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    Me, Myself and Priya

    A Love Story

    - Kiran

    [email protected]

    Chapter One

    What is Love? It is something everyone knows and atthe same time it is something which only few

    mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
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    understand. Though many people fail to understandwhat Love is, it still remains the crux of everyoneslife. What about me? Am I in the group of peoplewho know what Love is but did not understand it oram I in the group of a lucky few who are luckyenough to understand it, feel it and appreciate it? Idont know. I am still searching for the answer.

    February 27th, 2004

    The stadium is roaring with the name 'Aaryan'. The Indian flag

    was flying high all over the place. Its 2007 world cup and India is

    facing Australia in the finals. India is only inches away from the

    victory. It needs four runs in last over. If it scores four runs in the

    last over India will win the world cup after 24 years. Its definitely

    a long long wait. In the last world cup in 2003, India lost the finals

    against Australia. After four years the same teams meet again in

    the finals and this time the story is different. India is winning and

    the credit goes to one and only one 'Aaryan'.

    I looked around me. We need four runs in the last over to win thematch. Its my turn and I am standing at the crease facing Brett

    Lee. I can feel the expectations of millions of people on me. The

    first ball is a bouncer. I tried to hit it and could not make a contact

    with the ball. Now we need four runs in five balls. The pressure is

    taking toll upon me. I need two runs to score 150 and four runs to

    win the match. I dont want it to take till the end. I closed my eyes

    and prayed to god.

    The stadium is completely silent. Tension is mounting. Brett Lee is

    running towards me with the ball in his hand. I prepared myself to

    strike back. Suddenly he stopped. He came walking towards me.

    He came closer to me, took the bat from me and started hitting me

    on my head with the bat. I did not understand what's happening.

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    I heard some familiar voice shouting at me fromsomewhere inside my head."Get up... Get up. You sleepy head" I woke up withPriya hitting me on my head and shouting at me."Stop it" I said opening my eyes. "It hurts. Why doyou always hit me like that?" I asked rubbing myshoulder."To keep you awake" she said laughing.I. Its dark looked out of the window outside and thebus is moving at a rapid pace on the expresshighway."Where are we right now?" I asked her."Just passed Lonavala" she said."The bus is still in Lonavala!!! And you woke me froma good sleep. You know what a great dream I justhad. Just a few more balls and I would have wonIndia the world cup. You spoiled all the fun."Dont start all over again. You and your stupid

    d`reams." she said hitting me again. "By the waywhat are the plans for the weekend?"

    "Nothing as such" I said looking out of the window.The weather is chilling outside. The bus has justpassed Lonavala. Lonavala is a well known picnicplace for its scenic beauty and innumerable trekking

    spots. Its located between Mumbai and Pune.By the way, I am Aaryan working in InfosysTechnologies Ltd, Pune. My parents live in Mumbaiand I go to Mumbai every weekend. I am nowtraveling to Mumbai on a typical Friday evening. The

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    distance between Pune and Mumbai is close to 150Kms. Thanks to Neeta Volvo and Express highway; ittakes just an hour and half to reach Mumbai. Butunfortunately it takes more than two hours to reachmy house in Andheri from the outskirts of Mumbaidue to heavy traffic. As we have just passedLonavala, its another three and a half hour journeyto my home.Now that I have given my introduction and told yousomething about me, let me take you through somebeautiful days of my life. This is my love story. Thisis the story of me, myself and Priya.

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    Chapter TwoJuly 30th, 2003This is the day I joined Infosys - Pune Development

    Center. After completion of training in Bangalore, Iwas transferred to Pune. Pune is a great city and isknown as the cultural city of Maharashtra. Itsfamous for its rich heritage of the great Marathakings. Surrounded by Western Ghats, it is famous forits innumerable trekking spots. Each and everytrekking spot is unique in its own style. I am veryfond of photography and that made me inclined

    towards trekking.

    After I shifted to Infosys Pune Dvelopment Centre, Iwas put on bench. If you are not in the IT field I amsorry, let me tell you what bench is. Just imaginethat you work day and night, you dont have timeeven to eat or sleep, you are working really hard onyour project, you take the whole responsibility, and

    you feel the deadlines coming hard at you. Nowcome to the real world. Bench is just doing oppositeof this and still receiving the same amount of salaryat the end of the month.

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    As I was on the bench, I used to leave office early.So, I need something for passing time in theevening. The first and the foremost thing I looked isfor a movie theatre. I am very fond of movies. Fromthe days of my college, I used to watch movies everyweekend. I did not miss movies even during my finalexams. Fortunately I found a multiplex named 'E-Square' near my address. And this theatre becamethe venue for the beginning of my Love Story. That'san unforgettable incident...August 8th, 2003

    A new movie named 'Koi Mil gaya' was released onthat day. As I have no work, I went to the theatreearly and brought the tickets. The show was at10:40 PM. I was waiting for my room mate Amit atthe theatre. The theatre was full.

    "Oh God... Its already 10:30 PM and this Vinod didnot turn up till now" I cursed him for being late.If I dont see a movie right from the titles, I feel thatI have not done proper justice to the hundred bucksthat I spent on watching the movie. Suddenly mymobile came to life"Hello... Vinod... What... Where are you...You aretelling me now... What should I do with this

    ticket...?"I did not know what to do. Now I need to sell theextra ticket. Suddenly I heard someone calling me."Excuse me..." a girl was calling me.

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    "Are you calling me?" I asked. I scanned mydatabase but it did not give any result. I did not seeher before or I could not remember that I saw heranytime before."I think you have an extra ticket" she said pointingtowards the ticket I was holding."Yup... my friend got stuck up with some crap workin his project. So, now I have to sell this ticket""Can you sell that ticket to me? I am looking for one""Sure. Take it. You have saved my time" I saidgiving the ticket to her.She took out a Five Hundred note and handed it overto me."Hey wait... I dont have a change for Five hundred"I said searching my wallet."Oh. I dont have any other change""Its OK. You can find the change in the canteeninside the theatre. Now Lets move. I said. Themovie is about to begin"

    We moved inside. The movie is being shown onScreen 4. Its on the second floor."Did you come alone?" I asked her."No... I came with my friends. We came here towatch 'Koi Mil Gaya'. We did not get the tickets. So,my friends went to the movie 'Darna Mana hain'. Idont like horror movies. I was about to return backto home and just then I heard to you talking on the

    phone""Oh... I said stepping out of the elevator. "By theway, I am Aaryan""Ooops... I am sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. Iam Hari Priya""Good name... So, you are studying here?"

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    "No, I am working in Wipro""Oh... the one located in Hinjewadi. Thats great. Iwork in Infosys""Thats cool..." She said adjusting her hair over theface.We went inside the theatre."I just want to inform my friends that I am here. Ifyou dont mind, can I make an SMS from yourmobile?""Sure. No problem. Carry on" I said giving her mymobile.I dont know what Hrithik got from 'Koi Mil Gaya' butI found the best friend of my life. And thus our storystarted and its just only the beginning.

