Love: Attraction Or Trust?

Present day.....

The time was around 6 in the evening. I sat lonely on a bench, with my hands on my head. My eyes were full of tears and I wasn’t a very strong boy to control my emotions. I felt very sad and distressed. The park was almost empty with a few people walking here and there. But my mind was not empty! The same thing repeatedly flashed back in my mind. I become emotionally very weak! Sobbing my eyes, I took my purse out of my pocket and took out a picture of a girl.

8 years ago….

“Bro Arjun, last bench is the best bench I should say. We can do all the activities in the class like sleeping, eating, playing and also starring outside the windows all the time. See, when we go to movie halls, we feel comfortable only in the back rows like, right. Similarly, we can apply the same concept here.” I said.

“I feel very sorry for those first bench students, full time they have to listen to class, they have to keep their head straight and always write on their copies and always say yes to whatever teacher says. It’s like being a robot.” said Arjun.

Both of us sat on the last bench giggling and paying no attention to what our Maths teacher. Normally, I have a habit of looking at the window whenever any student passes, but when this particular girl passed through the window outside our class, I was like awe-struck! I was puzzled and amazed by his beauty. I asked Arjun, “Who is that girl?”

Arjun had the list of all the girls in our batch and also their statuses. Arjun laughed like hell and spoke, “Bro, she is Kavya. Topper of class 8C, she is way beyond your reach. Look at you and her. You, sitting in last bench, a failure student and she is just the opposite of you. “

I was so deeply in love with her that I told Arjun that next year I will also become a topper. He burst into such a big laughter, which caught teacher’s attention, who made us to leave the class as punishment, cursing as that some students never change and we are born to fail.

Soon, my class eight results came. I just passed in all subjects and she topped in everything.

I took out my purse from my pocket. I opened it, and a passport size photo of a girl was kept safely in my purse. I took the photo and began to sob.

6 years ago…..

During my class 10 first semester exams, our Maths question paper, which was set by the Board was very tough. Majority of students got low marks out of 80 and Kavya managed to get only 50. My best friend Arjun got only 30 and everyone expected me to get below 10 marks! But I surprised everyone by scoring 84 marks out of 100!

Teachers were shocked, my father got an attack and moreover Arjun though of committing suicide!

I told Arjun, “Bro, I just love her very much. I worked really hard. I just want her to come and speak to me. I am the batch topper and she would be very curious to know who the topper is, and by this logic, she will come and speak with me.”

Soon my plan worked and Kavya was really curious to know about me. We met, introduced ourselves and became very good friends. Slowly we began to hang with each other in coffee shops and to the movies by bunking our tuition classes. Within weeks of our first introduction, we became very close to each other! I continued to score high marks in all subjects and she approached me one day to teach her Maths!

So, we used to stay back after school and by that time I grew a strong impression on my teachers. The teacher who used to come for rounds after school used to leave us alone because I had made a wonderful impact!

One day, I was teaching her Maths and all of a sudden she held my hand! I felt as if my body became paralyzed with that touch! I stopped writing and looked with her eyes! A moment of silence was there and we just continued to stare each other eyes. The teacher who used to come for patrol has just left us and we knew that no one who come to disturb us! Taking advantage of the situation, she slowly approached her face towards me and I towards her! A moment of hesitation was there but it was fine. Finally, slowly, we lip-locked each other for a few seconds and I was taken aback! She looked into my eyes and I to her, I was breathing heavily and once again we lip-locked and that too I counted for 30 seconds! At last, she said, “I love you very much.”

There was a smile on my lonely face as I recalled that particular line which she told. I looked up in the sky and gave a smile. Now, I could just feel her presence only just by remembering her, that was the only way for me to stay strong with courage.

The previous day….

Our relationship grew very strong. I am doing my engineering degree outside the city so I couldn’t meet her. The day before yesterday, I came back to my city and texted her. We planned for a meet up around 6 in the evening at the park. I wore my knew Peter England shirt and jeans and went to meet her! On the way coming to the park in my bike through a lonely road, which was just 500 meters away from Kavya’s house, I saw a group of boys harassing a girl!

I stopped my bike and went forward to help the girl! I was alone versus the 5 boys! I took an iron rod which was attached to my bike, thank God, I forgot to give it to my dad yesterday, and charged forward!

I was able to trash those boys and threatened them that my dad is a police officer. I was bleeding on my knees and elbow, but I managed to scare those boys off! That girl came near me and hugged me for saving her life!

“Thank you for saving my life”, said the girl and she later continued to speak for 3 minutes about herself and her life.

“….. I really liked your courage and bravery. That girl would be lucky to have you as her boyfriend, oh! I wish that I would have been that lucky girl.” She hugged me said, “I love you very much.”

She took her handkerchief and began to wipe the blood off my wounds.

I smiled and hugged her too and told her in her ears that I already have a girlfriend. The moment I turned my head up, I saw Kavya walking towards me! I could see the anger on her face! I was taken aback and she came near me, looked at that girl! I could clearly see tears on Kavya’s face! There was a moment of confusion between me and her and she walked back in anger. Even that girl, tried to convince her about what really happened, and told her that it was just a misunderstanding, but Kavya didn’t listen to her cock and bull story and ran off to her house. I could easily understand that our breakup had already happened!

“Listen”, said that girl. “What is the point in having a relationship when there is no trust between each other? There should be mutual trust between both the partners. Kavya didn’t want to listen to you because she didn’t trust you at all. But, when I told, I love you to you, you whispered that you are already in a relationship. That is the commitment both the partners should show, then only we can say that a relationship would be healthy and it would go far ahead in life. Love is not about attraction only, it is about the mutual trust and understanding between the partners."

I began to think hard about my life! Whatever that girl told, was exactly correct! love is not only about attraction, the basement of love is trust.

I was just going to say thank you, when all those 5 boys appeared again! One of them carried a gun with him also!

The boy told, “That girl is my girlfriend, please leave us alone.” and he pointed his gun towards me.

There was a moment of chaos between us and the boys! I began to shout that whatever dispute was there between them, it can be solved by peace, but the boy didn’t agree. I forcefully went near him to snatch his gun, when unknowingly he pulled the trigger and the bullet went straight and hit that girl and she fell dead!

Present day……

I looked in the sky and smiled! From my wallet, I took the picture of Kavya, tore it into pieces and threw it on the ground! In my mind, I could recall the flashbacks of that girl only and how she taught me what love really means! I looked up in the sky, only to dream about that girl, whom I wished to return back on Earth as an 'Angel' which was the only way that could heal my broken soul. I felt my soul getting attracted to her! I recalled her line again, “I love you very much.” And wished to myself that if somehow there is a way to tell her back those magical words!

I began to delete all my memories with Kavya, even deleted her number and sat on the bench praying to God.

“May the soul of Megha rest in peace. Brave girl, like her, should deserve a second chance also."

I walked out of the park saying to myself, “That boy would have been lucky to have you as his girlfriend! I wish I could have been that lucky boy. I love you very much.”