My hands trembled as I typed the message on my phone. I was really disappointed in myself. I couldn't even send a simple 'Hi' to Uttkarsh. We never had a proper conversation when we were in college, our worlds totally different - but that didn't stop me from having a secret crush on him.

I tried again to text him but stopped as I still felt awkward.

How am I supposed to get married if I can't even chat with a guy?

My parents were rushing me to get married because according to them, I was getting old and would not find a good groom if I crossed the threshold limit for girls to get married. Well, I was twenty seven, so I understood their concern.

That's why I said yes for them to start finding guys from me, and I even talked on phone with one of the guys they had selected, but now there was a huge problem. A problem which had human form: Uttkarsh.

Why did he have to come in my life at such a crucial time? He always has bad timing. First, he left to study abroad on the day I was going to confess my feelings and now he has returned when I am planning to get settled.

But why am I blaming him? Shouldn't I have already moved on and forgotten about him? He could be with someone else for all I know.

My heart clenched when I imagined him with some other girl. I couldn't believe I was feeling jealous all of a sudden. Damn myself.

I quickly typed a 'Hi' and pressed the send button. I lied down on my bed, put the phone on the side table and switched off the lights. I tried sleeping but my eyes opened up on their own. I picked up the phone again and checked if he had replied or not. He hadn't.

I sulked and kept staring at the screen, not wanting to miss his message. My eyes were literally glued to the mobile screen, and I kept tapping it whenever I felt it getting in sleep mode.

After half an hour, I got tired and shut off my cell phone. I pouted and covered myself with a blanket. I finally fell asleep after tossing and turning several times as my mind builded dreams which I had already forgotten about several years ago.

The first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was to check my phone. A huge smile crept up my lips when I saw two messages from him. First one was a simple 'Hello' but when I read the second message, I couldn't believe my eyes.

He had asked me to meet him in Hotel D'Luna at 8:30 p.m. I read his message multiple times and fist pumped.

Date secured!

I was in such a happy mood that someone would think that I had won a lottery. I didn't want to spoil my merry mood, but there was a small doubt which was nagging me since yesterday.

I was happy that he had asked to meet me but what if he told me that he was engaged or married? What if he turned out to be a committed man?

I decided to tone down my happiness and focused on the day ahead. I decided to clear all of my doubts once I met him.

I knew I had a huge crush on him which only got intensified because of his return, but I was a grown up now.

I will deal with this situation properly and will not act heartbroken if he is not interested in me. We were acquaintances in college and maybe we could be friends. Who knows?

With this thought in mind, I did my work without giving my employers any chance to complain and got back home to get ready for the date.

It is not a date, Sadhna.

I took a hot shower, cleaned myself and applied body lotion. I had chosen a simple purple hollow neck A-line dress. The hem reached just above my knees and the dress fit me like a glove. I just loved this dress.

I did my makeup, let my black hair loose and wore black heels. After applying my favourite perfume, I gave myself a once over and left the house.

I hailed a cab and reached my destination after half an hour of riding. I got out of the cab and paid the driver. I messaged Uttkarsh that I had reached, and he instantly replied that he would be there in ten minutes. He had already made the reservation so I could go inside and get the table.

I smiled at the text and entered Hotel D'Luna. The interior was really nice, and I liked the ambience. One waiter directed me to the table Uttkarsh had reserved, and I thanked him. It was beside a window and offered a great view of the outside. I always liked the window seat.

"Hi! Sorry I got late when I was the one who asked you to come."

I turned my head after hearing Uttkarsh's voice. He was standing there awkwardly and looked embarrassed. I smiled at him and nodded my head. He took a seat in front of me and smiled back.

He looked so good in a simple black t-shirt with a jacket draped over it. He rubbed his hands on his grey jeans and then put them on the table.

He smirked when my eyes landed on his face. He caught me checking him out. I quickly masked my expressions and gave him a small smile.

"Are we just going to smile at each other, Sadhna?" he joked.

"You remember me?" I prodded.

"Of course. How could I forget you?" His eyes darted over my face, and I could feel the heat creeping up my neck.

"But first of all, I would like to tell you something," he added.

"What?"

"You look gorgeous."

My heart skipped a beat, and I squeaked out a 'thank you' in return. He laughed and told me to relax. He didn't want me to feel uncomfortable, but I was really surprised that he remembered me.

Fortunately, none of us mentioned our yesterday's meeting. It was really embarrassing.

We ordered dinner and caught up on each other's lives and what we did after college. Now that we had opened up to each other, I didn't feel so awkward around him. He was so humble.