    Chapter Three

    Aug 29th, 2003It was Friday. I was going to Mumbai that evening. Iwas reading 'Harry Potter and the order of the

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    Phoenix', the latest book of Harry Potter series atthat time. Harry Potter books take you into a newworld of imagination and you never get tired ofreading those books again and again. Some moviewas playing in the bus. I was completely involved inthe book.

    "Hello Aaryan" I heard some one calling me. It wasRahul. He is a friend of Vinod. They work in the sameproject."Hey Rahul, How are you?""Not bad. How is your work in the project going on?""Hmmm. Fortunately or unfortunately I am not stillallocated to any project. I am still on bench" I said."Are you still on Bench? You are lucky man""I dont know. Everyone say that I am lucky. But Idont feel so. I want some project" I said."Why are you taking load about the project? Enjoythe bench. This chance will never come again" he

    said."I dont know. May be you are right. Anyway I amenjoying the bench. See, I completed four books ofHarry Potter and am reading the fifth one" I saidshowing him the book I was holding."Great dude, Anyway What are the plans for theweekend?""Nothing... Day after tomorrow its Ganesh Chaturthi

    and I need to make preparations for it" I said gettingback to my reading.Harry Potter just formed a group called DA. Thestory is getting more and more interesting. Aftersome time, the bus stopped near a hotel. I got down

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    to get something to eat. There are three or fourbuses at the hotel and the hotel was filled withpassengers. I bought Samosa and a Pepsi for myself.I found a corner seat and sat down to eat.

    "Hi... How are you?" I heard a familiar voice. Ilooked up."Did you recognize me?" She asked."Yeah... You are the girl that I met at the theatre""Yes. You are Aaryan. Right?""Yeah. But I am sorry. I forgot your name. I amreally poor at remembering names""Its OK. I am Hari Priya""Oh. I remember now. So, how are you?" I saidsmiling at her."I am doing well. I tried to call you after that day.But I was not able to reach you""You tried to call me? But why and how did you getmy number?"

    "I owe you a hundred bucks for the movie. We bothforgot about it after the movie. So, I was trying toreach you to give you back the money""I completely forgot about that money. But, wheredid you get my number?""Do you remember I made an SMS from your mobileto my friend? I got the number from there. So, whathappened to your mobile? Whenever I tried to call

    you, it always gave a message that your mobile wasswitched off.""Actually, I had a small problem with my mobile. Idropped it in the water accidentally. I had to give itfor repair. Now its fine"

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    "Anyway, here is the money I owe you. Thanks forthe movie that day." She said giving me the money.You are welcome I said

    "By the way where do you live in Mumbai?" sheasked."Andheri West near Lokhandwala" I said."I live in Borivali" she said.Thats too far I said.Yes. It takes lot of time to reach there She said."By the way what is the book you are reading?" Sheasked."This is the fifth part of Harry Potter series, HarryPotter and the Order of the Phoenix" I said showingher the cover of the book."I read the first part of Harry Potter. I really liked itand I am looking for the other parts. Do you havethem?""Yes. I have them in my room in Pune. I can givethem to you on Monday. Just call me on Monday"

    "Thanks a lot" she said.One of the buses gave a honk indicating itsdeparture."My bus is about to leave. I am leaving. See you onMonday. By the way Happy Ganesh Chaturthi" Shesaid leaving."Same to you" I said.

    That was our second meeting. Thanks to HarryPotter, our meetings continued. She called me onMonday for the books. Our friendship grew slowlyand she became my best friend. We travel toMumbai and back to Pune together every weekend.One more great change in my boring life is that after

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    three months I was allocated to a project. I gave abig party to my friends that day.

    Chapter Four

    Hari Priya and I became very good friends. We go toMumbai together every weekend. I always look toher whenever I need any advice, whenever I need

    any help and she is always there for me.

    January 20th, 2004

    "You are again late" Priya said showing her watch."OK.. OK I am only ten minutes late" I said."Ten minutes!!! I am already late for the party...""Don't worry, I just called Swetha and she said the

    party did not start yet""Just shut up... and now start the bike" she saidsitting on the bike.She is always like that, always hurrying, fighting,shouting at people, but at the same time she is very

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    caring, sweet and beautiful. She has a great passionfor books. You always find her reading books. She isvery much fond of English literature and comics. Sheis very sensitive and emotional. She cries watchingtypical tragedy Hindi movies and at the same timeshe is best in consoling people when they are sad. Iam really proud to have her as a friend and she ismy best friend.February 27th, 2004

    "On Sunday we are planning to play Cricket in Juhubeach" said Rahul in the bus.I was traveling to Mumbai on Friday evening."Are you coming?" Rahul asked."No yaar... I have some work at home. I cannotcome" I said."Come on yaar... what work do you have on theweekend and that too on Sunday? It'll be fun. You

    must come" he insisted."I am sorry. I promise I will come next time butleave me this time" I said."OK." he said and turned to plan for the match withothers.The bus just got on to the Express Highway. Theresstill lot of time to reach my home. Priya was readinga book. I prepared myself to take a nap. I pushed

    the seat back. I don't know how long I slept butsuddenly I woke up with Priya hitting me on myhead."Get up.. Get up. You sleepy head" I woke up withPriya is hitting me on my head and shouting at me.

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    "Stop it" I said opening my eyes. It hurts. Why youalways slap me like that?" I asked rubbing myshoulder."To keep you awake" she said laughing.I looked out of the window. Its dark outside and thebus is moving at a rapid pace on the expresshighway."Where are we right now?" I asked her."Just passed Lonavala.." she said."The bus is still in Lonavala!!! And you woke me froma good sleep. You know what a great dream I justhad... Just three more balls and I would have wonIndia the world cup. You spoiled all the fun..."Dont start all over again. You and your stupiddreams." she said hitting me again. "By the waywhat are the plans for the weekend?""Nothing as such" I said looking out of the window.The weather is chilling outside."Are you listening to me or not?" she said shouting in

    my ear."What? Tell me I am listening" I said turning towardsher."Do you have any plans for the weekend?" she asked"I told you, I don't have any plans. Why? I asked."Nothing" She said "I will call you over the weekendif I feel bored in the house"She returned to her reading as usual. After three

    hours we reached Mumbai.

    February 29th, 2004

    "A girl named Hari Priya called twice for you" Momsaid.

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    I just came from a shop nearby to bring somehousehold items."Who is she?" My mother asked."She is a friend of mine" I said."Oh.. A Girl Friend. Hmmm" Mom said winking atme."Don't start it again Mom. She is just a friend" I said.From the day I got a job in Infosys my Mom startedbugging me for my marriage. She wants a daughterin law. She wants to see me living happily with awife and two kids just like the one in a typical Hindiserial. The phone rang and I know that this call isfrom Priya."Hi Aaryan ... this is Priya. What are you doing?""Nothing" I said."Where did you go when I called you?""Just went to a shop nearby. Mom told me that youcalled twice. What happened?"

