Love or Attraction?

Note: All characters in this story are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental :P - Chinmaya

For the first time, she was going to be out of her home. She was accompanied by her father to the college admission. In home, she was living a restricted life, never she was allowed to go out with friends for picnic, not for movies too. Always being alone in home, she was really longing for a free life. And once she joined the college, where she had to stay in the college hostel, she was happy thinking that she could live a life that she was longing for a long.

Her father left her and she started going to her hostel with a heavy smile. She was so happy that she rarely was able to see what was going on beside her. As she was passing through the cricket ground, she felt somebody had fallen on her and she too had fallen down. He was a great cricket player and while he was aiming the ball to have a super catch, he did not realize that he was bumping into her.

They both got up, totally forgotten by that time, just 1 minute past life that they were in. Their eyes met, their heartbeat started increasing, they could not understand what was going on. He almost forgot that he was playing cricket and the screams all over the ground brought him back to reality when he said "Sorry" to her and started to leave. When she came into reality, she found herself being too angry on him and she looked for something to be done as the revenge. A paint vessel caught her vision, she took that and threw on him. His shirt became filled with that paint! He shouted and in return she just told, "You are the first to do!, okie??"

Days went by, both were remembering the same incident every time, a kind of attraction started between them. Then college life started, both of them got lot of friends with whom they started sharing this incident. Their friends took this matter as a sure and crisp way of teasing and leg-pulling. Slowly, they made realized that they were in love with each other, but they were not ready to believe this. How could that be love? Was that just an attraction?

The million dollar question that both were having was "Is this Love or Attraction?"...

They started finding chances to meet alone, they talked a lot, they shared a lot. Once they asked the same question to each other, "What do you feel? Is it Love or Attraction?"

Boy: What is Love according to you? How is it different from Attraction?
Girl: Love is long-term and Attraction is short-term?
Boy: So simple?
Girl: Yes, when I am with you, you think of me and when I am not there with you, you don't think of me, so just attraction only. No Love.
Boy: How can you say that? I mean..., I may think of, I mean..., it can be love too.
Girl: Sure?
Boy: You tell me a way, where we can confirm our love over mere attraction?
Girl: OK, let us do one thing. In the 5 days holidays, when we both go to our homes, let us try to count how many times we missed each other. Okie ?
Boy: Sounds like a good idea. Ok, fine, See, I will win.
Girl: Lets see...

Both were gone for holidays... They were not living in the present, they were just living in the past. All past memories were flowing in their minds and they were counting all these moments.

They met again after the 5 days break.
Girl : So, how was the counting going?
Boy: Great! For you?
Girl: Great too. OK, now tell me, what is your count on first day?
Boy: You tell first...
Girl: You first
Boy: You.
Girl: OK, 4321
Boy: Only 4000!
Girl: So, yours ?
Boy: 5000
Girl: OK, second day?
Boy: Yours?
Girl: 6000
Boy: 7000
Girl: 8000
Boy: 9000....
Girl: OK OK stop now. I think, Love is confirmed!
Boy: Yes, Love is confirmed. What next?
Girl: What next!
Boy: Something should be special, right?
Girl: What special? OK. This Sunday, we girls are going for outing! Will bring Gift for you...
Boy: Sunday...! Gift...! Ha ha !
Girl: What happened ?
Boy: I will give special now only.
Girl: What?
He just went near to her ear and whispered "I Love You"... [:)]