If I Had A Love Story - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I woke up to the beep of my phone. I put on my glasses and there was a text message.
"Good morning!♥" It read. I smiled. I opened it and replied "Great Morning!💙”

I freshened up a bit and went out. The swimming pool bubbled with people clamouring and enjoying themselves. There were freestyle races and boomerangs being captured. I let out a big yawn even though the sun was shining straight at my face, slowly rising above the horizon. I wasn’t able to remember how long it had been since I dozed off. I went downstairs, there were people climbing to the top of a large sized swing that was probably out of order. The climate was chill and I got my blue sweater and my black headband on. I was enjoying the mild breeze and just then I received a call from Diya asking if I could meet her in the park. I didn't know where it was but agreed. I asked my friend where the park was and he gave me the directions.

I found the park that was couple of blocks away from the house she was staying and I never noticed it the other day. The park had two pair of swings, a slide and a merry-go-round. She was on the bigger swing, swinging back and forth. She was still wearing the black cold shoulder top and the dark blue pyjamas. I wondered if she felt cold. I pushed the swing for her awhile. Then, she asked me to swing while she pushed. I was in no mood to swing but I obeyed knowing she would eventually talk me into swinging. Once we were done with the swing, we went to the slide and then to the merry-go-round.

We were all exhausted and we sat down. There was almost nobody around us expect two kids playing at a distance from us. Everyone was probably at the pool. I suggested that we take a stroll and we strolled through the resort, taking pictures of the flowers that seemed to have bloomed just for us to enjoy its fragrance. If not for the flowers, we would not have stopped and enjoyed the scenery. The flowers made the place captivating and beautiful.

"Everything around me becomes beautiful when she’s with me just like the flowers." I thought. Her rosy slender fingers nudged the orange fragrant petals. The flower seemed to dip down in embarrassment as her fingers made contact. An inadvertent smile crept across my face.

It was then we ran into Ram.

"Diya! I've been looking for you everywhere."

"What're you doing here?" He asked seemingly surprised seeing us together.

"Is he disturbing you, Diya?" He moved closer to me separating me from her.

Before Diya could talk, I put a hand around his shoulder,

"We'll be back in few minutes." We left her behind.

He shrugged my arm from his shoulder clearly annoyed.

"I hate to tell you this but you better not trouble us anymore and … better give up on her"

"What the hell are you talking?" I could see that he was furious now. I kept my cool.

"I overheard Anu and you talking the other day. It was all your plans, wasn't it?"

"You really got into her mind trying to make her think I was cheating on her." I paused.

"But somehow I must thank you, you got us back together" I gave him a pat. He shrugged off, turned back and started walking. He seemed a bit off and restless.

"Hey wait!" I sprinted towards him. He had already rushed into his room and shut the door. I called him banging the door.

"Go away and just leave me alone"

"I need you to come out now, I know you like her". I was standing close to the door trying to talk him out of whatever he was trying to do.

"I don't just like her. I love her"

"I know how it feels. But you can't make someone fall in love, neither it is right to trick them into one - it's --- it's their free will"

Diya had now found us, apparently tired of waiting for us. She took her hairpin and tried to pick the lock noticing the situation.

"Easy for you to say, you got her"

"Love's just dumb luck. Someday, you would find someone who feels the same way, someone who would melt your heart and then you would want to fetch the moon and stars for her."

There was silence.

"Trust me" I added.

By then she had picked the lock and we bolted inside. Ram was sitting on the bed. We were glad that he didn't do anything stupid.

"Are you alright?" I asked him.

"I’m not sure." He got up from his bed.

"I’m sorry for everything I did to you, truly." His voice had remorse in it.

"Care to join us for a dive then, might take stuff out of your mind?"

The pool water was chill. Ram was playing volleyball with the rest in the pool and was back to his old self. I sat aside Diya at a corner of the pool with our legs submerged inside. She pushed her wispy hair falling on her forehead apart. I smiled.

"How do you do that?" I asked her.

"Do what?"

"Make me smile every time I look at you"

"Let me do something else…" Saying it, she pushed me into the pool. I did not see that coming and took few moments to recover. I wiped the water on my face and stroked my hair that it stood out. She was laughing at me. I smiled and splashed water at her face.

"Come on in" I said lending my hand to her. She took it and dropped down into the water. She was still holding my hand, tight as if she'd drown if she didn't hang on to me. For a moment, our eyes locked and I felt a spark - a jolt that ran all over my body and guessed that she too felt the same. Our romance was cut short as we caught hold of the glorious sight of starlings in a murmuration passing above us. She moved closer to me, now holding my arm as we enjoyed a marvellous sight of starlings swooping through the sky performing spectacular acrobatic feat.

    Source: www.worldphoto.org