First love _ 2

‘I didn’t have anything to say,’ I said.

‘Such an attitude doesn’t work with a girl, man! I know they weren’t hot or anything, but

they weren’t very bad either. You should have talked to them!’ he said .

What he thought was attitude, was actually sheer inability. He had no idea how badly I

wanted to be like him. Centre of attention of all the girls, great conversational skills, the

stupid jokes, the works … I wanted all that. Desperately.

‘Anyway, I need to talk to you,’ he said and led me to the canteen. ‘You know about Sarah, don’t you?’

Sarah? Who didn’t? Sarah was the goddess of our batch and another claim to fame for Arnab. They had been dating since the last three years and everybody knew about them. Sarah’s short skirts, long never-ending legs and Arnab’s achievements were like daily news for us in school.

‘Yes. I do,’ I said, as my mind raced with images of Sarah in the short school skirt and the snugly fitting shirt. She was one of the first girls I had seen a tattoo on. On her left leg. She always made sure her socks were pulled down and her scorpion tattoo peeked out. Guys used to line up outside her class whenever she sat on the first seat, just to see her legs glisten in the sunlight that poured in through the windows; her body was one of the most talked about in hushed tones amongst boys and girls alike. Her hair was always in a studied mess, as if she had just woken up after a night of rough lovemaking. The slight brownish streaks in her hair only made her more desirable.

‘When we were in school, everything was fine … I mean it still is,’ Arnab said. ‘I still care about her, she is very sweet and nice and I can’t see her cry or anything, but I think I need to break up with her,’ he added in his guilt soaked voice. This was 2004, these things happened. Guys thought twice before breaking up.

‘Umm … why?’ I asked, puzzled.

‘You have had girlfriends, right?’ he said. ‘You know how it is. After a while, it just fizzles out.

The excitement is just not there anymore’

‘Yes,’ I said.

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I lied. I didn’t want to tell him that I was yet

to have a proper conversation with a girl. Plus, now that I had stopped dressing up in trousers with sports shoes or brown open-toed sandals, it was almost believable that I might have had a girlfriend in school.

‘I am just bored. Plus there is so much to see here. I mean the girls here. They are cute,

and I am getting all their attention, I can’t lose out on that. And Sarah has a problem when I

hang out with them, it’s very stifling and restricting. And of late, she has been so possessive. All she says is that ever since we have left school, all I think about is college, and it’s so irritating,’ he said.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***