Feelings bloomed

Two distinct souls were searching through the crowd for that one touch. When everyone left, all they could find on the campus were themselves. Looking at each other, they felt a fire lit up their souls, and their inquisitiveness of knowing each other the more they can. Vicky turned around leaving that place. Jade took the antithesis side and left slowly limping. Everyone's energy levels were being depleted by the sun, which was blazing as hot as it could. When a car arrived at the university to pick up Vicky, he declined to get in it that day, wondering whether he could find her somewhere else. The driver didn't say a word and quietly departed. He was walking assessing every side of his way in search of her but couldn't find her anywhere. Jade and Vicky both were in opposite directions. Jade has a car and could ride in it if he wanted to, but he has always preferred to lead a modest life. He was walking along just like Vicky, but rather more slowly due to his stumbling gait.

"Hello, wait a minute!", a voice came from behind, both Vicky and Jade turned around.

It was Rieka for Jade and Verona for Vicky. The same people cannot happen to them because their paths are different. With a hope that it was Rieka, Vicky turned around and it was not her but someone with whom he was familiar. When Verona got nearer to him, he recognized her asking, "That girl who kept gazing at me today is you. Am I correct?"

Verona chuckled with a blush saying, "I wasn't staring at you the whole day."

"Not the whole day, but you were.", says Vicky resuming his walk.

The moment Jade saw Rieka, he took a deep breath filled with a kind of relaxation and he couldn't know the reason behind it. "Can you walk, I mean limping like this?", asks Rieka looking straight into his eyes.

"Yea-Yeah! I can, thanks.", says Jade with a warm smile.

All the four were on their path walking forward. One with the thoughts of one, one by enjoying one's presence, one by not knowing that it's the one, and one just walking with one.

"Umm… I don't think walking silently will work upon anything. Well, I'm Verona Evans, and nice to meet you.", says Verona passing her hand to Vicky.

Vicky didn't even take out hands from his pockets and was just walking looking straight.

Verona took back her hand saying, "I don't think your mind is here.", by raising her eyebrows.

"Not bad.", says Vicky glancing at her.

"We are in the same class, have you noticed me?", asks Rieka playing footstone.

"Of course, I noticed you. My bench mate keeps staring at you.", says Jade with a smirk still limping.

"Never mind, maybe because he got hit by me on the campus.", says Rieka kicking that stone.

At a point, Jade couldn't make a move out of sudden pain and was about to fall but Rieka immediately holds him in her hands. She held his shoulder with one hand and his palm with another. Jade suddenly experienced light in his eyes, a flicker in his breathing, an increase in pulse rate, and a brief pause in his blinking.

"Don't worry, I will remain by your side till I am at my destination.", says Rieka making him stand simpering.

"For what, did you just say 'Not bad?", asks Verona with a confused face.

"You said your name a while ago, didn't you?", says Vicky finally looking at her.

"Oh!", says Verona making a befuddled face.

When a jeep emerged from the street next to them, Verona pulled him toward her after hearing the sound of the horn. Vicky gave her a cold look saying, "Okay, so this is an excuse to get closer to me, right?"

"What do you mean by an Excuse, huh? I can't see you hurt and that is why I pulled you.", says Verona holding a gloomy face.

"Who are you to care about me? These few minutes of walking together won't get you into my life.", says Vicky and move away from there walking faster.

"You are the one who helped me stand in the class too?", asks Jade with a face filled with happiness.

"Yeah, you fell in that crowd and I noticed you weren't able to move, so I gave you a hand to stand.", says Rieka taking off her hands.

"Not only today, twelve years ago too.", says Jade with a warmth of curiosity.

"Ahm… Be careful and walk to your place. My home Is here. See you!", says Rieka leaving there.

Jade stood watching Rieka with joy, while Verona stood watching Vicky through despair. Both were traveling down different roads and were experiencing ambivalent feelings at the same moment.

The sun got set and the sky got chilled. Vicky appeared on the basketball court with the ball in his hands. Players began the game, and Vicky was well aware that Jade wouldn't be there because he caused his injury. After finishing the opening round, he turned to glance around and saw Verona seated in the audience chairs and staring at him like that again. Verona tried to pretend as if she wasn't gazing at him. Vicky, though, became aware of it. Making a stern face, he approached her. He made Verona nervous, and she began to scout around.

"What's your problem? Why are you following me?", says Vicky with an annoyed face.

"Don't yell at me, please. You may never notice me ever but I'm a regular audience here. I often come here…", says Verona looking down.

"For?", says Vicky interrupting her.

"Now if I say the truth, you'll again yell at me.", says Verona lowering her voice.

"Whatever, say the truth.", says Vicky with a dark voice.

"Umm… Well, actually…"

"Don't lag it. I hate this kind of thing.", says Vicky shouting at her.

"For you!", says Verona with her eyes closed.

"Vicky! Come for the next round.", players were shouting from the ground.

Vicky gestured for them to continue. A complete silence took place for some time. He sat next to her bouncing the ball on the floor. She finally dared to speak up.

"When I first started feeling this way about you, it was more like a crush, but as the days and months went by, it turned into love. And as time went on, that love grew stronger. I worked extremely hard to secure a place in the university for the first time in my life just for you, and happily, I was successful. I'm still waiting for you with the dream that one day my one-sided love will blossom into a love I can treasure forever."

Listening to all these, Vicky simply gave her a reply, "I already have feelings for someone else.", and went away.

Verona couldn't hold her tears after hearing him saying that.

-To be continued