Part One

He looked at the beautifully dressed bride walking towards the mandap. All eyes were set on her as she made her way towards the to-be husband. He just stood speechless, admiring how perfect she looked. He could hear people behind him commenting just how lucky the guy was to have such a perfect wife. 6 years back, this gorgeous woman was his, even if only for a moment, all his. And today, she was getting married to the man she loved.

Watching her walk, he went down the memory lane.. 6 years back, he met her for the first time. He had been keyed up to meet his childhood friend after quite some years and she said she was bringing some friends. They had all come to his part of the state to spend some time with nature and enjoy the beach. It was an all-girls trip, so he knew he was going to be the only male around them. Not that he was nervous or excited; he was in a relationship with a wonderful girl since two years, a happy relationship for that matter. His train of thoughts was broken by a very familiar voice as he turned around to face his friend. She looked the same after all these years he noticed. Geeky glasses, chubby cheeks and the ever-so-cute smile. He returned her cute smile with a broader one. 

She turned to introduce her friends one by one. And as she called out the last name, a slim figure came forward from the cluster of girls to shake hands with him. She had a smile that could melt any heart and little brown eyes that sparkled with excitement. She was so tiny that he probably looked like The Hulk in front of her. He tried to imagine how it would be like to hold her in his arms. He was dazed and couldn’t take his eyes off her and could’ve imagined more if it wasn’t for his friend who coughed to interrupt his day dreaming. He looked up with a smile that said I-know-you-caught-me. “She looks like one of my friends”, he managed between his urge to look back at that girl and hide his embarrassment. “Control dude. She probably thinks you’re an idiot. And oh, how can you forget? You have a girl friend!” he soliloquized. Luckily, his friend rescued him and told everyone she’ll see them later. The girls exchanged goodbyes and turned to walk the other way. He waited to see if she turned around or if he could catch a glimpse of her face again but snap, he was caught again. 

“Stop trying to do that, you have a girl friend and that’s where you must concentrate,” his friend said as she pulled him inside CCD. They sat there for about an hour talking about life and everything that had changed since they last met. He constantly kept praying she would talk about the girl whose smile had not left his mind all this while. He lost his patience and finally asked her, “So who are all these friends you’ve come with?” Who was he kidding? This girl in front of him, who was now grinning, knew him inside out. “She’s my junior. We share an apartment, all of us in fact. She is single, if that helps”, at which he smiled like a little kid eating his favourite candy. “But, you have a girlfriend and she would eat you up alive if this reaches her”, making a face at him, she finished the sentence. He knew it all along, but there was something that kept pulling him towards her. He had to be with her, even if for a few hours. He just had to.