It was the year of the horse. She was excited about college and the new found freedom. Living by herself and trying to face the nitty gritties of the so called 'city life’- A concept that had long enchanted folks back home. He was not much of a talker. Sometimes he’d stare for hours at an empty space. Came college time and there was a sea change. He thought now was the time to have a blast, to do all the things he had never imagined he could. Rebel against the world, grow his hair, drink till the eyes get so heavy that the eyeballs virtually pop out.
Fast forward to December and its Christmas time. You can hear Ashanti's ‘Always on time’ on the stereo. Love at first sight, flings, crushes, the room is full of young people trying their best to hide their emotions. The excitement has gripped everyone. What is this place? What a life to lead! Why didn’t we ever have so much fun in school? So many questions elude their minds. He was standing in a corner, observing everybody. His hair is long now and he feels lonely. His friend is busy gulping beer down his throat. Its almost as if beer is the replacement for oxygen. Little does he know that every girl in the room’s heart is pacing at an unexplainable speed because of his mere presence. Inside one of the rooms, she sits surrounded by her friends. They scream, "Oh my god! Guess who’s here today?!!"
She’s curious. Just who is this guy? Goes out, takes a look, gets back in. She isn’t amused. What do my friends see in him? He’s nothing great. I mean he has long hair for god sake. That is so yuck! At that very moment he comes inside. He looks wasted, says bye to the host and leaves. Her friend goes, "Aaah! I’ll die and go to heaven". Geez, how dramatic can one get?
Two months have passed. She is busy with her song writing. Humming tunes and making songs which maybe nobody will get to hear. She’s kept that part of her personality a secret. He is busy with his first love- lawn tennis. The whole plan about changing oneself didn’t work for him and so he’s back to being the real him. Today is also the day he went chop chop with his hair. It’s the hottest news on campus. With a single chop he lost a dozen fans. Distraught girls gossip, "Oh he was so cute! What the hell made him cut his hair?? Arghh!"
Walking down the University shopping centre she bumps into him. Its been a while and she hardly recognizes him. He says hi and mumbles something under his breath which is difficult to make out. A simple smile is what she has to offer and off they go in opposite directions. That exact moment something clicks in her head. The coming weekend there is a friendly get together again and she tells her friends about the chance encounter. They go, "Oh! He’s stale news now. We don’t think he’s cute anymore." What is wrong with her then? Just when everybody has cast him out, she finally sees some spark.
(To be continued..)
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