    "There is a big exhibition at Juhu this weekend.Come on let's go""What? Now?""Yes. Be ready, I will be waiting for you at Andheristation""But... I tried to argue."Nothing doing. You are coming and I will wait foryou." She said and the phone went off.

    "This girl never leaves me an option" I thought.Is it only with Hari Priya or is it with all the girls?They never leave any options. If a girl insists, youhave to accept it. Otherwise you are dead. If yougive a little freedom, these girls conquer you

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    completely. They make you obey them. With duerespect to female community, this is just my opinion.May be I am wrong. But with Priya I am not wrong.She is always like that. If she plans something, shenever gives you any other option. You have to followher plan. Now, please excuse me I need to get readyand start for Andheri railway station. She will kill meeven if I am a minute late.

    Chapter Five

    February 29th, 2004

    "Where are you going?" Mom asked."Juhu beach" I said wearing my shoes.After twenty minutes I am at Andheri Station. Priya

    is already waiting for me. She gave an angry look.

    "Aaryan, you are becoming lazy day by day" shesaid."Wait, let me explain. You called me suddenly and Ijust came from the shop. I need to get ready and ittakes time""OK.. OK. Now don't make late. Let's go" she said

    sitting on my bike.In half an hour we are in Juhu beach. I parked mybike."ISKON temple first" she said. I simply followed herorders.

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    ISKON temple otherwise known as "Hare Rama HareKrishna" temple is located near Juhu beach. Its wellknown for its beautiful construction. We went insidethe temple. The temple is very well maintained. Itsa very peaceful place."Lets sit here" she said. We sat down there on thesteps. She took out a packet from her hand bag."Happy Birthday" she said handing the packet to me."Hey... What is this? How do you know that today ismy Birthday?" I asked. I did not expect this. I wasreally surprised."What do you think? You are my best friend. Even ifyou don't tell me about your birthday I can find itout""I am sorry. Actually, I don't like to celebratebirthdays and so I did not tell anyone""You don't like celebrating birthdays? Why?" Sheasked."I have my own principles. One should celebrate his

    birthday only when he achieves something, onlywhen one attains some meaning to his life""I did not get you""See, each and every person have their own birthdayone day or the other. Its nothing special. What didyou achieving by coming to this world? Why do youcelebrate it when being born is a common thing?According to me, a person gets eligible to celebrate

    his birthday only when his life has got a meaning,only when he can create a line for himself in the.pages of history...""Stop it. Stop it" She said. "You are becoming toophilosophical""I told you. I have my own principles"

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    "See, why do you think you are not special? May beyou are not special to yourself. But you are special tosomeone in this world. You are special to yourparents. You are special to your friends. You arespecial to me. You don't celebrate birthdays foryourself. But, you celebrate birthdays for people whothink that you are special. So, Never think you arenot special. Once again, Many Many Happy returns ofthe day"I did not understand what to say."Now, Will you open the packet and see what Ibought for you?" she said. I opened the packet. Its abeautiful key chain with my name inscribed on theglass plate."This is really good. Thanks for the gift" I said."So, how much old are you now?""Six years""Six years?""Yup. Today is February 29th and my birthday comes

    once in every four years. So I am just six years old""That's lovely. So you claim that you are still a kid""Am I not?" I said laughing. She also laughed. Shelooks really beautiful when she laughs.After an hour we went to the beach. Its 11:30 AM.There are very few people in the beach."You said that there is some exhibition going on

    here" I asked Priya."I just lied to you to bring you here" she saidsmiling. "This is my most favorite spot in Mumbai.When I was small, we used to live in Juhu. I used tocome here daily after the school in the evening toplay. I have lot of memories in this beach"

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    "That's good" I said. "The school days were alwaysgreat"We walked across the beach chatting. Thanks toPriya, this is turning out to be the best birthday ofmy life. I am really proud to have a friend like her.

    "Hey Aaryan?" I heard someone calling. I turnedaround. Its Rahul."Hi Rahul.. What are you doing here?" I asked."I must ask you that question" he said. "I am here toplay cricket. I told you day before yesterday in thebus. You said you have some work""Yeah. Actually I have got lot of work to do. Butwhat can I do? Priya forced me to come here" I said."By the way, you don't know Priya. Do you?""No" he said."Hey Priya, this is Rahul and Rahul this is Priya. Sheworks in Wipro" I said introducing Priya to Rahul.Nice meeting you Priya said Rahul.

    Someone called Rahul."Sorry. I must leave. Its my turn to bat. We areplaying a match here" he said leaving. He gave anangry look at me and left."Priya, I am dead now" I said."What happened?""When Rahul asked me to come to Juhu beach toplay cricket, I said that I have some work. Now I am

    here with you at the same place""So?"Dont you understand? He saw me with you. I amtrapped I said.

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    We went back to home in the evening. I felt as if theweekend has gone very fast. From tomorrow, againits the same, the same work, the same code, thesame defects and the same testing. But still I feelsomething good. I feel a change in me. I don't knowwhy and what it is. But I am going find it out verysoon.

    Chapter Six

    March 1st, 2004

    After a great Sunday, Monday is always a disaster.Today we found a defect in our code and we areasked to fix it immediately. I had to stay till 11:00

    PM in the night to complete it. I returned back toroom at 12:00 Midnight. My room mate Vinod waswaiting for me."What happened?" Vinod asked. "Why are you solate?""Don't ask. Today we had to deliver a critical fix andit took so long"

    "By the way Rahul is very angry upon you""Why? Oh.. What can I do? Priya forced me to Juhubeach. Otherwise I have no intention of moving outof my home""I don't know. He was spreading rumors""Rumors?? What rumors?"

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    "Rumors about you and Priya""Priya is just my friend. What is wrong in this? Whyis he after me?""I don't know. Now you are trapped. People will startteasing you with the name of that girl" he saidlaughing. "And I am not going to leave thisopportunity. Now I got you""Come on. Stop it man" I said beating him with thetowel in my hand.It did not stop with Vinod. The word spread acrossour friends that I have a Girl Friend. My friendsstarted teasing me with the name of Priya. Some ofthem went too far saying that we are engaged.

    "You did not say that you got engaged" My PM askedme one day."Nothing like that. People are just teasing me" I said."Why don't you bring her to the project party next

    week?" he asked.I did not have any answer. People started askingparties for my engagement. Whenever I receive aphone call, they started looking at me as if I got aphone call from my fiancee. Thank god Priya is not inInfosys. If she is in Infosys, she would have knownabout this and I would have been in an embarrassing

    situation."I will ask you one question. Answer me seriously"Vinod asked one day."What?""Do you love Priya?" he asked.

