By Faizur
Days passed by. Exams were around the corner. Everyone rushed up and down with books in their hands, and so did they. Not a day passed when they didn’t see one another, nor did a night crawl without each other’s thoughts.
Holidays followed exams. She had to leave for her hometown; they both dreaded it.
The mere thought of a month without meeting the other was devastating.
The next morning, with a heavy heart, she sat inside the cab.
“Airport, please,” she told the driver, staring at her phone.
She stepped out of the cab; turned back after paying the driver just to find him standing right behind.
“You look lovely as always,” he said, smiling at her.
Her lips curved into a smile. Tears flowed down their cheeks. He tried to hide it, and so did she.
He cried, she cried, they both cried…
Finally, the bell rang. He rushed out to the corridor to check the other classrooms. There she was in the class next to his. He hid behind the window and peeped at her. She looked stunning. No less than an angel who descended from heaven.
Her eyes were radiant as ever, and that milky skin devoid of any impurities was so tempting.
“Will you come in or stand there peeping all day?” a girl asked as she laughed; it was her friend.
He peeked inside, and she wasn’t there at her place. He stood up, and there she was right in front of him, on the other side of the window. Their hands touched, her heart skipped a beat. She ran to her seat, blushing; he stood there perplexed.
He was happy, excited, sad, and shocked – all at the same time; their eyes met again. Time stopped around them; everything felt still; at that very moment, it was just them.
Breaking through their still world, the shrill sound of the bell echoed, bringing the two lovebirds back to reality.
He went back to his class and sat there smiling like an idiot for the entire day.
He smiled, she smiled, both smiled…
Time went by, and they passed out from school. It was time for their college life to begin.
They fought and argued, but at the end of the day, they got back together. Nothing could break them apart.
College life was pretty easy. He had told his mom about them both. His mom wanted to talk with her, and that turned out to be a herculean task.
Finally, Hameed managed to convince Asra to talk to his mom. On returning home from college, he dialed her number and gave it to his mom.
“Just answer whatever I text you” He assured her that things would work out perfectly. So he settled down on the couch beside her mom while texting her.
She asked her many things, and he texted her answers for all. Finally, the interview with his mom came to an end.
“What do you think about her mom?” he asked, following her all around the house.
She just looked at him, smiled, and went into the kitchen; his happiness knew no bounds.
He knew she would be his for ever; nothing could tear them apart.
He smiled, she smiled, both smiled…
Days flew by. She opened it up to her sister about him. She agreed to talk to her parents about their love.
Everything was perfect. Nothing could have gone wrong, or that was what they thought.
“I am going to Mumbai for a relative’s marriage,” he informed her one fine evening.
“Is it necessary that you should go?” she asked. Her sadness was quite clear.
“Tickets have been booked, it’s just a week, and I’ll be back to my baby” he tried to make her smile. The one thing he hated was to see his girl in despair.
He could understand clearly from her voice how hard it was for her, but he had to go.
With much effort, he convinced her that he’d be back in a couple of days.
“Pack everything soon; the flight is at 2 P.M.,” his mom shouted, running up and down around the house. The house was in chaos. Once he packed his luggage, he threw his weight on the bed and hurriedly dialed her number.
She attended the call but did not speak. All he could hear was the soft sound of sobs on the other end.
He rushed to his brother and asked him to drop him at her house.
“Pick me up on the way,” he told his brother.
Standing outside, he dialed her number. Her sister opened the back door. He tiptoed to her room. On seeing him, she ran towards him and hugged him tightly.
On noticing her red eyes, he wiped her tears and kissed her.
“I am here now with you, no more tears,” he said, looking at her.
She smiled, he smiled, both smiled…
She rested her head on his lap; he turned gloomy as soon as he looked at his watch. He had only four hours left before his flight.
Time flew away soon enough; he had no heart to go but had to.
“Please don’t go,” she said with tears in her eyes
“I’ll be back in a couple of day’s baby,” he said, holding her face in his palms.
He tiptoed slowly towards the door after pecking her on the lips. Thankfully, his brother remembered to pick him up before leaving for the airport. Lifting his head, he looked at the balcony; there she was, with tears in her eyes.
With a heavy heart, he left. It was just her thoughts throughout the journey.