Tsumeru the Great was hosting a party to celebrate the car he just got from his parents and Nuven had been invited. The party was fun as expected and he sat alone with his bottle of Maltina. He tried to distract himself by trying to recall the lectures he had attended earlier in the day but he failed. His inability to get a girlfriend was increasingly worrisome and he forced himself to be optimistic.
He reveled in his singlehood. There was no emotional brouhaha, cash that would have been spent on dinners and recharge cards were shifted to more profitable ventures like Gala and Viju Milk. Life was fun. Life was great. He felt a movement beside him and thatâs when he saw her.
Has anyone taken the seat beside you, she asked.
For some weird reason he couldnât respond. After seconds of his silence, she smiled and sat down anyway. Her presence was oppressing and the air was suddenly stifling.
Nuven had never loved the publicâs perception of a beautiful girl before. Life was all about setting realistic goals and he was definitely not going to compete against anyone for anyone. He didnât fool himself, he never did. He had zero experience as far as relationships were concerned and so he loved average. Renishii was average, Kaska was average.
Hi, she said.
His attempt to speak was futile. He saw no need to alter his programming.
His slogan the past year had been âSingle is good, Single is Profitableâ.
He must have looked real stupid. His courage suddenly returned from its sojourn and he spoke.
âI do not want to talk to you, he said. In the not too distant future I will fall in love with you; I do not want to fall in love with you. It is futile and it is a waste of my time.
That was what he was meant to say but then is lips move on its own volition and his mouth uttered âHiâ.
And then she lapsed into silence. He didnât understand women at all. For some reason he was meant to continue a conversation she started. That was morally wrong.
After what happened with Renishii and Kaska; Nuven had placed himself in a bubble. The bubble was good, there was no hurt, there was less pain and he had promised himself that he would never leave it so he got up and left the party.
Problem was his mind at âlocked onâ
It is unknown how it happened but they became friends. Her name was Illia. She was different and was on a whole new level. She was everything. She had everything he ever wanted and he knew what he wanted. He believed he did.
Expressing his feelings had thus far failed and he was unwilling to experience the disappointment of a frontal assault. Taking a cue from classical romance, he wrote a letter detailing his feelings and with a goofy smile he gave it to her.
She opened it, read it and there was silence
Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and still no reply.
Nuven went on GOD mode. He dedicated her to the lord. He had to succeed.
That faithful Sunday after his fervent prayer at church he walked over to her residence.
I want to talk to you, he said.
Ok, she replied.
I care about you, he said. I really do. You are all I think about and I canât get my mind off you
I want there to be an US. US is great together, US can achieve a lot. I want to be more with you. I can be more with you. Ok, ok, I understand this is awkward and our conversation thus far has been formal but I want to know you more; I want to know you better.
You already know me better, she said.
I want to, I want toâĤ… he said.
I want to what, she replied. Nuven, I love you like a brother.
Time froze.
There are few insult laden sentences that surpassed âI love you like a brotherâ
How dare she? How dare she drag his feelings through that mud?
For the first time ever Proverbs 13:3 didnât work. What was he thinking anyway there was no way God was going to sanction fornication so the idea of getting his support was preposterous?
Guess Illia wasnât the one; guess she was not good enough
But the effort, the letter he racked his mind to write, the four day wait, and the four day worry. She moved to console him and as he sought to avoid her touch he tripped and fell. He quickly dragged himself up and muttered to himself.
Single is good, Single is profitable.