Here goes my first ever short story...


On a day that promised rain, even the teachers can't expect much from us. A boring English class and Shakespeare. Not much can be expected. Yawns could be heard from across the room and after giggles from most of the class, if by chance all of us weren't sleeping and the deadliest stare from the teacher, the person would lower his head and try reading the book, praying for the bell to ring. Or the day to end. Rains give us an unsaid excuse for not doing work. Be it early morning or dead of the night, listening to the rain lashing on the road or tinkering on the roof can be the most blissful experience in days or even months.

That day, nothing could've even come close to making me smile, leave alone being happy. Too much happiness can sometimes lead to unbearable sadness. Being angry and being sad merge into one. That was one of those days, being an arm's distance away from the most important person in my life, felt like seven oceans apart. Last day's meaningless fight left nothing worth saying except the already said, already heard three words. It's true that they're the last and the first words bur still...Not getting any ideas in my already half-sleeping brain I could only think of only one silly idea that would do any good. Being together and being "together" are different. Just as they say, so close yet so far.

I was reminded of the song by Aerosmith. Why not?

I glanced at the teacher and half glanced at rest of the class and opened my notebook to the very last page. A few hastily done math calculations and spell checks...nothing else. Just what I needed. I didn't know if he'd heard the song ever but it is one of my favourites. Nervousness caught me before I could even get the pen, but courage is all it needs. I finally tried writing something...even an L.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping

I didn't want to shove the notebook towards him, not just then. Fortunately, he just glanced carelessly and continued looking out of the window. Good, as yet.

While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever

Curiosity got the better of him. He looked at it. A raised eyebrow. Cute. I love him.

Well, every moment spent with you
Is a moment I treasure

So he thought, Okay, so what's got into her? What are we studying right now? Do we have to write this down or something? He bent ahead and looked into the his friend's notebook. He says "Huh?" The page was blank. "Nothing...sorry". Then he looks back at me and I shrug. Then he thinks it's better if he just keeps reading.

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby

And I don't wanna miss a thing

He raises his eyebrow again, the right one. Oh, he's adorable. Totally. I'm right on the bottom of Love and I still keep falling more in love with him. He nudges me lighty and asks, "What is this?"
"Lyrics", I say. He nods and tells me to continue. Sarcasm. But I'm happy enough to oblige.

Lying close to you
Feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing

He thinks over that. His eyes tell, "maybe".

Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together
I just wanna stay with you
In this moment forever, forever and ever

He grins, starting to realise what this is leading to. Maybe the fight wasn't that bad at all. Rumours can get the better of us at times. But rumours are rumours and reality is reality.

I don't wanna miss one smile
I don't wanna miss one kiss
and I just wanna be with you
Right here with you, just like this

He snatches the pen away...

"You know what?? Me too!!"

I just wanna hold you close
I Feel your heart so close to mine
And we'll stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

He looks at me and smiles, I wait and say, "There's something more".

'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

I look up at him and tell him to stop staring. His eyes look beautiful, more than the world's beauty mixed into one and kept in a glass box. And he's all mine. He takes my hands in his. Then we realize almost at once, that we're in a classroom with the strictest teachers you'd ever find anywhere on earth. No, she's still busy trying to figure out if she ought to stop teaching and go and shout on the poor, little thing who was talking to his friend or continue teaching. We both laugh. And I say, "Kiss and make up?" He says, "I love you".

But no, there's more to this. Almost as if on cue, it starts raining and all the heads turn towards the windows. And that's our side! Tough luck. Two minutes of distracted studying and commenting on the rain, the class quietens down a bit. We sigh. But we can't just sit there like that. Something on his mind, he looks around the room. Casually resting his eyes on every person in the room, even outside! That's called "precaution". Precautionary measures. Hehe.

He takes my hand and kisses it. Then I kiss my hand too. He kisses my hand again, and I kiss my hand again too. Again and again and again. And it doesn't take a genius to know what that leads to. Miraculously, when the teacher leaves, the whole class empties in around ten seconds. All of them need some fresh air. People need a reason to be happy, the rain gave them a reason. But we're happy without a reason. Because nothing happened, no-one saw anything. But we're still happier than them. Happiest people on earth.

*Lyrics from I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith.