That first crush

It was a beautiful winter morning. Everyone was enjoying the warmth of the winter sun. Sahil and Falak were sitting together in the college canteen enjoying each other's company. Sahil took a sip of coffee and looked towards Falak who was busy eating her favorite cheese sandwich.

"Falak, Stop it girl! How much are you going to eat"?

Sahil taunted.

"I just ate one".

Falak retorted .

"Yeah! Right! One sandwich which was loaded with that little EXTRA cheese".

Sahil couldn't stop taunting.

"Oh! Keep quiet, Will you! This is not fair.”

Falak was getting annoyed by now..

"There is no need to be angry sweetheart! You can eat as much as you want. What will be the result? You will just pile on a few EXTRA kilos, which hardly matters".

Sahil was still lovingly teasing Falak.

"What?  You mean I am getting fat?”

By now Falak was really upset.

"Oh! These girls! I was just kidding, did you not realize that. You are not getting fat and even if you do, it will not matter to me because I love chubby girls"

Sahil said looking into her big brown eyes.

"Sahil and Falak" were in love since four years. They had been friends during school days but they fell in love after they joined college. These four years had been truly wonderful for them. Their relationship had blossomed into a beautiful partnership, sprinkled with these endearing little daily fights and lovingly poking fun at each other.

Sahil and Falak remained seated in the canteen engrossed with their sweet nothings. Unmindful of the rush in the college; due to the upcoming “Annual fest".

Suddenly Falak noticed a man who was approaching towards the canteen. Her eyes were glued to him.

"Is he actually there?”

She thought.

"Falak, what happened, why are you looking lost"?

Sahil asked noticing Falak gazing in a particular direction. "Sahil, did you see that fellow?”.

Falak pointed towards the person she was looking at.

"Who is he"? Sahil questioned.

Don't you remember him? He is "Armaan Agarwal".

Falak reminded Sahil.

"Hmm.."Armaan Agarwal"..VII-B..ROLL NO.38?

Sahil recalled.

"Exactly! He is certainly Armaan, our schoolmate"..

Falak said getting excited!

"Yes! Armaan, the boy you had a "crush" upon, during school days!"

Sahil said winking his eyes and stressing on the word 'crush'.

"Stop it silly! I never had a crush on him"

Falak said in an irritated tone while the reality was that she actually liked Armaan during school days but just like any other girl, she always denied accepting it.

"Ah! Never mind! Let us go and meet him"..

Sahil said and stood up.

"No I won't."

Falak flatly stated.                                                                                                 

"Oh Falak! Don’t be a spoiled sport; he was our friend once upon a time."

Sahil took her hand and almost pulled her along.

They moved towards Armaan who had not seen them as yet.

"Hey Armaan! Remember us"?

Sahil asked in an excited tone.

Armaan looked towards them and was pleasantly surprised.

"Oh my God! Sahil and Falak? You guys are here, how wonderful.

Armaan hugged both of them.

"How are you buddy? It feels so good to see you again. We were unable to keep in touch after school".

Sahil said getting nostalgic.

"I am fine . How are you both?"

Armaan asked looking at Falak.

"We are fine".

Falak replied in a hesitant tone.

"By the way, Falak, you still look as beautiful as ever".

Armaan could not resist complimenting Falak.

"Oh yes! She is absolutely gorgeous".

Sahil said holding on to Falak's hand tightly.

The three of them sat together in the canteen and shared their school memories, those fun times, those classes, teachers everything. Even Falak, who seemed a bit hesitant earlier, now opened up. They were filled with nostalgia.

It seemed as if they were reliving their school days. They recalled how poor Falak had been in Mathematics and how she dreaded solving any algebra problem. Armaan and Sahil spared no opportunity of irritating Falak.

"Is being weak in Math, such a big deal? I was never friendly with those X, Y and Z of equations, so what? It is not the end of the world!"

The constant leg pulling got on to Falak's nerves.

"Most of the girls are not friendly with the X, Y and Z of mathematical equations".

Sahil continued with his mischievous words.

"Sahil, one more word and I will never speak to you again".

Falak shouted at the top of her voice.

" Calm down, girl! I never knew you could shout so much. I still remember you as a sweet and delicate girl who was busy writing something in her little diary".

Armaan said with a glow in his eyes.

"Ah! You did observe her a lot during school days?"

Sahil asked Armaan curiously. Falak, on the other hand became a bit uncomfortable. She feared that her first crush could ruin her present relationship.

" There is no need to be jealous, Sahil, because it is clearly visible that you both are head over heels in love with each other. Good to know that you both are a couple".

