First Date to Forever...

Sunny side up

Love - the most complex emotion ...
      How weird is it that love exists all around you since the time you are born - your parents' love , your friends , your family , everything is bound by love but then suddenly someone walks into your life and changes the definition entirely!

   Shonali had been in love before but she was a kid then. It was a very innocent and naive kind of love with the purest of intentions . No lust , no greed just a mere smile from them was what they expected of each other.

     But this time it was different. She was an adult now . This love hits different. You can feel the emotions consuming you . As a kid you are not scared of anything because you are not aware of how cruel the world can be and how your own thoughts can become your villain . Now it was you against everything - your future , your thoughts , your insecurities ! Just about everything will make you think before giving yourself in to this wonderful feeling . And not to forget those butterflies you get when they hold your hand or the storm you feel when they kiss you!

       Shonali was experiencing all this for the first time ... And for now she has totally forgotten about Sujay's trip. She is trying to get all she can of this feeling before the insecurities kick in. For once in her life she was thinking about herself and how it is making her feel. Though she knew they both still have a long way to go, there are still a lot of things unsaid , a lot to be shared , a lot to know about each other but at this moment it was just her and her feelings.

    She decided to skip college today and spend the rest of the day dreaming about last night and him ! She was allowed to have a day off to herself after such roller coaster of emotions. She was sitting in the living area of her room when her train of thoughts was interrupted by her roommates entering the room .

"Oh wow someone is glowing!!" Maitri exclaimed as soon as she saw Shonali .

"Are you alright Shonali ? " asked a concerned Palak .
"Yes ? Why did you ask that ?" Shonali asked all confused.
"No because you sneaked out of hostel, bunked college today and now you are just sitting here smiling like a fool... I thought maybe you are not well .. " she started laughing making everyone laugh ..

Soon they all started teasing Shonali and asking about how her night out went when Ruhi entered their room ....

" I told you , you cannot enter the hostel unless you ....wait !!! You are already blushing !!! Oh my gosh ! Tell me everything..." Ruhi exclaimed !

"Unless what ? " Palak asked curiosly .

"If it's Ruhi's condition we should all know what it would be " Maitri rolled her eyes looking unimpressed but even she was eager to hear Shonali's story .

"Well ... Umm .. actually I am getting a call .. I will be right back ... " a clearly embarrassed Shonali tried to sneak out of this conversation, but her friends were having none of it today !!

Palak took Shonali's phone and set it to silent mode , "There , no more phone till you tell us everything .. "

Shonali looked around at all the curious faces in the room and sighed ,

"Fine , so we kissed .... " And she narrated her best night out ever with a huge smile and red cheeks !

"Wow ! Just listening to this is giving me chills ... I like this guy already !!! " Ruhi exclaimed.

"I agree ! So considerate of him to take you to his sister's place ... And that kiss !!! Ooof ! " Palak was still reeling under the events Shonali just narrated .

Maitri on the other hand was just worried about Shonali ...
"Shonali , what now ? Have you thought about what you are going to do ? Are you both officially in a relationship now ? " She just wanted to know what's going on in her mind.

"No , we are not a couple ! I mean we both know we have feelings and he was almost about to say those three words ... " she sighed and then continued " ...but it's just not the right time . There is still a lot to know about each other plus I am not sure if we can pull off a long distance relationship just yet . "

"But for now I do not want to think about the future !! I do not want to think about what will happen when he leaves ... I am just feeling all this for the first time ... I am so overwhelmed by all these feelings that I am just worried I would take all the wrong decisions ! I am sort of glad he is leaving so that I can get time to wrap my head around everything and sort out my thoughts.... I do not know if that makes sense for you , but it is making so much sense to me ! " Shonali ranted for 4 minutes staright !

Everyone around her had a knowing smile on their face . They all could see Shonali was in love , but just the timing was so disheartening!

Harsha finally spoke for the first time " It's absolutely fine Shonali to be overwhelmed by these feelings... and you are right this time can help you clear your mind and then take a decision. Most importantly we have placements coming up guys ... We need to focus on that too ... No more kisses to distract you ! " Harsha joked making Shonali blush .

   And soon the discussion changed to the upcoming placement season. They had so much work to do , so many reports , presentations , preparations for their interviews and group discussions ! But Shonali's mind was still stuck at last night's kiss ! Her first kiss ... !

It was almost midnight, everyone had retired to their rooms . Shonali had just tucked herself in her blanket when her phone pinged with an incoming message..

'Hey there ! '

It was Sujay , of course !

'Hi ! '

'Hope your friends didn't trouble you much ?'
He knew her friends must have drilled her about last night's events ... He wondered what she would have told them ... Did she mention the kiss ? He made a note to ask Sarika if she had a conversation with her ...

'Well you know them .. 🤷‍♀️ I wasn't spared ! '

'Haha ! I am sorry to put you on the spot ! '

'Not your fault it was my decision! Plus I got the best tea in the world so I am not complaining ! '

Sujay smiled at this ! He was happy she is not shying away from accepting she wanted to spend time with him . Their conversation felt more light , more personal ... It felt as if every sentence of theirs holds more meaning than what it looks like.

'Shonali , can we meet tomorrow? ' Sujay asked.

'Meet as in ? We have classes tomorrow, you are coming to college right ? '  she was confused , they had classes together, what did he mean can we meet?

'I don't need to attend classes this week , but I will be in college tomorrow for some paperwork... I wanted to meet you alone .... '

'Oh sure , I only have two classes tomorrow we can meet after that if you are done with your paperwork by then ? '
  
     Shonali was nervous, even though all she wanted was to spend time with him but now the thought of being alone with him made her nervous! What the hell is this feeling !!

'Sounds good ! Can't wait to see you tomorrow! '  Whoa we are being vocal now ? Sujay was amused at his own confidence.

Shonali smiled at his message, but then she was smiling throughout texting him ..

'Me too .. '

Sujay wanted to see her face while she typed this ! He just knew she would be blushing right now ! He knew she must have typed and erased and retyped these two words multiple times before sending!!

'Good Night Shonali .. '
He didn't want the conversation to end but he knew she didn't get any sleep last night and her friends wouldn't have left her alone today , she must be tired ..

'Good night Sujay ! Sleep well 😊'

... And they both stayed awake thinking about each other for a long time , waiting for tomorrow!!