Young Writers Society

Riya sat on a rock about ten feet away from the sea. She tried to push back tears as she looked at the waves, the moonlight playing on them and the sand crabs she was petrified of until two months ago. She had sat with the others under the marquee for as long as she could. When she just couldn’t bear watching Ansh and Akansha talking to each other, smiling at each other any longer, she got up, made some excuse about wanting to look at the sea at night and found a place where she could sit alone with herself for sometime. It was obvious by the way Ansh and Akansha talked to each other during the basketball match and during the party that both of them liked each other and one of them was on the brink of proposing to the other; that is if they hadn’t done so already. However, more than the fact that the guy she liked was going to be or already was the boyfriend of one of her best friends, the thing that gnawed at Riya’s insides was the remorse she felt at how badly she was taking it. It’s just a guy. It’s just a crush. Why the hell am I being such a drama queen?? So the boy I like doesn’t like me back. Big deal!!

And yet she couldn’t help feel sorry for herself. She took out her ipod from her pocket. She couldn’t remember why she had brought it along but she was thankful now that she had. Maybe this would keep my mind off things. She put the earphones in her ears and shook the ipod. The songs shuffled and a certain song by Taylor Swift played.

‘Teardrops On My Guitar’ by Taylor Swift

She better hold him tight

Give him all the love

Look in those beautiful eyes

And know she’s lucky cause

He’s the reason for the teardrops on my guitar

The only thing that keeps me wishing on the wishing star

He’s the song in the car I keep-

Great!! Just what I needed. Riya was about to change the song when she saw a shadow approaching from behind her. She turned her head to see who it was. It was Ansh, obviously.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you all over.”

Riya wondered if she could still talk to him without seeming pathetically sad. He sat on the rock on her left, nodded towards her earphones and mouthed the words “So what are you listening to?” Riya looked at her ipod resting in her lap, picked it up and stared at the screen for a second. It was paused at ‘Teardrops On My Guitar’. She kept changing the song, until she found something non-depressing. Taking an earphone out of her right ear, she handed it to Ansh. He put it in his right ear. They sat listening to the song for a few seconds. That was when Riya noticed that she wasn’t the only one looking melancholy. She could see that something was bugging Ansh too. He was looking down at the sand below. A few times he lifted his head and started to say something but words didn’t seem to come out of his mouth. Riya picked up her ipod and went through the list of songs until she found the one she was looking for-

‘Chiquitita’ by Abba

Chiquitita, tell me what’s wrong

You’re enchained by your own sorrow

In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow

How I hate to see you like this

There is no way you can deny it

I can see that you’re oh so sad, so quiet

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

I’m a shoulder you can cry on

Your best friend, I’m the one you must rely on

You were always sure of yourself

Now I see you’ve broken a feather

I hope we can patch it up together

Pause

He looked at her and smiled. Half because she had just addressed him as ‘Chiquitita’ and half because they had always shared a love for Abba. He almost said something but then seemed to change his mind. Reaching down in his jeans’ pocket he pulled out his ipod and gave her one of the earphones. She put it in her right ear. He put the other one in his left ear and selected a song-

‘She Will Be Loved’ by Maroon 5

Beauty queen of only eighteen

She had some trouble with herself

He was always there to help her

She always belonged to someone else

Riya grabbed Ansh’s ipod hastily and paused the song. So now he wants to talk about Akansha? Seriously? I’m not ready for this. Uncertain about what she was going to do next, Riya picked up her ipod and kept going up and down the songs’ list. She came across ‘Girlfriend’ by Avril Lavigne and thought about selecting it. The lyrics described how she felt perfectly –

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I don’t like your girlfriend!

No way! No way!

I think you need a new one

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I could be your girlfriend

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I know that you like me

No way! No way!

I know it's not a secret

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I want to be your girlfriend

Well, except for the part where the guy actually likes the girl. Anyway, she changed her mind before playing the song. After staring at the screen for about five minutes, when she couldn’t find a song that said “I don’t want to talk about how you’re in love with my best friend so shut up!!” Riya gave up and put the ipod down. Well, I brought this onto myself. I’ll have to just face it now.

“Well… I have noticed that… I know that you and Akansha like each other… I’m happy for you guys… umm… have you asked her to be your girlfriend yet?” she started to say.

The expression on Ansh’s face was morphing into one emotion after another. It changed from ‘vague’ to ‘confused’ to ‘amused’ to ‘a little smug’ to ‘apprehensive’. He opened his mouth to say something then thought better of it. He picked up his ipod again. He sifted through many songs and seemed to change his mind several times until he found just the song. Riya hadn’t heard this one before. It was one of Ansh’s ‘All-time Absolute Favourites’.

‘Everything I do’ by Bryan Adams

Look into my eyes - you will see

What you mean to me

Search your heart - search your soul

And when you find me there you'll search no more

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for

You know it's true

Everything I do - I do it for you

Riya could feel the cold wind whir past her ears all of a sudden. Her hands and feet felt like ice, numb and cold. She was too overwhelmed to say anything. He likes me? HE likes me? He LIKES me? He likes ME?

Look into your heart - you will find

There's nothin' there to hide

Take me as I am - take my life

I would give it all - I would sacrifice

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for

I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more

Ya know it's true

Everything I do - I do it for you

She looked up at Ansh’s face. His eyes answered all the questions that were in hers. And yet, there was nervousness and trepidation in them.

There's no love - like your love

And no other - could give more love

There's nowhere - unless you're there

All the time - all the way

Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more

I would fight for you - I'd lie for you

Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you

Ya know it's true

Everything I do - I do it for you

For the six and a half minutes that the song played, they sat there without saying a word, just gazing into each others eyes. Pure incredulity in hers, pure anticipation in his. After the song had ended, both of them waited for the other to speak. Both of them knew the other couldn’t speak. After a minute of silence marked only by the sound of waves, Riya picked up her ipod again. With shaky hands she searched for a song that could say all that she wanted to, all that she wasn’t able to find words for. Just then she, tremulous that she was, dropped the ipod. It fell on the sand below. The songs shuffled.

The song that played was only the chorus of the original song. It had been one of those infuriating versions which you are complacently convinced is the complete song and which you spend twenty minutes downloading. Nevertheless, it was just perfect.

‘Kiss Me’ by Avril Lavigne

Kiss me beneath the milky twilight

Lead me out on the moonlit floor

Lift your open hand

Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance

Silver moon’s sparkling, so kiss me

And he did. Even though they weren’t at prom and there weren’t any fireflies around, there was the moon, the milky twilight, black waves with silver crests and of course, sand crabs.

“So does this mean… that umm… we’re…umm…..” said Riya, still unable to bring herself to believe that all that was happening was really happening.

“I think it does” replied Ansh with an awkward grin.

And then they didn’t know what to say or do. However it wasn’t long before they reverted back to being the pals they were. They sat on the rock for a few minutes more and let the new information sink in.

“I think we should get back to everyone now.” said Riya even though she didn’t want to.

They got up and walked back to the marquee. Even though they were walking two feet apart everyone knew the instant they looked at them.

“Hey! Look who’s back.” said Garima.

Everyone turned around to look at them.

“Took you guys long enough.” Said Akansha with a saucy grin.