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Crush Like Love



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Crush Like Love

Neelkanth Matliwala



NotionPress

5 Muthu Kalathy Street, Triplicane, Chennai -600005

First Published by NotionPress

Copyright © Neelkanth Matliwala 2013

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 978-93-82447-38-2

This book is sold subject to condition that it shallnot by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resoldor hired out, circulated and no reproduction in any form, in whole or in part (except for brief quotationsin critical articles or reviews) may be made without written permission of the publishers.

This book has been published in good faith that the work of the author is original. All efforts have beentaken to make the material error-free. However, theauthor and the publisher disclaim the responsibility for any inadvertent errors.



Dedicated

To my

Beloved Parents





AcknowledgementsEven though after writing my first book which you are about to read; I am short of words tothank people who are responsible for me writingmy debut novel. I will try my best to acknowledgethe people behind my efforts of writing this book.

To begin with; I would like to thank my parents who were seldom shocked to see me with themanuscript of my book. Their endless support andlove has always endeavoured my life and I hopethey shower their love on me in future as well.

I would like to thank; Krupal, Avni, Jeni, Mrunal,Rushabh and Manish who were crashed upon tohear that I had written a fictional novel. They arealso the first readers of my book; I thank them forreading my virgin script and suggesting me somechanges in the storyline of the novel.

I am thankful to Kushal, Jaydeep, Deval, Vikas,Raj, Chintan, Darshin and Karman who have beenthere in my life; long enough to remember theexact amount of years.

I thank my Guruji and the Almighty for theirblessings that I am still surviving happily in thiskind and peaceful world (apparently it is).

Last but not the least; I would also like to thank myself as I was the only one who knew aboutme writing a book as it was a secret to all thosementioned above till the day the book was finally complete. I kept on motivating myself wheneverI thought of giving up and throwing away my

i



dream of writing but apparently ended up with a

wonderful book (it seems so).

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1

Nikhil Mehta – That’s me

It was 26th January 2003 and I along with my

dad had come to my new school S .D. Jain formy admission in 8th grade. All the students hadgathered for a parade in the school ground. It wasthe month of January hence it was cold and all thestudents were wearing their blue colouredsweaters. It was frosty .

I and my dad were sitting in the principal’s

office, waiting for him to confirm my admission.I was kicked out of my previous school for my uncanny behaviour. I never studied there; all Idid was to play pranks with teachers and studiousstudents. I was a notorious fellow. Themanagement of the school decided to kick me outof the school as I was a nuisance to them.



I was a son of a rich business tycoon of the city.

My dad Mukesh Mehta owned couple of Chemicalfactories, a real estate firm and a textile processingunit. I was a rich spoilt brat . My dad had arecommendation letter from one of the trusties of S. D. Jain which made my admission secure. Theprincipal Mr Mathur, arrived.

“Hello Mr. Mehta, I was expecting you, sorry for making you wait” he said.

“Its fine Mr Mathur” my dad replied.“So is he your son?” he asked my dad.“Yes he is my son Nikhil Mehta and here is

the letter from the trusty Mr. Subhash Patel” dadanswered his question.

“I see that Mr .Mehta but” he said as my dadinterrupted “But what?”

“My son is doing engineering and I have to pay his fees this month and I am a bit short on thatby about 20, 000 rupees. I hope you are getting what I mean Mr. Mehta” he said as he demandeda bribe of 20, 000 rupees from my dad.

My dad didn’t waste any time and took out hischeque book and made a cheque of 20k for him.

On the republic day of India, my dad was bribingthe school principal. Perhaps that was going to bethe future of our country where the person whohas the power of money will get to study andget educated whereas the poor ones will alwaysremain illiterate which is wrong and has to changebut I was least concerned about it at that time, I was not going to take my studies seriously in this

school either. I would do what I did in my previousschool, playing pranks and having fun and not toforget my favourite sport cricket.

* * *“Nikhil I don’t want any complaints from your

new school. I want you to take your studies

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seriously” my dad said to me as we were having

our family dinner.“I know dad but I don’t like studying... I just

hate it” I answered back. My dad was usually very friendly with me. I shared a great bond with him as I was the only son of my parents.He was the only friend I had. My mom wasa typical housewife, doing pujas and performingrituals every day and not to forget a pure vegetarian. She was having her dinner quietly because as per her; we should not utter a single word while having our meals.

