We all were miss­ing Riya. She has been such a sweet heart, she used to help every­body a lot. Any­time any day you need her help and she will be there for you. She was the life of all par­ties. She used to dance so well.

I remem­ber she taught me how to ball dance, she took lot of pains to teach me how to dance. She would repeat each step at least a 100 times. I can’t even count the num­ber of times I must have stamped on her feet. In a dance com­pe­ti­tion in our colony. I was her part­ner. It was only because of her tal­ent that we won it. I will miss her a lot.

Nowa­days when we go to the ter­race we talk of noth­ing else but her. Every­body missed her. It had been only a week since she left.

Today after din­ner Rohit, Nisha and myself went to the ter­race to sit and talk as usual. When we reached we found Sahil sit­ting in a cor­ner with his gui­tar. He did not notice us. He was play­ing his gui­tar. The tune did not seem a happy one.

“Any­thing trou­bling you Sahil.” I asked.

“Oh Raj when did you come? Oh Nisha and Rohit are also there. Hi.”

“Why are you sit­ting like this, feel­ing lonely?” I asked.

“No noth­ing. I just came up as I was feel­ing tired.”

“But your face tells some­thing else” Rohit.

“Noth­ing has hap­pened believe me.”

“Come on you can tell us.” Nisha.

“Actu­ally I have been miss­ing Riya a lot.”

“Don’t worry she will be back soon” I said.

“Actu­ally, when Riya was leav­ing I had given her a present, it was an audio cas­sette. I had recorded a few of my favourite songs along with some­thing I wanted to say.”

“What did you say?” Rohit.

“I had said that I would miss her a lot and that she was not only my best friend but also, I loved her.”

“You really do?” I asked with surprise.

“Yes, I have realised it only when she has gone. When she was there in front of me I did not realise it. Today I miss her a lot. I had got so used to her that today, when she is not there I can­not do any­thing. My mind does not stay calm. In the cas­sette I had told her that if she loved me then she should call me . It’s been about a week and she has not replied.”

“Don’t worry Sahil, a guy like you she would not refuse.”

“I am not wor­ried about being refused. But she may end our friend­ship after this. That I don’t want to hap­pen. She is my best friend.”

“I under­stand Sahil. Don’t worry she is a mature girl. She will not do a thing like this, besides you are such a nice guy, she will call you. Maybe she hasn’t opened up your gift as yet. Who knows she must be eager to call you but is not able to. You know how hos­tels are you don’t get much time alone do you.” Rohit said.

“You both have been such good friends. Friend­ship doesn’t break on such small things..” Nisha added.

“Thanks guys I needed the sup­port.” Sahil said shak­ing hand with us.

“Hey Sahil why don’t you sing a song for us. A nice roman­tic song. Come on for Riya’s sake.” I said.

“Okay.” He picked up his gui­tar and started singing.

What a lovely voice he has, he started singing ‘every­thing I do by Bryan Adams.’ Oh I just got lost into my own world. I could just see Diya’s face.

“Hey Raj where are you.” Nisha asked me.” They left.”

“What?”

“Yes. They left, where were you lost.”

“Noth­ing I was think­ing about Diya.”

“What were you thinking.”

“I was think­ing how lucky I was I got what I wanted. I was won­der­ing what would have hap­pened had she said no, what would I have done.”

“Raj noth­ing would have hap­pened what is impor­tant right now is you are together. I wish Riya also says yes. Can’t we do any­thing for Sahil.”

“I wish we could have.”

“Why don’t you call her up?”

“Me no way she would kill me.”

“Hey can’t you do this for a friend.”

“What do you want to see me dead or what?”

“Yes. Can’t you do this for a friend.”

“Alright I will.”

“Okay come we will give her a call.”

“Now.”

“then when? Call her up now.” She pulled me by my hand.

“Okay , okay now leave me what will oth­ers think.”

“Noth­ing. A cou­ple is going.”

