‘The loud sound of thunder and lightning forced me to look outside the window; grey clouds covered almost the entire sky, heavenly gates were about to be opened for the rain drops to depart towards earth. I got worried and turned my attention towards her – she was sitting as usual on the front bench deeply absorbed in the lecture, her face looking beautiful as ever, her beautiful eyes running all over the open text book kept in front. I kept looking at her till the closing bell rang and she started packing her books. I felt relieved the moment I saw her taking her raincoat out from the school bag.

I followed her to the main gate. My friend was constantly saying something to me which I couldn’t hear. How could I hear or see anything. I was transfixed by her presence near me. I saw her wiping few rain drops from her face, but when more followed, she just looked at the sky, smiled and kept her handkerchief in her bag like she had surrendered herself to the mercy of rain gods. Her wet face looked beautiful. With every passing moment my heart kept beating harder, I felt like my chest opening up and my heart jumping into her hands.

She took her cycle and started her journey towards home. It was already drizzling and suddenly the downpour began. I too followed and slowly started paddling by keeping a distance so that she won’t notice my presence. The rain got heavier and I could now recall that my friend was reminding me of having no raincoat and offering his own. It was a cold and windy afternoon; the rain was getting heavier with every passing minute resulting in low visibility. I was shivering with cold and it was really difficult for me to keep a track of her. I started paddling furiously till she came to my sight. A sigh of relief was the only expression which could have been seen on my face. The roads were calm but the deafening sound of thunder surpassed the sound of few automobiles moving on the road, what kept me going was just the feeling that she was safe and close to me. My spell broke as soon as I saw her opening the gate of her house. A smile just wiped away all the pain and difficulties I encountered, shivering, tired and almost without any visibility, I turned my cycle and started paddling towards my house.

You know, this has the case for the last three to four years. Every day I quietly followed her till she reached her house.’

‘But why?’ I asked him.

He smiled and replied like a man possessed not by the demons but by angels, ‘Her house was around 3–4 km from our school and I just wanted to make sure that she reached home safely’.

‘But...’ I tried to interrupt him but in vain as he was not listening. His feelings through words were pouring heavier than the rain.

‘I know she wasn’t aware and will never ever be. I knew there was no problem; she didn’t need any kind of security while travelling back home but I felt responsible for her. I did it for my satisfaction. Once I tried telling her about my feelings, but she told me that I am no more than a friend and her only focus now is to get into a medical college, she will surely think about me when the time will be right.
School got over, we were in college and for all those years known to me she never had any affair with anyone neither she succeeded in getting into the medical college, she was doing her BSc and I used to visit her college just hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Years passed, after graduation I moved to another city and got busy with my job and lost track of her, but she always remained in my heart. I kept searching for her, just to tell her how much I loved her and what she meant to me. It’s been 20 years and I never found her not even on Google or Facebook, but thunder and rain still bring me closer to my undying memories.’

I can’t decide if it was love or just a foolish act on his part. Can you?