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    "Oh..No.. Not again. Stop it" I said showing someirritation in my voice."I am not teasing you. I am asking you seriously" hesaid."Why do you ask?" I said."Because, I feel that you are in love with Priya. Nowa days you talk more about Priya and less aboutyourself. I am your room mate. I am your friend.You cannot hide anything from your friend" he said.I fell silent for a minute."Come on, tell me. Are you in love with her?" Vinodasked."I don't know" I said."I got the answer" he said. "You are in love with her""How do you conclude that? I did not say that I amin love with her""You did not say 'No'. You said you don't know. Lovealways starts with a dilemma. Now you are in asituation that you don't know whether you are in

    Love or not. Think of it. Listen to your heart. Spendsometime alone. Come out of the dilemma. You willdefinitely find an answer" he said.I did not speak a word. I did not understand what tosay."By the way, you two make a good pair" Vinod saidleaving.

    I don't know whether Vinod started this conversationseriously or to tease me but I started thinking ofwhat Vinod said. Am I in Love?

    Priya - It means 'one who is liked by everyone'. Inone word it means 'Beloved'. What does she mean to

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    me? I always thought that Love stories exist only inmovies. They never exist in real world. But what isthis called? Is this Love? I don't know. I can say thatI like her very much. But there is a differencebetween liking and loving. You can like many peoplebut you can love only one. Do I like any other personas much as I like Priya? No. She shouts at me whenI am late. She beats me when I am lazy. Shecorrects me when I am wrong. She consolesme when I am in depression. She encourages mewhen I try something. She admires me when Iachieve anything. No one in the world ever has comeso close to me or my heart. I can't imagine myselfwithout her. I want to share my life with her. I don'twant to lose her. Is this called Love? I dont know.But If this is called Love, then yes.. I am in Love withher.I AM IN LOVE WITH PRIYANow What am I supposed to do?

    Chapter Seven

    April 27th, 2004"Propose to her" Vinod said."What?"

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    "Come on man. Tell her that you love her. Propose toher. Otherwise how does she know that you loveher?""No" I said. "I cannot do that""Why?""I don't know. I can't do that""Are you mad? Don't be stupid. Go and tell her""What if she doesnt accept?" I argued."Ah.. The same classical doubt. See. If she accepts,its well and good. If she does not accept, there isnothing to lose""Hmmm... I will try" I said."Let me give you an advice. Make sure the day thatyou tell her is a special day. If its a special day, yourproposal looks special. Again don't ask me how itworks. But that's just my gut feeling. Now All theBest" Vinod said.I have seen in many movies how boys propose to

    girls and vice versa. But I never thought that I wouldfall in the same situation. I bet proposing a girl is themost difficult thing in the world. You ask a girl to beyour life partner and you expect her to take thedecision of her life then and there itself. This isrelated to a life of two persons. After much thought,I decided to tell her on her birthday. That's a specialday. Her birthday is still three months away. I have

    ample time to prepare for myself.

    All these three months I watched as many movies asI can. I interviewed many couples and gathered theminutes of their first proposals. I read many novelsand came out with a beautiful poem. I wrote it on a

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    paper and practiced it everyday. I searchedhundreds of shops for a good gift to give to her onher birthday. I prepared myself completely for the D-Day.July 22nd, 2004 - The D-Day

    "Happy Birthday Priya" I said giving her the boquet Ibrought. Its 8:30 in the evening.I reserved a couple seat in one of the bestrestaurants in pune."The restaurant looks good" She said."Yes. This is one of the best in the city. The foodhere is very delicious. Order what you like" I saidhanding her the menu card."Candle light dinner, good music. Its so beautifulhere. What's the matter?" She asked."N...Nothing. Just wanted to give you a surprise onyour birthday" I said.

    "Good. I am impressed Mr.Aaryan"Though I have practiced for three months, I couldnot gather the courage. Forget the poem; here I amsearching for words on how to start."I will tell her after the dinner" I thought.We finished the dinner in thirty minutes. But thosethirty minutes were like thirty years. I never felt sotensed in my entire life.

    "Priya.." I called. My voice was so low that even Ican't hear it clearly."Priya.." I called her again."What?" she asked."I want to say something to you" I said."What is it?"

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    My mind went blank for a second."Where did you buy this dress? Its beautiful" I said."Oh... this one? I bought it in a shop near AndheriStation" she said."What is the name of the shop?" I asked."I don't remember. But if you want to buy a dress foryourself, let me tell you that its a ladies shop" shesaid laughing.I gave foolish smile. The time is passing slowly. I feltas if all the seconds are suddenly converted to hours."Let's go" she said. "Its already 10:00 PM. I have ameeting early in the morning tomorrow. I have toprepare for it""OK.. Let's leave" I said.I am a fool. All the efforts and all the preparationsthat I made over these three months have gonewaste. I was not able say to Priya that I love her. Iwas so tensed that I even forgot to give her the

    birthday gift I bought. Instead I was asking herabout her dress and all. What a coward I am. I don'tknow how people say the three letter word 'I LoveYou' so easily. Why? Why did I felt so tensed? I don'tknow. Don't even ask me. I have no answer.

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    Chapter Eight

    Vinod laughed at me when he heard what I havedone. But I could not help myself. Months passed by.But I did not tell Hari Priya. Every time I tried to tellher, I talk about everything in the world other thanwhat is necessary. August 8th - the day we first met,

    November 12th - Diwali, January 1st 2005 - NewYear day - all the days I tried to tell her but couldnot succeed. Meanwhile my father got transferred toHyderabad and I going to Mumbai on weekendsstopped.January 15th, 2005.

    "What is your problem?" Vinod asked. "Why do youfeel so tensed?""I cannot say it to her" I said."But Why?""I am afraid" I said."Afraid? Of what?"

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    "I don't know how she will react if I say that I loveher. What if she doesnt take it positively? What ifshe stops talking to me after that? What if sheabandons our friendship?""Why do you think like that? It does not happen thatway""No.. Girls are very sensitive in this matter and Priyais not an exception to it. She is so sensitive that shecries when she sees some tragedy scene in a movie.If she feels bad about what I said and leaves me, Icannot bear it""She likes you or may be she loves you. Just giveher a chance. Express yourself""No... I don't have courage to take that chance. Icannot lose her because of my foolishness""You are her best friend. It will make her accept yourlove" Vinod said trying to convince me."I don't want our friendship to come in between mylove" I said.