Armaan realised that he perhaps had crossed his limits so he tried to change the topic of discussion which was revolving around 'FALAK'.

"Yes! I got jealous. Anyways, Thanks buddy! I am so lucky to have Falak in my life".

Sahil said pulling Falak closer to him and Falak could not help smiling. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that matters did not go out of control.

During their conversations, Armaan told them that he had come to this Annual festival to represent his college in the singing competition.

"Oh yeah! How can we forget, you were such a good singer. You used to win all solo singing competitions. Most of the girls used to be your fans".

Falak mentioned in excitement.

"Ofcourse Falak, herself was a big fan of yours".

Sahil said pulling Falak's cheeks.

"You are such a Dumbo !” Falak got really annoyed.

“DUMBO” How cute is that".

Armaan chuckled on hearing this.

Oh how can you "DUMBO is cute"? It is obnoxious!

Sahil continued to annoy Falak.

"Will you please shut up"?

She gave him a stern look and turned towards Armaan and inquired which song was he going to sing in the competition.

"Yaaron dosti badi hi haseen hai, ye na ho to bolo kaisi ye zindagi hai"..

Armaan replied to Falak's question by humming this song. For a second Falak got lost in that song. It was her favourite and there was a reason behind this song being her favorite. She became  nostalgic yet again. The flashbacks came gushing.

Once on her birthday during school days, Armaan had made a movie with her , Sahil's and himself.  Their random moments together with this song playing in the background. She recalled how overjoyed she had been to receive such a creative and personal gift. Yes! She had, had a huge crush on Armaan during those days but somehow she could never understand that feeling or maybe she was waiting for Armaan to approach her first which he never did and with the passage of time her crush was crushed into million little pieces and she forgot about him, but today, after seeing him, those memories were tumbling out of her heart. A deep sense of guilt engulfed Falak.

"What are you thinking, Falak"? You love Sahil, not Armaan!!

She felt as if her conscience was scolding her. She tried shrugging of those thoughts and complimented Armaan on his heartwarming voice. Many questions were popping in Falak’s mind and she could not help herself.

"So..are you still single??"

 She asked Armaan.

"Yes!".

Armaan said smiling sadly.

"Why"??

Falak enquired. Her heart began to beat faster.

"Well because I could never find someone like you"..

Armaan said bluntly without even thinking that Sahil was sitting right beside Falak.

"I knew you will say something like this. I knew that not only Falak but even you had a crush on her".

Sahil said smiling.

"Have you lost your mind, Sahil? Atleast think before you speak"!

Falak now seriously got furious.

"Sweetheart, let me tell you one truth today".

Sahil said taking a deep breath and Falak just kept staring him with her big brown eyes full of questions.

"Remember that Annual sports meet of Std VIIIth?? You participated in that hurdle race for which you practiced during recess.

Sahil said in a nostalgic tone.

"Yes! I do remember".

Falak replied in a low voice. She was getting nervous.

"Hold on, Sahil! Before you proceed further, let me confess something. I did not have any crush on Falak. Infact I loved her but I knew what she felt for me was just a *crush* and crushes don't last forever".

Armaan finally confessed to the secret he had kept hidden in his heart since many years

"But I never told you that I had a crush on you"..

Falak was astonished as well as embarrassed. She did not expect such a blunt answer from Armaan.

"You didn't but Sahil did tell me"..

Armaan cleared the confusion.

Falak gave Sahil that "How did you know this" look.

"Before you kill me, let me also confess something. One fine day when you were practicing for your race; I had taken your diary and read a few pages which clearly mentioned that you had a crush on this 'Mr.Singer'.

Sahil explained everything and also held his ears because he already knew that Falak would not  spare him this time.

"This is unfair. How could you read my diary?"

Falak got emotional and did not know how to react.

"I loved you, Falak! So I wanted to know whether the girl I love, loves me too and your diary was the only one with whom you shared your secrets.

Sahil took Falak's hand and said with all the love he had for his sweetheart.

"You are incorrigible.”

She said shyly. Sahil's love melted Falak in a moment.

"So then I still remember, once during the recess I had told Armaan about your crush on him to which he had replied that "I am just her crush but you are the one she loves. Maybe she hasn't realized it yet but a day will come when she will fall in love with you because you are her best buddy and girls often fall in love with their best buddies.”

Sahil explained everything to Falak.

"And do you remember that when during your hurdle race you lost your balance and scraped your knee badly, the first person you looked towards was Sahil and not me. It was and it will always be Sahil. Somewhere deep down in your heart, he had already become your soulmate. You just could not realize it at that point of time. Do you remember how much you cried that day and how Sahil pacified  you; I realized then that there was no use coming in between this lovelorn couple".

