Thoughts of the Past - IX

Anand and Aditi finally decided to tie the knot.In a week's time from now, they had planned their wedding to be. Aditi did not want to tell her parents about it but on Rya's insistence, she told them. Rya was flying back to the States the day after Aditi's marriage. She spent only one week at her home and things had not changed between her parents even by the slightest measure. They had settled perfectly in their imperfect lives. She spent most of her vacation at Aditi's. She did not meet Ryan after that day. Aditi tried raising the topic once but sensing Rya's discomfort, she left it. They never talked about it again. 

Rya was staying with Aditi for the whole week prior to the marriage and she had her flight from there itself. One fine evening while Aditi and she were having their tea, the phone bell rang. Aditi picked it up.

"Hello" - said Aditi and after a second turned towards Rya and said "It is for you".

Rya looked surprised and took the receiver from Aditi.

"Hello" - said Rya.

"Hi."

There was a long pause of silence.

"I don't really ..." - continued Rya.

"I want to meet you Rya.Can you come to the Trent Cafe near the Z Square at 5 o' clock tomorrow evening?"

"Why?" - asked Rya.

"I will tell you there."

"Ryan...I don't want to..." - continued Rya but was cut short by Ryan.

"I will wait for you" and he hung up.

Rya kept the receiver down and looked perplexed. She kept thinking and on turning back found Aditi staring at her. 

"I think you should meet him" - said Aditi and went.

@Trent Cafe

It was 35  minutes past 5 o' clock. Ryan waited for Rya. He already had two cups of coffee but he still believed that Rya would come. He had been waiting for this moment since the day he met her at Aditi's place. He did not know what to say to her but he knew that he wanted to see her.He had always missed Rya but never so badly. Sometimes someone's absence becomes so permanent that his/her presence becomes disturbing and makes you badly miss him/her even when you know that he/she is just a kilometres away. He was so much lost in the thoughts of the past that he did not notice the familiar silhouette coming towards him.

"You should not have worn this shirt."

"Hey hi...I did not see you coming.I thought you would not come but I felt you would." - smiled Ryan.

"Your thoughts were justified"- said Rya and sat down.

Ryan smiled and said " What's wrong with my shirt?"

"You know it very well Ryan."

"Rya...I do not know why you hate me so much but I am sure of it. I have always tried to see you happy and I have also tried to be in touch with you always. At times I try figuring out what could have driven you mad at me but I fail to see enough reason behind it.The reason why I wanted to see you today is to know the reason behind this feeling of yours."

Rya looked at Ryan and did not say anything.Her eyes looked wildly calm and her face was dangerously serene.

Ryan continued  "You were my best friend in college and you did not even feel it necessary to tell me that you were leaving for your MS. I wrote you consistently but you never replied me back. You came to India after four years and you did not even tell me. I cannot ever possibly tell you how glad I was to see you that day but I was not sure if you felt the same. I agree I did not tell you about my feelings for someone else but does it justify the way you have been punishing me since then?"

Rya still sat silent.

"Rya. You mean a lot to me. I can never tell you the extent I have gone to protect our friendship. I did not want to see a day like this.I want an answer from you today or at least a reason justifying it." -  said Ryan and looked expectantly towards Rya.

Rya finally broke her vow of silence.

"You know Ryan, this is precisely the same question which I have been asking to myself for the past four years. And you would be surprised to know that I found out the answer only yesterday night. I always thought or may be I liked to think that the reason was your secrecy of feelings for that girl but it was not. Why would I possibly be still angry at you and not even want to talk to you. You did not say any of us and all of us should have reacted the same way. Why did I feel different? I would not like to believe that I felt so because I was your best friend. Aditi has not said many things to me but I am not angry at her and she is still my best friend. It is good that we met today because even though I never meant to say you this but yesterday night, I felt I should."

Rya took a pause and looked at Ryan who was looking at her with the same eyes as that evening 7 years before when they met at the park.

"I loved you" - said Rya.

Ryan did not know what to say. He was spellbound. He knew this since the inception of it but listening to it from her lips was different. It felt so amazing. At that moment, he wanted to say that even he did - perhaps much much before than when she felt but he did not want to stop Rya from saying what she wanted to. He kept silent.

Rya continued "Ryan, I always hated the idea of falling in for a person like you especially after that fresher's night. But I could not. Something inside me always kept getting attracted towards you. I have always been selfish in my friendship with you because I always wanted you to reciprocate my feelings back. I did not know this consciously but if you ask me today, yes I must have wanted it. As always, falling in love ruined our friendship Ryan and today I am here not because you asked me to, but because I felt I should apologize to you for what I did to us.I am sorry and I mean this from the bottom of my heart."

Ryan did not see this coming but he definitely felt happy at the prospect of getting Rya back in his life. He did not want Rya to apologize for anything but the fact that Rya was talking to him comforted him.He smiled back at Rya and hugged her.

They ordered two cappuccinos and started talking about their respective lives since they left college.

Talking to Rya reminded him of the better days of the past. It felt so great. He felt the missing link getting complete.After years, he knew he was happy.He wondered what held him back from declaring his feelings for Rya. She was the perfect one for him. He felt his logic was at fault because if spending one hour with this person felt so wonderful, spending an entire lifetime would be stunning.He had been tired of pursuing the wrong persons and Aditi's and Anand's marriage had instilled in him the confidence to confess his feelings for Rya. He felt this was the right moment for it. He knew that he was ready for it.

"Rya...I want to say something to you." - said Ryan.

"Go on Ryan."

"I love you too." -  said Ryan.

Rya was befuddled. She had the weirdest expression on her face. She was emotionally dumb.

Ryan continued "Infact, I have been in love with you for the past eight years Rya. I was never courageous enough to confess it to you. I thought I would lose you. But despite that, I lost you and today when I have found you, I do not want to lose you again. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me Rya. I don't believe I am doing this but will you marry me?"

Ryan looked at Rya with the eyes of a batsman who was scoring the winning sixer. He was one word away from his moment of euphoria. He so badly wanted it to be a Yes.

" I am in a relationship for the past two years Ryan" -  said Rya and had the same expression which Ryan had a few years before.

(To be continued...)