    "What do you mean?""She must not feel forced to accept my proposalbecause of my friendship. She must not accept it justbecause I feel bad if she won't accept""So?""Let me explain. Some people do not fall in love.They are forced to fall in Love. Say a boy proposes toa girl. Let me tell you what most of the girls think - I

    need to marry someone. This guy has proposed me.He is not bad. He looks god. Let me accept theproposal. The same happens with the boys also.Here a person is forced by other. And believe me90% of Love stories start from one person and thatone person forces the other to love him or her. May

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    be afterwards the boy or girl starts liking him truly.But its not complete from both sides""What do you want to say?""In my opinion, true love begins only at one point. Itspreads to other. But in my case, I dont want that tohappen. I want it to happen from both sides. I don'twant to force my love up on Priya""You are talking like a person with a lot ofexperience""You don't need experience for it. Just fall in Loveonce and you will understand" I said."I will do one thing. I will ask Priya and will get heropinion about you. What do you say?" Vinod said."No, I don't want a third person involving in this." Isaid."Then, How will you know that Priya loves you ornot?" Vinod said. "How many days will you wait likethis?""I don't know. I only know that I love a girl and it

    will take me to her""This is foolishness" Vinod said."No." I said. "Love needs patience. If you have nopatience to wait for your partner, you cannot loveher""These dialogues look good in movies especiallythose Yash Chopra movies involving Shahrukh Khanbut not in real life. You are mad." Vinod said leaving.

    The discussion I had with Vinod made me think. IsVinod correct? Does true love exist only in movies ornovels? Do I need to take a chance? Do I need toexpress myself before her? Somehow I did not feel

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    convincing. I am in a dilemma. I could not make anydecision."Go" Vinod said one day. "Tell her. Who knows shemight also be thinking in the same way""But..""Don't think too much. I respect your thoughts.Whatever you say is good to listen but it does nothappen in practical world. Be practical. Just use yourbrain"I started thinking of it. May be Vinod is right. I amthinking too much. I must take a chance. Finally Idecided to take one last chance on the Valentine'sDay.

    But, Life is what happens to you while you're busymaking other plans. You never know what liesahead

    Chapter NineJanuary 25th, 2005.

    I decided to propose to Priya on Valentines Day. Buteverything does not happen as you like. Today my

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    PM called me and told that I need to fly to USA formy project before this weekend. I need to report inUSA on Monday, January 31st. I have waited for thisonsite opportunity from the day I joined Infosys. Butas the onsite opportunity stands before me I dontfeel like leaving Hari Priya and going to onsite."Congrats. This calls for a party" Priya said when Itold her about the onsite."Sure" I said. I am with mixed feelings. But thesadness of leaving Priya has overtaken the joy ofgoing to onsite."So, for how many months are you going?" Sheasked."I don't know. Its a long term assignment. I amgoing to Hyderabad tomorrow. My parents arewaiting for me. There is lot of shopping left" I said."We will not be meeting after today" she said sadly."The flight is on Saturday night. It goes through

    Mumbai. The time between the connecting flights isfour hours. You can come to airport if you want" Isaid."I will definitely come to the airport. You will notleave from India without my farewell" she said.I left to Hyderabad the next day. I was busy with allthe shopping those three days in Hyderabad. Its

    winter time in USA. So, most of my shopping listincluded the items required to save myself from thecold out there in USA. My mom packed all the Indianfood items that last for at least two months. Myaccommodation has been taken care by my friendsthere in abroad. My parents became very excited

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    about me going to onsite. They felt very happy forme. But I was not happy. I was not at all excited.

    "What happened?" Mom asked me. "Why are you sodull?""Nothing" I said. I did not tell anyone about Priya. Idon't know what Priya thinks of me. There is nopoint in telling my parents about her withoutknowing what's in Priya's mind.January 29th, 2005.

    At last the day of my travel came. I left Hyderabadafter a very sentimental farewell from parents andrelatives. Flight reached Mumbai at 6:40 PM. Theconnecting flight to Amsterdam is at 12:50 AM. FromAmsterdam, there is another connecting flight toDetroit. I completed the formalities and rushedtowards visitors lounge. I searched for Priya. I did

    not see her. I waited. I waited for TEN minutes. Butthose ten minutes seemed like ten hours."Hi... I heard Priya after those painful ten minutes."Why are you late?" I shouted at her."Why are you shouting? If I had shouted every timeyou came late, I would have lost my voice by now"She said with a bit of anger in her voice.

    "I am sorry. I came here and did not find you. Ibecame so sad and I thought I will leave withoutmeeting you" I said."I already told you that you will not leave Indiawithout meeting me" She said smiling."By the way Why are you late?" I asked.

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    "Traffic jam. You know this Mumbai traffic But nowyou are going to onsite. You will get rid of this." Shesaid.I am leaving. I am leaving Priya. I am leaving thosegolden days when we spent together. I am leavingthose times when we had minor fights with eachother and apologizing to each other the next minute,the days I always used to come late and Priya usedto shout at me, the days when we used to travel toMumbai together, the days of happiness, the dayswhen we were the only two in our world. I amleaving my most valuable gift."What happened? What are you thinking?" Priyaasked."Nothing" I said. My eyes were filled with tears."Hey, you are crying" She said.I could not speak. She took my hand in her hand.

    "Don't worry. Everything will be alright" She said andgave her handkerchief."I am sorry. I became a bit emotional" I said. "Bythe way when is your VISA getting processed?""Its in the process. I may get it in a month or two"she said."So, Do Wipro has any clients near New York?" Iasked. I am going to Hartford. Its nearly hundred

    miles away from New York City."Yeah... But my client is in Dallas" She said. "Dallasis very far from your place"

    I did not care. I want her to be in USA very soon.Those four hours flew like four minutes.

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    "Now its time for me to leave" I said. I heard theannouncement to appear for security check forpassengers traveling to Amsterdam by NorthwestAirlines."All the Best. I will miss you" she said holding myhand. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She wascrying.I took her hand in my hand, gave her a tight hugand left the place. I did not turn back. If I turn back,I know that I cannot board the plane. That's my lastmeeting with Priya.

    "Bye... Priya. Bye... India"

    "Welcome to United States of America"

    Chapter Ten

    United States of America - a country which considersitself as a big brother to all other countries, acountry which has become the destination of almostevery software engineer, a country which is full ofopportunities, a country which is poor in heritage butrich in money, a country where you can find a mix ofeach and every country in the world. Of course

    everyone knows what USA is. It needs nointroduction. People come here with dollar dreams intheir eyes. But, what about me?

    "How is USA?" Priya asked me when I called her.

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    "I don't know" I said. "Its very cold here. So, I didnot get an opportunity to go and look around""How is your work?""Work is good though its not much different fromwhat I do in offshore" I said.I call Priya everyday. I miss her very much. WithoutPriya I feel as if I am left alone in this big continent.I am not myself when I entered USA. I left myselfwith Priya. Now its only me. Just me. The only hopeI have is that one day she will come here and we canrelive those golden moments together."How is your love story going?" my roomie Avinashasked one day."How do you know about it?" I asked."I heard it. Rahul is a good friend of mine." he said."I am gonna kill this person next time when I seehim" I said.

    "Too late my friend. The whole Pune DC knows aboutyour story" Avinash said laughing."Its nothing like that" I said. "We are just goodfriends""Don't try to fool me. The way you talk with Priya,the time you spend thinking of her... I can easily saythat you are in love with her. You miss Priya verymuch. Am I correct?"

    "Yeah. I miss her very much" I said."Does she know that you love her?""No and please don't start all over again asking meto propose to her. Its a long story" I said.

