A Little Courage You hurt me more than I deserve, how can you be so cruel?

I love you more than you deserve, why am I such a fool... Unrequited love-everyone goes through the pangs of anguish, the butterflies, the tears of despair, the feeling of emptiness when the realization dawnsthat that person is never going to be yours. A lot of people cant take this in their stride and move on. But for the select few, who can, it requires a great amount of strength to start with. This story is about unrequited love, moving on and discovering the one person who saw you even when you were invisible and above everything, a little courage is all that is required to make life simple and easy. In the words of the Great Bard, William ShakespeareWho could refrain that had a heart to love and in that heart courage to make love known?

Akashs Story: She was the most beautiful girl I ever saw. I distinctly remember the first day I saw her. Ours is a huge campus, sprawling over acres. She was in the cafeteria with her friends. I saw her, and I forgot to eat lunch that day. Yes, I, of all people, forgot to eat lunch. All because of a girl. It was love at first sight for me. Creepy as it may sound, I knew her schedule by heart. There was this innate desire to know about all the things she likes and the things she doesnt. Being the shy guy that I am, I couldnt bring myself to talk to her. Now that I think about it, I probably should have. I would have been spared from a lot of trouble and heartache. I was the stereotypic geek with glasses and all, and nothing, compared to her ethereal beauty. So, it was probably no wonder that she never noticed me. We had a few classes together, and I made sure to get a seat near hers. I prayed that she would drop her pen or paper sometime, so that I could put up my knight-in-shiningarmor act and rescue them, and perhaps get a chance to talk to her. But that, like everything else, never happened. One day, in the hallway, she accidentally bumped into me and dropped her books. I picked them up for her, my heart pounding in my chest. I went to hand it back to her, in the hope that she was already looking at me. But again, I was disappointed. She was busy talking to her friends, and took the books from me with a word of Thanks muttered inbetween sentences, without even sparing me a wayward glance. I stood in the hallway after she walked away, wondering what in the wide world was wrong with me. That night, my mother asked me what the matter was, but I shrugged it off, saying, Its nothing. That year, I saw more of her. She bumped into me quite a few times. Sorry, Thanks, Excuse me were the only words we exchanged. Once, I actually stood behind her, trying to gather the courage to talk to her. She turned around, and was surprised to see me. When I didnt say anything, she walked away with her friends, asking them, Who was that freak? Is he new or something? After all this time, I couldnt believe that she said that. My best friend, Ankit, always told me, Get over her, dude. But I just could not bring myself to do that. I have tried, with all my heart, but could not. He had no idea how much I loved her.

At the end of the year, one of our friends threw a party at his house and invited the whole batch. There was a huge crowd, and I, being me, started seeking some solitude, amidst the mad cacophony of noises and mayhem. I soon found a spot and settled down, only to find that I was not the only one. There was a girl sitting just a little away from my spot. Hey, she said, I know you. You do? I said. Then I recognized her. She was the new girl. Her name was Rhea and she sat right behind me in class. I said, Of course, you do. You sit right behind me. Yeah, said she, and you sit behind that girl, you always stare at. Embarrassed, I try to deny that. I dont stare at anyone. She looks away, muttering something incoherent. Excuse me, I said, I didnt get you. She looks into my eyes and says, I said, I might be new, but I am not blind. I stand up baffled, my heart constricting in my chest. She softly mumbles, She doesnt deserve you, you know. I ask her, And what makes you say that? Because I see you, and she doesnt. Saying this, she walks away. I stay, transfixed at the spot, a myriad of emotions engulfing me as her words bury themselves within me. I feel sick to the pit of my stomach; sick of the burden I have been carrying all along. I desperately want to move on. I want to forget her. I want her to mean nothing to me as I meant nothing to her. I dont want to change myself for her. I am suddenly jerked back to reality as I hear voices around me. Suddenly, I see her. The girl, who was the cause of my heartache. She looks at me and asks, Do I know you? I look at her and I feel like yelling that we have been in the same classes for the last year. She was everything I thought of everyday, yet, she never looked at me long enough to recognize me. She doesnt deserve you. I want to believe that. Now, more than ever. For the first time in my life, I speak to her. Like, really speak to her. No, I dont think you do. It was freedom. Finally. And I couldnt help smiling like a freak. I look across the room and see Rhea. I smile at her. She smiles back. We walk towards each other. I realize what I have been missing all along.

Rheas Story: When I moved here the last month, I was never given the new girl treatment. I was the kind of girl who goes unnoticed. Nobody spares me a second glance. Nobody bothers talking to me either. I make my way to the class and as I enter the room, I am greeted by a pandemonium. Students everywhere.Talking,screaming,bawling,laughing. Thats when I first saw him-the only guy who noticed me. He gave me the briefest of smiles before looking away. I slipped into the seat behind him, wondering whether I should introduce myself. Shy as I was, I promptly decided against it. Days passed by, without any of us saying anything. Whenever we made eye contact, we used to smile, and say nothing. Amidst the silence and the brief exchange of smiles, I found myself falling for him. Hard. At first I thought something was wrong with me. Why else wouldnt he talk to me? We were aware of each others existence, yet, there was this inexplicable wall between us that was keeping us from talking to each other. I found out the reason soon enough. There was this other girl. She sat right in front of him. I caught him throwing glances in her direction more times than I can count, looking at her with so much yearning and desire, that it broke my heart to see his agony. But the sad part was, she didnt even know that he existed. He was invisible to her. She never spoke to him. She never even spared him a glance. I wondered how long this has been going on before I got here. How long he has been in love with a girl who doesnt even know his name. But then I realized that I am not any better. Even though I was not invisible to him, I didnt have the courage to speak to him. And for what? Making a fool of myself? Scared of not being good enough for him? But tonight, I am going to break all barriers and talk to him. At the party. I cant stand being silent any longer. I hate sitting behind him every day and not being able to say a word. I hate catching his eye and then, looking away. I hate the awkwardness. I hate the butterflies in my stomach, the dryness in my mouth when I see him. I am done with it. This has to change. Tonight. The party is loud and crowded with people. I try to stand away from everyone. I make my way over to a lonely spot. Then I spot him. Right next to me. For the umpteenth time, I almost chicken out. It would be so easy not to say a word and keep my mouth shut, hoping that he would be the first one to break the deafening silence. But, I couldnt stop myself. I blurted out the first thing that came into my mind. . Hey, I say, I know you. You do? says he. He seems to get out of his trance and recognizes me. Of course, you do. You sit right behind me.

Yeah, I say, and you sit behind that girl, you always stare at. He tries denying that, to which I reply, I might be new, but I am not blind. A strange sense of new-found confidence makes me blurt out, She doesnt deserve you, you know. He gives me a hard stare, and says, And what makes you say that? Because I see you, and she doesnt. Saying this, I walk away, I push through the crowd, trying to get as far away from him, as possible. I might have screwed up whatever we had or didnt have between us, but I dont care. I felt so relieved. I dont feel the enormous pressure on my senses anymore. I dont have to hide my feelings anymore. I feel light-headed. I find myself again among people. This time,swaying to the music, having the time of their lives. I feel so lost. And alone. But when I turn around, I see him. Smiling. I smile back. He walks toward me, with his eyes locked on mine. My heart flutters. Our faces are inches apart, and then, he kisses me! I was glad that I spoke to him, even though it didnt go the way I planned. Not even close. But it was worth the risk. That is exactly what life needs. A little courage. THE END. SAGARICA BRAHMA