Chapter 11: "Nothing is Permanent"

I ended up the chat and slept for a while. After some time, my screen popped up with a Facebook notification. When I opened it, I saw a three girls selfie. To see clearly, I clicked it. It took a few minutes to load, and the picture was blurry. I asked her to send a quality picture, but due to Facebook, I had to manage with that clarity. There were three girls in that photo. So, I asked her who she is. She told me to find her out all by myself. I gave three of them a close look, and I found the middle girl beautiful.

"This is the one, I guess," I assumed.

"I got you. You're the middle one," I messaged.

"Oh! You got that right this time," she replied.

"Next, you will fall in love with me. I'm so excited that it's going to happen soon," I messaged, joyfully.

She denied and said, "You are an over-confidence guy."

"Let's see!" I messaged.

"Yes, see!" she replied.

"Ok!"

"Ok!"

"Ok!'

"Ok!"

"Stop!"

"I love you," I messaged.

She saw my message and started typing...

"This will be my proposal on that day," I added.

Suddenly, she stopped typing, and a message popped up from her.

"Ok!" she replied.

When I said that three magical words to her, I felt like my heart is going to pop out from my body. My heart started falling for her smile on that photo without my permission. Even if she was okay, I felt heaven staring at her.

"Okay! Baby, I won't leave you after your denial to my proposal," I told myself and blushed.

For the next three days, I didn't talk to her much about love, and I didn't see any girl other than her. I locked myself in the room the whole day and night imagining rest of my life with her. Though it was too fast for all these, I felt happy picturing her with me. I asked everything about her likes and dislikes to gift something when we meet. She was different from others. I was shocked after knowing that she smokes. It shook me upside down when she told me that porn hub is her routine watchable videos.

"Do you people have the same website as we do?" I asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"Then what do you people see in that video?" I messaged and waited, curiously.

"Bye! Talk to you later," she replied.

I got the answer in her words and laughed out loud. Only one similar between us was that porn videos. On the fourth day at 3 p.m. sitting on my bed, I suggested her to play Truth or Dare with me. She denied at first but accepted to play once.

"Truth or Dare," I asked.

I wanted her to take the dare.

After two minutes, she texted, "Truth."

"Sorry for the late message," she added.

"It's okay!" I messaged.

"Do you have a crush on anyone?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"What's this plot twist?" I asked myself.

It shook me from the moon and back.

"May I know who that lucky person is?" I messaged.

"Truth or Dare," she messaged.

I proudly answered, "Always truth."

"What happened between you and Harini?" she messaged.

Her question was too hard to answer. Suddenly, an empty mind took place.

"Are you there?" she messaged.

"There will always an empty bench in my heart waiting for her," I replied.

"What if someone comes into your life other than her?" she messaged.

"It's over. Let's talk later Aadhya," I messaged and locked the phone.

I fell back on the bed with eyes open, and all of a sudden my memories with Harini flashed into my eyes. The memories where I saw me falling in a situation where I can't utter a single word whenever we crossed each other. An awkward silence between us made me fall in love wholly.

"If I proposed you, you would say yes, Harini," I said myself.

On the sixth day, I texted her to remind herself about the bet she was going to lose it.

"Nice try, loser," she replied.

I chuckled and changed the topic.

She had a strong belief that she will be the winner but, she didn't realize that I was falling into her every time we texts each other. My heart started tattooing her name with my blood.

Bhargav and I didn't talk since that day as he was busy in shifting to his new home. I texted him about this online girl but, I didn't get any reply from him.

The day has come; the proposal day, it was at noon where I took a step forward to message my deep love.

"I smiled at the dumbest thing even when it wasn't funny,

These seven days, I'm going nuts totally after your offline.

If there is a bench in your brave heart,

Let me enter into the wildest dream of yours where we can unite together by one soul."

I re-read the whole message again and pressed the send button. She was offline, and I was waiting for her. My heart started beating very fast when I saw her offline turned to online. This was the feeling I felt for Harini back then. It started killing me inside out.

"No! Never," she replied.

As soon as I saw her message, my heart skipped a beat. I got no for my proposal, and it was unbelievable for me. I gave my mind to think for some time.

"See! I won," she added.

"Let me ask you something," I messaged.

"Okay! Ask," she answered.

"Since Monday, did you think that when I am going to propose you?"

"Yes," she replied.

I smiled and messaged, "Did you think about me?"

"Yes, but why are you asking me all this?"

"There you go. You were waiting for my proposal and thinking about me. So, this is what we call love," I interpreted.

"I won this bet but, I want you now at any cost. I love you, Prachi!" I confessed.

"How do you know my name?" she messaged.

"If I love somebody then I would even dig from the bore well."

She took a while to type and messaged, "I don't love you."

"Don't go into the conclusion. I suggest you that take time for the answer," I messaged.

Suddenly, I felt hot on my face. When I opened my eyes, the sun closed it. The sweat was all over my body.

"Where am I?" I asked.

When I lifted my hand, the sand was all over.

"We're in the beach," someone said from the right.

I hid my eyes in their shadow to see who he is. It was Bhargav sitting next to me and staring at the sea.

"You woke up?" Bhargav asked.

I nodded.

I asked him about why Harini kissed me. Before I ask something, a girl answered me from my left. I saw Harini staring at me.

"Didn't you leave?" I asked.

As I was making me comfortable on my butt, she said, "I'm sorry for what I did."

I smiled at her and said, "Its okay!"

She gently moved her hand on my face and said, "I have feelings for you, Ragh."

"But I'm sad for you because she's in the hospital," she added.

She looked at the sea and sighed, "It's hard to digest that our loved ones are in the hospital."

I stopped my tears and said, "Nothing is permanent."

She moved close to me; leaned her head on my shoulder and said, "Nothing is temporary."

"Don't ever leave me," she said holding my hands.

Suddenly, I remembered Prachi.

"What am I doing here?" I asked myself.

"Prachi!"

"Prachi!" I screamed and ran off from them.

I saw my watch, and it showed me at noon. Bhargav followed me running and asked me to wait. He yelled at me but, I didn't care. At that moment, my heart was finding her presence. I wanted to see her face on my first birthday with her after we entered into the relationship. While I was running wildly on the footpath, a phone vibrated in my pocket. The ringtone reminded me of her mobile. It was from Jayesh again.

I lifted and warned him while running, "I'm her boyfriend, don't call her fucking again," I shouted and cut the call.

"Raghav!" Bhargav's voice had pain this time.

When I looked back, I saw the crowd on the middle of the road. I searched for him but, I couldn't find anywhere.

"Bhargav!" I screamed and ran towards the crowd.

I pushed everyone away to know who it is. My heart started beating very fast in fear.

"Bhargav," I said with bated breath.

It started raining, and the entire crowd ran off from us.