An Abstract Love (#Wattys2018)

Chapter 5 - The Realization

On 30 August 2009, Adrian had a long evening at her office. She was the only one in her office working till 10 pm. She got late and was worried to go home alone. She was not able to find a taxi to go home for 15 minutes. Adrian had lived in a protective environment for most of her life. Although she had got used to living in a big metropolitan city now, but she preferred to avoid situations that made her anxious. She was already panicking when she saw a man wearing a hoodie shirt walking towards her from the dark. Mumbai used to be a safe place for girls to travel at night but those days the crimes against women had begun to rise in Mumbai too. She tried her best not to look scared and started walking fast when the stranger caught her by her arm. She hit him with her bag but his grip was too tight. He shouted at her and asked her if she was crazy to roam alone on the streets at this hour. The stranger's voice was familiar. It was Ryan, her knight in shining armor. There he was to rescue her once again.

She hugged him and started crying. Ryan told her that he was passing by when he saw her and she should not worry since he was there now. They got on the motorbike and went to Ryan's apartment for coffee. All the way till Adrian reached home, she held Ryan tightly by his waist.

Sahil and Ryan were roommates living on the floor below the floor on which Adrian and Saira lived. Ryan had no idea that day that Adrian had fallen in love with him and this night would be one of the memories that they both would cherish forever. Sahil had arranged for dinner so they could sit quietly and have a nice meal. After dinner, Adrian and Ryan went to the terrace of their building to star gaze. Adrian said to Ryan "What would I have done in this big city if I hadn't found you? You are my Knight in shining armor always there for me when I am falling apart. My two year contract is expiring in February 2010. I promised my family that I would come back after the contract expired. Saira has planned a two day trip for me at Lonavala before I leave. Will you come?" Ryan smiled at her and said "Of course I will come. I can go anywhere for you Adrian. You are my best friend after all."

On 15 October 2009, Saira, Sahil, Ryan and Adrian left for a short 2-day celebration at Lonavala. There were two motorbikes so Adrian went with Ryan while Saira went with Sahil. The weather was beautiful with light drizzles of rain. This was the first time Adrian was going for a trip with her friends. Excited and happy she went on talking about her life, work, movies, etc. Ryan was quietly listening to her while carefully riding the motorbike as the roads were slippery due to the rains. Ryan loved listening to Adrian. She could go on forever without breaks and she always had something to talk about. This amazed Ryan as he would wonder that how could someone talk so much? Yet he never got bored of her chatter. This evening was a special evening for both of them. As the breeze touched her face, she smiled and held Ryan tightly. He didn't mind, they were such good friends now. The ride from Mumbai to Lonavala was the most romantic drive that Adrian would ever experience in her life.

When they reached Lonavala, they decided to do a barbecue near a campfire. What more could one ask for? After dinner, all the friends wanted Ryan to sing since he had the best voice in the group. Before he could start singing, it began to rain heavily. Adrian loved rains. She ran outside and started dancing in the rain. Ryan came to her with an umbrella and asked her to come inside. But, she threw the umbrella and embraced Ryan tightly. Their hearts were racing at the speed of lightning. Ryan didn't know whether he should push Adrian away from him or hold her in his embrace. But he now knew that she was in love with him. Ryan had just ended his relationship with Saira and was not in a state of mind to enter into a new relationship. He really liked Adrian but he didn't want to lose her friendship. Moreover, Adrian was not the type of girl he would date. After a few minutes he whispered in Adrian's ears "Let's go inside. I don't want to fall ill and spoil the trip." She looked at him and said "This is the best time of my life. Let me live it for a few more moments. Who knows whether this moment will ever come back, whether we will meet again once I am gone? Let me rest in your arms for a bit longer before we say goodbye."

The next day they went hiking at a nearby waterfall. They spoke about their dreams, about the beautiful time that they had spent with each other all these months. All through the journey, Ryan held Adrian's hand. By the time they reached Mumbai, Adrian was ready to tell Ryan how she felt. She was so sure that he loved her too but she also knew that he would refuse her proposal. She finally told Saira about her feelings for Ryan. Saira was concerned as she had known Ryan for more than 5 years and didn't think that Ryan would ever be serious about any girl. But she said to Adrian "I am not sure if he is ready to commit. But the way he looks at you is very different from the way he looks at other girls. He certainly cares a lot about you, but love is a different game for him altogether."