8:57 am, January 1, 2020

It is a cool, peaceful morning. Unbeknownst to them, people go about their lives under watchful eyes.

Pointing his flute towards the footbridge, one observer said, “Those two boys look interesting. Let us eavesdrop on them for a while.”

“Whatever you command, my lord!” replied his companion.

On the footbridge,

Saras exclaimed, “There is no class today! What are you talking about, Big Bro?”

Yatin added, “Yeah, I just got that information from Hansika. She will not be coming either.”

Saras sighs. “I guess that makes us two wandering souls today. So, what shall we do? Hmmm... Can I ask you something then, Big Bro? Can you explain this thing that people call love?”

Yatin teases, “Love... that’s a strange question from someone who’s afraid to talk to girls.”

Defensively, Saras responds, “It’s not that I can’t; I feel they’re unworthy of my attention...”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Yatin observes, “What’s the use of asking about something you don’t want to experience?”

Saras reveals, “Ever since I was young, I’ve had the same dream where somebody calls my name. I search for them but can’t hear anything else or see their face. This dream feels so real that I’m left wondering what love is. Is it everyone’s right, or a concept concocted by humans to combat loneliness?” 

Yatin smiled, his mind taking him back to when he had first met her, replied, “Love is something that can make you feel invincible and vulnerable at the same time. It’s a feeling that can’t be described, only experienced something you can’t simply take or fabricate. Unexpectedly and without warning, it chooses you and there’s nothing you can do to prepare for it.”

Saras raises his eyebrow. “That’s very philosophical, Big Bro. Care to elaborate?”

Yatin chuckles and closes his eyes, trying to remember how it all started.

Curious yet recklessly, Saras asked, “When love chose you, Big Bro?”

Yatin responds, “When I was at my most vulnerable...”

Saras interjects, “I didn’t know DD was...”

Yatin gazes at the sky before interrupted Saras. “Actually, my first love wasn’t your DD. It was someone else. Someone who cared more for me than I did for myself. But in return, I only brought her pain.” 

He turns to Saras and continued, “Would you like to hear my favorite chapter where I first understood this concept?”

Lingering on the footbridge, the two boys discussed love. Yatin is on the brink of describing his tragic love story. Saras is enthralled by Yatin’s words. What is in Yatin’s next chapter? Will it be heart-wrenching or enlightening? The answer is beyond the horizon. What will Yatin reveal next? What is your own take on love? Are you, like Saras, pondering the meaning? Or formerly, felt its irresistible power?