The Rendezvous

The morning seemed more beautiful than usual. She noticed the flowers this time. And the chirping birds flying hither and thither. She realized she'd been smiling too broadly and stopped - what will people think! She smiled again. The wait for the bus didn't seem long, even though it was a good 20 minutes before it came. She got a window seat, again, something that rarely happens.

What's with today, she thought. He had called last night and said he wanted to talk to her about something very important. That's what was different about today. His call. And what it could mean. He had asked her to come to the icecream parlor where they'd gone on the first day of college. Why there, she wondered. Why not the college itself? She smiled again. Maybe because it was special.

She wasn't his only friend, neither was he her's. But she'd always felt there was something more between them. An unknown chemistry, if you could call it that. He never flirted with her like he did with the other girls. There was this unsaid silence between them when their other friends were around. And she could never look into his eyes. He hadn't got her anything for Valentine's Day last week. He hadn't got anyone else anything either. And he had smiled at her near the flower stall - he had looked at the roses, turned to her and smiled. She closed her eyes and saw that smile over and over again. She missed him.

The day seemed the longest ever. She couldn't wait to get out of class soon enough. When the last bell rang, she had to stop herself from running out. She took an auto to the icecream parlor. She reached the parlor 15 minutes ahead. He was not there yet. She went in and took the table in a corner next to the bay window. She adjusted the flower vase on the table and smoothed down the tablecloth. The girl in her. She heard the sound of a bike and looked out - it was him. But then...he'd come with another friend of their's. A girl.