This was the longest hug she ever got and the most memorable one of her life. Anjali opened her eyes and smiled at the person standing in front of her. She knew that he was THE guy she always wanted and dreamt of.
6 years ago, Anjali had to move to Hyderabad from Bangalore thanks to her dad’s job. Her father worked as Director for an IT company and was heading their Hyderabad office. Mother was an Asst Professor in an Engg College. Anjali just started with her second year Engg when they moved to Hyderabad. She was very unhappy to leave behind her friends and college. She was a brilliant student and had amazing GPA. Getting into one of the best colleges in Hyderabad was no difficult. But little did she know that the difficult part was yet to come. Her first day in college and she was excited to meet her new faculty and classmates. But to her dismay what greeted her was a set of classmates who wanted to rag her.
“Tell me your Bio Data” started one. And before she could even open her mouth, came another question “Whats your family background?”. Within no time she was surrounded by her class boys. She was not the one to be intimidated by anyone. She had quick answers for most of them. In walked Rajeev. One look at Anjali and he was surely smitten. 5’4”, slender, Intelligent and beautiful eyes, dusky complexion, long flowing hair and a captivating smile. Anjali never went unnoticed. Her charisma and knowledge was above all this. Rajeev walked upto her and gestured other boys to leave. Anjali instantly knew that this was the “Goon” of the class. But she gave a confident smile at him.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” came the first question.
“I am Anjali and here for the same reason as you are” came the quick reply.
Rajeev lifted the right eyebrow and looked at her from top to bottom.
“Hmmm, you think you are smart, don’t you”
I don’t think, because I know I am” and Anjali walked away from Rajeev and took her seat and started talking to the gals.
She soon made lots of friends. She never bothered talking to Rajeev nor even finding about him. The first semester quickly passed and Anjali scored highest marks and soon became the Professor’s pet and the most sought after girl in the College. Rajeev silently admired her and knew within he was madly in love with her but didn’t realize till one evening he was in the campus hanging out with his friends when he saw a couple of guys stalking Anjali. He knew Anjali was strong enough to handle them. But soon they started getting physical with her pulling her duppatta and bag. She couldn’t fight them. She saw Rajeev and one look in her eyes, Rajeev knew she wanted him to help her. He ran to them with his friends and beat them black and blue. The guys ran for their lives. Anjali was too shaken with this experience. All she could do was take the auto Rajeev called for her and left home. Next day she came to Rajeev and said “Thanks a lot for last evening. I was glad you were around”. “That’s not a problem at all. That’s what friends are for” Rajeev smiled. This was the first time Anjali saw him smiling. She smiled back and went back to join her friends. Gradually smiling at each other every time they saw, saying Hello once in a while days passed by. It was third year and time for organizing events. Anjali was active participant. She was leading the organizing team. One day she needed some information about the event management company and the first person she saw was Rajeev and she asked him details. Rajeev gave her lot of options and they spent the next 2 hours discussing in depth. She was amazed at the amount of knowledge he had. They took it from there and worked day in and day out together and finally the event was a big hit and so were Rajeev and Anjali. From that day on they were inseparables.
Anjali would drive to his home and pick him up on her 2 wheeler and come to college. They bike pooled alternate weeks. Have lunch together and do labs together. On the way back to home, they would stop near Pani puri stall and have competition everyday as to who would eat the most puris. Before Anjali knew Rajeev had become her second skin. Rajeev still remained the “Goon” of the class and would get into occasional troubles and fights. Anjali would be always there to support him and guide him. She enjoyed having a “Sugar Daddy”.
On her birthday Rajeev wanted to do something special for her. He took her on a long drive and outside the city was a beautiful park on the top of the mountain. The landscape view from the mountain took Anjali’s breath away. The big surprise came when she saw all her friends there. They had great lunch and spent the evening there with bonfire, Dancing on the dance floor with the DJ and cake cutting. This was the perfect day and the most memorable birthday ever. When all the friends left, Rajeev and Anjali sat by the bonfire and smiled at each other. She thanked him and said that this was the best she could ever ask for. Rajeev took her hand and looked into her eyes. A sudden chill passed Anjali’s spine and she knew what was going to happen next. Rajeev couldn’t stop himself from saying” You are the best thing to have happened to me. I didn’t realize when I got so close to you. I want you to know that I LOVE YOU”
Anjali knew what she wanted to say but left the place without uttering a word. Rajeev didn’t sleep that night. Rajeev thought he lost her for ever.
Next day at college Rajeev was waiting for Anjali. Dressed in a white dress Anjali looked more beautiful than ever. She came to Rajeev and said Hi. Rajeev was totally confused as to what her intentions were. He took her aside and asked “Why did you leave me last night, and what do you have to say about my proposal? If it is a NO please still continue to be my friend”. Anjali smiled at him and said “Is that how well you know me? Don’t you know what my reply is” and the smile broadened on her face and Rajeev saw that she was blushing and he knew it. He jumped into the air with happiness. And their love story started. They started spending more time together than ever. Rajeev would always want to be around her and wouldn’t allow anybody to talk to her. Anjali knew he was getting very possessive about her but she liked it. That showed her how much he loved her. But soon she felt lack of space around her. She did take this up with Rajeev a couple of times but didn’t notice much change in him. He grew controlling too. When she should come to college, whom she should talk to and when she should go back. Slowly Anjali observed that she had very few friends around her, where as Rajeev still hung around with his Gang.
Slowly and steadily without the two noticing the magic of love started disappearing and instead fights over trivial things crept in. This got unbearable for Anjali and one fine day all hell broke lose when they had a big fight and didn’t talk to each other for a month. They both were missing each other very badly and were desperately wanted to get back to each other but their ego got the better of them. Slowly they stepped into the final semester of their college life. Rajeev started missing Anjali more than ever. He would wait for her everyday in front of her house to pick her up, but she always neglected him. Anjali was missing him too but wanted him to realize his mistake and not repeat it. She intended to teach him a lesson. But little did she know that she was stretching it too far.
Meanwhile Rajeev would approach her everyday and try to talk to her. Final exams were over and both Anjali and Rajeev had different plans for their future. While Anjali was flying to US for higher studies, Rajeev wanted to take up a job in a software company. On the last day he made immense effort to talk to her and couldn’t control his feelings and cried uncontrollably. Anjali got irritated with this attitude and said “Don’t be a cry baby. I hate when guys cry. Go get a life” Rajeev was deeply hurt and even before he realized he slapped Anjali and immediately regretted. This straw broke the camel’s back and Anjali left the college never ever wanting to meet Rajeev.
Anjali left for US. Rajeev joined the job and both got busy in their life. Anjali got busy with her curriculum and got scholarship. The future looked as bright as ever. She made lot of friends. The Indian students association organized a dandia party. Dressed in a maroon ghagra and with simple jewelery and lot of bangles, Anjali stole hearts. She danced all night. During the dinner, Anjali was with her friends when she saw Preetham on the other table with his friend. Her best friend Priya took Anjali to introduce to Preetham. He was Priya’s brother and came to visit Priya. Preetham was a software Engg in San Francisco. Priya was his little sister studying along with Anjali in Cornell Univ.
The first impression about Preetham would be that he is a very shy and introvert guy. But in fact he is a very extrovert, fun loving and a guy who loves to play pranks on others. His friends adored him and his family was very proud of him. He achieved lot of success in a very short period of time. When Anjali learnt all that from Preetham, she developed instant respect for him. During his stay in NY for the next few days, Priya and Anjali went clubbing, shopping and dining out with him. All this time Preetham gave lot of information and guidance to Anjali about her choice of subjects, market scenarios and her prospects for jobs.
