Bargain: Ahaan

“But I love you!” he says, and I want to kill myself. ‘Ritika,’ he’d said when we’d finished the Rajgarh trek with our trek troupe. ‘Would you like to hang out at my place this Saturday noon?’ This is not what I thought he meant by hanging out at his place. Not just the words, but more importantly, the person for whom those words are uttered.
He is talking to his ex-girlfriend on the phone.
I look at the television screen as he goes on to speak at least fifty more words, and she replies with just two: I’m sorry.
I look at my watch. It’s been just 20 minutes, and I want to leave already. I don’t even want to play FIFA15 now. God!
“Just… just listen to me, Kaya,” he continues despite her hostility. “I know you’re angry at me, and you should be. And I know that you don’t want to see me anymore, or hear my voice on this very phone call, and rightly so. And I know that you want to keep me as far away from your life as possible. And I agree that you’re right from your point of view. I messed up, and I messed up pretty bad. I know I’m not everything for you, and there are a lot of things in your world other than me. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love you.”
Great! Now he isn’t just desperate, but pathetic too. I can’t believe that just a month ago, I thought this guy was cute. I’m so bored that I even count the number of words he speaks. And in spite of his 125 word long heartfelt soliloquy, she offers just two words again: ‘It’s over.’
Needless to mention, she hangs up. He looks at me, and offers me a smile. “I guess, you wanna leave, huh?” he says.
“Uh, no,” I say despite myself. I guess it’s partly coz he’s kinda my friend now, and it won’t be appropriate leaving him alone when he really needs a friend; and partly coz I’m madly in love with FIFA. I probably love playing FIFA more than my friends Sid and Parag do. And this guy has invited me to play FIFA with him on his PS4! What else do I need in life?
“So what now?” I ask him. “I guess she’s pretty much cleared everything.”
“This,” he says and takes a pen, and a sheet of paper and starts writing:
Dear Kaya,
I know you’re angry. But I know you still love me. You can take whatever time you need to forgive me. But please return to me. I promise I won’t be the same old clingy boyfriend anymore. I’ll give you your space, and I won’t stand between you and your priorities. I won’t be around always, but I’ll be there when you’ll need me.
Please come back to me. I promise I’ll change. I’ll be whatever you want me to be.
Always Yours,
Ahaan.