Hey everyone!!! I want your advice!!!
I had once written this down when I was feeling bored. It’s been almost a month….. But now I don’t know if I should continue writing it or not….. I mean, I am.posting it here, please tell me if the plot seems good.
After I complete my FF that has had three parts posted already, I will move on to this storyline if you guys find it good. Or I will choose a different one.
Please please please, it’s a request. Be honest in your comments….. And yeah, give me as many comments as possible so I know what’s the right direction…. Whether or not I should proceed.
So here we begin,…….
“Seriously!?” He asked.
“Yes,” his mother replied.
Arjun just could not believe it. No, it was impossible. Radhika could have not been the kind of cheerful girl his mother described her to be. He replayed all their previous meetings in his mind…
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He still remembered clearly the first time he had seen her. He had been looking for a pair of cut-off jeans at the mall when he saw her. She had her hands full of shopping bags, and was struggling to get past the elevator. Instinctively, he had reached out to help her. She had brushed him off without even giving him a second look, saying she did not want any help from anyone. She had struck him as a very haughty and ill-mannered girl then.
Their next meeting was about two weeks after the first one, and it occurred at the Beach. Though he had recognised her, he didn’t walk up to her or greet her, as he still had that arrogant image of hers in his mind. She too didn’t seem to notice him. If she did, she had shown absolutely no sign of it. Thus the day got over without the two exchanging as much as a glance at each other.
But as he reflected on these past events, he found himself wondering if the story his mother had just narrated could be true. Was it possible that the now ever-so-serious Radhika had once been a chirpy girl? That she, who seemed to loathe herself, had once been loved by everyone in the neighborhood? That she had once been popular among her friends as a chatter box?
The questions were too many, and the answers seemed to be nowhere near. Her behavior, which had earlier made him detest her, had now piqued his interest. The revelations of his mother seemed to good to be true. He had to find out what the mystery behind the girl was. He just had to.
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CHAPTER : 1
**Ten years ago**
Saral asked Radhika if she believed in love? Radhika looked at him and said, “Saral, I lost faith in love the day my dad left my mom for another woman. My mom told me that he had gone for work abroad. But I knew what exactly had happened, the day I saw her crying at night. She was holding a pen knife in her hand and had almost slit her left wrist. Had it not been for my shrieks, she would have died that very moment in front of me. And you know the irony of this entire situation? That day was the tenth marriage anniversary of my parents. And, they supposedly had a love marriage.”
Saral was shocked. He didn’t know what to say to that. I mean, how do you reply when your best friend tells you that her mother had once attempted suicide because her husband had left her? Thinking that the best would be to stay silent, he didn’t reply and let the sudden quiet linger on. He knew Radhika wanted to be left alone at that moment. He had known her since their early kindergarten days, long enough to understand her well. So he just looked up at the star studded sky.
He soon found his imagination wandering to how differently he had expected this evening to end. But for this serious talk, he and Radhika would have talked about their college plans, or ended up doing her favorite activity — collecting sea shells and opening them to see if they were lucky enough to find a pearl or two. And then, as the sky would have turned darker, and the stars brighter, he would have finally asked her. Till noon, he had almost felt sure that Radhika would have agreed. Rather, she would have jumped with delight. She would have then laughed endlessly while telling about it to her mother. As he thought about all these happy things, he was brought to face the harsh reality by a tap on the shoulder. He turned around and saw Radhika looking at him amusedly.
He rubbed his eyes while Ishita again sat down next to him. She finally said, “So, why did you bring me here tonight? What was it that you wanted to ask?” Saral quickly said, “Nothing, can’t we come here just to spend some time together? Do you always have to look for a reason behind everything?”
Radhika laughed his favorite laughter and looked at him. “Saral? I have known you since childhood. I know it when you are up to something. I can tell that you want to say something, but are afraid to do so. Look at the way you are rubbing your palms together. I know for sure that you want to say something. So, spit it.”
Of course. How could he forget it? Radhika had that natural ability to look beyond a person’s words. Of course she had known all along that he was here to say something. Suddenly, Saral felt very self-conscious. Did she know the exact thing too? No, it couldn’t be true. She didn’t know that much. Or did she?
“I am getting late Saral,” the urgency in Radhika’s voice brought him back from his reverie. He saw her getting up and tying her sandal straps. In a minute she would be gone. Gone far away from him. Far away from this city. Far away from this country. You see, she had got a scholarship at a London university.