She followed Preetham’s advice and was quickly placed in a big company. Anjali was in her dream job and thanks to Preetham for that. One day she flew to San Francisco to meet him. She owed him a big treat. While there, they had great time visiting Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz. Preetham had great knowledge of the history of US. In fact he could talk about anything under the sun. Anjali was dead impressed. They had great food and walked along the beautiful beaches of the pacific coast. The weekend came to an end and Anjali had to come back to NY. While in her way back she realized how much she hated leaving him. And OMG she realized that she was getting attracted to him. But she had one bad memory down the line and didn’t want to sabotage her relationship with Preetham.
Time passed by and the emails and phone calls between these two increased immensely. There wouldn’t be any hour where there wouldn’t be an email from either of the two or a day without a phone call. Within no time they became integral part of each other. And one day Preetham called Anjali to inform of an opening in his company for her. She was super excited not just because it was a perfect match for her, but that means she will get to meet him everyday, every minute. She flew to San Francisco for the interview. Preetham picked her up at the airport and took her to the hotel she was going to stay. She got fresh and was accompanied by Preetham to the office. To her surprise the panel of interviewers included Preetham too. She had an hour of conversation each with the Director, Business sponsor and the VP of IT. The last round was with Preetham. He was very professional and made the interview questions to test Anjali’s skill and mettle and as expected she impressed everyone instantly and was immediately selected. She was delighted.
To celebrate this Preetham and Anjali went on a bay cruise. They both tossed a champagne to celebrate her victory. And under the Golden Gate bridge, Preetham popped the question, kneeling on one knee and holding a Diamond solitaire ring in his hand he said “The day I saw you, I knew you were the one. I want to be a part of every day in your life and wish to grow old with you. I love you. Will you marry me?”.
Anjali was shocked. She didn’t see that coming so fast. She immensely liked him, but this was too sudden and she had apprehensions. Preetham could read her mind and reassured her that she should trust him and he will keepe her very happy. Anjali thought for a wile and smiled at Preetham and said “Yes, I will marry you”. This was the happiest day in their life. All her dreams had come true. But deep down she felt there was some unfinished business and didn’t quiet get a hang of it. She shrugged away her thoughts and started dreaming of the good times she was gonna have with him. The next day Anjali flew back to New York to give her notice to her present employer and pack things and bid adieu to her friends. She got off the airport and took a taxi to her apartment. She got off the cab and couldn’t contain her happiness and was desperate to meet her friends and Priya of course to give them the good news. She took the elevator and stepped out of the elevator and the sight in front of her left her stoic. There stood Rajeev waiting for her.
As soon as he saw her, a smiled grew on his face and he walked up to her.
“Hi Anjali, How are you? I know its been really long since we met and communicated. I was in town and wanted to give you a surprise. How have you been?”
Anjali was not in this world. She didn’t realize what was going on. The whole world was spinning. When she came to senses , Rajeev was still standing in front of her with a confused look on his face. She now understood what the unfinish work was.
She asked Rajeev to come into the house and offered him Coffee. They sat down over the coffee and started talking. Rajeev was well dressed and clean shaven and looked very decent. His signature smile and the love for her in his eyes were not unnoticeable. He smiled like an innocent kid. They started talking about the good days at college and their common friends. And then Rajeev broke the Ice “I know I hurt you in more ways than I can imagine. And a Sorry will not suffice. I want to make up for all that”. Oh God! Anjali just wished that he didn’t pop the question. She was terribly overwhelmed and didn’t know what to expect. She got up and stood facing her back to Rajeev. She couldn’t face him anymore.
