# 2

Alok had been with Aneesha for a very long time now, and not entirely by choice. She was a family friend, his only friend, his neighbor, his classmate and now fate had landed them in the same college. He was thankful that she was not in his department which atleast gave him something to talk about.

Aneesha was bored after being with Alok for what seemed like eternity now. They had the same interests, same taste in food and music, and were not very, in general definition of the word, enthusiastic about anything in life.

On top of all this, they differed in opinion on trivial matters which became primitive cause of the frequent, and often loud, bickering and nagging. Aneesha was talkative and a good listener while Alok was neither. They had come to a point where they needed an excuse to break away from each other. But iron chains of history bound them together.

It was a cool evening after a very hot afternoon, a sort of climate which makes even bats cheerful. Alok visited Aneesha's room anticipating another qualm over his speechlessness and general lack of movement. He sat down on the bad while she pretended to be busy on her PC. She managed to avoid looking directly at him and he did the same for a long time. Finally her patience ran out.

"So, what's up?"

Alok sat still for a couple of seconds, thought hard and pulled his cargoes down. They enjoyed each other's company that night more than they had done in the past 12 years and later broke up, silently.