Armaan said all this in one breath and sighed deeply. He wondered how he still remembered each and every single detail about those long forgotten moments but obviously, precious ones, for he could never forget anything related to Falak.

Falak became emotional on hearing this. She realized how true Armaan had been. She actually fell in love with Sahil. She understood that there was a lot of difference between liking and loving. Crushes come and go but true love stays forever. What she felt for Armaan was just a crush but she actually loved Sahil and Sahil loved her too! Now there was no guilt and no dilemma in her heart. Armaan had once again made her realize that she loved only Sahil.

"Oh! I did not know that boys can think so maturely"..

Falak taunted, to lighten up the moment.

"Oh please! We are not that stupid."

Armaan and Sahil said in unison and all three of them started laughing.

The scheduled time of the singing competition arrived. The whole auditorium was crowded with students. Everyone was cheering the representatives of their respective colleges but Sahil and Falak, instead of cheering the participant from their own college, were supporting Armaan.

"Best of luck, buddy! I know you will rock".

They wished Armaan good luck,. and he moved towards the stage but then suddenly turned around and came back. Sahil and Falak saw him coming towards them. They could not understand what Armaan was upto. He came closer, took a deep breath and said..

"Before I go on the stage, one last thing that I wanna confess is that I did not want to become in between the two of you and later regret. I wanted you both to be happy always and I am glad that my decision was right."

Hearing this made Sahil and Falak very emotional. They did not utter a word and just hugged him tight. Sometimes gestures do more wonders than words.

Finally, Armaan moved towards the stage and as expected he rocked the performance and ofcourse, won the competition too! Though Armaan lost his love but this Annual festival gave back him his friend which was more valuable than that winning trophy.

"It was nice meeting you both. I am glad that I came to this Fest otherwise I would have never met you both again. Now it’s time to bid good bye and Yes! Hope you will invite me for your wedding".

Armaan wished them luck and bid them good bye with a promise to meet them again.

"Yeah! You are already invited buddy! Take care!"

Sahil and Falak bid him good bye. It was an emotional moment.

"Sahil, did you not feel jealous when Armaan said that he loved me"?

Falak asked looking in Sahil's eyes.

"No! I did not, because I know you love me".

Sahil replied with immense love.

"But I did have a crush on him".

Falak again questioned..

"So what? Crushes are a part of teenage. I know there was a time when you liked Armaan but I am the one you love and you will always, right?"

Sahil pulled her closer.

"Yes! I will always love you"..

Falak whispered and hugged him tight!

They were lost in each other but little did they know that Armaan had been looking at them intently from a distance. He adored Falak. Seeing her in Sahil's arm broke his heart but he could do nothing because Falak never loved him. It was just an infatuation and he was very well aware of the fact that 'Infatuations don't last forever'. He realized that his eyes had made their way for tears so he wiped those tears and moved ahead towards a new journey, a new destination.

He stabbed his love story to death. Nevertheless his sacrifice gave life to someone's else love story.

FEW YEARS LATER :

"Can you please put your cell phone aside for a moment, SAHIL?" You are going to get married today and that according to me should be your first priority today".

Armaan who was busy making preparations for the ‘baraat’ scolded Sahil.

"Sshhhhh! Calm down buddy, I am talking to my would be bride. She just sent me her picture and I could not resist talking to her".

Sahil who was looking his best in a peacock blue sherwani excitedly said .

"Seriously! Have you both lost your mind?  The marriage procession baraat is about to leave and here the groom is busy on cell phone with his would be bride. Woooaaah!"

Armaan was seriously put off. He had been given all the responsibilities of the marriage and here his friends who were soon going to be an official couple were busy indulging in their lovey-dovey chit chat".

"Calm down! Stop panicking. Just a moment and the groom will be ready to dance with the rest of the guests".

Sahil almost did a little jig but Armaan's stern looks forced him to stop but even Armaan could not  control his excitement and they both ended up dancing like crazy maniacs. Over the years, Sahil, Falak and Armaan had become best of friends. Their bond had only strengthened with time and so when Sahil and Falak finally decided to get married, Armaan was the one whose happiness knew no bounds. Undoubtedly, he still loved Falak but all he wanted was her happiness and he was very well aware of the fact that 'Falak's happiness lay in Sahil'. He had willingly taken all the responsibilities of organizing the marriage. He wanted to make his best-friend's marriage an unforgettable one.

"Come on! Now give me your phone. I know your bride is on the line but you both  need to understand that in an hour’s time  you will be taking your marriage vows and for that to happen you need to stop talking right now".

