Token of Love

The phone beeped, the screen flashed her name.

JIA: PLEASE STOP ASKING ME THE SAME QUESTION OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT’S EXTREMELY ANNOYING.

Aarav looked at it as tear streamed down his cheeks. He’d already cried gallons since the morning. He wanted her to show him that last bit of pity, he wanted her to turn into that cute girl again who he had fallen head over heels in love with, he wanted one last chance one last time. It wasn’t like they never broke up before, they did like 17 millions time but that’s how Jia got Aarav back on track, it was her weapon to fill sanity in him. But this time it was over. No last chance, no patch ups, no next times. She was rock stern. And the break up she kept, even when it tore her in to pieces. She had her own family issues and this silly fights with Aarav just added up to it. She could take it no more. Similarly work pressure built frustration with Aarav and these fights did not justice to him. Aarav put endless efforts but no success she was hell bent this time, she couldn’t and did not take it. The beautiful couple was no longer together, that couple which people looked up to and even envied sometimes had fallen apart.

He replied.

AARAV: OK. SORRY.

Clicked the send and directly went to his phone gallery- DCIM>PHOTOLOCKER>UNHIDE>PASSWORD>(JA/AJ)>LOVE>*1224 pictures unlocked*

He went through all of them again almost 10th time today itself. Loads of selfies, loads of memories, poses, smiles, faces, kisses, hugs and token of love, the auto play has stopped at the last picture in the folder, both their hands holding the key chain, their own parts of the key chain. He recollected how Jia warned him this was the last key chain she bought as silly Aarav already lost couple of them.

He recollected the day. It was their 3rd month anniversary; Jia got him this key chain cutest of all the previous ones a little girl and a little boy holding two pieces of heart and together those pieces made one whole. The corners of his lips turned into a smile as he memorized her innocent angry face while she said, “don’t you loose this one!” And with a smirk he replied, “good I lost those two else we wouldn’t get this one”, while she snapped back, “Aarav this is the last one if you loose this doll(key chain) you will loose me” and Aarav promised her he wouldn’t loose it ever(and her too). He kissed her to soften the intensely heated conversation. As their kiss broke she looked up into his eyes and said “This doll my dear boyfriend keep an eye on you whenever you miss me”. “You mean to say you are a doll?” Aarav ticked back to tease her as she slightly punched his shoulder pretending to be angry. Jia loved Aarav in unconditional ways, she loved his humor, his serenity, his immaturity and everything. Aarav she believed was perfect. And here he was smiling teary eyed, broken. He wanted her back, he wanted to be happy again and indeed make some memories now which he never realized he made unknowingly.

He walked to his room and got little Jia out of the shelf, that key chain lay there smiling at him. It’d been one and a half year that this key chain meant everything to him, he’d smiled, laughed, complained, fought and teased the key chain whenever Jia wasn’t around. He treated the key chain like it was the living miniature of Jia. They had beautiful times together, they made promises together. He himself promised JIa that their relation would never end while they shared the first kiss of their life, he promised her he would handle all the hurdles that came their way. He cursed himself to break this promise, he broke out in tears and held Jia close to him as he kissed her and whispered “I M SORRY”.

*Sobs*

- Sarthak Naik & Siddhi Waingankar