Chapter 8

Walking on the edge I see a shadow following me. "What do you want?" I ask him, I didn't even realize when I folded my arms.

"Tell me your name and what's wrong? As what I saw you looked depressed about something." he says mimicking my standing posture.

"Why do you care?" I slam at him. He gives me a quizzed look. "Well, if you don't tell me what's wrong, how will I tell you the solution to it and if you don't tell me your name, how will I be friends with you?" He says copying my action by crossing his own arms.

I feel my angry scowl fading away and smiling at his words. "See much better", he says feeling proud of himself. Looking at me smile, even he smiles. I burst out laughing at him.

"What's so funny?" he looks at me curiously. "Oh nothing" "so quit laughing at me" I stare at him. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you but your antics are just so funny" I apologize.

He is laughing at me now. Huh? Is this guy a psycho or something? I give him a puzzled look. "Payback for laughing at me." He again winks at me but I join him into the fits of laughter. What logic is that?

"I am Aira" I introduce myself to him. "Nice to meet you …Umm So friends?" He extends his hand forward towards me. I shake his hand, "Friends" I smile. "So, what were you crying for?"

"Actually I am having a rough day today with my family and …" I hesitate "...and friends. I said some pretty bad things to them not intentionally though but I guess it has hurt them bad and by looking at them hurt, it pains a lot. It's not like I hate them or anything, the words just slips out, sometimes I don't even think before saying something." Tears were streaming down my eyes but I didn't care to wipe it off.

He looks at me in sympathy and to the horizon of the river, "You know, sometimes it happens to me too, it's all part of life. There's a saying 'When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.' So you should move on. What's happened in the past is past and you know what, past cannot be changed, forgotten or erased however it can only be accepted. If you keep sulking down, you won't achieve anything. And in the end when everything is going to be alright, you will wonder, all thinking was for nothing." He smiles.

When he finished he turned to face me and noticed how I was staring at him in surprise, and almost a look of awe. "What?"

"Huh? Nothing! It's just, did you quote it from some book or are you an old man disguised as a handsome man?" I say to him amazed by his words. He laughs, "Thank you for calling me handsome. It's upto you to guess." He winks at me. Who really is this guy anyway?

"How old are you?" He gives me a questioning look. "Just asking" I quickly add. He takes a deep breath, "Same as you." He gives a lopsided grin. "So even you are 20? I go to college, Do you too?" "Yes and Yes, I do too go to college." He replies to my silly question. Come on, was that necessary to ask? Stupid Aira.

I must say this guy does have patience. "But you sound so old like 100 or may be 200 years old Grandpa!" I was kind of making fun of him. "Oh really? At least not like you who were crying like a small baby in diapers!" He sticks his tongue out at me and takes a head start. "Why you little..." I run after him trying to catch him and give him a little lesson.

I run after him. It's like playing a game of tag on a bridge. He's laughing his heads off while running. Well, this is interesting. I forget why I was sad in the first place and even I begin to laugh with him.

People are staring at us both, might be thinking that we are both drunk and something. It reminds me of a scene in the Lion King Movie where Simba and Nala play together just like this trying to chase each other and then they kiss. I blush at my thought. Weird! I never thought of such things, how come now?