"Wake up you sleepy head. Wake up. It is 9'O clock and it is the New Year. You just can't sleep today. Wake up Thesika or else I am going to kick you out of your bed." I heard a voice. It didn't sound like my mom. I pulled my blanket over my head and turned to one side
"Thesika." I heard the voice again...
Who the hell was it? I opened my eyes with much irritation. A white doll was standing in front of me. Oh my god, it was Anushiya. How did I forget? I had told her that I would go out with her. I had forgotten about it. I was too busy thinking of Alex.
"Sorry Anu, just wait for some time. I will get ready" I said.
"Ok, Ok come soon," she said.
"Let's go, Anu" I said grabbing her hand.
"Hmmm… Thesika, can I ask you something?" she said.
"Sure," I said, not meeting her gaze.
"It's something important," she said.
What is she going to talk about I wondered. I pulled her out of my home. I just tried to act as if I didn't give any attention to what she was talking about but I was able to guess that it was about Alex. Something told me that she was talking about him. Just thinking about him made my heart race.
"It's about Alex," she said.
I still didn't see meet gaze I know looking at her would give me away. Already tears glistened in my eyes. I am just an open book. I missed him a lot. It made me crazy. I felt like some part of me was missing. I felt like I had no life.
"What about him?" I asked her, controlling my voice, hiding my pain. I wanted to sound normal.
"He texted me, he wished me for New Year," she said.
"So what?" I asked her irritated.
"You know why I am saying this, Thesika. Don't act smart. I know that text was not for me but for you. He has known me for nearly 2 years and he has not texted me till now except for that message. Are you not talking with him? "She asked me.
I was not able to say anything. I could not find my voice.
"I…I do talk with him." I forced those words out of my mouth. My throat was dry. I was controlling my tears but I was not able to succeed.
"If so, then why tears are rolling down your cheeks?" she asked me.
"It's nothing, Anu," I somehow managed to say.
"Look Thesika, I am not going to ask you what the problem is but your face reveals everything and I know that only he has the ability to affect you this much. You are not good at hiding the truth, Thesika and you are terrible with it," she said.
I was not able to say anything. Only tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Thesika just say something. Why are you crying? You are scaring me. I have never seen you cry, Thesika. Just tell me what happened," she said...
No matter how hard I tried I could not help it and started to cry out loud. Hearing his name made me crazy.
"Thesika" she said in panic.
I cried like a little girl who was longing for the moon. That moment, I realised how much I loved him. How much he affected me. I knew I loved him but I never had the courage to accept it.
"I love him," I blurted out. "I love him too much. I just can't take it. I just can't be there without him. It hurts me Anu" I cried, all the hidden emotion bursting out, like a river which melts and gushes forth from glaciers, due to the warmth of the sun.
"Then tell him, speak with him. I think he likes you too. Just tell him when there is still time," she said in a worried tone.
"I can't do it, Anu. What if he stops talking to me after knowing that that I am in love with him? According to him, love is nothing but fleeting attraction which disappears with the passage of time," I said, sobbing.
"Then prove him wrong. Make him understand that love is not what he thinks it is. I don't think he will reject your love... Just give it a try, Thesika. I think that he is in love with you too. May be he didn't realise it like you did," she said, trying to build up my confidence.
"What if your assessment is wrong? What if he doesn't love me? I can take it even if he doesn't love me but being there without talking to him will make me suffer every day and every minute of my life," I said.
"Leave everything, Thesika. Just call and talk to him. You don't even have to say that you are in love with him. Just talk to him. You will feel better," she said.
"I cannot do it, Anu. I cannot call him" I said.
"Why? Thesika, why can't you call him?" she asked me, confused.
"The fault is mine I should not have done it" I said to her, sobbing.
"What did you do? Did he say something?" she asked me.
"NO" I replied.
"Did you do something or did you say something that would have hurt him," she asked me.
"I hurt him Anu," I told her everything that happened, hiding some precious details.
"Just talk with him, Thesika. Let it be like you lost the bet. Just show him that he is more important than your stupid bet," she said.
"I cannot talk Anu. Even if I call he will not answer the call, Anu. He has too much self-control." I said.
"I don't think it so... Thesika, he will answer for sure. Just try calling him," she said to me.
"How can I call him Anu? I told him not to talk to me."
"Do you think that your bet is more important? What are you trying to prove, that you have self-control? Don't be stupid, Thesika. Do you say that your ego is more important than him the man you love?" she asked me.
"I didn't mean it like that, Anu but I cannot call him" I said.
"Well if you don't, then I will call," she said and started to type the numbers
"Anu…." I said. I felt like the words were stuck in my throat.
"Hello Alex, it's me, Anu. Thesika wants to speak with you it seems," she said and forced the phone into my hand.
I placed it near my ear but I didn't utter a word. I just wanted him to start the conversation but he didn't utter a word too. May be he wanted me to talk first. I waited for him to speak, to say something. Finally, I gave in.
"Hello," I said to him.
"Thesika," he said his voice full of emotion that made me cry.
"Alex, Alex, I miss you Alex, I cannot take it," I said to him crying.
"Don't cry, Thesika hearing you cry upsets me very much, he said. I tried to control my emotions but they were no longer under my control.
"I am not crying," I said.
"I know your voice, Thesika" he said. Hearing his words made it even worse.
"I can't Alex. I can't control it. I can't control my tears. I thought I should not cry but I cannot," I said.
"I missed you, Thesika. I missed you too. I was depressed that day when you said I should not talk with you for a week. I waited for you to text me or call me on the eve of New Year but you didn't do it. So I sent a text to Anushiya and I knew that it would reach you," he said.
"Me too Alex, I waited for you," I said. I didn't know what else to say. I was deliriously happy to say anything else.
"Thanks for calling me, Thesika. I thought you would never call," he said. .
"I want to see you, Alex" I said to him.
"Me too," he said.
"Where should I come?" I asked him.
"To our usual place where we always meet," he said.
"Our school road?" I asked him doubtfully.
"Yes," he said and cut the call. I looked at the mobile and smiled. I raised my gaze. Anushiya was staring at me.
"What did he say? "She asked me.
"He asked me to meet him at the school road," I said.
"Is that all?" She asked me doubtfully.
"Yes that's all," I replied.
"That's what you both were talking about for nearly 20 minutes?" she asked me.
"Yes" I said to her.
"So should I leave?" she asked me.
"Why should you leave? You can come with me," I said.
"I don't want to interfere in your meeting. May be he will be expecting you alone she said to me.
"No, he won't mind. Just come. Don't leave me alone," I said and started the bike. I drove so rashly that it made her breathless and scared.
"Jesus! Thesika!! I have never experienced such rash driving. This why you called me to come with you? To make my present past?" she asked me stunned.
"No Anu" I said, laughing.
"It's so good to see you smile Thesika… he is coming," she observed.
The moment when she mentioned his name, I could feel the warmth of my blood rushing to my face. He looked me and I look at him. He looked at me with great interest. . I smiled shyly at him. He nodded his head smiling at me, as a response I nodded my head too.
He started his bike and turned to look at me before he accelerated his bike. I just stood there watching him disappear into the distance. We never spoke a word with each other but the silence between us was like a thousand words.
"Let's go, Anu" I said and started my bike