“Why do you hate your studies? I hope youare not having in your mind that we have a bigbusiness hence you don’t need to take your studiesseriously. Don’t you ever forget that I have built

this empire by doing a lot of hard work andspending numerous sleepless nights” he said as Icould sense a high tone in his voice. He was right; I did have a thought back in my mind somewhere that there was no need of studying as I have a rich dad to take care of me.

“No paa it’s nothing like that, it is just that I

don’t like studying at all, I just can’t concentrate.I don’t know why!!” I answered. I couldn’t have agreed that he was right .

“You have got everything you want Nikhil. A big bungalow to live, loving parents, a car to drive you wherever you want; you can have fun in yourschool, I am not telling you to stop that. I am justasking you to take your studies seriously” he said

informing me the luxuries of life which I possessedmaking me the lucky boy which everyone desiresto be.

“I know dad. Can we please stop thisconversation?” I said and completed my dinnerto enter my favourite place, my bed room. Iturned on the music player to relax myself with

Nikhil Mehta – That’s me

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my favourite songs of Enrique . Listening to these

songs always made me feel relaxed and joyful. AsI kept on listening to the songs, I felt sleepy andultimately surrendered myself to the best thing inthe world, sleep.

* * *

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2

The Changed Guy

It was the first day of my new school. My driverdropped me to the school in my Mercedes. No

wonder every one’s eyes were centred towards me.My new school had four buildings at the corner of a rectangular playground. The four buildingscorresponded to nursery, primary, secondary and

higher secondary sections. I was in 8th grade henceI belonged to the secondary part. I walked towardsmy building and asked one of the students passing

by “8th B please?” he answered back “1st floor 3rd

class on the right”. My new school had twosections each for one grade. I entered my class andfound it to be almost full. After searching for a few

moments, I got my place in the 3rd row on 2nd

bench where there were only two students sitting.



I was a back bencher hence I wanted to sit at the

last bench but all the back benches were full withnotorious people like me.

“New admission?” one sitting to my left asked.“Yes” I said.“My name is Siddharth, You can call me Sid”

he introduced himself to me.“Nikhil” I kept my reply short or rather rude.

The one sitting at the extreme left was Aditya;both of them had an oily hair and braces in theteeth, no wonder they were Geeks .

“So how come you took admission in the mid-term of the school?” They inquired about thedetails why I was here.

“Dad is a branch manager in ICICI bank, gottransferred from Ahmedabad” I lied. Of course it

would be difficult for the people to think that howcome I came to school in a Mercedes when my dad’s income won’t be more than 50, 000?!

After a few minutes the class teacher Mrs Agarwal arrived. She looked like a 50 year old lady wearing an orange coloured saree accompanied by specs on her eyes. She took the attendance of

the class and at the end looked at me and said“Nikhil Mehta, the new admission come here”. Sheintroduced me to the class and called some Geek looking girl having two long ponies and not toforget the oily hair to join us. She had the ugliestface I had ever seen. She had a bright complexionbut her nose was way too big, a big problem forthe one who would intend to kiss her but looking

at her no one would take a risk to do that. For meonly good looking girls showing their fully waxed

legs existed. I was in the 8th grade and by thattime, the hormonal changes in every boy and girlstart to appear.

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“Riya is the topper of our class, she will help

you out with your notebooks and other study materials as you have joined the school after 6months” Mrs Agarwal said to me. I was surprisedto hear that her name was Riya as for me only gorgeous and stunning beauties have these kindsof names.

“Thank you mam” I said.“Hello Nikhil” Riya formally introduced herself.“Hi Riya and thank you for offering me your

help” I obliged rather forcefully. I was lookingat the worst creature on this planet. She didn’thave braces like every Geek though. Braces are the signalling unit in every Geek.

“That’s not a big deal for me” she said and bothof us left to take our respective seats.

* * *It had been over a month since I joined the

school. I made a couple of friends; Sid and Aditya with whom I used to share my seats in the class.My old school friends with whom I enjoyed andplayed pranks were left behind. Sid and Aditya

were Geeks but both of them enjoyed playingfew tricks and had fun in the class. They hada consistent score of more than 70% in all theirgrades, I hardly crossed 40.

It was the starting of March and our mock tests were approaching soon. There was a notice on theday about the schedule of the mock tests. It was

starting from 18th March which was exactly aftertwo weeks’ time. I was having my lunch duringthe recess time with Sid and Aditya in the schoolcanteen. The bread pakodas were delicious.

