when it rains

part ii | collision-coalscence

THE HEAVY POUR HAS CONTINUED while Arit's heart full of uncertainties ached, the pain visible in his eyes reddening.

Arit was always someone who lived off silently and kindly, intelligent and gorgeous in many ways. His dark innocent eyes were always telling a story of his hardships, inner beauty and melancholy. It's a pity that they were mostly left unread, like some brilliant book is ignored.

Maybe some could not just understand those utterly black and mediocre eyes. They were unable to see the beauty in mediocrity. They could not understand the fact that no matter how many times it does, but whenever it rains, it is beautiful.

It takes a heart of gold to feel it every time. A heart of gold, not everyone has.

Only someone like him and Aira. Aira, who was not very loving towards this particular form of precipitation. To look at who, his eyes wavered several times. Because of her, he has been restlessly changing positions.

He was appreciated where ever he went and had been, for the clear perceptions he had, the untangled knowledge he vested in himself. In this world of tremendous chaos, he was a moment of peace. He was rainbow after the rain.

But his popularity amounted more to his resourcefulness. Among selfish people,
he always helped with a smile whenever asked. With the same, in fact a warmer smile, he accepted a no when it was him in need of a little, little help.

He was helpful and kind, morally strong. Exactly the one who is very easily used.

But Arit always lived like that. Forgiving others and helping them nonetheless. Even when it meant being dumped in cases of emergency or just a minor, minor need. By those very people he had idiotically run errands for.

He had a heart of gold and he did not change. He could not.

The only thing which changed after such experiences was his sphere of expectations. He distanced himself to safer distance. It is ridiculous, the way he continued to expect from other people even when he had been back stabbed by many.

He always thought that there are kind and grateful people. Like his mother was. He was not wrong. Yes, it took him a lot of time and pain but his 24 years of life made him meet some people who were selfless. It's another thing, those were momentarily meetings but still, it sufficed his heart a lot.

Just the fact that there are people who are kind and soulful. And when he met her, his world turned into hues of beautiful colours.

Ashishika made him happy by sticking around him. The fact was that she sticked around, unlike all those people who did not when he had, made his heart soft.

If only he knew those colours would all apparently mix into black and those smiles would fade away to an extent he would forget to smile like he always did. If only he knew he would even forget how he used to smile.

Arit met Ashishika like the light at the end of tunnel. Like after a dark night, the sun has finally risen.

Arit and Ashishika met in school.

He thought she was sunshine, unaware that she was the fire which will burn his heart down to ashes. He thought she was quite drizzling of rain, unaware that she was the thunder that will bring floods.

He only found these things later.

And even later, he only thought that he was responsible for his heart breaking. If only he had not given his heart in the first place, if only he had not dreamt of happy endings. If only he had been better.

He was best.

However, he had continued to ponder for quite some time now, he should have been better. He could have been better, less of a dreamer.

Ashishika was admitted to the same class as his. Eleventh grade.

Like everyone, she came to know of this guy who was so good at studies, popular among students and teachers. He was cool without washing feets of teachers and having had many, many girlfriends.

His glasses might make him look like a nerd who always sticked around teachers, he was far more than that.

He was intelligent so he had worries. He was hard-working so he had problems needing to be solved. He was a dreamer and so he talked of possibilities out of the world. He was preseverant and his success one day will prove it.

Too well anyone's can.

Ashishika, as she was, had approached him. Everyone has had but she was different. She did not get to him like all those selfish punks for only using him, nor did she behaved like a mere friend. He had friends in case you wonder, good ones at that, those he had happy timings with.

She came like she wanted to be his best friend. Understanding him, being with him, supporting him was what she did.

He felt nothing odd in that, she was so true in everything she did. Helping him in his endeavours, seeing his kindness and appreciating his presence in her life.

She embraced him. And when she kissed him, they became something more than friends, something unconsciously Arit has started to grow thought of in himself. That night, it had rained.

Not sure if it really was love for each other, they named it love. Through various smiles and utter truth in their eyes, they held hands and exchanged confessions of love.

They would come to school together and later college when they joined it after twelfth. Both saw the biggest dreams from their unique eyes. Qualifying UPSC. The mother of all exams. The real struggle had began then.

Love stories often fade away in life stories.

Hardly, anyone stays when you have nothing. This. This one person that stays then is worth being kept for ever.

Sadly, Ashishika was not that person.

During college, they started off preparing little by little in their small of a city that only had one good institute teaching for the field they chose.

The same one Aira went to.

thankyou for reading. if you liked the chapter, please turn that star down there orange.

UPSC conducts the civil services exams for government administrative posts and such in India.

omg!! thankyou for all the amazing rankings. #26 in metaphor, #71 in poetic and so many more.

tanya x