A Lost Love

Chapter 1: School Days

 

The sun was at its peak when Nicky was meeting his school friends; it was their farewell day at DV School. So they planned to meet after the farewell party. Nicky was the type of boy who was average in his studies. Sometimes his friends mocked him. They can't believe Nicky was passing every exam without a chunk of study, but Nicky was a friendly guy. They planned to meet at Habibi Restaurant. His friends were looking good, obviously because they were coming from a farewell party.

"Hello Divians," they bellowed.

"So finally we are here. I always wanted to go away from this prison. I just want to go to my desired college, and I want a dozen  girlfriends."said Praveen 

"Exquisite, bro," laughed Nilesh.

"Can't we fill out the form from the same college? We can get to the same college and have all the stupid things again," Nicky asked with a sad face.

Everyone sighed and planned to go to the same college, as it was the only thing they could do to do all the stupid things again.

"I heard that tomorrow will be the last date," said Praveen.

"For what?" Nicky replied.

"Last date of registration, Nicky! We have to fill out the form today; otherwise, we will lose the chance," said Nilesh.

After it, they went to a nearby eMitra and filled out their respective forms.

After it, they went to their respective homes.

 

Chapter 2: Results Day

 

Two months later,

It was the day they were waiting for (it was their result day). Nicky called his friends and planned to meet them outside the RKS University (which was located in the Jodhpur district).

"Oh god! All of you are still alive," Nicky said with a stupid smile.

 

"You all, dirty niggas, are here in front of me; I can't believe it," Praveen said.

After their friendly stuff, they went near the big gate of RKS University.

What they saw was astonishing; there were hundreds of students. Nicky as well as his friends were a little nervous because they were not confident enough that either their selection was confirmed or not. Still, they sighed and went inside the gate.

The interior of RKS University was looking like a garden of eastern redbud trees. Pink leaves of eastern redbud were falling.

They went near a big board where a bunch of students were standing (obviously to get their results). Nicky and his friends were aware that the branch to which they wanted admission had only 30 seats, but students at the university checking their results were much more than that. They checked their results one by one, and after that, they went to the parking area where vehicles were parked.

"What happened, guy? Is everything okay?" Praveen asked

"Everything was okay and went as we planned, but one mistake occurred." Nilesh replied

"And what is that mistake?" Praveen asked

"Nicky," Lalit replied.

Everyone understood the situation faster than the speed of light.

The pink leaves of the eastern redbud tree turned yellow.

 

 

Chapter 3: The Beginning of a New Story

 

Friends of Nicky went to RKS University, and Nicky got admission to a private college named Sadhguru International Engineering College (SIE).

A lot of things were new to Nicky. Everything was going dull in life. Years passed, and that three-year degree was looking like a thirty-year degree.

 

One day, a strange thing happened when Nicky was scrolling through his Instagram feeds. He perceived a message (obviously, the message was not a stranger thing).

He saw a stranger named Pallavi. Although Nicky was not a loquacious person and he was quite shy, he could chat easily. He never interacted with a girl in his school life. He clicked on that chat.

 

"Hey," Pallavi sent

"Hi, who is this?" asked Nicky.

"I am Pallavi," she answered.

"Mam, I can see that. Please tell me something else," Nicky replied in a sarcastic way.

"Hehe, do you know Sheetal?" She replied

"Sheetal who?" He asked

"The one who studied in Gurukul school," she asked.

"Lol! She was my school friend; do you know her?" He asked

"We are at the same college now," she answered.

"Oh! So she wants to prank me or something like that?" Nicky replied in a sarcastic manner.

"I also think so," she said.

The sarcastic conversation continued.

 

Sheetal was a mutual friend of these strangers. She was a classmate of Nicky, but he never talked to her in his school days; he was connected with her via social media platforms, and they were good friends.

Sheetal preferred a medical college in another city rather than staying in Jodhpur, and Pallavi was her classmate, and along with it, she was a roommate of Sheetal.

Nicky and Pallavi became good friends in a short period of time.

Day after day, night after night, their bond became very strong.

They became lovebirds; only formalities were left.

