"Have you ever been in love?"

The question....

     A thin shiver ran through my spine as though I am spotted with a crime red-handed...

  I was little confused...whether I have to act like a stranger now or should I express myself as shravan...

  Gulping hard, I looked at her eyes...those eyes were glittering in expectation of my answer....or..did I imagine so...?

   Noticing the knots over my forehead,she squinted her eyes mischievously....

   Shravan...this is not you... embarrassed and hesitation is not your thing...go ahead like shravan... Shravan malhothra...

I thought to start. Before that, she cleared her throat deliberately to attain my attention...

     Unknown,I was staring into her eyes...so did she....

I was amazed that I was engrossed to her like heaven and stars...I knew it.... that's how... that's how I love her...to the square of infinity...

      I was totally lost and was ready to listen her as though elfstruck...

  "I know...that wasn't an easy topic to discuss with....yet,as strangers we could spill out the untold stories...may be, later we wouldn't be given a chance  even and had to stay like strangers until death...."

Is she talking about us...?

  A mild smile rumbled over her lips...

" I don't know about you...but I was in love....I was in love with him...."

    She spoke to me as though she was in dream...

  Her face shone when she uttered those words....

She was in love....?

Sudden bout of sweat flushed in me....

She continued....

" When I was in school....I met him..he was intelligent ,polite and the best student...always he had been at the good books of the teachers  "

" But....at student's view,he was a nerd...not good looking....book worm...boring.. irritating...etc...etc...."

A deep breath escaped from her...

"You know mr.shravan...opposite poles attract each other...it was true with me...he was one of my neighbors too....we became family friends....and we grew as friends..."

"Eventually.... We became close that it's hard to stay away from each other...we were unaware what our relationship meant was...we failed to know the real meaning of our beautiful bond...infact, we were not in that matured age..."

   Cheerfully she laughed....I was unable to join her happiness...I was in a hurry to listen her heart...all in one go...

   I sat close to her folding my legs...

"It's hard to believe how I used to be...I was stubborn and rude to him...may be I concealed my loneliness, pretending that I was bold..."

  Her voice went hoarse....

" But...he was so nice to me...he was a good friend to lean at anytime.and...you have a great soul to console you at your trials and tribulations was the best ever blessing...I didn't know it until I lose him..."

She was staring at the wall aslike bewildered....

"...he was with me every now and then...and, that's the reason why I didn't feel his importance in my life...."

   " It was a weekend...he told me to check a book from library...it was a kind of communication we had...on that day evening he inquired me whether I checked the book..."

  Did she know it?my letter...!!!!

   My heartbeat galloped.... I swept away the sweat beads quickly....

  "Though I have read his message, I told him that I haven't even visited the library..."

She knew it...she knew that I love her...my goodness.

I sat even more closure to her...my hands were aching to hold her face ....I felt like hugging her saying that I love her like anything else...

   My eyes screened with tears....

" But...why?why you did so...?"

My lips quivered and my words broke...

She looked at me straight...I could sense her guilt...

After a pause....she nodded...

"because, I wanted to tease him and to enjoy his restlessness for the next two days...but...in those two days too many unfortunate things happened...his parents got divorced and he was about to relocate to a foreign country..."

" He needed me to lean on... because he was in a tight spot...but, I insulted him in front of my friends... I was not even ready to give him ears...I knew how I have been cruel to him.. everything was only to satisfy my ego...to not let go down my status in front of my friends who were noone to me...."

  "He shouted at me that our friendship ended over there....

I have never seen him such out bursted... and I thought that he was speaking in the heat of emotions...And...for God's sake , I believed that I could get him back latter ..."

  A lone tear escaped from her eyes.
Wiping it hurriedly , she took a deep breath....

  "I didn't see him for next few days.... frankly, I started to feel bad for how I behaved with him  and Later, I came to know that he went to London for his studies...."

  "I was broken... shattered into pieces....I missed him...his stupid jokes...his forever promises... irritating questions...his cheesy smile...his care.... he occupied my every thoughts...."

  I was listening to her ..spellbound like a stranger...I didn't feel that she's talking about me...us...