“So we are having our mock tests in two weeks’time, have you started studying?” Riya came inthe canteen and asked me straightaway. It was

The Changed Guy

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probably for the first time that she was visiting

Canteen as Geeks like her bring tiffin from home.Our class teacher Mrs Agarwal had ordered Riya

to take care of my studies on the 1st day of my school. Geek people are generally very studious.They follow each and every instruction given tothem. Perhaps that is the reason why they are thefavourites of their parents, family and not to forget

the teachers in the school.“Not yet” I made my answer short and sweet orrather rude for her.

“Then when are you starting?” She questioned.“I don’t know about that. What about you?”

I asked her even though I knew she must haverevised it twice.

“I have done all the subjects twice” I smiled at

my intelligence . “Mrs Agarwal has given me theresponsibility of your studies so I have to makesure that you do well in the tests” she continued.

“Okay so what do you want to do” I said.“Study Nikhil, see we can meet in the City

library after our school to study. I don’t want Mrs Agarwal to get angry on me as she is responsible

for giving me the scholarship that I get in my school fees” She said with a concerned voice.It was tough to accept the concerned face of someone, especially a girl even though she wasn’tthe prettiest one I had ever seen.

“Okay but not at library. Somewhere else” Isaid. As per my dad’s order I had to take my studies seriously too.

“I don’t know. You say” she said.“My home?” I asked“What? At your home No way?” she said as if I

had asked her to give me a kiss.

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“Yeah if you don’t mind” I asked. She remained

silent for a while and finally agreed to make mestudy at my home.

* * *“Come in” I said as Riya entered my car. I

picked her from our school. She looked different without her oily hair and two ponies, a little lessugly.

After a 20 minute drive in the car, we reachedmy home. She was shocked after watching my home, which was a 7 bedroom villa with aswimming pool. There were couple of luxuriouscars waiting in the garage of my home whichcontributed towards her shocking face.

“What does your father do Mr. Nikhil?” she

asked me to know the reason behind her shockedface.

“He is a business man, chemical factories, realestate business etc.” I replied telling her aboutfrom where the money came to buy thoseluxurious cars and the bungalow.

“You are a rich boy Nikhil, no wonder you are

not bothered about your studies” she said tellingme indirectly about how lucky I was.“I think you are here so that you can help me

study?” I questioned.“Oh yes. Let’s go” she said and we went to the

study room which my dad had built it for me 7 years ago but will be used for the first time.

We studied Mathematics for the next two hours

in the study room. Mathematics was pinching meevery bit with its big equations whose only objective was to find out the value of X. I wonderafter solving so many equations, the value of X isstill unknown to everyone. I studied like a studiousfellow, Riya gave me instructions like a teacherand I obliged.

The Changed Guy

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It was 8pm at night and it was time Riya had

to go home. She was from a lower middle classfamily whose family’s monthly income was 6, 000rupees. His dad was a clerk in a bank while shelost her mother four years ago through cancer. She

had a younger brother who studied in 3rd grade. As we came down from the study room, my

mom and dad had arrived from a relatives’ place.

Dad was busy reading his newspaper, while mom was in the kitchen. I introduced Riya to both of them and requested my driver to drop Riya at herplace.

“Thank you for helping me to find the values of X”. I winked at her and she left. It was the firsttime ever in my life that I studied in a studious way. Riya was after all not that bad a girl that

I had thought off. She was ugly; at least to mebut she was way smart in solving and finding the values of X.

* * *Riya started visiting my home more regularly

so that I could study and score well in the exams

which in turn won’t make Mrs Agarwal angry who was responsible for giving scholarship to Riya. WellI had a lot of money and could have easily paidher school fees but that would make Riya feel a bitinsecure about herself hence I scrapped that ideaof mine. She had become a good friend of mine,an ugly looking Geek.

* * *It was 8pm and like always it was time for Riya

to leave for her home after having a tedious classof Science with me. Today I insisted on droppingher home but she denied. After having a littleargument with me, she finally agreed.

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“Why did you stop here?” I asked the driver.

“I drop her at this place every time” he said.“Here? Do you live here? But there is no

building here, it is a barren street!” I asked Riya with a baffled mind.

“Nik” That was my nick name . “I live in a very small house and I don’t want you to see it, I willfeel embraced” she said.

“What? Are you serious? There is nothing tofeel ashamed Riya. I am not going to listen toanything. I am coming to your home and it doesn’tmatter to me if you are poor, you are sweetenough girl than many rich people around” I saidtrying to upbeat her off mood. She remained silent

“Can you see that red building at the rightcorner? I live there” she said.

