You are not Cinderella!!

Have you been there for someone in their thick and thin? Like pulled them out of their worst and taken all their melodrama and brought them all the hopes and yet shed a tear with them crying their pains.

Friendship is a beautiful relationship that’s unlike anything, and we choose our crazy, stupid, and melodramatic friends. I am lucky to be having such beautiful people called friends in my life and inspired by such a beautiful friendship; I share this story from my fourth book of Short Stories–And Then?

This story is about hope in the face of loss. It is pragmatically brutal, yet cheering, and this is how friendship is. ?

Be around for your friends. Sometimes, they just need to be heard and you could be their only hope!!

The sombre-faced Ashi looked at Sana pleafully and said, "Listen out Sana, please, will you??"

Sana said, "Not again. I don't wish to hear the account of your defeated love story. I am sure your prince charming has not proposed to you of all the things."

Ashi kept quiet. She just expected to be heard, but did not comment. Sana was right, her's was a defeated love story, after all. All that transpired was in her thoughts.?Her assumptions were not enough to conclude things. After all, she felt it all.

Sensing Ashi has gone quiet, Sana said, "What difference would it make if I hear your old story this time too.... 'he looked at you, you looked at him and nothing happened. You felt an overwhelming desire that he keeps looking at you, and he looked, but you shied away. You expected him to speak to you, but he just smiled your way. The way he looked at you, oh!! looks like he feels for you.... but that friend of his sat leaning her head on his shoulders and you felt jealous. That you are waiting for some signals from him, but he is just too engrossed to even bother to look at you. You think you are so colour-coordinated, but eeks, he wore a baby pink colour shirt, a colour you find so sissy on boys. Or he praised you some time ... but he does not even acknowledge your presence every day ... fallacies... mere fallacies.... grow out of your fallacies girl."

"Maybe they are fallacies. Maybe it's just not meant to be. I try hard to keep off his thoughts, but his presence haunts my mind, my words, and my acts.?And in this, you could help me by merely hearing me out," said Ashi.

"See I told you... it’s not meant to be," said Sana, rushing to a conclusion.

"I am not done yet, Sana. I appreciate your concern for me as you have been my soul buddy. You have been my Jahangir Khan, you know, the 'JUG' from "Love you Zindagi" all these years. You have known me for my eccentricities, but I just need to speak, whatever we conclude from this," said Ashi.

"Okkk... If I am your last hope... this JUG will listen to you ...." said Sana, expecting the same old dialogues her friend would share.

Ashi remained quiet for a moment and then started.... "I feel I own someone, but it’s all in my mind. I admire someone so, and that person does not, that does not mean my admiration is unworthy. I do not attract him; as he does to me, but that does not mean my indulgence is mere infatuation. My feelings are unexpressed not for the fear of denial but out of respect. My thoughts are buried with his presence, but my actions are clear of my aspirations. I may be just a person in the crowd for him, but I hold him in some regard. I am flawed for liking him, but I am certain of my choice. I do not ask to be loved back, but just content to be cared for."

Ashi's eyes welled with tears, as she had communicated all that she wanted. She had expressed her say, 'one-sided affections are not unworthy. If love is not reciprocated by love, does it grow less intense?'

Sana came around Ashi, hugged her tight and said, "You know this right, that You Are Not Cinderella!!"

If you are interested in more stories from And Then? you can visit - https://www.amazon.in/Then-collection-short-stories-ebook/dp/B08HVDGBW1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=and+then+jyoti+rane&qid=1625255860&sr=8-1

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