Almost

Part 3

                It was my third year of college. I regularized academically and got accustomed to the surroundings. I put on a huge wall and freed myself from all the people who brought me temptations. Temptations! Temptations are the worst to encounter when you are in the path of progression. You say you wouldn't give into it but you eventually will, just like how a small bite of a red velvet cake turns into a complete meal for the night. 

 There was this anecdote my grandmother always used to tell when I was a kid. There was a wise brave prince who was well known for his generosity and kindness. He often visited the shore at night to revel in the beauty of the nature. One night he encountered a bewitching lady. She was as beautiful as the moon in the dark sky, but alone. And every time the prince tried to accost her, she vanished into the ocean. The idea of getting to know her captivated the prince's mind that he couldn't sleep or eat or rule his province effectively. The kingdom went into crisis with theft, murder and innocent killing arising out of the famine which was the former cause. One very night, he approached the shore from an unusual end which he normally doesn't, only to find out the beautiful girl was nothing but a male in disguise appointed by his arch rival to assassinate him. An idea. An obsession. A temptation. That almost costed his life and the ones around him. Everyone's delegated to their very own guilty pleasure and it's just a matter of time before you sacrifice yourself to the devil of desire.

So, this guy... The kind of laugh I had (like pee in my underwear laughter), the way my smile line extended up till my premolars (oh yes, I'm a dentist), the way my cheek turned as red as a blooming rose frequently- it all happened with him. Only him! I believe in the theory of reinforcement. The more you project yourself to the chosen individual; the more are the chances for something startling to happen. You never actually know when you fall in love. Is it in between the texts? In between the calls? Or when you look into each other and your eyes lock? Or is it when you know about them? To me, it was a near death accident. But more on that later.

Siddharth was of my age. Well, to be precise he is 16 days ahead of me in time.

Tall, messy dark hair that never obliges to his comb but perfect enough to catch a girl's eye.

An almost hazel brown eye.

Thick beard enveloping his entire jaw accompanied by a mustache.

A Mechanical engineer in process.

A bunch of 5 thick friends, sharing the same mental wavelength.

A perpetual love for batman and DC comics.

Dream job of being an exterminator, much like Chris Hemsworth from "Extraction".

A working mother, who looks very young to be the mother of a 19-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter.

He had lost his dad 4 years ago and hardly ever talks about it. I could never imagine what he must have gone through that day. Sometimes I wish I had met him then to know how it was. Albeit meeting him 4 years later, I believe there was a different Siddharth back then. And maybe fate just handed me over with a Siddharth who could never be mine.

He always knew what nerve to pick and what not to. Good in placating. The veracity of our thoughts is almost incogitable. The dexterity to handle my mood swings is an 8 on 10 (I would never give a score of above 8, I'm that crazy). We hardly argued but when we did, it always ended up with a sorry and a reconciliation within an hour. We could seldom keep us away from each other.

And what's my favorite part?

That would be when I catch him looking at me and his total floppy denial to it. In a way, I loved it. Being looked at by someone to whom you gave your heart to.

What is about you that I couldn't move on?

What is it about you that still makes me smile whenever I hear your name?

What is it about you that I'm turning you into words to forget?

I guess I'll never know.

"Can we meet?" he texted with much anticipation.

"Sure! But where? I replied back with my smile that craned up like how Heath ledger from "The dark knight" was.

So, there's this thing about me where I ask and I myself answer.

"Oooohh! Let's go to Guindy national park!" I said.

Now I know what you might be wondering. What kind of a person goes to a place where animals are kept captive to breed and increase their population? That'd be me! I always had the fascination to view animals from a distance from where they can't reach me. Besides, I've seen a lot of humans and the other classes under phylum Chordata are by far more interesting.

Now begins the crisis. What do I wear?

Do guys feel it too? Or is it just us?

Should I wear a top with a jean? A kurta? A salwar?

Hair up or down?

Matte Red or pink or nude shade?

Shoes or sandals?

Long ear ring or a stud?

I really hope there comes a day where dates can happen in pajamas with a bun.

Oh, wait! It's a date? Well, I don't know.

Our conversations have always synced but not for this.

However, we didn't indulge in any flirty texts. so, I guess it's safe to say "We're just friends!"

Ok, back to the crisis. After an hour, I finally managed to pull out a...

White top and a blue jean.

A mid heel.

A salmon pink shade of lipstick.

A small stud.

And hair down. Untied.

There's one more thing that you must know. I'm damn punctual!

Something rare in this generation but I inherited my grandmother's gene. I'm always minutes early to the location and not for once I had a friend who was good at time. And that's one of the reasons why I don't step out without full charge on my cell.