PLATFORM
She was sitting on the bench waiting for the arrival of her train. It was winters and so mostly all the trains were late. As she was sitting she heard the whistle of a train. And in a second she was lost in those memories.
****
It had been four years since she knew him. They had met on that social networking site- Facebook off course. It all started with a friend request and then slowly it converted to long conversations. Soon he opened his heart to her, but she couldn’t. Though she had feelings for him in her heart, she decided to keep them locked. Whenever he told her, she said NO. And with that every NO, her heart bleeded. But still they talked. The days passed by, but they could never meet. It wasn’t that they never tried. He tried a lot, but all in vein. She wanted to meet him, but couldn’t because she never had that much freedom. She was just in eleventh standard then. And just because of this she never spoke about her feelings to him. She didn’t knew when she could meet him or if she could ever meet him. A year passed by and still they were in touch with each other. Yes, things had changed a lot; but they hadn’t stopped talking. And in all those months only she knew how much she cried for being rude with him at times. There were times when she had typed those three words, but she could never press on that ‘send button.’ Finally she had done up with her board exams.
It was a normal day. She was waiting for him to come online. She had already messaged him. Today she thought to speak up about her feelings and tell him that even she loved him. It became difficult for her to keep those feelings locked in heart . She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and how much she cared for him. Soon that inbox showed an unread message. And she smiled. That inbox which showed that ‘one’ in red colour always made her happy. Because it would be from him. Since she started talking to him, she hardly remembers when she had last talked to any other guy on FB or in class.
“Hii.”
“Kaise ho?”
“Thik hu, U say.”
“Me bi.”
They talked normally, but she was nervous today. She didn’t know how to start. But then she somehow started.
“Akash, I want to tell you something.”
“Ha bolo.”
“Me kafi time se kehna chahti thi, but I couldn’t.”
“Hmm say na”
“Hmm.” She typed once again, closed her eyes and finally today she pressed on that send button with the text that read-
“I love you.”
And suddenly he went offline. She thought there might have been a network problem. It had happened many times; and so she waited for his reply. The day passed away but there was no reply from him. She had gone online ennumber of times that day to check if he had replied her. But there was no sign of him. Two days passed by, and still there was no reply from him neither had he come online since that day. She had messaged him saying sorry and everything, and madly and eagerly waited for him to answer her back. But it was all in vain. Finally on the third day, her inbox showed that red coloured one and she hurriedly opened it. It was a message from him- Akash
“I had gone home and there’s no network there. So I hadn’t replied.” She had not expected such a reply, but yet she controlled her emotions.
“Hmm koi ni.”
And they talked normally, but there was something that missing now. She didn’t ask him back anything. But she couldn’t stop herself and finally she said again-
“I love you.” She saw that he was typing. And her heart was beating faster. She was nervous as to what would be the reply. And finally that inbox showed that red coloured ‘one’ again. But this time she was afraid to open it. She prayed to Him and clicked on the view option.
“I don’t love you Shreya.” And she was broken. But it hadn’t stopped to just that, something more had to come. He was typing.
“When I loved you, you never responded; and now I don’t love you.”
“I am sorry Akash, I never realised it would get too late. I always wanted to tell you but I couldn’t.” The drops fell on the screen. He didn’t reply after that.
She never knew things would get so worse. She died to talk to him but now it wasn’t the same.
****
Time passed by and she had accepted now that he loved her no more. They were in touch still. She messaged him and he replied back too. The talks were normal now except a few times, when she couldn’t her emotions. She wished if she could see him once and so one day she requested him. And he said that he’ll come once. Things were Ok now. Although she messaged him very rarely now just to know how was he; and it was not because she was angry, but just that she couldn’t be with him like a normal friend. And in these one more year passed by and then another. It had been three years now. Every day she wished if she could see him just once. But no miracle happened. Soon she got admission in a law college and she had to move to Jalandar. She was now completely broken. And with a heavy heart she left her town. But still they were in touch. They talked normally now. She cared for him a lot and maybe that is why she had got a little place in his life.
Another year passed away. Last time she was to meet him when she came back home, but she couldn’t. Finally this time she met him. He came to meet her.
****
She was waiting for the arrival his train. She looked at the watch again and again. And then the sound of the whistle made her heart beat faster. She peeped to get a glance of the train. And within few minutes the train entered the platform and took a halt. Her eyes looked here and there but she couldn’t locate him. Her cell rang.
“Akash where are you”
“Samne dekho..”
And there he was! Her heart skipped a beat. He was standing near the exit of the platform and smiling. He looked the same, in fact nicer. She took long steps and was finally standing beside him. She couldn’t believe she was seeing him. She could feel his presence. She could see those lips talking today besides hearing that voice which she always heard from the other side of the phone. And thus, after four long years she saw him. She felt his presence beside her. It was her Best Day of life. She sat beside him and talked to him. The things were not the same; that one sided feelings that had remained now were like knife that stabbed her heart all the time, but she had managed to live with that knife now. She didn’t realize that the day had passed away and he had to return back. Soon the train arrived and he boarded the train. I was standing on the other side of the window. He came near the window.
“You go home now,” he said very politely. She just blinked her eyes and went away without saying anything. She couldn’t see him going away and so she didn’t turn back. But it was her Best day.
Soon she returned to college. And she was back to her normal routine- classes, projects and etc. After that day things were normal like they used to be. She was scrolling down the contact list on watsapp, when she read his status
“I love you Riya.”
Twenty five years had passed since that day. She never saw him again and never tried to contact him. Neither did he try to contact her. She never asked him who Riya was and why he never told her about Riya. She just knew that it was her first and last meeting with him. And she walked away forever from his life.
****
The loud whistle of the train broke her chain of thoughts; and her phone rang. It was from Aakash. The name brought a smile on her face and she picked up the call-
“Did you board the train.”
“No it’s late by two hours.”
“Ok. Board the train carefully and I’ll see you in the station. And I’ll keep calling you. Chalo tc.”
“Hmm ok dear.”
She hung up the phone.
It was Aakash- her son. He was her everything today. She loved him a lot. And this time she knew that her Aakash loved her too.