It was now or never. As he saw Radhika walking away after waving him a good bye, he knew it was the only time to tell her about it. He jogged up to Radhika and turned her back. Radhika was stunned. His next sentence was enough to make her dizzy.
“I love you, Radhika. Will you be mine forever?”
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CHAPTER : 2
Radhika could not believe her ears. It was as if someone had played a bad joke on her. No. Not a bad joke. The worst joke ever. Surely Saral did not mean what he had just said? Haha, yeah. He was always fooling around. This was probably another one of his jokes.
There, Saral waited expectantly. The weight of the silence seemed too much to bear. He finally cleared his throat to draw Radhika’s attention. She looked at him blankly. No joy. No happiness. No blushing. No smile. Had he said something wrong? Something she did not want to hear? She finally started to move. Move away from him. No! This couldn’t be happening! She had not even replied! She could not leave like this! Saral started towards her. Radhika looked back at him.
And then she did something unexpected. She started giggling. Her giggles soon turned into a hearty laughter. Saral couldn’t understand the sudden transformation. Something was wrong for sure. Radhika could not be laughing like this without a reason. She never did anything without a reason.
“What?” Radhika snapped. Saral was at a loss for words. She repeated her question to no avail. Finally she said, “When will you stop playing these dirty jokes Saral? Grow up, man. You are now a college kid. Well, almost. Your college starts one month after mine.” Saying this she patted his cheek and left.
He could do nothing but stare out at the sea, which was now nearly black in color. She had considered everything a joke? How could she? Why didn’t she realize that his words truly mirrored his feelings for her? Why couldn’t she understand that her going away tomorrow would create a permanent void in his life?
Back in his mind, he already knew the answer : because Radhika did not believe in love anymore. She had lost all faith in relationships. All her life revolved around her mother, her studies, and Saral, her best friend. Yes, maybe he would just have to content himself with being her best friend. Maybe he would never move out of the friend zone. Maybe.
How he wished he could turn back the arms of the clock and relive all those moments he had spent with Radhika since their kindergarten days. But it was no use. Radhika had gone, and tomorrow she would be gone forever. Out of this country, to study medicine. Yes, she had promised to stay in touch. Yes, she had promised to wish him on every birthday of his. Yes, she had promised to visit him at least once a year. But isn’t it said that time changes even rocks? Radhika was just a human being. Would she remember him after getting settled at her new college? Would she really care for him after getting a whole new lot of friends? And most importantly, would she ever be able to understand how somebody back home was waiting for her to say yes to an unanswered question?
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CHAPTER : 3
Radhika could not get any sleep that night. As she tossed around in bed, she replayed the happenings at the beach in her mind. Everything had seemed so fine until Saral said that. Though she had dismissed it as a mere joke, she knew he was serious. And what was worse, she had seen it coming. She had known about his feelings all along. That is why she had told him about her parents. She could have never even dreamt of sharing all that with anyone, until she saw the first signs.
She had started feeling that something was changing between Saral and her, long back. The way he spoke to her. The way he looked at her. The way he had become over protective about her. And the way he became jealous whenever she talked to other boys of their class. And that’s when she had decided to create a distance between Saral and herself.
She had, lately, been dropping subtle hints. But they did not really seem to work. So she had decided to tell him clearly why she didn’t want a relationship. And she had done that too, right? But he still went ahead with expressing his feelings. Why could he not just get it? She had seen her mother breaking down after her dad had left. Left them to fend for themselves in this cruel world. She didn’t want the same.
Radhika looked out of the window and looked at the full moon. She smiled. The full moon night was full of mysteries for her. She had heard quite a few fables which had the full moon as their most important element. Tomorrow would be the epoch of a different life. She would be away from this city. But not abroad. She would be nearby, watching the events unfold. It would be really interesting to see history repeating. The only problem was, she had lied to Saral about her getting admission in a foreign university. Inadvertantly, she found her thoughts returning to Saral and the happening evening she had been a part of recently.
True, it had broken her heart into a zillion pieces, walking away from Saral like that, making a complete mockery of the whole incident. But she could not be weak. No. She had always done everything for a reason. Be it shifting schools in eleventh, or asking her mom to let her use a separate room. Everything she did had a purpose behind it. And that included her friendship with Saral. It had a purpose too : vengeance.
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So tell me how did you find it? And yeah, my FF fourth episode will be up soon.
Till then, bye take care. Love you all!!!!!
(Also, when I wrote this, I had Ishita and Rahul as the main characters, because this was not intended to be an FF. in case there is Ishita written somewhere, it means Radhika. And Rahul means Saral. Sorry for the typos.)
Bbye.