Chapter 1:- Dreams Come True

Memories or Wounds?

Although we were known as the kids of the 90s’, there were some aspects that I truly love which the newer generation will never be able to experience. The value of money, for example. Eyes widen in shock when I tell them about our ‘pani puri’ competitions, with a hundred pani puris in less than 10 rupees. And I carry one reaction everywhere I witness this; fits of laughter. Sometimes I wish they could live our lives of simplicity!

Another thing that drastically changed in a decade were emotions. A particular emotion. Love. The innocent, life-changing love. Something you made commitments towards and never backed out. When we loved, we loved them wholeheartedly, with pure dedication and devotion. Not many things came before this on our respective priority lists. It was a major decision that required a lot of pondering upon. A decision you stuck by for your entire life.

10 years ago

The mesmerizing hill station in the Aravalli Range in Rajasthan, one of the most fascinating places in our nation had given me so many memories already, that I never wanted to bade goodbye. The spread of tranquility as the winds spoke, the solitude in the echos of bells at the Dilwara temples, and the breathtaking view our eyes witnessed and heart treasured.

Standing on the peak, I could hear slight ripples of the Nakki Lake as my lips curved into a smile. I had worn my hair down, a rarity. They danced mischievously, a few strands too excited that they had started to obstruct my view.

Before I could bring my hand to my face to clear them, another hand made it’s way and pushed them behind my ear. My heart raced erratically. My hands grew cold. I hesitantly looked at him and fell for that smile again. He gazed into my eyes and time stopped. I had known him for nearly two months, but it felt as if I’d known him for an eternity. His smirk, his antics, and they way he smoothly pushed his hair every so often.

“Naina, is there something you wanted to tell me?” His soft voice echoed in my ears.

Everyone had re-assembled at our base camp, celebrating our day’s achievement, when I coughed twice. His eyes shifted to mine and reciprocated our signal. I coughed once more, when Shanti Ma’am asked me if I was okay. I’d barely nodded when he offered to get me some water. This was the understanding between us. There were so many unsaid words conversed between us, it was hard to believe and an honor to have.

“Can you meet me at the peak of that hill in 15 minutes? I need to talk to you.” I had whispered as soon as he passed the water bottle. He nodded with a smile, making me blush. I had changed surprisingly, all credits to him.

“Naina?” The familiar voice brought me back from my chain of thoughts as I stuttered.

“Y-yeah, um, I wanted to ask you...how was your day, Sameer?” I asked, immediately regretting my lame question.

“Naina, you called me up here to talk about this? We were together--” I shot a glance at him at those words as he clarified, “I mean, as a class, of course. So you know how my day was, right?”

“Yeah, so stupid of me.”

“Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?” He asked, hopeful. Those eyes, that held the power to make me weak in the knees, today motivated me. I suddenly got a surge of courage and adrenaline rushing through me. It was him, after all. And these were my feelings I wanted to express. I could do this, for him, for us. Taking a deep breath, I began.

“Sameer, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you. For quite a long time. Though I wasn’t able to in the past, but now that I’ve gathered the courage, I want to tell you.” I looked up at him as he gave an understanding nod. It was as if he wanted me to continue, as if he had been waiting patiently for this moment.

“Ever since I saw you, you’ve grabbed my attention. Initially, I thought it was the cockiness about you that distinguished you from the others, and so I had decided to ignore you. But feeling refused to bug. And as time progressed, I got introduced to the inner Sameer. The one who cares and loves his Nanu more than anyone else in this world.” I shifted my gaze from him to the view in front of me as I reminisced all our memories.

“I saw the Sameer who longed for him mother’s affection, yet never showed it to anyone. The Sameer who had ambitions and the courage to fulfill them. You made extra efforts to study something that never interested you, and still, I doubted you.” Guilt filled my voice as our accusations replayed in my head.

“You considered me your friend and look at what I did in return. I didn’t trust you. But you were so generous, that you still forgave me and gave our friendship a second chance. Honestly, now that I look back, I’m so grateful to you for giving me that opportunity. I had unknowingly started to wait for your blank calls, for those songs that spoke so much more than just lyrics.” Saying that, I turned around and faced him, again.

“Sameer, you mean a lot to me. Your happiness and sadness affect me to an extent I cannot elaborate in words. I know my ideologies about expressing is a little different from yours, but I just wanted to tell you how much I…” I halted in my tracks to notice his reaction.

“I…?” He repeated, voice indicating the urgency. At that moment, nothing else mattered. Not even my family’s reaction to this. I could bear a thousand slaps for him, and in that moment I was confident I could do anything for him. In that moment, I didn’t consider myself blatant for confessing first. This was our love story, different from everyone else’s. Unique and simple. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my racing heart and said the unimaginable words.

“I love you, Sameer.”