Love@ Neha and Nirav
Ting. Neha’s heart flipped as she heard the sound of notification on Facebook. She had updated her profile picture and was waiting for a special person to like it. Almost all her friends liked her picture and commented on it.
With that notification sound, her heart did a small flip. Her thumb went to the notification tab. As she clicked the bell icon a subtle smile spread on her lips. Her cheeks turned pink, and her eyes twinkled.
Nirav had liked her profile picture.
Her thoughts wandered, and suddenly she was in Nirav's arms. He held her close. She could see the love in his eyes that she was missing all these years. Was a kiss about to happen? How dumb, she thought. How can a kiss happen without a face? Nirav had an avatar as his profile picture. A funny face, she had thought, but a cute one.
Nirav Mahajan was her childhood crush. They had studied together. He had left then for college. Staying in touch was difficult during those days without phones and social media. She had heard that he had joined the army.
Getting Nirav to accept her Facebook friend request was a big task. It took almost twenty days. Love is like that, she thought. I could have waited my whole life for it. She said to Juhi, her best friend and colleague.
She couldn't wait to meet him in person. She would have to wait for that to happen. It was clear from his account that Nirav was not a social person. No pictures were showing his vacations, festivals or even family.
Likes, chats, and hearts were dropped on each other's posts. Her love for Nirav was not just a childhood crush anymore but a reality now. She would wait hours to see him online on Facebook.
It was usually she who initiated the chats. Nirav would reply, but he took his own sweet time. They would usually chat about their school memories.
“What is the status of the customer accounts report, Neha?”
Neha was suddenly back to reality. Her manager was at her desk and asking for reports. Neha returned to work, but not before dropping a heart on the like Nirav had given on her picture. She had asked him to meet. She even invited him to a party that was not even planned.
It was almost time for her to leave when a customer was escorted to her desk in a wheelchair. She stood up and saw the handsome man in front of her sitting in the wheelchair.
He thrust his hand out for a handshake and said, “Hello, I am Nirav Mahajan, and I am here to close my account with the bank”.
It was her Nirav, in a wheelchair. Neha was shaken to see him. She understood the reason for his reluctance to be friendly with her.
“Sorry, Mr. Mahajan. You are an esteemed customer. We cannot let you go. Even from my life Nirav. Ever again.”