“I – um – er – I mean – well I – I think – huhh – I mean to say – ahh – that is – I – la – la – la – love you!!”

Mustering up all my courage finally I told her that I love her, although my stammering and hesitation made it sound quite awkward, for sure. But there was immeasurable love in my awkwardness which made her (the girl, I like the most, and of course, love the most on earth) smile and laugh out loud.

“Huh, come again?” she asked turning to my side, her black eye caught my brown eye, and my heart started beating faster and faster. She acted as if she didn’t understand what I was saying, or maybe she just wanted to hear the words one more time. Magical were the words!

My heart’s wish was to be by her side all the time, I can breathe better when she is around. I adhered to and obeyed what my heart wanted, and once again I blurted out the three golden words. Boldly! This time, loud and clear. I didn’t care at all if she was going to mock at my condition or whatsoever; it was my desire to say the words, and it was imperative to let her know what I felt about her so that no other guy could get hold of her.

As I said the three most precious words in English I saw few costly drops of tears rolling down her check, I handed her the scarf that I was holding in my hand, and she wiped her tears away. I don’t know what made her cry, I thought my saying of the words had hurt her, and made her cry. Therefore, I asked her: “My dear, tell me. Tell me why you cry lest I should never forgive myself.”

She stopped crying and smiled a little – I don’t know if that was a real smile or a fake one – but that was just enough to relieve me of the pain I was going through and she said, “Oh dear, you know not how much I love you. I’ve been waiting for this day, and today after two years of knowing each other you have finally said it. You can’t fathom how happy I am!”

“Dear, I wanted to propose to you earlier, but I never had the guts to do so. But hey, look here, I do it today,” I immediately responded.

I always loved her, but the only word I used was ‘like’, never ‘love’ and she always used the word ‘we‘ – (like  ‘we are there for you, don’t feel lonely ‘we’ stand by you‘). Still now I don’t understand who that ‘we‘ refereed to. I wanted to hear her say the word ‘I’ – (something like ‘I’m here for you’). I never considered myself worthy enough to get her love: first of all I’m a poor guy from a poor family, my status among my friends was very low. But I knew she liked me just as I did, for she sometimes said too many caring words when I was a little low, she tried to understand my situation, and when I was angry or frustrated, she consoled me many a times and cracked jokes that made me laugh, and I liked that more than anything else. She made me go crazy, like a little child I fell for her charm.

Today I find what a big fool I was! What a fool I was to have never proposed and say my heart’s words to this pretty, lovely, young, dazzlingly beautiful girl. Oh, she loves me. Yes she does!

“Now, since you love me and I love you, may we kiss?” I asked impatiently. She said not a word, I assumed she had no problem if I did that, as I got my lips closer to her lips, she indicated no displeasure and then I kissed and kissed and kissed a little more. So delicate were her ruby-red lips, I touched her soft little hands, her silky, shiny, long strand of hair bumped on my face. Right then, it started raining. Oh, what a romance it was and we thanked God for arranging everything so perfectly and creating such a romantic atmosphere just like in the movies –romance was in the air and we could feel it and smell it.

We couldn’t resist our temptation and started kissing  each other once again when all of a sudden someone pinched me on my shoulder – it was a hard pinch, not a pinch of love but of anger. It pained, “Ouch!” I said and looked for the thorn in between two roses and found: my elder brother staring at me as if he was going to finish me at a single gulp.

“What the hell! Why are you here? And where is she?!” I was surprise to see him.

“Oye, it’s 9 o’ clock in the morning, won’t you go to college?” my brother shouted.

I noticed my premium pillow was partially wet as if rain poured on it, but there was no way water could seek into the room; there was not even a single hole on the ceiling of my room. I tried to reason that out for five minutes and later realized: it was the consequence of my passionate kisses!

“Yes, I will,” I said, and got up from my bed.

Copyright © 2012 RAMU DAS