Armaan took Sahil's phone and scolded Falak politely, who on the other hand was giggling. Her giggles made Armaan emotional. The melody of her voice reminded him of his broken heart but he controlled his emotions.

"Your world is going to change in a few moments; we are on our way 'Miss would be bride".

Armaan said this in a choked voice and disconnected the call.

"Baraat is ready to go".

Someone shouted and Armaan quickly wiped his tears and called Sahil.

In a few moments, everyone reached Falak's house. It was a grand ceremony. The kind which every couple dreams of and the best part was the absolutely stunning and drop dead gorgeous 'bride'. She was the centre of attraction. People could not stop praising her. The kundan jewellery, her heavily embroidered Rajasthani lehenga, her makeup, her smile, the glow in her eyes; everything was flawless.

"How pretty she is".

Sahil said with a sigh.

"Indeed, she is pretty'.

Armaan said in a sad affirmative tone.

"Are you hurt, Armaan?" Sahil noticed his sadness.

""Yes! My heart is hurt because it could not get its  share of love but I am happy my dearest friend got the love of his life.

Armaan patted Sahil's shoulder and replied with a smile.

Finally, it was time for taking those seven holy vows.. Sahil and Falak went around the holy fire  holding each other's hand and were now officially declared as husband and wife.

Armaan hugged them both and wished them a happily married life ahead.

They were going to live a ‘happily ever after life;. Armaan was happy that finally their journey had reached its destination but little did he know that destiny had some other plans in store for them.

Falak was very tired because of the hectic schedule of the marriage. She went in her room to relax a bit and went into the washroom to touch-up her makeup. As soon as she entered the wash room, she felt a bit uneasy and suffocated but she ignored it. She got busy in checking herself out in the large mirror. She had no idea that the curtains of her room had caught fire because of the sudden short circuit. The fire spread within seconds and Falak was trapped in it. Before she knew, her lehenga too had caught fire. She screamed but the flames engulfed her and devoured her within seconds. The beautiful bride who had barely stepped into her new life now lay charred to death.

The moment Sahil and Armaan heard about the fire they ran towards Falak's room but, all they could see was dense fumes. They could barely breathe or see anything, then amidst the remains of the charred room, they saw Falak’s body lying motionless, and she was beyond recognition. Such are the games of destiny, within the blink of an eye a joyous day had turned into the saddest day of their lives. The two men who loved her from the core of their heart, stood motionless and shattered. Sahil had lost his newly wedded wife and Armaan had lost his dream of seeing the girl he loved happy, forever. Their whole life came crashing down in front of their eyes. Falak's innocent face, their school memories, her last smile and now her sudden tragic death; all came as a flashback in front of their eyes. They had lost everything they ever loved.

Years passed by, Sahil did not marry anyone else and Armaan never left Sahil's side.  The tragedy brought them even more closer. They never broke down because they knew Falak would not be happy if she saw them in pain.

“We are getting late for the premier. I do not  want us to reach late on our big day".

Armaan was scolding Sahil the same way he did on his wedding day.

Sahil looked towards the beautiful picture of Falak and said with a smile.

"No! This time we will not be late because this one is for you".

After Falak's death, it was hard for Sahil and Armaan to survive. Their tears had dried up and they had almost forgotten to smile. Her memories were difficult to wipe away. . One day as they were going through Falak’s things they came across Falak's diary. They slowly turned the pages of the diary and found some beautiful proses which were written by FALAK. They both were  emotional after reading some of the lines.

 "Aksar suna hai maine ki FALAK ek umeed hai jo dil mein sainkro ARMAAN jagati hai....yahi ummide jab lehre ban ke karwat leti hain toh SAHIL ko samandar se milati hai".

"Sahil, I have an idea. Let us stop crying over Falak's memories. Infact, we should think of an idea  through which we can keep her alive".

Armaan had something insightful in mind.

"Yeah, you are right. Let’s make Falak happy. Let’s make her proses recite her story, our story".

Sahil had a hope in his voice.

That day they saw a dream. A dream of making their love and best friend live again through her words. Sahil compiled those proses into beautiful songs and Armaan gave voice to the feelings of Falak. He sang those songs from the core of his heart. They created an album named 'FALAK' out of those songs and after much struggle their hard work paid off. A leading music company agreed to launch their album and today was the big day.

Sahil and Armaan reached the auditorium where the album was to be launched. Armaan gave a live performance of the songs from the album and Sahil launched "FALAK".

It was an extremly proud and emotional moment for them. Their love was now alive not only in their memories but also in the heart of those million people who heard those songs and made 'FALAK' an instant hit.

Falak may have died, but Armaan and Saahil made sure that tears made way for beautiful memories.

Rest in peace, FALAK!