Honestly, I was kind of jealous of him. He was my age and already so successful in his life, whereas I was still working for others. I sighed and he asked me what was wrong. I brushed it off and told him to continue telling me about his adventures.

All this time my inner voice nagged me to ask him about his relationship status, but I shut it off. It would be too soon to do that and would create a bad impression.

We completed dinner, and he offered to drop me home. I refused, but he insisted and I accepted his offer. The car ride was okay, and we exchanged a few random words. Actually, he was the one doing all the talking; I was just admiring him.

How could someone be so beautiful?

The car came to a halt and so did my thoughts. I shook my head and got out of the car after thanking him. Just as I closed the passenger door, he got out from the driver's side and came to stand beside me.

"Can we take a walk before you go inside?" he asked and shifted on his feet.

Why was he acting so cute? My heart would jump out of my chest at this rate.

I nodded my head, and he smiled like a kid. I told him that there was a park nearby and we could go there. He got excited, and I remembered that he always liked parks.

We walked in silence and got on swings once we entered the park. It was really late in the night, so no one was here except a few stray dogs who were enjoying themselves.

As we swung slowly, we started recounting our college days. I teased him that he was really popular, and he shrugged it off like nothing. I guessed he was used to all of it. He told me that I was a loner, and I glared at him.

He chuckled at my reaction, and I also laughed with him. He said that he didn't want to leave so suddenly but he had no choice. His father was ill, and being the only son, he had to take over the business or else they would have suffered a huge loss.

I nodded in understanding but didn't say anything. At least I got to know why he left. He was such a responsible guy. He had always been.

It was time to fire the shot.

"I had a crush on you," I confessed, and he stopped whatever he was saying.

His expression was priceless; he looked so baffled. He stopped swinging and stared at me like I had grown two heads.

Did he get offended that I liked him?

"You are lying! That's not possible," he yelled.

"Why is that not possible? Do you really hate it that much that I liked you?" I asked.

"You are joking. I am the one who had a crush on you," he confessed.

That hit me like a truck. He had a crush on me?!

"You are pulling my leg, aren't you?" I accused and crossed my arms across my chest.

"Of course not!" he replied.

"Okay, fine," I grumbled but my cheeks heated up.

We didn't say anything and just kept stealing glances at each other.

What the hell were we doing?

"So... are you dating someone right now?" I broke the silence and mentally patted myself on the back.

Now that I had the chance, I would ask him everything on my mind. I would not act nervous and shy just like I was in the past.

"Not anyone as of now, but I dated a girl when I was in Chicago. Also, I was in a live-in relationship with a girl for a year," he replied and assessed my face for the reaction.

I was really surprised. He was always known to get along with everyone in college and never had a girlfriend. But to know that he lived with someone for a year meant that he was really serious about that girl.

"That's really amazing," I managed to speak out and avoided his curious stare. I felt a knot in my heart which kept on tightening, and I didn't know what to do about it.

I thought it would go away once I had told him about my feelings from six years ago but it seemed to tighten its hold more.

"What about you?" he asked, and I twiddled my thumbs.

"Ummm... I liked this guy in my first company for a short time, and he was in IT, but he quit his job and left for Japan. There were a few guys who showed interest in me but it was never anything serious," I said and felt embarrassed.

"Oh, it's okay. You don't have to feel embarrassed."

I smiled when he said that, and I thanked him for understanding.

"Do you have anyone serious right now in your life?" Uttkarsh asked slowly.

"Well, I am seeing this guy currently. Actually, my parents arranged it, and if we hit it off, I might consider him for marriage too," I told him.

"Aren't you moving too fast?" His voice rose in the end, and I raised my eyebrows in question.

What was with the sudden outburst?

"Um, what I mean is that you should think carefully. It is the matter of your future," he cleared out, but I liked how he pouted while saying that.

I so wanted to squeeze his cheeks but controlled my hands. I gripped the metal chains on my side tightly and looked away from him. I could just stare at him and never get tired. I was wasted.

There was just a hand's distance between us, but I guessed, I wasn't the only one who was a little afraid to cross it.

Again, a blanket of silence surrounded us, and I checked the time. It was 12:30 a.m., and I told him that we should get going. He agreed and dropped me home. I decided to invite him over some other day and waved him goodbye.

He returned the gesture and drove off after getting inside his car. I also turned back towards my home. Today, I had a lot of fun and got to know a lot of things about Uttkarsh, and he got to know about me too.

I was really glad that we were friends now, but my stupid heart kept wishing for more.