“Okay drive us there” I asked the driver.We reached the destination; Riya’s home in just

a moment. Few old men were sitting near herhouse, playing cards accompanied by alcohols andcigarettes. We entered Riya’s home, which was atthe first floor of a two storage building. It was justas described by Riya; a small house with just one

small bedroom in it along with a small area useda kitchen. I suddenly realised how lucky I was tohave a dad as rich as Mr Mehta! Riya introducedme to her dad and her little brother. She offeredme a cup of coffee as I was visiting her home forthe first time. The coffee was the best I had everhad. I left after realising that not everyone in this world was lucky like me. Riya bid me goodbye

from the door and I left her small but sweet home.

* * *

It was 18th March, the day our Mock tests weregoing to begin. It was about to commence withthe least favourite subject of mine; Mathematics .

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I had prepared well for it though with the help

of Riya. The exam timing was 8:30 to 11:30amand I woke up just a little late, at 8:30. I rushedto my bathroom, had a shower and got ready in10 minutes. I ordered the driver to go as fast ashe can. I reached the examination hall at 9; 30minutes late. The supervisor gave me a look as if he was going to kill me but eventually gave methe answer sheet and the question paper on thecondition, I would get 2:30 hours for writing thepaper.

I completed the paper on time, expecting atleast 60 out of 100 which would be my highestscore till date in any of my exams.

“So how was the exam?” Riya asked as she was waiting for me just outside my hall.

“It was good, was a little late to reach theschool in the morning but eventually completedmy paper”. I told her.

“Great, so how many are you expecting?”“Let’s see, may be around 60”“Not bad, anyways I should leave now, catch

you tomorrow study well” she said and left. I

didn’t ask about her exams as I knew she must beexpecting at least a 90. After the first day of the tests, I made sure that

I reached the school on time. All the exams wentgood, thanks to Riya. Our exam results were about

to be declared on 3rd of April, after which we would have a study leave of one week and again

the final exams from 10

th

April.

* * *

It was 3rd April and I was more nervous formy results than anybody else. The reason being, Ihad studied seriously for the first time in my lifeand also I didn’t want Riya to get disappointed. I

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saw my result on the notice board; 58% it was and

I was relieved. I was happy with the result; you don’t expect to score 90% by studying for couple of weeks . Riya as always topped with 94%; I washappy for her. When my parents saw the results,I could see that their eyes were wet; perhaps they were feeling proud about their son. Dad gave mea hug and said “I knew you were smart; in just acouple of weeks’ time you have managed to scorealmost a first class, imagine if you do a little morehard work then what you can achieve”. I too hada great feeling inside me of making my dad feelgood about me But wasn’t this good enough? 58% was good I guess but parents always want more from their children no matter how much you give them, they are never satisfied!

I did well in my final exams too scoring 64%,better than the mock tests. In the mean time wehad a vacation of couple of months. Riya and Istarted to spend a lot of time together. We used togo for movies, hang out in garden with his littlebrother. We had become the best friends, thoughthere was nothing like love involved between us.

Dad asked me couple of times regarding it butI denied. People say a girl and a boy can neverbe friends, but we proved this statement totally wrong. Sid and Aditya too were a part of my life. Ihad changed from the guy who had nothing to doin his life other than playing pranks and harassingeverybody around to a responsible studious person,even though naughtiness was still in my veins.

* * *It was 3pm in the afternoon when I got a call

from Riya.“Hey Nik, what are you doing?” she asked.“Nothing much”

The Changed Guy

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“Can you meet me now? I want to tell you

something important” she said“Important as in?” I asked.“Just meet me Nik, I will tell you... Subway at

5?”She asked.“Okay done”.I wandered what was the important thing which

she wanted to tell. Did she start to like me? Allsorts of random thoughts were going through my mind. Eventually I reached the place half an hourearly. I ordered a sandwich to accompany me inmy thoughts. I waited for her for an hour andeventually ended up eating 3 sandwiches when shearrived an hour late at 6pm. I was angry at herbut more furious to know that important thing .

“So what is it that you wanted to tell me”? I

asked as soon as she sat opposite to me.“I don’t know how you will react to this but…”

she said with a subdued voice.“What’s the matter just tell me?” I was getting

anxious now.“My dad has got a transfer letter from the bank,

he has got a promotion to Ahmedabad branch of

Bank of Baroda, and we are leaving in 15 days”she said not giving me any eye contact.“What are you saying? Are you kidding?” I was

shocked.