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    After I came to USA I thought of proposing to heronce or twice. But the idea never took shape.Meanwhile, I learned how to play guitar. Priya likesmusic very much. When I meet her, I want tosurprise her by playing her favorite tunes on theguitar. I became punctual. In Pune, she was alwaysbehind me teaching me what to do and what not todo. I just want to become an ideal person which shealways wanted me to become.

    May 17th, 2005.Four months passed by. One day I asked my ProjectManager whether I can get a leave for one month sothat I can go to India."What?" my Project Manager Praveen asked."I need a leave for one month" I asked."But why?" he asked. "Is everything fine back athome?" he asked.

    "Everyone is fine" I said."It has been only six months since you came here.Why do you want to go to India?" he asked."Its something personal" I said. "Please, I need aleave for one month""I am sorry" he said. "I cannot send you back in themiddle of a project unless there is a proper reason"he said.

    I did not speak. I cannot reveal the reason to him."If you go back now, you will have to go backpermanently. I cannot grant you leave but I cansend you back to offshore" he said."No problem" I said. "That's even better for me"

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    Its better to stay in India with Priya rather thanstaying here at onsite without her."I need some time. I need to identify resources toreplace your position in the project" he said."Thanks Praveen. Thank you very much" I said.I went back to home with full of happiness. I neverthought that my project manager would approve thisso easily. I went to him with a little hope of gettingone month leave. But got more than what I wishedfor. I will be going back to India. I will be meetingPriya. Yes... I will be meeting Priya. That day I had asound sleep for the first time since I came to onsite.

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    Chapter Eleven

    May 17th, 2005."I am coming to USA" Priya said when I called her."When and where?" I asked."In a month" She said. "I got admission in HarwardUniversity""That's great" I said. "Harward is in Boston which isonly one and half hour drive from here.""Cool" She said.I did not expect that golden days will come so soon.Priya is coming to USA. And that too, she is comingto Boston which is very close by. I could not believeit. I can meet her every weekend. Even I can meether everyday. Its just one and half hour drive frommy place. I am the happiest person in the world.One month passed by like one second. I went toairport to receive Priya. I saw her after five months.I cried with happiness. We went to Harward Schoolof Business. What can I say about Harward? Thehostel, the classrooms, the library, the canteen, each

    and every building of Harward is simply amazing.The students who are studying seemed to be likefuture CEOs of multi national companies. And here,my Priya is going to be one of them.May 17th, 2005.

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    Its the first weekend for Priya in USA. I took her tothe New York City. New York has always representedUnited States for many years. Even a small kid canidentify USA by seeing the picture of Statue ofLiberty. There are many places to visit in New Yorklike Empire State, Brooklyin bridge, Times Square,Madame Tussade museum, Intrepid The list isendless. But Statue of Liberty always stands highamong the attractions."Its the right time for expressing your love" Vinodsaid."But""Don't think. Just say it to her. Everything will befine""Thanks Vinod" I said."Today I will tell her. You needto help me in this""I am always there for you. Tell me what you want"

    "How shall I propose her? I have not made anypreparations""Don't worry. Just listen to me. If you love someonetruly, there is no need of any preparations. Just tellher what you want to say. Just tell her how muchyou love her. Just be yourself. That's enough. Yourheart will speak for yourself. There is no need of anypreparation"Vinod's advice filled me with courage and confidence.For the first time, I felt that I am not going to fail inthis attempt. Love needs patience but at the sametime Love also needs courage. If you don't have

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    enough courage to express yourself, your lovealways remains incomplete.

    Priya is taking the photographs of Statue of Liberty."Priya..""What?" she asked."I want to say something to you today which Ishould have told you long time ago""What is it?"I took her hand in mine. I kissed her hand."I Love You" I said. "Please don't ask me how much Ilove you. I cannot explain it in words. I can only saythat I love you more than myself. I love you morethan anyone can love you" I said and closed myeyes.I waited. There was a long silence. I opened my eyesslowly. Priya is not there in front of me. I lookedaround. She's standing at a distance. I went to herand saw that she's crying.

    "Priya... What happened? I am sorry if I hurt you...""You idiot... Why did it take so long for you to say asimple three letter word?" she said and hugged me.That's the most beautiful moment in my life that Iwill never forget. I have accomplished my mission.Now I have no worries in my life. I have Priya withme.

    Suddenly Vinod came running to me shouting"Aaryan... Aaryan"

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    Chapter Twelve

    May 18th, 2005

    Vinod came running to me shouting "Aaryan...Aaryan... Aaryan... Aaryan... Aaryan".I opened my eyes. Avinash is calling me."What happened? Why did you spoil my sleep?" I

    asked."Your offshore has called. They said they will call youback in another ten minutes" he said.I did not listen to him. Thoughts filled my mind

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    "What a beautiful dream I had. Priya came to USAand I proposed to her. It can't get better than this.At least I told her in my dream. But I learned onething from this dream. Love needs patience but atthe same time Love also needs courage. If you don'thave enough courage to express yourself, your lovealways remains incomplete. I must express myselfbefore Priya. Priya accepted me in my dream andshe will accept me in real also. I felt as if I gotenough confidence to tell her. Nothing can go wrongnow. I will tell her. Her birthday is on July 22nd, theday when I first tried to tell her but failed. I will tellher on the same day but this time I will not fail"I did not make any preparations. I did not even tryto think of what I would say to her. I just want it tohappen the same way it happened in the dream. Ofcourse she will not be in New York. But I just want torepeat the same thing I told her in my dream. I will

    tell her that I love her and wait for her response. Herbirthday, the July 22nd will be an end to ourfriendship and beginning for our Love Story, acomplete love story.May 30th, 2005

    "How was your vacation?" I asked.

    Priya went to her native place for two weeks as shegoes there every year for the local festival of theirvillage. I did not talk with Priya for two whole weeks."Good" she said."Its been two weeks since we have talked" I said.

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    "Hmmm. What did you do these two weeks?" Sheasked."Nothing. I want to say something to you" I said."Is it? I also want to say something to you""What is it?" I asked."You tell me first, then I will tell you" she said."No.. Ladies first. So, you tell me. I will tell afteryou""No way, you have to go first. Otherwise I amleaving right now" she said smiling."OK.. OK.. I will tell first. The news is that... I passedmy license test and I got my driving license. Now Ihave American Driving License" I said with pride inmy voice."That's great news. Now you can buy a car" she said."Yes" I said. "Now What news do you have?""Actually It all began a few months ago. I thought oftelling you. But I did not tell you. But now the timehas come to tell you" she said.

    "What is that?" I asked. Is she going to propose me?"Its regarding my engagement. Me and Rajesh gotengaged last Thursday. We are getting married on2nd of July" she said."What? You are kidding" I said. I could not believewhat she's saying."I am not kidding... you dumbo. I am serious" Shesaid.