"Have you ever wanted to cry... but no tears came out,so you just stare blankly into space while feeling your heart break into pieces...?....... I was...."

   Tears coarsed down her cheeks...my hands wiped her tears involuntarily...

" It's okay...."

She smiled with tears...

"Then...the time taught me to heal ..
I struggled to prove myself and here now  who I am...still, I am missing him a lot...I have nested myself to be alone...I haven't even tried to talk with him or to meet him... because I don't know whether I deserve him..."

"Because I have hurted him deeply..some people hurt by words,some by actions and some by silence...but, the biggest hurt is that someone ignoring us when we value them a lot...I did it for him... I don't think I deserve a second chance... So...i feel it's better to stay alone rather getting hurt anymore..."

She smiled sarcastic...

" But...the fact is...the world is not the same when he was away...I missed him...still I do"

A deep sigh escaped from her...

   "And ...that's my story...mr.malhothra...now...its your turn"

She was ready to hear me...

To be honest...I didn't want to waste my time...I just wanted to hug her tight and shout that I love her crazily...

  Before I could act...the lift began to work....and started to descend quickly...

She smiled sadly and got up with her bag...ready to leave when the lift reach out the ground floor...

   The lift opened at the ground floor and she stepped out hesitantly..

  I was standing froze....

She looked me once and began to walk...her eyes resonated her disappointment...

  Shravan....you are such an idiot...no other girl would clearly confess her love directly like this....she loves you man....go...get her...

   My intuitions awoke and I ran behind her....

    "Sumo...."

I called her loudly...

She stood for a second and again started to walk....

I walked past her and stood in front of her, blocking the way....

It was the corridor that descends to the parking area...

  She threw a quizzical look at me...looking around,she told....

"Shravan..... what's this...?"

Closing my eyes, I gasped for breath for a second...

  Momentarily, I stepped close to her  and held her face firm...my eyes wandered over her face...

  Stroking her cheeks fondly, I spoke to her ears....

"Sumo...I have waited for ten long years for this moment...and I am not going to bather anything...."

   While speaking so,my lips brushed over her milky cheeks...I couldn't control me anymore...

I clutched her shoulders firm....looked into her eyes deeply....

"Sumo....whenever I see you next to me...I feel like kissing you....so,can I...?"

   Literally, it was the toughest time I have ever come across...I could hardly wait for her reply and those seconds seemed to be years....

  I was staring into her teary eyes that showed something hard to get.....a sense of content....

  Her lips trembled....

"But...shravan...what took you so long to get me...? "

Those words were like devine to me and was enough to fall on my knees...I cupped her cheeks as though I hold a precious gem and kissed at the corner of her lips...when I did so, she grasped my shirt as a bunch....

She is mine... this sense of belonging made me to hug her even more closure...I deepened my kiss which I don't want to end it  sooner anymore...

   Sometimes, a little misunderstanding tumbles down one's life journey...

We met as strangers and became friends...and  I guess the world made us strangers again,to fall in love once more...

    Time to time, the kiss went on so passionate and she couldn't hold her anymore....she leaned on me exhausted...

    " Sumo..."

I worriedly called her...

  She winked at me and extended her hands to lift her...I laughed at her childishness and scooped her close to my chest...I began to walk to the car...

  She continued to play with my shirt buttons which would continue to my life time...

________________The End______________

Dear friends....

This is the last chapter of this book... probably, this is the first time I took much time to write...but honestly, I am missing wattpad and wattpad friends alot...

  BhaviMehta4 belated birthday wishes ji...

Tumpa6717 birthday wishes dear..

Farjanakhan belated birthday wishes darling...

So sorry that I couldn't wish you all on time...

  This is the dp of@GODmessanger that inspired me to write this ss...The lift scene is one of my favorite scenes...

Hope you liked the story... honestly I haven't interacted with you guys in this book as I was not able to spend time at wattpad... I haven't even replied to your comments...so sorry...

And...if you find time... please read this story as a whole book and you will like it...

Pen down your views how much you liked the track... positive criticism is welcomed...

Meet you at my other books...

Love...
Arulpirai...