 

 

Chapter 4: Red Heart

 

The evening of that day in the monsoon in 2001 was turning cold slowly. Nicky was waiting for that special message, and he was thinking about telling Pallavi about his feelings. He searched on Youtube and a bunch of other sites for How to Propose a Girl Online (yes, it was difficult for him to propose a girl), but he didn't find anything that could help him.

 

Ting! (a notification)

It was a message sent by Pallavi.

"Hi Nicky, had dinner?" Pallavi asked

"Without you," Nicky replied.

 

A few romantic words

 

An hour later, Nicky decided to tell her.

Can we talk over a call? Nicky asked.

It was not their first call, but Nicky was a little nervous and shivering. (I can tell you that the temperature was not below 0 °C.)

 

 

"I want to tell you something," Nicky said.

"What?" she replied.

"I don't know how to tell you about it," Nicky answered.

"But what, Nicky?" she asked.

"I have a feeling for you; I care for you; I also love to chat with you; I love your voice and everything that belongs to you." Nicky exclaimed

"I also care for you because caring is what makes us friends (she was aware of the situation but still wanted to hear it from him), she added.

"Not like that. I want to say, 'I love you," Nicky exclaimed.

 

2 min. of silence.

 

"I love you too, but we have been friends for the last few months. I need some time to think about it." Pallavi beamed

"Take it," Nicky replied.

After this incident, they started their romantic chats and calls for a few days, but she didn't reply to his proposal yet.

 

10 days after it, Pallavi expressed her feelings, and a red heart ended their chat.

They were 150km away from each other, but they could still feel each other around them.

Nicky collected every picture, video, and chat screenshot and made a folder of it. Pallavi created a new Facebook account with the name of Vanni Singh.

They start thinking of their first date.

 

Chapter 5: That First Kiss

 

27 August 2001

The night before their first date. Nicky was not aware of what to do on his first date. He simply called his friend Praveen (his only friend who had a bunch of girlfriends). He suggested keeping a fresh red rose and a bar of chocolate because girls love that.

 

He booked a ticket online; he was traveling to another city. He was meeting his first love. A lot of things were new to Nicky, but he managed everything.

Nicky woke up early that day because he had to reach Jodhpur Junction before 6:30 a.m.

He started his bike, bhruuum bhruuum (he was moving his hand over the accelerator excitedly), reached the Jodhpur junction, and parked his bike. After parking the bike, he reached the area of the platform where he was about to board the train.

People were waiting at ticket windows to make last-minute reservations for their journey. Many others were crowding the inquiry window for whatever information they needed; everyone seemed to be in a great hurry, and the noise was deafening.

Near a pole on the platform, he saw a cute little girl; she had a lovely smile on her face. She would probably be ten or twelve years old, and she came closer to Nicky.

"Give something in the name of Allah, brother; may God bless you," she said.

When Nicky asked her name, she smiled and replied "Farheen".

He took out a 10-rupee note, gave it to Chutki, and asked her to eat something.

After waiting for a few minutes, a train arrived. He looked at his watch, and it was 6:20 am. He jumped at the gate and took his seat.

On the train journey, he was just thinking and imagining what would happen when he met his love for the first time. After traveling for 2 hours, He called Pallavi and told her that it would take only 10 minutes to catch her.

 

He arrived at Jaisalmer railway station at 9 a.m. He booked a cab and reached Malviya Nagar, where Pallavi was living with her sister Jiya. Jiya was not there, so Pallavi planned to meet at her home.

 

He picked up his phone and called her.

 

"Hello! Pallavi," he said.

"Where are you? I am waiting outside my home," she replied.

"I can't see you," he said.

"I am waiting for you on my balcony," she replied.

 

He was lost in the streets because he visited Pallavi for the first time. Streets in Malviya Nagar were deserted, and the heat of the sun was intolerable.

 

After struggling for half an hour, he messaged Pallavi to meet outside where both of them could reach him (he was a little frustrated).

She calmed him down and sent her live location; he followed the path, and after 10 minutes, finally, he found a girl of 5'6 height, and she was there on a balcony. The sun was rising in the sky, but to Nicky, that sun was not shining more than that pretty girl.

