Dadu and Abeer visited the hilltop every weekend during the Christmas holidays.
There were parks, malls, theatres and other fun places too but Dadu loved that good ol' bench on a lofty hilltop with a view.
The 16-year-old looked gloomy and lost one evening. Dadu asked "What's troubling you? You look bummed, tell me about it."
Abeer sighed, "You won't understand."
"Well, try me," winked Dadu.
"So, my best friend Aditi, I think I like her, like really like her but I am not too sure whether she likes me in that sense and I have a feeling that I will ruin our friendship if I asked her out, and even if I gather some courage and do so, what are the chances that she will say yes. It's too big a deal!"
Dadu clicked his tongue and said, "Hmmm, so that's what's troubling you."
"Yes! It's okay though, I'll manage, it doesn't really matter."
"Matters of the heart are matters of forever, my boy," smiled Dadu.
"Why not take her for a nice walk, get her here, to this hilltop and talk about it like grown-ups would do."
"No yaar, Dadu, this is too corny!"
"Corny?"
"I mean, extreme and over-romantic".
"So, you think our walks are romantic," chuckled Dadu, "Take my advice, what's the worst that could happen, she will turn you down, and that will be okay too?"
"Aditi is my best friend Dadu, it will spoil everything!"
"And that's why I know, nothing will change Abeer, she will still be the same person who's your best friend, she will understand and so will you," Dadu reassured.
"Okay, I'll take my chances, but Dadu how are you so sure, I mean how do you know all this?"
"Many winters ago, I had asked your Dadi out at this same place. We sat right here on this wooden bench and had orange ice-candy, it was her favourite! She loved having ice-candies during winters. That evening I wore my courage and my best shirt like a 70's romantic hero and asked her out."
"Woah! Dadu, really? And what was Dadi's reaction like?"
"She said, yes of course and suggested that we sat here and have a second round of ice-candies," blushed Dadu. "Oh, how I miss her."
"You see this -
*True love and Ice-candies FOREVER*
"Your Dadi carved it out that evening," Dadu warmly touched that faint carving on the wooden bench.
A week later, Abeer took Aditi for a stroll up the hilltop. They sat on that old bench to catch their breaths and quietly watched the sunset.
"I wanted to talk about something," he said hesitantly and broke the silence.
"Yeah?"
"Umm, I don't know how to say this and-
I don't mean to offend you or us as friends-
I am sure we can discuss over again-"
"I like you too, Abeer," she muttered as he was fumbling to find the right words.
"Yes, I like you, wait a minute- What?"
He laughed out loud and hugged her.
"I like you, Aditi, I love you, I think!"
Aditi held his hands and said, "I was just waiting for you to make a move because I was too scared!" Both chuckled, held hands and watched the sun scatter its many shades in the sky.
His arms were wrapped around her, and she was resting her head on his shoulders. In the shadows, her face was so close to his face that he could smell the fragrance of her water lilies scented cologne. She drew him closer with her eyes, he inclined his face towards her and lay his mouth on her lips. Her lips tasted like a freshly split-open fig. They sheepishly kissed and smiled at each other.
Before leaving, he showed her Dadi's carving on that bench and told her Dadu's story. Aditi picked up a chisel and scribbled something right there,
*BFF's, True love and Ice-candies FOREVER*
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