It was half an hour since they entered that restaurant. She was, as always, asking her set of questions, but his answers were decidedly different from the usual. Soon he found a question where he could conveniently fit the sentence he was memorising for last five days.
"Perhaps, I love you. Perhaps that's why."
He managed to speak these words so casually and so impassively so as to suggest everything was being said in a light vein, though deep inside he was cold beyond the Kelvin scale. He knew this was not the way people speak their heart. To speak your heart, you must be all heart for a few seconds atleast. But he had a mind- a mind he could never part with- a mind which told him that the heart in open could send the friendship in a closed box.
"Oh! What a reason. You witty! Anyways, how about B. Haven't heard of him for long."
*************************
Some two months later.
"E, I love you." said he.
This time the voice and the timing were quite good, though not perfect. The fear of rejection had subsided. The desire of acceptance had got momentum. The mind was put to silence this time.
Silence had also gripped her. He was trying to read her face, and for the first time in his life he found it difficult. If he knew anything about her, he knew her life (like his own) doesn't follow a smooth sine wave, but some square wave with only extremum actions, and reactions.
And soon, the fear of extremum negative reaction gripped him back.
"I mean, sometimes I think I love you"
"You know, sometimes I also think I quite like you. Anyways, how about........"
**************************
Another two months down the line.
"E, I love you. I really do."
"Shut up, wud you? Tell me howz H."
"Perhaps, I love you. Perhaps that's why."
He managed to speak these words so casually and so impassively so as to suggest everything was being said in a light vein, though deep inside he was cold beyond the Kelvin scale. He knew this was not the way people speak their heart. To speak your heart, you must be all heart for a few seconds atleast. But he had a mind- a mind he could never part with- a mind which told him that the heart in open could send the friendship in a closed box.
"Oh! What a reason. You witty! Anyways, how about B. Haven't heard of him for long."
*************************
Some two months later.
"E, I love you." said he.
This time the voice and the timing were quite good, though not perfect. The fear of rejection had subsided. The desire of acceptance had got momentum. The mind was put to silence this time.
Silence had also gripped her. He was trying to read her face, and for the first time in his life he found it difficult. If he knew anything about her, he knew her life (like his own) doesn't follow a smooth sine wave, but some square wave with only extremum actions, and reactions.
And soon, the fear of extremum negative reaction gripped him back.
"I mean, sometimes I think I love you"
"You know, sometimes I also think I quite like you. Anyways, how about........"
**************************
Another two months down the line.
"E, I love you. I really do."
"Shut up, wud you? Tell me howz H."
