(2:30 a.m.)

We spend our whole life making memories. Some are good memories and some are bad. It depends on us what we learn from those times, what we take in and what we leave out. Every memorable time is imprinted on our brains.

I feel like a lovesick teen sitting with a photograph, watching the red wind chime dancing in the wind and listening to Ed Sheeran singing.

I am not a lovesick teen but I'm a very stupid woman.

How can I ask him that without thinking? I know what his answer is, it's a clear and short 'NO'. Infact, it was written in his face. How can I be so stupid?

My phone rang for three times now and I didn't bother to see the callers name. Who will call me at this time? No one important. Maybe they are all prank calls.

The doorbell rang.

Who the hell is it? Who will come at this hour? Burglar??

A burglar won't ring your doorbell, Ashna. My subconscious snapped at me.

Right, so I've to go and open the door. For once I can be brave enough to face the goddamn person at the door at this hour. Yeah, I can do this.

I got up and headed downstairs to the living room. If the ringing stops then I'm going back to my room and sleeping.

Eventually, the doorbell stopped ringing. I turned back to head to my room. As I took three steps up the stairs, the doorbell rang again.

Ugh!

I rushed to the door and looked through the peephole, I could see the back of a person. Why is he not facing the door?

Before opening the door I spoke in the intercom. "Who is this?"

"Umm... it's me. I need to talk." He said, turning around to face the closed door so that i could see his face. Whoever he is, that is.

It's Roy.

My heart started beating wildly in my chest. All sorts of possibilities started running through my head. Why is he here at this time? Is something wrong? Or maybe he came to give the answer to my question.

Though I know what his answer will be but I still want to hear it coming from his mouth. I know it will hurt me but still I want to hear it. I sound like a crazy woman. But I want to confirm or maybe I want to... no, just hope that he will say yes.

"Ashna please open the door."

"Oh, yeah." I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost forgot that he is standing outside.

I opened the door and let him in. His hair was messy and shirt was crinkled. He was wearing the same clothes from evening.

"Are you okay?" Was the first question that came out from my mouth.

"Yeah... I came here to... " he rubbed his neck. "To talk."

"Okay..." he headed inside and walked straight up the stairs. If this was someone else then I would have told him to stay put because this is my house but this is Roy and I feel happy that he thinks that this is his place to walk in so freely.

"Go inside my room and I'll get you coffee." Wow! This is something new about me. I just said Roy to go to my room and no one enters my room except Avery.

"Your room?" He looks bewildered.

"Yeah. The one that's written hope." I smile and tell him.

I head to my kitchen to make coffee.

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The door opens to a small passage way. It was a sparkling mess. I felt like I've entered galaxy and I'm surrounded with numerous uncountable stars.

The small broken pieces of glass were molded in with a thread and hanged as curtains. It looks... splendid. The passageway was lit with small blue butterflies in the white walls.

The room was dark but light was coming out of the balcony, I suppose. The beer bottles which were turned into lanterns were placed in front of an ancient styled mirror which was on the floor. The reflection of light from the mirror illuminated the room in a dim yellow glow.

I have never seen something so mesmerizing. This is like walking into a very different universe.

I wish the lights were on so that I can see the beauty of the whole room.

"Roy?" Ashna came in with coffee. I must be looking like a lost puppy.

"Where should I go?"

She chuckled. "Go to the balcony." I walked and she followed behind.

The balcony was turned in a library and surrounded with glass. All the furnitures were made of expensive maple wood. Everything about this room is extravagant.

I sat opposite to her in the sofa and started thinking why did I come here at this time? I got to see... this. I looked around her room.

"It's like a maze." I mutter, still thinking about the entrance to this dreamland--her room.

"What?"

"Your room."

She smiled. "It's dark."

"No, I entered and I was lost. I didn't even get the switch board to switch on the lights."

"There are no tube lights here in my room. There are only these small blue and green lights in the walls and the lanterns which are hand made." She says proudly.

"You made them?" I asked.

"Yes, when I was in high-school, I loved making use of waste beer bottles." She chuckles.

"They are lovely." I compliment.

"Thanks." She smiles.

My eyes rake through the bookshelfs on the walls. The shelfs were ceiling to floor length.

Wuthering Heights, Emma, Pride and Prejudice.... so on and so forth.

These were under the classics, then there were historical classics, historical thrillers- The Witches Hammer, and so many others. I saw modern literature, indian literature- by Rabindranath Tagore, Durjoy Dutta, Sukumar Ray.... and so many others. God, how much she reads?

"Are you lost again?" Ashu speaks.

"Yeah..."

