Love Touches Few.

Even after lot of control, Nita could not stop herself for seeing him. How could she? After all, she was in love. He was ignorant. She persuaded him. He ran from her. The more she tried, the more she lost. 




Filled with curiosity of new place and happiness to make new friends, Nita walked cautiously into premises of her new school. She was switching from local board to CBSE board that made her admission late. In rush, she did not have time to prepare herself well for the new atmosphere. With lot of awkwardness, she softly asked some students about her class and quickly climbed into a corner.

Time flew and Nita adjusted herself efficiently. To study in ‘Vidhya Mandir’ school, was her dream. She wanted to purse arts and humanities field rather than money-minded commerce or egoistic science field. The new challenge to make her name in this school kept her busy throughout most days except sometimes, when she was alone dreaming.

Nita was not a normal sixteen-year-old girl. Her imagination flew high than any person. She was a dreamer rather than realistic person. She often sat her window at night wishing that something romantic like films or life changing happen to her. Little did she know that her wish was going to be accepted sooner than she thought.

Like every normal day, Nita was crossing lobby to join assembly meeting when she passed him. It just took her a moment to recognize her childhood classmate Rohit, whom she saw after 5 years. One glance and she recalled her own days with him in kinder garden. “He has not changed at all” was her first thought.

Not sure, of whether he is the same person from her past or her confusion, she confronted this confusion to her mom.

“You know, I think I saw Rohit from my second school.”

“Go and ask him. What is the problem? You’re friends,” advised her mom.

Laid deep in her thoughts, Nita was thinking about him and millions of questions shoot up within her.

“Rohit and in this school… That is such a surprise. Which stream would he have taken? He is not my classmate so definitely not arts and humanities. Maybe commerce or science, but where on erath these divisions are located,” confusion piled within her because she did not knew school completely.

But her destiny smiled on her when she heard her friends Rushika and Rohini discussing about Rohit. Confirming Rohit’s division, she planned to approach him the next day.  

She was happy as she was going to meet her friend that too after 5 years gap. But she could not decide how to strike up the conversation. Questions surrounded her like a swarm of bees. They were the usual, and yet, felt so fresh for her in the first time. Whether he will remember her, or recognize her, and if he did, then what would she say?

“When he will fail to recognize me, I will tell him my identity and will have casual chat on percentage and will come back.” Yes, that sounded good, her brain responded and it gave her some comfort.

The next day she headed with full confidence, went straight into classroom much to amusement of everyone, and asked him, “You are Rohit, right? Do you recall me; we used to be in same school.”

To her surprise, Rohit said, “Yes, I remember you. You’re Nita right?”

Completely baffled, shocked and stunned, she fumbled, “Yes. I wanted to ask this  only. Bye” and paced out of the room. This was the only thing she would laugh at for rest of her life.

“Shit. What is he goanna think of me? I am so stupid. I should have made further conversation. I am an idiot” Nita kept cursing herself for next weeks.

No matter how stupid or short that conversation was, it marked as beginning of new friendship with him. It was a strange friendship, they never talked but used to pass smile at each other whenever crossed in school. There divisions were different which made ti possible to see each other at assembly for prayer or for principal speech or any school function.

“You know I feel so great. Whenever he smiles at me, I forget all my problems. I forget that my mom is ill or that I have to work hard in comparison to other students. He just makes my day,” she used to share her emotion with Rushika,  Rohini and Smiriti. “I do not know why, but it is awesome feeling to be in.”

“Because you are in love,” Rohini exclaimed.

“W.. What? No, I am certainly not.”

“Yes. You are. I feel same too,” Rushika asserted.

“Your face changes. You’re not Nita anymore. You become complete different personality,” Smiriti argued.

Not accepting their reasoning, Nita easily closed away topic. But, her mind wander swayed in that direction even after reaching home.

 “OMG. I’m in love?” she looked into mirror and saw her face.

That changes, her smile, her blushes said it all. What more could she ask for? She had always wanted a love and she had a love.

But before she could enjoy this feeling completely, her bubble tore away when Pinky, her first friend, she made in school; behaved in retard manner. Pinky started calling Nita or making obvious gestures whenever Rohit crossed them. It completely broke away their friendship. Rohit stopped smiling or even looking at her. Because by now, Rohit’s friends who have been teasing him on the sly, started to do it in front of everyone.

“Are you made? You told Pinky about it. I never trusted her,” was Rohini’s reaction when she came to know about her stupidity.

“I know I should have never told her. But, out of friendliness I did.”

“And look what it has done to you. You are pinning and he does not bother.”

“I cannot understand that fact only. What is my mistake in all this?”

“It is not your mistake,” Rohini consoled her. “Still, to stop all this nonsense, we  got to take some steps.”

“Like what?”

“Stop going out and making excuses to see him. Let the rumors die down. They are affecting your name,” said concerned Rohini, Smiriti, and Rushika nodded.

“I do not give a damn to what other think. I just want to know what he thinks” Nita screamed half-in anger and tears.

Even after lot of control, she could not stop herself for seeing him. How could she? After all, she was in love. He was ignorant. She persuaded him. He ran from her. The more she tried, the more she lost. Nobody could understand what was going on. They had become talk of their school. No matter how much it hurt her, her identity and her self-respect, she still made moves, hoping that one day everything would be normal between them.

Nita would just cry uncontrollably because first time in her life she repented what she did. She admitted that she should not have been so vocal about it. But, what would a sixteen-year-girl know? She was not the one with multiple worldly experiences. She was just an innocent girl, who was trying to find wings to her life.

 “What was my fault? That I loved him? Or that I am not pretty or slim like other girls? Does that really matter in contrast to loving heart?” she would ask herself.

No matter how much she tried to clear up the mess. It did not happen. After graduation from school, everyone took their own path. Rohit went outside to make his career and life. Rohini, her best friend left in different direction. She felt miserable without both of them. Thanks, to Rushika and Smiriti who were with her even after school, she got courage and confidence to see things brightly.

Whenever Smiriti or Rushika used to tell her to move on and to forget Rohit, her only answer would be, “He came into my life when I needed someone. I had lost myself completely. I was just a body that breathes. He made me smile. He made me realize that there is something I could hope for. Someone for whom I can live, love. He made me realize my dreams. Overall, he made me!”

“Are you never going to foregt him?” Smriti asked her.

“I think you should tell that idiot about your feelings,” Rushika suggested her.

“If it is meant to happen, it will happen. If I get a chance to contact him, by whatever means I will. If only… If I got a chance to tell him,” 

Nita sighed as they entered the new phase of their life.

-Nikita Dudani