This is a story of a boy who is on the verge of teenage or rather 14 when he first falls in love. The girl is not the protagonist here. But after having a crush on a few more girls, he realizes that he is capable of loving not only girls but guys to...
The last evening was still on my tongue. Deepak did not let me go until it was 8:30 and his father called out to him. He had held me tightly. Too scared to let me go. I had come to know about his poor memory from his friend. Two years ago, Deepak had hooked up with a girl. Within four months of dating, she betrayed him. Not that it is something new in this world. People always look out for fun and leave something old when they get a new toy. He had moved on because he never had much expectations from her. This girl could not tolerate the fact that he could move on so easily. One night, she came to his house in his absence with the pretext of meeting him and exchanging everyday vitamins for sleeping pills.
Day by day, due to the powerful pills his memory started deteriorating. Little did he realise it but his anger now was in an active state. The slightest of remarks riled him up and he hung that man. He never cared less about his memory loss. What is there so interesting in my life to remember and cherish, he says. Every man has a story to tell. How could I leave him in a state and let him rot? It was two days ago when I had prepared for this experiment and it had succeeded. Taste and fragrance were two powerful memory boosters. And if this was added with the only thing he would die for, a drug – me. It had to work. And it did work.
After that day, we had been distant. I had my tests coming up and an important competition for which I had to prepare. I could not visit him as promised. From what my friends had told me, he had visited our colony at least twice in fifteen minutes. A week had passed and we had not seen each other.
I was wearing my blue shorts showing my hairy legs. This was a moment when I felt like a gorilla. In my black and green shirt, I was walking down the road and then I took a right turn to meet...Aditya.
Aditya was Deepak's best friend.
Me: Hey. What's up, guys?
Aditya: All good, champ. Did not see you for long.
Me: Studies. Where is my king?
Aditya: Oh, he is coming. He has to leave for his Badminton classes.
Me: He learns badminton??
Aditya: No. He teaches badminton. He is a coach in Dhanbad.
Me: My oh my. Never knew that. How is his memory now?
Aditya: A bitch! He has stopped talking to anyone since that night. He remembers everything clearly now. Detailed incidents of how anyone betrayed him. He is angry with me for tricking him once and running away with his car. Since he did not see you for five days. His anger is burning everyone who tries to talk to him. And to your surprise, he has started...
I dug my nails into my palm. I did not want to hear what he was going to say if he wanted to say what I was thinking.
Aditya: ...Drinking. He comes home drunk every night. His father does not say anything because he does not wish to destroy peace and curtail his freedom. Moreover, Deepak is completely normal. But he is wasting himself. He is as perfect as ever. His work is running smoothly. He was promoted last week as the software developer in the gaming department of a company. And the badminton academy he runs to teach young kids needs four more coaches. But his love life is...
I knew how it was. I never imagined him to be irrevocably in love with me. I was lost in my thoughts when things happened too fast. A bike rider zoomed past me, I got out of his way in time and would have fallen if Aditya had not saved me. And then I could see Deepak punching that rider. There was blood on his knuckles but it was not his. I saw a bloody nose. If it would not have been for Aditya, I think we would have to cremate that boy there. With a broken nose and a dislocated jaw, the boy went as fast as he came. He knew it was futile to establish any relationship with any cheap politician who was actually a toilet cleaner.
"You okay?" He sat on his knees to observe me. He was too tall. He had to kneel to kiss me. Though he could bow a bit and do it. But he wanted to remind me that I was 5"4' and he 6"4'.
"I am okay. You did not have to almost kill the man there."
"I would have beaten him until his bones bled. And I will do it to anyone and everyone who tries to touch a fragile thing god has asked me to keep safe. But that thing will not talk to me or meet me. It loves other men and girls more than me."
"So I am a thing now."
"Better than the joke you have made of our love."
"Love? When did we tag it as love? I guess I was just an objectifiable time pass for you." Sarcasm was in my veins.
I could see the pain in his eyes. Had we not been in the middle of a crossroads, I would have hugged him. But here we were at the crossroads. We had to part ways. It had never been love from him. How can it be love when my absence made him mad? When he had made himself a moron without me? What if I have to leave him someday? Will he kill everyone who was the cause of our parting? Will he be happy if I am his forever or just leave me when he is contented? This is not love. Love does not bring you pain. This was moh. Mere illusion. A want. A need. And love was not a want or a need in life. It WAS life. And we did not have any probable future. Not as long as we were in India.
He got up and drove away in his car after a few minutes. I could see tears in his eyes before he wiped him with his sleeve. His white shirt. How can somebody look so ecstatic and dangerously handsome? But he had to leave for work and I had to go. I wiped my tears before they could come out and answered Aditya's question I did not hear.
