II. Unsaid words

A HAPPY BEGINNING

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Sometimes, the words unsaid, say quite a lot.

So far in “A Happy Beginning” :
Suhas had developed a crush on Siri over the years they had known each other. And every time he saw her, he just realized how much he had liked her and the farewell was always the hardest because he would have to wait for another family gathering before they could meet. With luck on his side, Siri started studying in the same city as him and he was a little happy about that, but he still had to tell her what he had felt for her. And he did make his first attempt which quite didn’t go as he had hoped. And amid hurdles and whatnot, he is determined to express his feelings for her one way or the other. But how he does that? And will he be able to feel what he is feeling for the rest of his life? What does Siri think of him? Read on to find out…

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Suhas reminisced about the past, about the short conversations he had with her and how happy he felt in those tiny conversations. He would completely forget about the people around him, about the noises, the children screaming,  the adults blabbering, the traffic going by, everything just went blur around him and the only person he could see was her and just her voice. Even though he was across the room or in a completely different city, she had the same effect time and again. It was difficult for him to not think about her. She had occupied most of his thoughts and the latest debacle just made it a little more difficult to not think about her.

Suhas was still unsure what Siri has thought about his quirky approach. Was she impressed and does she feel the same way about him as well? He had no way of knowing that since there was no way of contacting her, without going through a medium, via a family member. He was eagerly waiting for the next family gathering when he will approach her and express his feelings for her. It was due in a couple of months and he started counting his days until that time finally came. Meanwhile, in one of the random conversations with his sister, he needed some advice and told her about his feelings and about Siri. He wanted to get her thoughts on this and he also wanted to know what Siri thought about him. He really wanted this to work out and he requested her to poke Siri’s mind during a normal conversation and find out what she thought of him while telling her about his feelings for her.

A few weeks later, the annual family gathering happened and Suhas was very anxious. He had been waiting for this for a long time and he was about to find out what she thought about him. The whole week he had been on his feet and curious and scared at the same time. It wasn’t until the end of the trip, Suhas’s sister talked to Siri about Suhas. She had told everything in detail what he had told and what her thoughts were about him. Suhas was hoping that the things will be in his favour. But what Siri said deeply upset Suhas. He wasn’t prepared for that. Well, he was, but he was hoping for a positive outcome out of this and hence her response did feel like a pinch. Siri had told that she wasn’t interested at all, which she lied about, and she went on saying that she wouldn’t go against her parents and that their decision is final. Siri was playing too hard to get and it was understandable as well.

Suhas didn’t have a good night that day. The days that followed were a bit gloomy and however, his feelings didn’t sway. He kind of knew that she liked him as well and she did have a valid point. He was ready to ask her parents as well. But perhaps he needed that validation before he went ahead and approached her parents. And like any love story, the parents need to know that the guy is well enough to take care of their daughter. It so happens that Siri was the only child and there was a lot that he had to accomplish before he would be able to approach them. He was not someone who gives up easy. Siri may be hard to get but he was determined and what he felt was pure which gave him that confidence to make that much-needed effort.

A couple days later the deadliest entrance exams were over. Siri didn’t forget about the Chemistry book that Suhas gave, especially for her entrance exams, but she didn’t read it either. Maybe she didn’t even need to read it. It was all in her head. Suhas was asked for his knowledge of the college in the city so that he could help Siri get into a good college for her graduation. One fine day he went to Siri’s house back in her hometown. She was enjoying her break after the struggle that the entrance exams were. Suhas reached her home late afternoon and to Suhas’s surprise, no one was at the home that time except Siri. Siri invited him, but they sat at the opposite ends of the room. There was a lot of awkwardness and tension in the air. After quite a bit of silence, Suhas finally spoke out.

Suhas: “So, what did you think of it?”

Siri: “Of what?”

Suhas: “My sister spoke to you, didn’t she?”

Siri: “Yes, she did.”

Suhas: “So, what do you think of that?”

Siri: “I am not at all interested!”

Suhas: ” Are you sure?”

After a long silence…

Siri: “My parents  won’t agree.”

Suhas: “If your parents agreed, then, are you okay with me?”

Siri: “My parents have to agree”

Suhas: “But am I okay?”

A little more awkward silence followed …

Siri had liked him for a while and she wanted to say yes, but she wasn’t sure how. There will be a lot to deal with and she didn’t want to go against her parents. She liked him, almost the same way Suhas did, maybe loved even. But it was hard for her to admit. And her silence made it a bit clear. But it was hard for Suhas to understand what she was thinking and what was going in her mind. After another streak of more awkward silence, Suhas remember about the certificate that she had to take from her school and in an attempt to change the topic, he proposed that he would accompany her to the school and she could collect her certificate for the college counseling. And they walked down the street and the memory lane reminiscing the moments they shared and cherished.

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(To be continued …)
Was it the end of the relationship that Suhas had wanted to be a part? Will they just remain to be friends or will they match that spark and take it to the next level?

Read about the character and the story from the start here:
A Happy Beginning