THREE SHADES OF LOVE

Three Shades of Love
Chapter - 7

The next day, Mriganka came to school and entered the classroom to find that Samprikta had not arrived yet. He went to his seat and sat down. After a while, a girl approached him and asked, "Excuse me, can I sit here?"
Mriganka replied, "Someone is already sitting here."
The girl said, "Oh! But it seems she hasn't come yet. If she comes, she will sit here. So, can I sit here?"
Mriganka didn't respond. The girl then asked, "Can I sit here?"
At that moment, Samprikta entered the classroom with a serious expression, and seeing her, Mriganka said to the girl, "Oh, here comes Samprikta. She will sit here."
Samprikta, with a calm gaze, looked at Mriganka, turned her face away, and went to sit at another desk. Mriganka was a bit surprised by Samprikta's behavior, and he thought, "The girl who used to sit beside me every day, even annoyingly, burning incense and irritating me, today she doesn't even acknowledge me. What happened to her that she chose to sit at another desk?"
This question troubled Mriganka's mind throughout the entire class. After the class, he decided, "I'll go to her and apologize if I made a mistake. But apologizing in that way doesn't seem right. Am I sorry?"
However, later he thought again, "Why should I go and say that? She herself turned away from me. It's good in a way; I realized my own place."

Saranya entered the classroom and saw her friend Bipasha deeply engrossed in writing something in her diary. Saranya raising an eyebrow and asked, "Hey Bipasha !
what are you writing?"
Startled by the question Bipasha looked up and realized that Saranya had noticed her diary. She quickly grabbed it and said, "Oh, just writing a love letter."
Saranya remarked, "Oh! Love letters are still a thing? Nowadays, people prefer to express themselves verbally. Writing all this just ruins pages and the ink of the pen."
Bipasha replied, "Ugh, it's not like I can openly tell him that I love him."
Saranya commented, " So Who is this guy? Do I know him?"
Bipasha answered, "Yes. Rudra from the next class."
Saranya said, "Rudra?"
Bipasha confirmed, "Yes."
Saranya questioned, "You talk to him, so why can't you tell him? Besides, if there's any trouble expressing feelings at school, you can always find an opportunity outside of school to communicate."
Bipasha chuckled and said, "Oh, it's not that easy, you know?"
Saranya responded, "Why not?"
Bipasha explained, "Isn't it difficult to say the words of love yourself? Besides, he may never know if you don't tell him."
Saranya assured, "Why can't you say it? Fine, if you can't, I'll tell Rudra that you love him."
Bipasha retorted, "Stop it, crazy!
I still haven't figured out how to say it. But I know, I'll never be able to say it like that."
Saranya insisted, "That's okay. If you can't say it, I'll make sure Rudra knows that you love him when the time comes."
Bipasha sighed, "Oh, what a troublemaker! I still haven't prepared for that. But I don't know how to say it."
Saranya said, "Well, when you fall in love, you'll understand. I'll see how you express your love when that day comes."
Bipasha concluded, "Oh, this is troublesome. I'm not ready for that yet. But I'll figure out how to say it when the time comes."
Saranya said, "Again with that..."
Bipasha replied, "The day I fall in love, I'll understand. I'll see how you express your love to the person you care about the most."
Saranya said, "Oh love….. !"

Bipasha said, "Why are you talking like this? Has no one ever appealed to you in life? Haven't you liked anyone?"
Saranya, lowering her head and replied, "No."
Bipasha asked, "Has no one ever proposed to you?"
Saranya replied, "Nah."
Bipasha continued, "So, you've never felt like spending your entire life with someone, walking together on the same path?"
Hearing these words, Saranya was reminded of someone, and that someone is Mriganka.
Saranya remained silent.
Bipasha said, "Why not share your life with someone? If you want to talk, there is always someone to share stories with. No exhaustion, no boredom, just a sense of well-being in those conversations. Isn't there anyone for whom you would eagerly wait to see their face just once?"
Saranya still contemplating and said, "No, there isn't. I enjoy talking to everyone, and I don't need a special person for that."
Bipasha laughed and said, "Oh, there must be a need. There must be someone whom you can openly tell everything at the end of the day. Let's see, when you fall in love, you will want to spend time with that person. The more time you spend, the less it will feel like a lot. You will see that sharing your sorrows and troubles with that person brings a sense of peace."
Listening to these words Saranya felt, "Am I inadvertently confessing my sorrows to someone in my life? And is that person Mriganka? It's true that no matter how little time I spend with him, it feels like very little. If only I could spend a little more time with him."
As Saranya was lost in these thoughts, an unexpected fear surrounded her.
She pondered, "Am I thinking all this? Oh! Oh! He's just a friend of mine. Yes, that's it. Or have I truly fallen in love with him unintentionally?"
Bipasha asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Saranya replied, "Hmm? No, nothing like that. By the way, when you love someone, what kind of feelings do you have?"
Bipasha said, "When you love someone, you feel an extraordinary nervousness when they come in front of you. It will work as a unique kind of excitement."
Saranya said, "Oh!"

