A year back... It was a fine Saturday afternoon and I was playing a game with an unknown opponent on my phone and that particular app had the option to chat with the person playing the game. And everything started there. His name was Saqib which means shining star. He first called me from the app itself and we talked for nearly an hour or so. Later we exchanged one of our fb profiles and we started chatting outside the app. I don't know what made me wait for him when he was unavailable. The first day went as usual nothing so great. But two days after our first talk... First time in my life I was missing someone I hardly knew. I started thinking about him such that I felt my day to be moving slow. I was actually working in those times and he was preparing for the government exams. So we hardly spoke during the day but still he found time for me here and there which made me feel that I was special. But no joys last longer, so as ours. We were in a relationship only for 12 days and after that he bid me goodbye excusing himself from the social websites to concentrate on his exams.
Without letting out my feelings I bid him good byes. "The hardest good bye of my life" . And we never talked to each other after that. I didn't know anything about him. I didn't even know if he had feelings for me or if he was just using me. But as for me, I regret everyday for bidding him goodbye. I wanted him to return back to me but still I never had the chance to tell him how I felt for him. I always regret for bidding him goodbye but not of letting him go.
There were many people after that in my life but the love I shared with Saqib could not be replaced. The strange truth is that I never expressed my true feelings for him. This one year it was really hard for me to pass as I feel him everywhere around me. Even when I'm eating my morning oats I remember him as he used to eat it during the night. His smile, his cute messages, his face getting red when he is angry or shy and also his childishness.
The next day at the coffee shop... I have been waiting for an hour to meet Saqib but he didn't arrive. As I was waiting I heard a "hello". When I turned, it was him standing before me with a laptop bag in his hand and as cute as before, which made my heart flutter. Once again he said, "hello".
"he.. Hello... How are you doing?"
"doing great. And you?"
"I'm fine. Thank you."
And there was a silence between us for a minute or two. It is the first time we are meeting in person that too after a long time.
"so then...", I started to stop the silence between us.
"Its really great to see you after a long time, and I have a surprise for you".
What could that surprise be? Is it good or bad? As I was lost in my thoughts he snapped his fingers which brought me back to my senses.
"Oh! What's the surprise? Can't wait any longer..."
"Yes me too...", saying so he opened his laptop bag and took an invitation and wrote my name on it and gave it to me.
Though I had no heart to accept it, still I got it from him. It is an wedding invitation and he came there to invite me.
That's really a cool surprise for me in that hot weather.. I was actually devastated... What am I supposed to say to him? I quietly opened the invitation and was acting as if I was reading through it, although in my heart, I was weeping and my mind was feeling it hard to concentrate even on a single word in the invitation.
It took all my courage to control my tears in front of him. I looked straight into his eyes and said, " Hearty congratulations !"
"Oh... Thank you dear." and he added, " you must come without fail".
"But I can't make it. As I have an important event that day and it needs my presence there. So sorry. I will visit you later if you want." that was the only false excuse I could make there.
"Oh... I will miss you so much. OK then I will send you my address. You can visit us anytime."
"With pleasure."
"I'm sorry. I need to go. As I must invite alot of my friends."
"OK carry on. Thank you for the invitation. Bye and take care."
"Bye dear." And the next minute he disappeared from my sight.
I actually felt lost amidst my feelings. I must have told him long back. But now... Everything was over.
He again left me with just a bye. So easy for him. Tears started rolling down my cheeks. I once again saw the name on the invitation and it was written as, invited by "Saqib and family". Now I can only own this invitation of his.
After an hour of his leaving me with my own feelings and emotions and tears, I was getting ready to move. As I got up I stumbled on someone, I just said sorry without even seeing the face and started to move.
"It's okay, dear", came the voice. That made me stand still. I turned back and it was him, my Saqib standing in front of me.
"You are here again?"
"Yes, I left something."
As he was talking, I was looking into his eyes to continue his talking. But he didn't. He was staring deep into my eyes. And the next moment he was standing close to me. I tried to move away, when he held my right hand and knelt in front of me and said, "Will you marry me? “
I was actually surprised by his question. I stood there dumbfounded. He got up and made me sit in the chair and said," I loved you from the beginning and I'm still in love with you. Will you marry me? "
" What about this invitation? Are you going to cheat this girl?"
"Why must I cheat her? She will always be my darling sister."
"Your what.... Sister...."
Once again I opened the invitation and only then I realised, that it was his sister's marriage. After going through the invitation, this time with full concentration, I finally said,
"Yes..."
He was looking at me in a peculiar way. I guessed that he didn't understand why I said yes.
"I'm ready to marry you. Actually I too was in love with you for very long. I missed you alot."
As I was talking tears started pouring out my eyes. But this time, he came forward to wipe away my tears. That's when we both realised that we shared a strange love between us.
ns 15.158.61.51da2