I woke up at around one o'clock and lit a cigarette, while enjoying my cigarette, I took out my phone and started watching pictures. Someone had posted old pictures in the office WhatsApp group. Piya was also there in one picture. This was a picture from the days when Piya and I joined the office.
The cigarette stuck in my finger was slowly burning like my life. Once again, I started getting lost in Piya's memories. Even today, I could smell her fragrance in my clothes. Piya and I had separated three years ago, but I haven't forgotten her. Her presence was still there in every part of my house.
The sofa in the living room and the sky-colored curtains on the windows. Piya said, "The curtains should always be light colored. This keeps light coming into both the room and life. It took me time to adopt, but I had changed everything.
Piya and I met for the first time in the office. We both came as interns. The training for both of us went on together. We started having lunch together. We used to meet in the office.
There were many other boys and girls in the trainee group. Soon our group started meeting outside, partying, and going to the movies. Everything changes with time, and that is what happened. Piya and I had changed, and we weren't just friends anymore.
We would try to sit side by side, even at lunch. Touching her hand would make me excited. Everyone in the group would smile seeing us together; both of us liked it, but till now we had not accepted it as love.
That day I asked her, "Piya, have you ever been in love?"
"Hey, I also wanted to talk to you about this." I don't know why they all say that I am in love with someone.
"Well, to whom else have you said this?"
"Everyone thinks I love you, but I don't feel so. I only consider you my best friend. Do you love me anyway?"
"Perhaps?"
Maybe, or confirm?"
"Confirm, it's love."
"Then why did you say maybe?"
"I thought you might get angry."
"Why would I be angry, you fool?" "I am in love with you too."
And that's how we expressed our love.
Slowly, Piya started coming to my house. The first time she came to my apartment, she found one fault, and then she found a fault in everything every time she came to my house.
Soon, she was busy changing my flat. Piya would often go home on Fridays and then return late in the evening on Sundays. That was a cold Friday, and Piya decided to go home. I dropped her off at the bus stop.
She called me after two hours and told me that she had reached home. Both of us often used to have dinner while talking on the phone. Even that night, sitting in front of my food, she asked me to open my tiffin. I opened the tiffin and felt I didn't want to eat it.
"No, I don't want to eat anything."
"Well, see if you eat food, then I will kiss you."
"I don't want to because I am tired of kissing on the phone."
"Think, because today I will give you a real kiss."
"Come on, I have dropped you at the bus stop today, and I know that you will not come 70 kilometers to kiss me."
"Yes, you can come." And after listening to her, I remained silent for some time.
"What happened?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, of course, you know that once I say something, I don't say it again."
"Ok, good. I am eating food and then coming for my first kiss."
"Eat fast, but remember this is valid only until tonight."
I finished my food and left for her town on my motorcycle. Two hours later, I was outside her house.
I called her, "This house with blue gate and a handpump outside, and maybe your father's name is Mr. Kumar."
She was surprised, "Yes, but how do you know this hand pump is mine and my father's name is on the gate?"
"You once told me that the house with the blue gate next to the government school is yours, so I just recognized it."
"Are you outside of my house?"
"Yes, I want that promised kiss."
"Hey, God! Are you mad? You have come all the way in this cold for a kiss? Well, don't stay in front of the gate. Papa is in the outside room; he will see you. You go inside the school. I will come there." She said it nervously after listening to me.
"Ok, come soon." After saying this, I disconnected the phone and went inside the school. It was dark in the school. After parking the bike, I started waiting for her.
Soon, she came wrapped in a shawl. I stretched out my hand and pulled her close to me. Her breath was uneven as if she had come here running. The beats were getting a bit uncontrollable. Maybe out of fear or because she came into my arms for the first time. I held her close.
"You're crazy," she said it jokingly. "You have come so far here in this cold just for a kiss.
I placed my cold hands on her cheeks.
"Your hands are cold." Saying this, she opened her shawl and wrapped me in it. We sat on the stairs.
"Did you really eat the food?" She smiled, rubbing my palms in her hands.
"Yes, I never lie to you."
But why did you need to come this far?
"I wanted to meet you, and that promised kiss, remember?"
"But traveling for four hours for a five-minute meeting... nonsense."
"Five minutes spent with you are worth more than four hours spent alone."
"You are completely insane." I am sorry I cannot take you home, nor will I be able to stay for long.
"It's okay; I just came to meet you. Got it?" Now go back.
"Thank you,"
"Let me go now. You too should go home. Saying this, I stood up and started to leave.
"Hey!" She called me.
"Yes?"
"You forgot something. What did you come here for?"
"I did not come here for that? I just wanted to see you."
"I know, but I am true to my promise, I would kiss you." Saying this, she wrapped her hands around my neck. I didn't say anything, and she put her lips on mine. I felt a strange sensation that night. Soon she parted from me and went back, saying, "Have a safe ride..."
Having said that, she went back.
I had returned to my flat by one o'clock in the night. After that day, our relationship became even deeper and I wanted to marry Piya.
That day when I arrived at the office, I noticed that everyone was congratulating Piya, and before I could ask her what it was, the boss summoned us all inside.
We all went to our respective desks from the boss's room. I asked Mary, my colleague sitting next to me, why everyone was congratulating Piya a while ago. She said, "Why don't you know?"
"No, I don't know anything."
"Really? She didn't tell you anything?"
"Yes, why would I lie? Tell me what the matter is."
"Piya's marriage has been fixed."
"Marriage? Piya's, but with whom?"
"I don't know; you should know."
I was restless. Piya's marriage has been fixed. What was she saying? Piya loves me; then how can she marry someone else?
I immediately called Piya.
"What happened?"
"I want to talk to you."
"We'll talk during lunch."
"No, I want to talk now."
We both came out. "Why is everyone saying your marriage is fixed?" I asked.
"Because it is, my marriage is fixed."
"You know what you're saying?" If you love me, then why marry someone else?
"Yes, but you never said you wanted to marry me. I never asked you for marriage. And as far as I remember, you didn't make any such promise either. Now, please don't say that you had thought about it but never said so.
"Piya, I love you." We have been together for months. The whole office knows about us."
"So what? We are good friends. Anyway, everyone in the office knows.
"Friends don't kiss, dear.
"What? Do you still remember that kiss? You must have kissed someone before me; that's not a big deal, and if you had told me, I would have thought about your proposal. But now my marriage has been fixed, and it is not easy to cancel it.
"It's okay, Piya, I understand. Happy Wedding." Saying that I left from there. The next month, Piya got married and moved to another city.
I was still lost in her thoughts and had forgotten the cigarette in my hand that touched my fingers and brought me back into this world.
I crushed the cigarette in the ashtray and got up from the chair. I closed the balcony door and went back to sleep.