“How is Preetham?” asked Rajeev. She turned around to see Rajeev. The Shocked look on her face was obvious. Rajeev smiled and said”I must tell you this and definitely now, coz if its not now then its never. After the last day at college, both my thoughts and I never left you even for a moment. I was desperate to get back to you, but I needed to give you your space and freedom. I analyzed what went wrong with our relationship and understood that I was at fault. So this time, I knew what I had to do. I let you go with your life, but was always there with you. I kept track of your whereabouts, your friends and your life. I wanted you to think about me, miss me and come back to me. But I guess I left you in so much pain that you didn’t want to consider me. But yesterday when Preetham asked you to marry him and you accepted I couldn’t contain myself. I am not sure what exactly is going on in your mind, but want to let you know what I am thinking. And after listening to me, you can make your decision. There is no obligation at all. After all its your life and I want as much as you want that you should be happy.”
There was a long silence and then Rajeev spoke up “ANjali, I love you, I always did and I always will.” Saying this he walked out of the House leaving his Business card on the table. Anjali sat there looking at the card for a long time and lost in thoughts. Next one week she called in sick to her work and was all by herself giving it a deep thought. Preetham was worried not hearing back from her ever since she left him. Finally he asked Priya to check on her. When Priya walked into Anjali’s house she was shocked at the condition of the house and Anjali. She knew right away that something was wrong. It took 4 long hours for the entire story to finish and at the end of it, Priya had no answer for Anjali but she just said “It is your life and you have to decide”.
Preetham learnt about this and flew immediately to NY. Seeing Preetham , a sudden feeling of guilt crossed Anjali and all she could do was give him and hug and sob on his shoulder. Preetham took her hands in his and said “Hey, look at me. Its ok. If every decision in life was so easy, we will never appreciate it. You have to think and think really hard”.
That evening Anjali went for a long walk. She sat on a bench and was gazing at the sunset. The sight of the Orange clouds and the clear sun filled her heart with serene and calmness and in that peace, a thought crossed her mind and she knew she made her decision. She called Preetham and Rajeev to come over for dinner at her place. They arrived almost at the same time. Anjali was dressed in a simple pink salwar. The dark circle under her eyes clearly spoke of the sleepless nights of the past one week. But the intelligence and bright eyes had an entirely different story to say. The faint smile on her face told both the men that she made her decision.
“I made my decision. But before I can say something, I just want to let you both know that I have no right to play with your emotions and your feelings. So please pardon me for my decision and I hope that you both will be with me in this”
“Rajeev , our relationship was set in the backdrop of college life. You have the killer instinct I always liked in a guy. You are in a true sense my mirror image and my best friend. You know what I think even before me telling you anything. I know the egos did come into picture then, but today we are more matured adults and I can see the change in you and feel the love for me.”
“Preeetham, you are the man of my dreams. Perfect for me. I cannot stop admiring your knowledge and your presence of mind. You are a great person by heart and I will be very lucky to have you and I know you will do anything to keep me happy. I will have a picture perfect life with you. I hate to lose you. “
“I realized that the love I have for Preetham is more of an admiration and out of respect, but with Rajeev, it feels so right. I always felt incomplete without Rajeev and when I agreed for Preetham’s proposal, I knew immediately it didn’t feel right. When I knew Rajeev was always around me without any expectations from me, I knew that he had changed and changed for good. I don’ think I can do this Preetham. I love Rajeev too much to not spend the rest of my life with him. This is my true love which has always remained with me but could never put it in form. I am sorry Preetham if I hurt you.”
Anjali was expecting an awkward silence between the three, but Preetham made it so simple and easy for her. “Hey Anjali, don’t be silly. There is no point being with you and not seeing you happy. I’d rather let you go and make you happy for the rest of your life. I am sure Rajeev is a great guy and I am sure will keep you happy. I will always be around and still continue to be your good friend. All the best you guys. I better get out now as this is your moment” Anjali couldn’t hold her tears and ran to Preetham and hugged him. As always Preetham smiled and took her hands and said “You will always remain special to me. All the Best”. He shook hands with Rajeev and wished him good luck too.
After Preetham left, Rajeev smiled at Anjali and welcomed her back with open arms and Anjali knew this felt just right and that hug lasted for as long as she could remember
