and see tears in his eyes. All barriers that I had from crying tumbled down and tears race to get out of my eyes. Before I could make any sense of it, he hugs me. I bury my head in his chest and sob just as he does on my shoulder. I don’t know how long we stood like that for, stuck like glue. All I can think of is the past. When in 4th grade he told me he had a crush on me and I had smiled. Then, a few years later, he told me to forget it, for some unknown reason. But we were still best friends. Sitting side by side, exchanging jokes; first-aiding him after his fight with Rajesh; all those times when I tried to forget the past. Tried to forget how much I loved him.
He’s the first one to lift his head up. He looks into my eyes, searching for an answer. “Me too” I croak. He smiles, still sobbing though, making him look funny. I smile back. Then, very slowly, he brings his face close to mine, so close that I can hear his breath. He kisses me, very gently. I’m the first one to pull back because I can hear steps behind me. And a few seconds later, boys of my class come into view, drenched in sweat. I quickly leave his arms and look out outside the window. He talks to his friends while I slip into my seat. I have a smile on my face. The last period starts and the teacher starts talking. But I’m not listening.
I’m talking to my friends in the corridor. There are people all around me, discussing things. I say goodbye to my friends, tears in my eyes. I tell them I’ll call them –we will meet again. I look around one last time. The corridor is filled the people I’ve known all my life. They all say bye to me. I walk to my bus, barely holding my tears. The whole ride home, I’m silent.
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It’s one week later that I’m sitting in my new room, on a new bed, in a new home, when I get a call on my Nokia. I look at the number. I recognize it very well. It’s Karan’s.
So. This is my first piece written for people to read. Please bear with me
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