The four lettered word (LOVE)

chapter 6

“Who was your first crush?” she had asked and I have gone into a trance after that. Her question brought back so many memories. Those were the days I used to be in dreams all day. Days I used to wait for hours just to have a single look at her. Days I used to be really happy. Days when I thought I could conquer the entire world if she was by my side.

 I was lost in my thoughts and Nithya’s next question brought me out of my reverie. “Did I ask something wrong?” she asked and I raised my eyes to find Gowtham and Jenny giving me a concerned look and others giving me a curious look. I tried to manage a smile but somehow failed miserably and answered, “No! It’s alright. Her name is Haasini”. I finished with a sad smile.

After so many years of trying to forget her and succeeding a bit, just saying her name felt foreign on my tongue. They must have sensed my uneasiness about the subject so Jenny quickly changed the subject, “Ok guys! It’s time to spin the bottle again”. They started playing again and Nithya gave an apologetic smile. I merely nodded my head assuring her that I was okay. The other guys ended up saying dare and Jenny made Gowtham wear a sari. Everyone ended up laughing so hard that there were tears in our eyes. Just imagine a six foot two and six pack guy with all muscles wrapping a sari over his shirt and jeans. No one could resist laughing even at the mental picture. Jenny being her natural self didn’t want to stop with that and tormented Gowtham. “Wow!!” she squealed, “I think I have a sister now. You look great Gowtham. Shall I call you Gowri from now on? Pretty please” she said batting her eyelashes innocently.

 “Try calling me that and I swear I will choke you to death”

“Gowri….” Jenny shouted and started running to escape from Gowtham. I shook my head thinking typical Jenny.

That riled Gowtham further and he started chasing her, “You little devil!” They ran around the house for few minutes Gowtham trying to get her but Jenny being only five foot four and a little bit scrawny successfully managed to escape from him. Finally Gowtham gave up and our pizza arrived right at time. 

I paid the pizza guy and turned towards everyone to shout, “Guys! Food is here.” That must have caught everyone’s attention because everyone gathered around the coffee table in the next five seconds. The next couple of hours were filled with mindless chats and laughter. The topics changed from work to gossip and even politics. Jenny even talked about her pet dog for more than ten minutes which made Gowtham snap at her. She locked him with a heated glare but changed the topic anyway. 

Everyone was enjoying each other’s company and by the end of the day I realized that I was really happy to have them as my friends.