    I did not speak. I did not expect such a jolt. My mindwent blank. I rubbed my eyes. I pinched myself. Is itsome dream again? Its a dream. Come out of it. Islapped myself again. But nothing happened. Its nota dream. What I heard is true. Priya is getting

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    engaged. Why? Why good things happen only indreams? People hate having bad dreams. But, Now Ifeel its better to have a bad dream rather than thesame bad thing happen in your life."Congratulations.." I said. no other word got into mymind."But" she said. "I am not happy with this marriage""You are not happy? Why? What happened?" Iasked.

    Chapter Thirteen

    "I am not happy with this marriage" Priya said."Why? What happened?" I asked."Nothing... Leave it""Tell me what happened. Are you not happy with thebride?"

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    "No, its not the matter" She said"What is the problem then?" I asked."Marriage is the biggest occasion which occurs onlyonce in a life time. You are my best friend and whenI am going to get married you are not here" shesaid. "Will you come to my marriage?"Priya's marriage itself is a biggest shock to me. Nowshe is asking me to come and attend the marriage.What can I say? How can I say to Priya that I loveher? Now all the doors are closed. By the time Igained the courage and confidence to say, its toolate. I cannot disappoint Priya by saying it now. Icannot spoil her happiness. I did not answer to Priya.

    "What?" Avinash asked."Yes.. Priya is getting married" I said."Come on man. You still have a chance. Go and tellthat you love her" he said.

    "No" I said. "I cannot tell her. I cannot spoil herhappiness""Have you gone mad? You say that you love her butyou are just simply doing nothing if she is gettingmarried with someone else. What kind of person areyou?"I did not answer."Why don't you answer me?" Avinash asked me. "It

    seems that you don't love her""Stop it" I shouted. "I love her very much. I lovemore than anyone in the world". Tears are flowingdown my eyes. "Its my fault that I did not tell her.Its my fault that I expected her to love me. Its myfault that I developed hopes on her. I don't want to

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    punish her for my faults by telling her now that Ilove her and force her to come with me. You don'tknow what love is. Love demands sacrifice. True lovenever expects anything in return. I Love her. Itmeans that I care for her. I am there for her at alltimes. It does not mean that she must also love me"I said.Avinash did not say anything."Do you know why Rose is considered the symbol ofLove?" I asked."Because its beautiful" he said."Its because its beautiful. You feel it and enjoy it byholding it gently. Once you try to grab it, the thornsbeneath it will hurt you. You cannot grab it. If its notyours, let it go but never try to grab it" I said."I am sorry" Avinsash said. "So, what are you goingto do now?""Nothing" I said. "What can I do now?""You should have told her long back"

    "No. Now I feel better that I did not tell her""What do you mean?""Listen." I said. "She just treats me as a good friend.She does not love me. If I would have told her, shewould have become upset. Our friendship wouldhave ended there itself. At least she is a good friendnow""I understand" Avinsash said.

    Its Priya's marriage time. She must be very happy.But, what about me? Now I don't want go to Indiaany more. If I go back to India, the memories ofPriya will haunt me. I cancelled my leave. I told myparents that I got an urgent project work and will

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    come to India later. I had to convince my PM tocancel my leave and stop him sending me tooffshore.People say that Love is blind. Yes... Love is blindbecause once you are in Love you no longer see theworld with your eyes. You see the world through theeyes of the person you Love. You feel the joy, thepain, the happiness, the sorrow and every momentof the person you Love in your eyes. Your eyes nolonger reflect your heart. They reflect the state ofthe person you Love. They speak the language ofyour loved ones. They carry the tears of them to seehappiness in their eyes. Priya is happy and that is allwhat I want.

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    Chapter Fourteen

    True Love happens only to a privileged few. I amlucky to be in that group. I have experienced thewarmth of love. I have felt that passion deep in myheart. I realized the happiness one feels in Love. ButIs Love always a happy path? The person I love is inIndia making her marriage plans. I am here sitting inUSA with the golden memories of her. What do yousay? Am I lucky or unlucky to be in this privilegedgroup?

    Love is the most fascinating, most wonderful and themost beautiful thing. It gives a new meaning to yourlife. It makes you forget all the worries in the world.It keeps you happy even if you have the load of thewhole world on you. It injects into you the energy tostand against the universe for the person you love. Itdoes not care any barriers or obstacles in its path.

    Its only one side of the coin when everything endshappily. On the other side, Love has the power totake the meaning out of your life. It makes you themost unlucky person in the world. It makes you soweak that each and every moment of your life turnsinto hell. It brings you to a dead end where each

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    every road for happiness is closed. So, what is Love?I don't know what love is but now I am experiencingthe other side of love.Hari Priya - I am unable to forget her. Whenever Isee a girl, I see Priya. Whenever I see a couple, Isee Priya and me in them. I can feel her everywhereand every minute. Whenever I am alone, I think ofher. I could not able to mingle with people as before.I was here physically but my mind and heart waswith Priya. I sit before her picture on my laptop andlook at it for hours. I don't cry anymore as I don'thave any tears left in me. I feel myself lost in somedistant world.Priya comes into my dreams. She laughs at me, sheteases me, she plays with me, she scolds me forbeing late, and she comes close to me and runsaway from me. I want to be in the dreams where I

    can be with Priya, where I can sit beside her, where Ican talk to her, where I can hold her hand in mineand assure her that I am there for her. But for adream, the most necessity thing is to sleep. But I amuable to sleep. The bitterness of the truth does notallow me to sleep. Its a torture one cannot describein words. Only the person who feels it knows it.

    Sometimes I feel that I still have a chance. Somewhere deep in my heart a voice says that Priya alsoloves me. Sometimes I feel tempted to propose toher. But at the same time I feel that its too late nowand I have no chance left. I don't know what to do.Its a fight between the mind and the heart. One

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    day I got so frustrated and tempted that I called her.When I heard her voice, the other side of me tookover and I was unable to speak a single word. I canfeel the split personality in me. Its a fight betweenme and myself.

    "Your productivity has decreased" My PM said oneday. "Business folks raised an issue about you sayingthat you don't respond properly in the meetings.What happened to you?""Nothing Praveen. Just not feeling well now a days" Isaid."If it continues, I am afraid I need to take necessaryaction and you may need to fly back to India""I will try to do my best" I said."If you improve, Its good for all" Praveen said.Why is this happening to me? I could not concentrateon work. My career is getting ruined. I am spoiling

    my health. This is all just because of one girl whom Idont know that she even exists two years ago. Isthis necessary? Is this called Love? They say thatLove is a beautiful thing. But if its a beautiful thing,why is it torturing me like this? If this is called Love,I don't want love. Why can't I live without her? I canlive without her. I was very happy before she came.If she doesnt care for me, why should I? I am not

    going to call her any more. I am not going to think ofher any more.

