I love you... more (published)

Chapter-7

August 28, it was her birthday and unfortunately the school was
off, so I decided to wish her at our chemistry tuition. I reached
the tuition 15 minutes before the class. I parked my scooty and saw a
guy standing with Megha. It was Vatsal. I thought of giving them
some privacy and dropped the idea of wishing her and planned to
wish her in the class. I grabbed my bag and went in the class
greeting a ‘Hi’ to both of them.
After 10 minutes Megha came in and started shouting at me in a
hushed tone.
‘You didn’t remember my birthday no? You are so mean Imran. I
didn’t expect it from you.’
‘I remembered Megha but I didn’t want to disturb you people, that’s
why I didn’t wish you there’, I tackled. She was furious, her eyes
stared me as if she was going tear me apart.
‘Don’t make excuses now Imran’
‘Okay, I am sorry but I remembered your birthday. Trust me’, I said
knowingly that I could never win the argument with her. Actually,
no one can win an argument with a girl. She didn’t say anything and
the class started.
She stared me in anger during the whole class. Luckily, the class got
over before its usual time. Somehow, I handled the situation and
made her smile. Her anger vanished. I bid goodbye to her and went
back home.
So, Mr. Imran you made her hurt today. How? Why the hell you
didn’t wish her? A war between me and my self-consciousness started while I was changing my clothes. I got into my shorts,
jumped on my bed and typed a long message stating my guilt but
couldn’t gather the courage to press the ‘send’ key.
‘What are you doing man? Why are you feeling guilty? She is just
your friend and she is no more angry with you’, I started talking to
myself. Was that a sort of attraction?
‘ Megha and I? This is never going to happen’, I told myself.
I tossed and turned on my bed the whole night and finally decided to
buy her a chocolate and apologize again.
‘Hey’, I tapped her shoulder. She turned to me and raised her left
eyebrow.
‘Oh my god! Imran. Did you just say ‘hi’ to me?’
‘No, I said ‘hey’.’
‘Huh! Whatever but it made my day, Imran started the conversation
today. Wow!’, she said winking at me.
I wondered how a simple word could make her day. She was a
psycho. Girls can make you merry-go-round.
‘I am sorry about yesterday’, I said and handed over the chocolate to
her.
‘Awww! you bought me a chocolate and that too my favorite one.
Ohh god! This was my best birthday ever and this is the bestestest
birthday gift I have ever got’, she screamed with full potential and
whole class stared us like we were aliens.
‘Easy Megha’
‘But wait. Imran doesn’t say sorry to anyone. How come this
happen?’, she teased me.
started while I was changing my clothes. I got into my shorts,
jumped on my bed and typed a long message stating my guilt but
couldn’t gather the courage to press the ‘send’ key.
‘What are you doing man? Why are you feeling guilty? She is just
your friend and she is no more angry with you’, I started talking to
myself. Was that a sort of attraction?
‘ Megha and I? This is never going to happen’, I told myself.
I tossed and turned on my bed the whole night and finally decided to
buy her a chocolate and apologize again.
‘Hey’, I tapped her shoulder. She turned to me and raised her left
eyebrow.
‘Oh my god! Imran. Did you just say ‘hi’ to me?’
‘No, I said ‘hey’.’
‘Huh! Whatever but it made my day, Imran started the conversation
today. Wow!’, she said winking at me.
I wondered how a simple word could make her day. She was a
psycho. Girls can make you merry-go-round.
‘I am sorry about yesterday’, I said and handed over the chocolate to
her.
‘Awww! you bought me a chocolate and that too my favorite one.
Ohh god! This was my best birthday ever and this is the bestestest
birthday gift I have ever got’, she screamed with full potential and
whole class stared us like we were aliens.
‘Easy Megha’
‘But wait. Imran doesn’t say sorry to anyone. How come this
happen?’, she teased me.
‘I don’t know’
‘Really Imran, you are such a sweetheart’, she became flirty again.
But thankfully, the bell rang soon and our class teacher rescued me
from her flirt bombs.
****
‘Please Megha, one bite…please’, Kajal shouted and ran behind
Megha.
‘I am not going to share it with anyone Kajal, make it very clear in
your little mind’, Megha teased her and came running towards me.
‘What’s going on? It’s corridor not a playground’, I said like a
teacher.
‘But its lunch break, so we can use it as playground’, Kajal punched
me in my stomach softly and complained me about Megha that she
was not sharing the chocolate with her.
‘I don’t want to come in between you guys. So, you better solve it
yourself’, I said grinning and left the girls fighting and running
behind each other. Watching a cat-fight is always fun.
After our usual classes got over Megha came to me.
‘Hey, it’s optional class now. Want to bunk?’, she asked cunningly.
‘Bunk?’, I shouted.
‘Sshhh… please’, she made a puppy face teamed with a pout.
‘Okay’, I agreed. That face melted me and we decided to bunk our
optional class.
We sat on the stairs in the dark corner of the corridor of 3rd floor.
‘Do you want some chocolate?’, she asked
‘I thought you are not going to share it with anyone’
‘Yeah. Actually, I wanted it to share only with you’
‘Why so?’
‘You know that very well Imran’, she said and clenched my left arm
digging her nails into it.
‘Your boyfriend will kill both of us if he comes to know about this’
‘Ahh!! We broke up. I went with him just to make you jealous but
look at you…. You just don’t care.
‘Nothing like that girl’
‘There is something like that Mr. Imran. You have started caring for
this girl. You are getting attracted towards her’, a voice in the back of
my mind said.
We ate the chocolate and I just listened to her non-sense. Although
it didn’t feel like non-sense that day but I enjoyed that thing. Her
liquid brown eyes looked down at me with tears in them. I felt like I
was falling into a pool of deep chocolate. Her gaze was as
unwavering as a war-horse’s gait. I couldn’t seem to look away. My
hand lifted on its own accord and caressed her cheek, touching the
corner of her eye. Shadows danced across her face as she shut her
eyes, her eyelashes sending sparks across my fingers and I realized
too late that I loved her.
****