“Hey if some­body tells Diya.”

“Let them.”

“She will leave me.”

“So what I am there.”

“No baba. I want to live. If I stay with you I would die.”

“Wait I will tell every­thing to Diya.”

“What will you tell.”

“That you were try­ing to make passes at me and you…..”

“What you?”

“And that you tried to kiss me.”

“That’s a lie.”

“So what she would believe me.”

“You wouldn’t do that would you.”

“I can.”

“Please don’t. I beg you.”

“Then you would have to do what I say.”

“What?”

“For now treat me to an ice cream. A hot choco­late fudge.”

“No way.”

“Well okay then I will tell Diya.”

“Okay, madam lets go.”

From the fry­ing pan into the fire. We went over to the tele­phone booth. It was around 10 ‘o’ clock. I rang up at the Hostel.

“Can you call Riya please.”

“Hold on.” A voice came. Then there were shouts for Riya.

“Hi Raj.”

“Hi.”

“So nice to hear from you.”

“Hi Riya.” Nisha poked in.

“Hi Nisha.” She replied. Nisha got busy hav­ing her ice cream.

“How’s Diya.”

“Fine.”

“Every­body else.”

“Fine Except Sahil.”

“Why? What hap­pened to him.”

“Why didn’t you call him Riya.”

“Actu­ally Raj I know what you are talk­ing about. Actu­ally I have heard his cassette.”

“So what do you think.” I inter­rupted her.

“Raj I also love him “

“Great.”

“Then what’s the prob­lem, why didn’t you call him up.”

“I couldn’t gather the power to do so.”

“He loves you.”

“Yes but.”

“No ifs and buts. If you love him tell him. You shouldn’t be late in love. Once time is gone it never comes back.”

“You are right.”

“I am always right.” I said jokingly.

“Okay I will tell him, let it be a sur­prise. Tomor­row is his birth­day I will call him at twelve ‘o’ clock and wish him. “

“Oh no I for­got what an idiot I am. Thanks for remind­ing me.”

“Raj can you do me a favour.”

“Sure just ask for it.”

“Can you give a card from my behalf. And write some­thing nice in it. You are so good at writing.”

“Okay.”

“Also give him a gift from my side.”

“What do you want me to give him.”

“mmmm get him a jacket, there is a nice black colour jacket at the Wear­house. Nisha has seen it. He was think­ing of Buy­ing it.”

“Alright. Any­thing else.”

“No noth­ing else. Thank you Raj for call­ing. I needed to talk to someone.”

“No prob­lem. Anytime.”

“Say hello to everyone.”

“Okay bye, best of luck.”

“Bye, same to you.”

I put down the phone. Boy has the bill jumped I didn’t realise I was talk­ing on an STD . Nisha mean­while was busy eating.

“So what happened.”

“Why should I tell?”

“Raj, please tell.”

“First give me a kiss.”

“what?”

”just kid­ding. Spoon­ful of ice cream.”

“Alright but only one.” I had one.

“She also does.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“What else did she say?”

“She said. To give Sahil a birth­day card. She also said to give Sahil a jacket that you all had seen at the Wearhouse.”

“Yeah I remember.”

“By the way tomor­row is Sahil’s birth­day. We will have a party.”

“We will get the card and the jacket first thing in the morning.”

“We have classes.”

“So what we will bunk them.”

“Okay. I will call Diya now.”

“So late.”

“I call her every­day at this time.”

“Good. You carry on I will meet you in the morning.”

I rang Diya. ”Hi sweetheart.”

“Hi Janu” that is what we call each other.

“Tomor­row we will not go to col­lege we need to go to buy a present for Sahil. Its his birthday.”

“Great we will have a party.”

“I also have a sur­prise for you. Be ready and come over to my place at 9.”

“Okay Bye. I love you.”

“Me too.” I gave her a kiss on the phone. She reciprocated.

Love is in the air.