The Hours Of Love

Waking up early in the morning feeling the instant regret that I could be sleeping at my own house. Instead, my name was registered to the commerce fest that was to be happening at 10:30 a.m. And no, we didn't know that it was gonna happen at 10:30 a.m. Since, we weren't given clear details by our principal, Class teacher or any teacher for that matter. It was a fine moment, we didn't even have the slightest clue we were gonna be the most disappointed people in the Commerce Arena. Since the principal had given my name it was already a challenge for me, personally I felt I was a good speaker. The principal had once told me "You'd make a vegetarian buy meat" Compliment or not, I loved those words. The principal had told my friend the school name and where it was located.

We reached the bus stand. Stood there waiting for a Trivandrum bus. I was zoning out due to lack of sleep and the half cured food poisoning. The trees danced and the birds sang songs. All I wanted was a good sleep and I could be seeing the colours the world wanted to show me. At the moment, everything seemed black and white with a bit of blue and red everywhere. The bus arrived and I was dragged into the bus. Thank God that I brought my phone, I borrowed my friend's earphones and watched Steve Jobs presentation of the first iPhone.

I felt the fire burning in me that made me think I had already won the competition. Finally, we had reached the destination and the last bit of fuel left in my body was used so that I can win the thing and end things and go to sleep. A girl of that school passed by I asked them to point me to the direction to the registration counter. "Oh my! The Registration was already done by 10:30. My friend checked his watch and we were 30 mins late. And we rushed to the teacher in charge, I don't recall his name clearly but he wore a blue Shirt, full sleeve and looked around 50. The way he spoke, it shows how experienced the man was. But what he spoke shattered my hopes and dreams of being the unborn son of Steve Jobs *snap* just like that. He said that the competitions had already started and it would be pointless to join it now since they've already reached Round 2.

Feeling hopeless, confused, sleepy and stupid. I looked at the girl who showed me the way to registration, for few seconds she had become the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my whole life, the smile, the eyes and her voice sent me to the moon and back in a split second. All of a sudden, the black, white, blue and red turned to the bright colours that I should be seeing, I was regaining my consciousness I did not know what she did but I already had butterflies in my stomach and I didn't need sleep anymore.

What I should be concentrating was on what the teacher in charge had to say. He had told my friend since we come from Pala (Which was farther from where we were) he'd serve us lunch and we could go back. But I wanted to stay, I wanted her. My friends already saw the hearts in my eyes. "Yeah, she's pretty! It's now or never. You think you can do it" one of my friends asked.

"She's already mine" and I walked to her. She told us that we could sing or do football (3 vs 3). I could definitely sing like an angel for her but football was a big no for 2 reasons, 1) I suck at it and 2) I've still not recovered from my food poisoning. "Can you sing?" She asked, looking at her face and not giving her a reply should have creeped her out, thank God it didn't.

"Huh?" I came back from wonderland.

"Song! Can you sing?" She repeated.

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

No, I never sang on a stage before. Since I was brought up in such a way I only knew stuff that was Western, sad to shout it out loud that I knew nothing about our culture, I was better off this way. So, none of my friends sang English and I didn't sing Malayalam. So we've reached a dead end because the singing was supposed to be a duet. We do nothing, we eat and we left was the final decision. I went with my friend to see how the other students do the sing. Well, it sucked. I asked my friends what Placid means since that was the name of the school.

None of them knew what it was so I had to Google it. Google said, "Peaceful and calm". Later, my hearts aggression to see her again drove me back to her while my friends followed me. "Boys watch and learn," I said as I approached her and her group of friends. "As you all know, you're bored and so am I, I thought it was better to move around and you show me the place and I could be of use around here" I continued. And just like that, they were happy to guide us. I turned to my friends and winked. As she started showing me around the school, I was in space trying to grab the stars that I know couldn't be mine, as I didn't even know her name.

"What's your name guys?" I asked

The guy who was with her said Sree something or was it shiva something I don't quite remember, and her friend said her name which I didn't catch.

"Ayna" She said.

"Eh? Ayla?" I asked (Ayla: in Malayalam was a breed of fish).

"Ayna!" She repeated. For some reason, I can't help but hear Ayla.

"Could you spell that for me?" I asked.

"A-Y-N-A" She was desperate to get that right I guess.

"Yes, she is Ayla!" That guy started making fun of her.

"No! My name is Ayna Maria" she said.

And boom! Just like that, I browsed Facebook for her name and first search result was her. As soon as she left, I showed it to my friends, they were bamboozled. Not because I was being a freak, but she was related to some director who directed a 100 crore box office movie. Again! I have no idea about Malayalam movie culture. And then about 3 hours I kept talking to her and for some reason, I kept seeing hearts in her eyes too. Maybe, I was overthinking it maybe I wasn't. But luckily one of my friends saw the hearts too. And my confidence was shot up to the Andromeda, I was adamant that she was mine.

The saddest part of the story was just coming up, the food was being served and the girl of my dreams was going to be no more. I walked towards the food and she passed by me to somewhere. She walked halfway away and she followed me back as she saw me(my friends perspective) and she walked beside me and smiled, I could have sworn that I saw hearts in her eyes. As I ate my lunch in regret know that in a matter of minutes she's gonna be gone forever. I'll never be worthy of such an amazing girl, this ain't destiny, this is just me imagining everything.

As I ate my food I told the Teacher in charge that I was gonna leave. And my eye caught a glimpse of her, I walked to her to say only last goodbye.

"Hey! I'm leaving now, thanks for keeping me busy" I said.

"Ain't you the one that kept me busy?" she said. 

"What's your name?" She asked, finally.

"Mirza" I said.

"I'm definitely gonna forget that!" She smiled.

Her voice, I wanted to cry. But didn't I already expect this? I'm never gonna get a girl like her. This might as well just be a dream, I might just be traveling on the bus to this school now. But sadly, it wasn't.

"I'm going to miss you. I really like you" I said.

"I really like you too." She said.

It wasn't one heart the broke that blue evening, but it was two. And one last time they looked at each other's eyes and it might be a moment that I might lose from my memory but it also was a feeling that'll remain in my heart forever. And finally, just like that, I left her... Whenever I think of that one day, these are the things that I remember the most, her eyes, her smile, and her voice. When I think about the time I went for the commerce fest, it was one hell of a dream for any guy like me, my part in the whole dream was to keep my eyes open.