The years passed by…..

Anuj’s Version

It had been exactly one month since I met Sita and that chat outside the temple on that rainy night. We saw each other frequently in college but hardly talked to each other. But we chatted on yahoo, orkut and gtalk. So we were not complete strangers now. We knew quiet a few things about each other. One day I asked her if could give me her phone no so that we can talk. But she refused saying that she didn’t give her no to any person whom she didn’t know well personally. And even I didn’t force her. I didn’t want this newly found friendship of ours to end. We kept in touch through the internet and that was enough for her. But I really started liking her. She was a very sweet girl who loved reading, writing, painting, singing and traveling. She loved her family and never did anything that would upset her parents. According to me she was a girl perfect to be married. I was falling for her but I was not sure if she felt anything for me. I never dared to say what I felt. Moreover I was almost done with my studies and it was time for me to become serious about my career. Fortunately I got placed in Infosys right after my last semester exams. And my joining date was 28^th of July. It meant that I would have to leave for Mysore for my training. I was sad and happy at the same time. Happy that I was employed and sad that I won’t be able to see Sita now. L

I didn’t know what to do. Should I tell her that I love her or should I wait for the right for the time? But I was not sure how she would react. May be she feels the same way for me or may be she doesn’t. I was in a big dilemma and I had no clue what to do. I decided not to think of it anymore. Sita was yet to complete her graduation and I didn’t want to disturb her with any of this love feeling. May be its not love I thought its just a liking I have for her and it will just go away. I cajoled myself and within some months I headed for Mysore. I kept in touch with her through emails but she replied to a few of them. May be she was too busy I thought. Even I got busy with my rigorous training sessions, compris and projects. Mysore was a totally different place. It was a romantic place was people were forced to study. I missed Sita everyday. And I never knew if she ever remembered me. Somehow I was clearing the compris and was waiting to get posted. I completed my training in December and got posted in Bangalore.

Sita’s Version

My friendship with Anuj was no more “Just Friendship”. I knew he liked me and that scared me. I didn’t want to be in love with anyone. Love was a big hassle as per me. I had seen many of my friends falling in love and ending up with broken hearts. I didn’t want to go through the same ordeal. So I just kept my interaction with Anuj to the minimal. I rarely answered his emails and scraps on orkut. He was a nice guy who was caring, loving and understanding. He never forced me to do anything against my will. I really liked him but I was afraid that if I grew closer to him I would fall for him and that was one thing I didn’t want. I wanted to concentrate on my studies and then think of all these things once I am settled with my own life. I enjoyed with my friends I made at the college. Our gang comprised of only girls. Our gang believed in girl power and somehow felt that having guys in our group would result in complications. Most of my friends had boyfriends and they were happy to be with them once college was over. Some of them were in a serious relationship and others changed their boyfriend as per change in semester.  Anuj was done with his training in Mysore and got posted in Bangalore. I was happy for him. Now he was in the corporate world and soon he would be too busy to remember me and may be he’ll find a new love. All that happens happens for good I thought and continued with my life.

Year 2009 and few months were left in college. I was almost done with my studies and had got placed with cognizant in my third year itself. So I did not have anything to worry about. My life was about to venture into a new direction altogether. Meanwhile all these years I kept in touch with Anuj. We were really good friends now. He was a support for me throughout. He guided me through all the tough times and pulled me up when I hit a low. I really counted on him for nearly everything. I saw him twice at the Sri Krishna Temple when he came to Pune on leave for some family function. But we didn’t talk to each other. We didn’t want to give a reason to people to feel suspicious as if there was something going on between us. In March I came to know that I have to join in Bangalore. The first thought that came to my mind was about Anuj. He was there so may be he could help me out with all the details I needed. I emailed him that I would be coming to Bangalore and his joy knew no bounds. We chatted for a long time that day. Till around 2 am in the night. Then suddenly he said “Sita if you don’t mind can you give me your phone number now considering that we are friends since so many years?” I read that on my screen and the next thing I saw myself doing was writing my cell no in the chat window. As if this was the moment I was waiting for. Finally after 4 years we exchanged our numbers. And thus began a beautiful chapter of my life.