During tiffin time Mriganka thought, "I should confess to Samprikta about the incident of that day once. But how should I say it? She's not giving me a chance. She looked at me with a turned face. Rather than that, I'll try to meet Saranya.
Yes, that would be better."
As Mriganka was about to leave the classroom, he thought, "Turn away and let it go. After all, the mistake is mine. If she had done the same thing today, maybe I would have done the same. The responsibility of resolving the mistake is mine when it happens. Let me see if she says it once."

Mriganka went up to Samprikta and said, "Hey, I'm sorry!"
Samprikta engrossed in a conversation with the girl sitting beside her.
She responded calmly, "Sorry for what?"
Mriganka replied, "It was not right for me to behave with you that way that day."
Samprikta said, "No, you did the right thing. I was really irritating you. Actually, when I see you, I feel like you are a familiar person, someone with whom I can open up and share everything. But I didn't realize I was wrong. I misunderstood that everything in life doesn't revolve around a single desire. If you don't feel like talking seriously, that's fine with me. But I didn't understand that you might enjoy talking to me, and it doesn't mean you have to like me."
In the midst of this conversation, Surya interjected, " Mriganka , Saranya is calling you on the veranda."
Hearing this Samprikta turned to Mriganka , smiled slightly, and said, "I'm coming then."
And then Samprikta left from classroom.

Saranya, with a sense of restlessness, is pacing back and forth on the veranda.
Seeing Mriganka approached, she asked, "Are you coming, Mriganka?"
Mriganka responded, "Yes. Why?"
Saranya said, "No, just like that."
Saranya contemplated within herself, "Why does my heartbeat increase when I see Mriganka? And why is there such a strange restlessness? Is it a divine sign? Why does this always happen when I see Mriganka? Have Sumana and Bipasha spoken the truth? Do I really love him ?"

Mriganka stands there, seemingly lost in thought, as Saranya noticed and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you standing so silently?"
Mriganka replied, "Just like that."
Saranya questioned, "Just like that?"
Mriganka affirmed, "Yes."
Saranya then, with a slight smile and inquires, "Okay, Mriganka, what is the difference between love and liking in your opinion?"
Mriganka responds, "Why are you suddenly asking such questions?"
Saranya said, "Just curious."
Mriganka explains, "In my opinion, liking is a short-term of affection, while love is a long-lasting connection. When someone only sees the positive aspects of another person, it's just liking. But love is when, even after seeing the flaws and negative traits, one still feels the same warmth and affection. Honestly, liking doesn't require much care, but love does. In love, there is no place for forgetting or overlooking, and even knowing the imperfections, there is a bond. Love, unlike liking, withstands the test of time."
Saranya comments, "I see."
Mriganka continues, "When someone can evoke similar feelings in another person despite the flaws, that's love. To tell the truth, in liking, there might be carelessness, people can forget everything. But There is a thin line between liking and love, but in love, there is no room for mistakes or forgetting. Even with the negative aspects, there is a unique connection that exists in love."
Saranya reflects, "I didn't quite understand."
Mriganka says, "You know, sometimes you act like you don't care, but deep down, you do. Like is a temporary feeling, but love endures."
Saranya concludes, "Oh!
buy you say like you have more experience with this subject ?"
Mriganka concludes, "However, personal experiences haven't shaped my view yet."
After head this they both laughed heavily .

To be continued.......