He heard her, mesmerized. Young or not, if she was not mature, nobody else was. "Go on then. Do it. Research, understand, prevent."
"How?"
"There is no shortcut. To do something like this meaningfully, you need to be in academia. So, go back, write your GRE and TOEFL, apply for MS, do your Ph. D. and find funds and backing for your research."
"That's a lot of time..."
"But this is your calling, Rupali. I have been doing mine for ten years now, and I will be here for the rest of my life."
"So, you do want me to go away."
"I can't patronize you any longer, Rupali. So I won't pretend indifference. As a lover I want you by my side. But as a friend I want you to do what you really should be doing. Besides you know that I also want to do that. But one dream is difficult enough to follow. I can't make time for a second one. Then who would I consider better than you to follow my other dream, when it is yours too?"
She bit her lips and looked down.
"Besides," he added with a smile, "If you need me, if you continue to care for me, I'm going to be here. Always. I am not going away."
"Do you really mean it?"
"Yes."
She ran to him and threw her arms around him. This time, he didn't throw his away. Rather he wrapped them around her and buried his face in her hair.
"But know this too," he raised his head to meet her eyes, "I am not binding you. You have a lot to see in the world out there and if..."
"Oh shut up! Stop being this saint."
"No. I am only being a practical human."
"Shut up, already!" She tiptoed and pressed her lips to his.
YOU ARE READING
Her Calling
RomanceParitosh and Rupali start things off on the wrong foot. He thinks she is a rich, spoiled brat. She believes him to be a pompous show-off. Things change, but will she be able to appreciate the depth of his feelings? And will he be able to comprehen...