 

Firstly, she was a beautiful girl; she was a little chubby, and she had a pair of light-brown eyes. Also, she had long, blonde, and wavy hair.

 

 

Nicky was wearing a scarf to protect him from sunlight.

A white shirt with a blue lining and denim jeans is what he preferred for his first date.

He went near her, and they hugged each other.

Nicky unknowingly grabbed her very tightly; he did not want to release her. He could feel the warmth of her body; he could easily hear her breathing; and it was the first hug for Nicky.

"Nicky! Enough, let me breathe  out," sh said.

Nicky released her (but he did not want to do so).

"Ja Simran, ja jee le apni jindagi," he said (in a laughing tone).

 

They both smiled.

 

He was sweating because of that sunny day. Pallavi was smiling, as she was aware that he struggled a lot to find her and that it was her fault, so she started to fan. In those moments, Nicky was only looking at her hair, her eyes, and her face.

A few seconds later,

Nicky gave Pallavi chocolate as well as a rose flower and sat on his knees and said, "This rose is for my rose; I love you."

Her cheeks turned a little red.

"I love you too, Nicky," she said smilingly.

 

"Can I have a glass of water?" he said.

She gave him a glass of water and also a pizza (she ordered it 30 minutes before their meeting).

The pizza has cooled down, but still, you have to eat it as I have nothing to heat, said she (laughingly).

Both took a piece of pizza each, and they had their conversation.

 

After around thirty minutes of their formal talks, they kept silent for a few seconds, and they started hating the distance between them. They came closer.

 

"He bent down, his lips against her cheek, brushing it lightly—and still that light touch sent shivers through her nerves, shivers that made her whole body tremble. 'If you want me to stop, tell me now,' he whispered. When she still said nothing, he brushed his mouth against the hollow of her temple. 'Or now.' He traced the line of her cheekbone. 'Or now.' His lips were against hers.

'Or—'

But she had reached up and pulled him down to her, and the rest of his words were lost against her mouth. He kissed her gently, carefully, but it wasn't the gentleness she wanted—not now, not after all this time—and she knotted her fists in his shirt, pulling him harder against her. He groaned softly, low in his throat, and then his arms circled her, gathering her against him, and they rolled over the bed, tangled together, still kissing."

An alarm sound disturbed them.

"Oh shit!" He whispered

"What happened, Nicky?" she said.

"The train to Jodhpur will leave at 3 PM, and this is the last train that will go to Jodhpur," he said.

By that time, it was 2 o'clock.

The redness of her cheeks had disappeared. They did not want to go away from each other, but they had no option.

He packed his bag and said, I have to go now; we will meet again soon. He was still looking into her eyes. Both came closer and completed their century of kisses.

Nicky kissed her forehead and said, I love you, Pallavi.

"I love you too, Nicky," she replied (blushing).

And he departed.

 

On his journey, he was playing songs and recalling the memories—what happened between them, how they hugged, how they kissed, and so on. He was very happy that day.

After reaching the Jodhpur junction, he picked up his bike. By the time he reached the railway station, it was 7 o'clock.

He messaged Pallavi and confirmed that he had safely reached his home. They shared their memories over multiple messages in chat that night.

 

 

Chapter 6: Imperfection

 

Over time, he made new friends in college.

 

One of his college friends named Kriti was his second closest friend after Praveen. He used to tell him all the things about his relationship with her. She was sympathetic to Nicky because she was in a long-distance relationship, so she could understand the situation.

Once Nicky had also made Kriti and Pallavi talk to each other, then both the girls knew each other a little bit.

 

Everything was looking good, but one thing was not good at all, and that was the childishness of Nicky. He was quite immature and inexperienced in relationships, as it was his first relationship. He used to think that if both of them were in the same college or living in the same city, then they could meet continuously, watch movies together, travel together, sit together in a couple's park, and so on.

His friend Nilesh was also in relationships and always used to talk to Nicky. His friend Nilesh was like that Indian aunt who doesn't want to see their neighbor happy.

