Once Again...

Part 8 - Falling in love...

Rohan reached home later than he expected. It was almost 2 a.m. All the while that he drove, he kept wondering what Maya would have thought of him. His story was too sad, quite unreal. But he shrugged thinking at last, that it wasn't in his hands to control her mind. At first he also regretted that they could not dine out, because he wanted to take her out and feel the magic one feels when dating. he had been quite a failure at dating. But on thinking again, he realized the home dinner date was far more eventful. He felt so much more closer to Maya.

Maya, unable to sleep, kept thinking about Rohan. What a life he had had! And here she always believed her life was sad! She admired him for how easily he had accepted his truth and moved on. How practical he was about it all. Maya did not sulk, but she was bitter about the way things panned between her and her family. Rohan was so mature. She suddenly felt she could take a lesson or two from him. Her mind then wandered to the evening. The way Rohan called for dinner, the way he was comfortable taking her out even in her tired avatar and office clothes.. he even agreed to take her home to change.. he tried to instill life in this dull boring hell of a place... all this for what? He had nothing to gain from her! Yet he chose to do all this and more for her! She was suddenly overwhelmed. She did not realize when her eyes started shedding tears, and even when she did realize, she knew not the reason for the same. 

She went back to the conversation of the evening. And suddenly she stopped thinking, and started recollecting. He had so effortlessly slipped in her mind the feelings he was nurturing for her! She remembered his beautiful, touching, soulful words... 

"Maya... your life is not a mess. With me around, you cannot stay depressed. And I care for you, but I have no reason. We have a relationship without a name really.. We are more than friends... But I know you are not looking at a relationship either... But that does not stop me from loving you the way I do. I only wish to help you better your life... Please stop crying now..."  

Ohhh! she immediately stopped crying, even now! She was suddenly overcome with immense joy. The joy one feels when they feel loved.. the joy one feels when they miss someone special.. the joy when they finally realize it is love, they feel for that special someone.. 

Was this the beginning of a new story for her, or the end of an old rotten story? she wondered. She definitely put up a show of her independence and how she was happily single, but now that she thought of it, she just realized what beauty she had been missing in her life, by keeping all the doors and windows closed. She got up from where she sat, walked up to the window and opened it up. She let the fresh air in. She let love in. She let Rohan in. She smiled..