“No Nik, I am not we are leaving on 8th July”she confirmed it. I didn’t react.

“Sad about the news?” she asked.“I don’t know what to say Riya, I mean you are

one of those person I never want to lose” I said.“I know that Nik but I can’t help it, I have to

leave but that doesn’t mean our friendship will beover” she tried to convince me.

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“You won’t be here Riya, just forget it, I am

leaving” I said and left the place in anger anddespair.

* * *I couldn’t sleep the whole night, thinking about

her absence from my life which was due in coursein a fortnight. The next morning I decided to meether and called her to come at our school, where we met for the first time.

“I am sorry” Riya said as she approachedtowards me.

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault” I said.“Now listen carefully, you are my best friend

and always will be… Yes we might not be able tomeet but we can still be in contact and remember

each other. But promise me you won’t change yourself to that old Nikhil whom I met few monthsago” She said trying to cheer up my mood.

“I know…I promise I will never let u down...”I said. “Let’s go for a dinner before you leave. A farewell from my side” I asked.

“Sure... Where and when?”

“When are you leaving?”“I told you yesterday... on 8th July” She said.

“Okay. On 6th is that okay for you?“Okay done” She said.We spent some more time at the school

remembering the old days which will never comeback again. I will miss her, I will miss my tutor.

* * *

It was 6th of July, the day we were goingfor Riya’s farewell dinner. I wanted to give her agoodbye gift but I didn’t know what to present toher and so was little worried about it. I was having

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lunch with my dad silently when he asked “Is there

a problem Nikhil. You look a little concern?”“Dad Riya is leaving day after tomorrow to

Ahmedabad and I am giving her a treat today andI want to gift her something but don’t know what”I told him the reason behind my worried look.I had already told my dad about Riya’s father’stransfer and also about the dinner treat. It was my dad’s credit card that was going to pay the bill forthe dinner.

Dad thought for a moment and said “Give hera mobile phone; you can always stay connected by that little gadget”. Mobile phones were still costly in those days but when you have a father as richas mine everything in the world is cheap for you.

“What a nice suggestion dad. Thanks” I said

overjoyed by the advice.“I will tell my secretary to buy two and he will

deliver it to you by evening. Is that okay?” dadsaid.

“Its perfect paa” I said and hugged him. He isthe best dad ever. Rich, understanding and most importantly friendly.

I picked Riya from her home at 7pm; she hadgot permission from her dad to be back by 9. Wereached the hotel; and sat at the table booked by me giving a beautiful view of the river Tapi.

“I am not shocked by this, this is the advantageof having a rich father” she said pointing towardsthe 5 star Hotel.

“What do you want to eat tonight?” I asked.

“Whatever you like” She said. She was lookingsweet in a red tee and black jeans. She alwayslooked better without her oily hair.

We ordered few continental dishes but beforethe placed order could be served, they got us achocolate cake, on which it was written Thank you Riya – Nik which was pre planned by me. She was

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happy and overwhelmed by it. She cut the cake

and we celebrated our friendship. After that wehad our dinner quietly and left the place which was a costly affair but when you have a father asrich as mine, you just don’t care.

It was 9pm and it was time Riya should be back to her home. We arrived near her building and Istopped the car.

“What happened?” she asked.“I want to give you something”“What?”I took the mobile phone out which was covered

with a gift wrapper.“What’s this?” she asked.“Farewell gift from me”“And what is it?”

“Check it”She uncovered the gift wrapper and found a

mobile phone inside. She was surprisingly shocked.“Are you kidding me? Is this for me?” She asked

as she was overwhelmed by the present.“Yes. By this little gadget we can remain

connected with each other always.” I said.

“Oh. Thank you so much Nik. Thanks a ton”“No thanks please, it is just a small gesture formme for changing my life. Thank you Miss Riya.” Ithanked her and gave her a hug.

We sat in my car for a few more time clickingpictures together and promised to be best buddiesfor a lifetime. Finally she left me, waving me agoodbye and taking a promise from me that I

should never waste my life the way I did beforemeeting her.

* * *

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3

Good Bye Riya

It had been four months since the new term of

my school began and I was in the 9th

gradenow. I missed Riya in my life but we were still intouch thanks to the invention of mobile phones.We used to talk everyday with each other for at-least an hour. Riya’s Birthday was approaching in a week’s time and I had decided to pay a surprise visit to her in Ahmedabad. But for that surprise tobecome a reality, I had to know the place whereshe lived in the city.