He was regularly talking about his relationship with Nicky, like where he and his girlfriend went today, what they saw, how they enjoyed it, and how they spent their time the whole day. Nicky could imagine everything, but he could not enjoy the same thing because his loved one was far away.

 

Everything was not new to Pallavi, as she had a boyfriend earlier too. She was mature and also a Padhaku girl, and she wanted Nicky to be a little serious about his career, but Nicky had a completely different ideology. Because now he had some good friends in college, he just wanted to live his life in a fun way. When someone used to talk to him about his career, studies, future, or other such things, he used to get irritated.

 

Regularity in their chatting and calling each other was as normal as before their first date. They planned to meet again. Nicky wanted to do something like his friend; they planned to go to a movie.

 

 

Chapter 7: Misunderstandings

12 December 2001.

Nicky woke up early that day, and everything was like his first date, but one thing was different: Nicky had now understood what to do and how to do it.

He reached the platform on time.

He didn't get the metro, or else he would definitely pick that option, as he was very excited and wanted to meet her as soon as possible.

"Brother, give something in the name of Allah", a voice came from behind him.

He turned back and saw that she was Chutki, that sweet little girl dressed in torn clothes, with a small bowl in her hand and a sweet smile on her face.

He took out a 10-rupee note, gave it to Farheen, and told her to eat something.

After that, he departed.

 

He landed at Jaisalmer Junction, booked a cab, and reached Miraj Cinema. Pallavi was already waiting for him; he went straight to her as soon as he got down and hugged her tightly.

 

"Do you intend to break the little ribs that were left last time, Nicky Ji?" She said it with a smile.

Nicky laughed and said, "Ma'am, that's what I was thinking about."

They had arrived a little early, so they waited outside the theater.

She snatched his mobile in fun and checked his messages. She saw a girl named Tamanna, and when she clicked on that, she noticed that that girl and Nicky were too close.

She was really angry on time; even Nicky could see her pink face turning into a red jellyfish, and his face turned yellow.

He tried to calm her down, but his words were not working anymore. For him, the last hope was Kriti because she knows her. He called Kriti and explained everything, then he said Pallavi to talk with her.

Kriti explained that Tamanna was just his friend, like Kriti.

After a few minutes, Pallavi calmed down, and Nicky was breathing with ease.

 

Nicky gave Pallavi a black thread, which is worn by the children.

"I'm not a child," she said laughingly.

"You are my baby," he replied.

 

It was time for the movie screening, so they went inside and took their seats.

A few minutes passed, slowly talking in a peaceful manner. But how long can someone keep those love birds imprisoned? Only a few minutes had passed, and Pallavi touched his hand with her soft hands. He turned around and found her face, and her mouth was already waiting like a question. He started kissing, and her heart was beating so wildly that she could only take a few sips of breath.

"His face bent down into hers in slow motion, like a dream, blurred, and then disappeared as she felt his hot mouth close over hers."

His tongues tangled and he went to war against her locked mouths, battling madly for dominance.

Both of them had no interest in the movie.

After watching the movie, as usual, Nicky kissed her forehead, and then both went to their respective homes.

 

Chapter-8 Alienate

 

They were behaving normally, and everything was good between them as both were reacting like that.

"Hey Pallavi, how is it going between you and Nicky?" Sheetal asked

"Not so good", Pallavi answered.

What happened?

"Nothing, but the long-distance relationship seems harder to handle. Nicky is expecting a lot of things, and I also want to spend time with him, but we are far away from each other. Along with it, our castes are different, and maybe my family will not agree to it in the future. I am a little confused." Pallavi answered

"Why did you turn your friendship into a relationship? Nicky is a newbie in relation; your relationship will not survive; I told you a few months ago," Sheetal replied.

"Leave the topic; let's gossip."

It was happening in Jaisalmer, but what was happening in Jodhpur at that time? Let's go there.

Five friends were enjoying the sand dunes. Nicky was sitting alone under a tree, his friend Praveen was sliding on the sand dunes with his chick, and Nilesh was riding on a camel with his girlfriend.

"If Pallavi was here, we could have fun too; we could go to that nearby shop for ice cream, and we could have camel riding." Nicky was thinking.

