Small Story 367

Small Story 367 "One-Week Crush in the Metro" Akash was disappointed—yet again. For the past one week, his angel had boarded the metro from Vajrahalli station at the same time every morning. But today, she was nowhere to be seen. He missed her. She was a beautiful woman, likely in her mid-twenties—probably working at a bank or a private firm. She always stood near him. On the first day, Akash offered her his seat. She initially refused, but later, as the metro got crowded, she accepted. They both got down at Jayanagar station, and as she left, she smiled warmly at him. "Today was too crowded. Thank you for offering your seat. I’m Anupama. I work at a newly started private investigation firm," she said with a quick smile before walking away. From that day on, they met every morning—four days in a row. But for the past two days, she hadn’t shown up. Akash’s mind was in chaos. He kept scolding himself for not asking for her number when he had the chance. That day, he dragged himself through his routine, filled with a strange ache in his chest. He spent the evening lost in thoughts, remembering scenes from old Bollywood and Kannada movies, imagining himself as the hero and Anupama as his heroine. Akash had never experienced a crush—until now. And in just one week, it had turned into something deeper. Later that evening, while he was walking to the departmental store near his apartment, he suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Hi Akash! How are you?" Anupama stood before him, smiling. He was stunned for a moment, then managed to reply, "Where were you the past two days?" "My parents had arranged a match for me," she said casually. "A boy came to see me yesterday." Akash’s heart sank. He forced a smile and whispered, “Oh… good news…” Anupama chuckled. “But I told my mom I’m not interested. I’ve already chosen someone else.” That shocked Akash even more. “Really?” he asked, trying to sound normal. She continued, “My mom was speechless when I told her I already liked someone. She asked, ‘Since when do you know him?’ And when I said, ‘Just a week ago…’—she didn’t know what to say.” Akash’s heart raced. “So… who’s the lucky guy?” he asked, cautiously. Anupama, with a shy smile, looked down and said softly, “You, Akash…” He couldn’t believe it. In just one week, what started as a simple metro seat-sharing moment had blossomed into something real. Something beautiful. A one-week crush had turned into true love. K.Ragavan 13-9-25