    Even a single mail in the morning with even a singleletter in it encourages me to spend the whole daywith hope and happiness. Whenever I call her and

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    here her voice, I forget myself. I want to talk to hercontinuously for hours. I want to be with her. Fromsuch a stage, now I am thinking of completelyignoring her and avoiding her. She has no right tochange my life. I CAN LIVE ALONE.

    But is it Possible..? Can I live without her? Only timecan tell.

    Chapter Fifteen

    I did not call Priya. I wanted to prove to myself that

    I can live without Priya. I am trying to get used tothe bitter truth. I am trying to live practically. I amtrying to take over my heart with my mind. Buthowever I try, I cannot escape from truth. Priyacalled me one day.

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    June 26th, 2005

    "Hi Aaryan, What happened to you? Where did yougo?" Priya asked."Nothing.." I said."Why did not you call me? You totally disappeared.You don't respond to my mails. You don't comeonline while I keep waiting for you at the cyber cafe""I was just busy with work" I said. I dont want thisphone call to continue for long."Leave it. Are you coming to my marriage?" Priyaasked.I always skipped giving answer to this question bysaying something or the other whenever she askedthis question."How is your marriage plans going?" I asked."First answer my question" She said. "You always tryto bypass this question. Are you coming to mymarriage or not?"

    "I don't know" I said. "I did not decide yet. Itdepends on my project work""What do you mean by you did not decide? I canunderstand that you have project work and all. Itstoo much from me to ask you to come to mymarriage. But you are not even trying to answer myquestion. You are not talking to me nicely now adays. It seems that you are not happy with my

    marriage..""No.." I said."Don't lie to me. I can hear it in your voice""There is nothing like that Priya" I said. "Why do youthink I am not happy with your marriage?"

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    "I see that you are not same as before. You seem tobehave differently from the day I told you about mymarriage. What happened?" she asked."Nothing like that. I just got busy with the work andits taking toll on me" I said"Are you sure?" She said."Yes" I said. I could not able to speak. I can feel theemotion ready to burst into tears."Are you sure that its the work and not mymarriage?" She asked again."Yes" I shouted back. "How many times do I need totell you? Dont you understand? Now please do me afavor. Never ask this question again and never callme again" I shouted at her and switched off thephone.

    What does she think? Why does she torture me likethis? Why did she come into my life? I want to forgether. I want to get back my olden days, I want to go

    back to the days before I met her. I want to want togo back to the days when I used to enjoy the beautyof bench. I want to get rid of the pain of herdeparture. I want to get rid of the pain that I cannotlive without her. Someone please help me...

    "I shouted at my Priya" I told Avinash."Why? What happened?"

    "I don't know. I was just trying to avoid her" I said."You need a vacation" Avinash said."May be you are right. I need a break. I need sometime to forget Priya""Let's go for a vacation. How about Florida for July4th long weekend?"

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    "Not a bad option" I said."Let's plan for it" Avinash said.

    Though I tried forget about the incident, I could notable to forget it. The thought that I shouted at Priyamade me feel veryy bad. I shouted at my own Priya.Why did I do that? I tried to call Priya on hermobile. I want to apologize to her. But she did notanswer my call. I kept trying whole day but she didnot respond to my call. I don't know what happenedbut deep inside I felt something has gone terriblywrong.

    Chapter Sixteen Vinod Speaks

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    I am Vinod. I was Aaryan's room mate. I know howmuch Aaryan loved Priya. He always talked abouther and cared about her. But unfortunately he couldnot able to tell her the same. He remained silent. Hewas a coward. He always feared that Priya wouldleave him if he expresses his love before her. Hewaited and the wait costed him a lot.

    26th of June was an unfortunate day in the life ofPriya and Aaryan. Priya met with an accident whiledriving back her scooty to home from an internetcafe. The owner of the internet cafe said that shewas in a bad mood and was crying before leaving theinternet center. She was admitted into the hospitalimmediately. She wrote a letter to Aaryan.

    "Hi Aaryan, When I first met you in the multiplex theatre, I never

    thought that we would come this far. We have become very close

    friends in no time. You have been a very good friend of mine. In

    fact you are my best friend to whom I can look up to whenever I

    need any thing. You have bothered about me and have taken a very

    good care of me. You were always there to support me in all

    matters. I am lucky to have a friend like you and I want to thank

    you for everything you have given me.

    I always thought that even a single day is enough to understand or

    judge a person. Two years is a very long time. We have been

    friends for these two years. But even after these two years I could

    not able to read your mind. I could not able to understand you.You are like a kid ignoring everything in the world. You speak

    endlessly about your weird dreams. You take things so easily as if

    you don't have anything to worry in your life. You never take

    anything seriously.

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    As we have been good best friends for two long years, I wish to

    take this relation a little bit further. I always wanted to say this to

    you. You don't know how many times I have tried to say this to

    you. But at last I am writing this to you with the only hope that you

    will understand me and forgive me. I waited for this since longtime. Now, let me tell you...

    "I LOVE YOU"

    Please don't ask me how much I love you. I cannot explain it in

    words. I can only say that I love you more than myself. I love you

    more than anyone can love you.

    I waited for you with the hope that you would say this to me. I

    thought that you are in Love with me as I am with you. I alwaysthought that we are made for each other. But I did not receive any

    response from you. You did not say anything to me. You looked

    towards me as a good friend but not more than that. Whenever I

    thought of expressing my love to you, I feared that you take it

    negatively. I feared that you'll stop talking to me after that. I

    feared that you'll abandon our friendship. So, I could not say it to

    you all these days. I was not at all happy with the marriage. I

    could not say it to my parents as I don't know what's in your mind.

    Now you must be wondering why I wrote this letter and why I am

    saying this after all these days. Its because you are not going to

    talk to me after today. Its because I cannot say it to you in future

    if not today. Its because this is the last letter I am going to write

    to you. Its because by the time you read this letter I may not be in

    this world. Please forgive me for all the pain I have caused to you

    and thank you for being my friend.

    Once again... I LOVE YOU...

    Yours,

    Hari Priya

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    After the accident Priya survived for a week. Duringher last days, she called her friend Shwetha anddictated the letter and asked her to hand over it toAaryan after she dies. When Aaryan received theletter from Shwetha and came to know about theincident, he could not stay back in US. He resignedto his job and flew back to India immediately. But itwas too late. He felt that Priya died because of him.

    "I told Priya not to call me anymore" he said to mebefore leaving to India. "I caused pain to her andnow she left me forever. It's because of me she metwith an accident. Its because of me she died. I amthe person responsible for it. I killed her. I killed myPriya"I saw the pain in his eyes. Its hard for him to recoverfrom the shock. Its all over for him. All these days hedid not tell Priya that he love her but by the time hecame to know that Priya also loves him, she is no

    more.

    I don't know what happened. But Aaryan wentmissing after this incident. No one knows about hiswhereabouts. They say that History remembers onlytragic love stories. I don't know how true it is but Iwill never forget the story of my friend. I pray to godto give him strength and peace wherever he is...

    The End