The ionic bond between them became weaker day by day, but they didn't realize it. There was something that was binding them to each other; otherwise, this relationship could fade way before.

 

9: End of the journey

They were keen to meet again, but after having all these things, Nicky was already feeling sad because he could smell the air of the future.

They were supposed to meet at National Trade Park (NTP), which was the biggest mall in the city.

He went to the station on time as usual, but there was no rush; he walked here and there, though he did not see Farheen.

After reaching NTP, he saw a pretty girl wearing a red top and jeans; the redness on her cheeks was missing this time. He walked near her and hugged her softly.

"I hope you did not face any difficulty in your journey," she asked.

"I enjoyed it; let's go," he answered firmly.

They were together the whole day; they were doing a lot of things, like walking on the streets, eating pani puri, and so on.

They departed when the sun was about to set.

"It is late now; we have to go to our home," he said.

"That is what I was thinking," she replied.

They said goodbye to each other, but they did not have any idea that it would be their last goodbye.

 

11 p.m. that day

"Have you reached home safely?" Pallavi sent the message.

"Everything was OK," he replied.

"Doesn't you feel we have to talk about it?" He asked

"About what? She replied innocently.

"Our relationship—I have been thinking about it for the last few days; we may no longer have the same bond as before," he said.

She understood everything about what was going to happen now.

He wanted to be with her, but at that time he had no idea why he was doing these things; he was still remembering the scene of their first meeting.

"I do not understand what to answer now," she replied.

"You do not have to reply," he said.

(Yeah! (They were not together anymore.)

Waiting for that early morning train had now become a heartbreaking mystery, and that smile of Farheen had disappeared; those beautiful trees of her colony had lost their beauty; the redbud was no longer that green; and his leaves had fallen. He was going to miss that Farheen and her smile on that platform; he will miss her, Vanni Singh.
That relationship changed Nicky completely.

 

 

10. Last seen a long time ago

 

Two years later,

Times have changed, people have changed, and Nicky has changed.

Nicky had completed his bachelor's degree, and now he was pursuing an MBA. He became a more confident, dedicated, motivated, and hard-working person.

It was about 5 o'clock in the evening, and Nicky was sitting on the couch. He was watching his favorite web series when the doorbell rang.

Nicky opened the door, and he was astonished. It was Kriti, his college friend; she had never visited his home before. He asked her to come in, and they were happy as they met after a long time.

"How is your life going?" Kriti asked

"I am doing well. Tell me about you. How many affairs are going on?" Nicky asked laughingly.

"You know that there was only one; that asshole ran away with someone else, and now there is no feeling for anyone; it all ended with him", Kriti answered.

"Ok", Nicky said.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked.

"Same as you; I had only one, haha," he answered.

"I heard that you and Pallavi had broken up; what happened that time?" Kriti asked

"Now leave the old thing; it was a small issue," Nicky answered.

"But she did not do what my partner did; you could solve it," Kriti said, shaking her eyebrows.

After that, they continued their friendly talk.

After two hours of their gossip, Kriti left for her place, but her words were rounding in Nicky's head.

Nicky was thinking that maybe the situation could have been understood and his relationship could have been saved.

At night, he searched Pallavi in Sheetal's following list on Instagram, When he scrolled, a name emerged, which was Pallavi1108, and he sent a follow request, but he was not in a condition to message her. He didn't know what to say. He could only wait until his follow-up request was accepted.

Suddenly there was a notification; it was Pallavi.

"Hey", Pallavi messaged.

There was a different joy on Nicky's face; he was smiling softly.

They started their chat, but that happiness was temporary and disappeared when she revealed her relationship status.

Their chat went on for a while even after this, but now Nicky's grief had compounded, his heart was heavy, and he was feeling like there was a stone in his heart.

Half an hour later, they were about to say goodbye.

"We should not talk to each other," Pallavi said.

"What is the issue? I am not saying that we should be in a relationship, but we can be friends," said Nicky.

"Persons who had been in a relationship once can't be friends again," Pallavi replied.

Her profile picture disappeared, and the last hope for him also disappeared with that. What he saw was at his name's place.

'It was last seen a long time ago.'