“Hey Riya” I called her to ask about her postaladdress.

“Hi Nik, had dinner?” She asked as it was 9pm,the routine time for my dinner.



“Yeah just had that; hey I wanted to ask you

something” I said.“Go ahead” she said.“I wanted to know your postal address in

Ahmedabad. Can you tell me if you don’t mind?” Iasked. She remained silent for a moment and thenasked. “Why?”

“Just tell me I will let you know the reasonbehind it later” I said.

“Okay I will let you know tomorrow. Have tocut the call now, dad calling me bye” she said anddisconnected.

I waited for her call for the next couple of daysbut she didn’t called. Hence I got a bit anxious andcalled her again but she didn’t pick. I thought shemight be busy in preparation of her exams which

were about to commence in couple of weeks’ time.I relaxed myself listening to some of my favouritemusic and slept.

* * *I kept calling her for the next fifteen days but

without any luck. I sent lots of text messages

without getting reply of one. The plan that Ihad made to give her a surprise went in vain. After a few days’ time, her phone was switchedoff. I could only hear the operator speaking the number you have dialled is currently switched off . I was longing to hear the voice of Riya andall I was getting is to listen to a computerisedrecorded message. I was getting anxious day by

day wandering what was wrong with this girl. Icouldn’t stop myself from imagining all sorts of negative thoughts in my mind. I didn’t know any of her relatives either who might have been intouch with her. I decided to visit her home whereI thought her neighbours might know somethingabout her. I went there but found nothing but a

Good Bye Riya

19



lock at the door of her home. I tried talking to

some of her neighbours but they knew nothingabout Riya. I was getting more and more anxiousto know what was wrong with her but I washelpless.

* * *“You okay?” Sid asked me as we were having

our lunch, the bread pakodas were no longerdelicious.

I nodded“I think there is something which is bothering

you” he asked.“I don’t know mate what to say” I said.“Go ahead dude, you can share your problems

with me” he said trying to give me a helping hand.

I narrated the whole story to her in a few minutes;he listened carefully as if he knew where Riya was.I wished he knew .

“Hey I think you should ask Mrs Agarwal. Riyaonce told that she was the one responsible forgiving scholarship to her. Remember?” he said.

“Not a bad idea Sid” I said. I found at least

someone who might know where Riya was .“Thanks Sid” I said and ran off to the staff room.I saw Mrs Agarwal reading newspaper and wentstraight to her. I narrated the whole story again forthe second time in last half an hour to her. To my disappointments, she knew nothing about Riya.

* * *

Days went by without getting any news of her. Icouldn’t concentrate on my studies either and justmanaged to get a 40% in the mid-terms.

One day I was sitting near the window in my class in a free period, all of my classmates werebusy playing sports on the play-ground. I was toomuch disturbed and troubled to have any thoughts

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other than Riya in my mind. Mrs Agarwal came to

me and said. “Nikhil, I have got something for you”I looked up towards her, she was holding a letter, written on it To my dearest friend Nikhil ~~ Riya.

I opened the letter and it read:

“Dear Nikhil,I don’t know where to start with my friend. I

want to tell you something Nik but don’t know how. The reason behind I am not accepting your calls since the day you asked me my address in Ahmedabad lay in this letter. I am sorry Nik, I lied to you. I went to Ahmedabad not because of my father’s transfer but because of my treatment.I was diagnosed with blood cancer in second stage a month before I left. I didn’t want you to know

this. I am sorry for lying to you. I left for my treatment to Ahmedabad with my dad leaving my brother with Mrs Agarwal as my dad had to sell our home for my treatment. The doctors here tried their best but they said I could not be saved from this life threatening disease just like my mom. By the time you will get this letter, I will no longer be

there in this world. I am sorry I didn’t allow you to meet me or talk with me in my last days. I didn’t want you to know this before I die. I am sorry my friend for hurting you and thank you for creating those lovely memories with me. Thank you againJ.I would want you to make a promise to me. Do not waste your life. Be strong without me, study properly, and make your parents proud and also

me. I will be watching you from the heaven and I hope you will never disappoint me. Good bye Nik.Forgive me if you can.

Your friend Riya

I completed reading the most painful and heartbreaking letter of my entire life. I looked at Mrs

Good Bye Riya

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Crush Like Love

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Crush Like Love - A Preview