The Last Day: Unspoken Feelings
It was a sunny Friday morning. Abhimanyu, as usual, drove to Varsha's house to pick her up. He parked his car outside the gate and beeped the horn. Varsha, carrying a bag on her shoulders, hurried out the door, shouting, “Please stop honking… I’m on my way.”
“What took you so long?” Abhimanyu asked as Varsha got into the car.
“Don’t ask… too much going on… let’s just go,” Varsha replied as they headed to their college.
It was the final day of college. They had been friends since the beginning. The realization that their time together was ending hit Abhimanyu hard. The idea of not being able to see Varsha was unbearable.
He knew he had to say something before she left. Varsha was planning to move to another city for higher education, while Abhimanyu was going to join his father’s business in town.
For the past few days, he had tried but couldn’t bring himself to say a word to Varsha. Today was no different. When they arrived at the college, Abhimanyu took her to the canteen and ordered her favorite samosas.
“Abhimanyu… what’s going on?” Varsha asked as soon as he placed the order. “Normally, you wouldn’t even let me near samosas. And today… you’re treating me… Something is definitely up.” She pulled him by the hand as he was about to pick up the plate and sat on the nearby bench.
“Nothing. It’s our last day. Who knows when we’ll get this chance again,” he casually replied.
“True,” said Varsha. “But you’ve been acting differently all month.”
“It’s just that college is ending,” he said. “You are moving to a different city. It’s a lot to take in.”
“Is that all?” she inquired.
Abhimanyu looked at her. His eyes locked on hers. Tell her, tell her, his inner voice urged him. But he feared what would happen if he lost their friendship? What if she started to dislike him? He couldn’t bear the thought.
“Yeah, that’s it,” he whispered.
Later that day, Abhimanyu drove her back to her house. As they sat in the car, Varsha took out a box from her bag and gave it to him. “This is for you. Open it when you get home,” she gave him a hug and left.
Disheartened, Abhimanyu reached home, went to his room, and sat on the sofa. He cursed his luck before opening the box. Inside, there was a watch and a small note. It said, "I really like you, Abhimanyu. I've never been able to say it because I was too afraid of losing our friendship. But I had to say it today. I hope this watch will always remind you of the precious moments we spent together."