I looked around as Ashu opened one of the glass windows. The cool breeze hit my face and a beautiful tinkling sound, sounded.

I followed the sound and looked up to the ceiling, it was the wind chime....

is for you." I rubbed the back of my neck. I have never given a gift to a girl, why am I giving it to her? Oh! It's her birthday.

Ashu claps her hands in delight, her brown hair falls on her face and her pitch black eyes sparkle. "Thank you, Roy. What's it, by the way?" She asked.

I roll my eyes at her. Why am I making so much efforts for her, anyway? "Open it and see for youself." I said.

I'm confused. Why am I giving her gifts? Why do I feel happy when I see her smile? She is just a girl. Fuck! I need a cigarette.

"Happy Birthday." I wish her and walk to the bathroom to smoke.

Before I could open the door to get in she squeals with joy. "This is beautiful. I love this!" Her smile can light up the whole damn city.

In that moment, her smile made me forget about smoking and all the confusion I was having.

"You still have that wind chime?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes. It is a speacial gift and I happen to love the person who gave it to me and the little red elephant on it as well." She smiles. She never hides her feelings for me.

Her pitch black eyes and her brown wavy hair, her smile can light up the whole universe. Everything makes sense now, I love her. I loved her then as well but I don't was afraid to admit it to myself.

"What else do you have that reminds you of that person you loved?" I ask her in her own twisting way. Her eyes meet mine and she smiles.

"I have this." She opens an old copy of Sense and Sensibility and takes out a photograph.

don't like taking pictures." I whine.

"Only one, please." Ashu pouts, she looks adorable but I'm not falling for her tricks.

"No."

"Please?"

"No, Ashu."

"Only one."

"Don't force me, Ashu." I say firmly.

"I didn't even start forcing you." She huffs.

In a second of time I don't know what happened but Ashu was on my back and the camera flashed and there... she took the photo.

"Happy?" I ask, failing to keep an irritated face.

"Very." She giggled.

"That was very mean of you." I accuse her playfully.

"It wasn't my fault. You were being stubborn." She says.

"Yeah, sure." I roll my eyes.

She shakes her head and laughs. "I'm glad I forced you to take the pictures that day."

I chuckled at the thought.

I sipped my coffee and stared at her pitch black eyes and smile as the memory crosses my mind of our first day we met in the fair.

Ashu, how are you?" Jacob, a guy from my class asked as the two girls approached us in the pickle shop. I was stuffing candies in my pockets which were there for kids in the pickle shop.

I haven't seen this girl before or maybe I have seen but do not remember. Well, Jacob knew her that means she is one of the toppers of our school because Jacob knew them all he was one of them... toppers.

This girl whom he called Ashu had a soft smile and long brown wavy hair and ..... those eyes.

I was captivated by her eyes. They were unique and very.... different.

"You have beautiful eyes." Before my mind could think, my mouth blurts out stuffs.

My friends gasped. Did I just compliment her? No flirting, no winking? Pure, genuine compliment.

The girl looked surprised. "No. They are black like coal." She crinkles her nose in a bad way.

"They sparkle like diamonds." I say again without processing my words. My mind and mouth are not synchronizing today.

"Um.... thanks." She blushes. Looks like this pretty girl doesn't get to hear much compliments.

"This is Roy." Jacob introduces me to Ashu. I smile.

"Ashu." She said.

"What are you thinking again?" Ashna asked, I snapped from my dream.

"You." I blurt.

"What?"

"Just old times." I say and smile at her. She returns her beautiful smile. She looks so adorable and cute while smiling. She looks like a child when she giggles, her laugh is contagious.

When she didn't say anything and sipped her coffee, I said, "I love your eyes very much." She looked at me and giggled. I love the sound.

"Remember the first day we met?"

"Yes." I smiled. "I was just thinking about that evening at the fair."

"You were the first person to compliment my eyes. No one liked my eyes not even myself. But that evening I started thinking in a different perspective." She smiled to herself. "I sound so phylosophical."

"I though so, because you looked surprised."

"Yeah."

After about two minutes of silence, she looked at me and asked, "why did you come here at this hour?"

"Um... I... I don't know?" Why did I come here? I ask myself.

"Okay?" She looked unsure of something.

"I'm leaving." I get up hastily and start walking.

"Roy, you can stay the night. You can sleep in the room beside mine." Her cheeks flush red. "I mean, it will be comfortable for you. You can wake me up if you need anything."

I smile. "Okay."

I keep my thoughts to myself.

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Question- can someone make me a book cover for this story with an indian bride as the background??? Please???

Random question- you favorite food??? Mine is mom-cooked food. :)

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** Sorry for the late update. :(

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