He was walking towards his parked motorcycle when he saw her hurrying towards what seemed like a sparkling new red Kinetic Honda. It was almost like she could not wait to get on it. He smiled as she hurried past him towards the vehicle as if her life depended on it. She seemed to have suddenly gotten concious of her surroundings and looked over her shoulder to make sure that no one had seen her rapid strides. Like a child that cannot wait to gets its hand on some candy. She caught him looking at him. His indulgent smile was still there. She stopped as if she had seen a ghost. Just as suddenly her unsure expression was replaced by a surer one. One that said - why don't you mind your own business Mr? and he did. He slowly walked away from the scene, still quite unable to contain his amusement at the whole situation.

She was aghast. This young man seemed to have caught her at quite a vulnerable display of emotion on her part. Her father had just gifted her a brand new scooter and she was dreaming of riding it always. This had been her first day to college on it and all the time she could think of nothing but riding it back home. She had not lingered to finish some idle talk as she did with all her friends in tow. She had wanted to sprint from there. They had not let go the opportunity as they relentlessly teased her saying she was acting like a naya fakir. (new beggar. A saying in urdu that goes 'Naye Fakir ku bheek ki jaldi' ie A new beggar cannot wait to beg!). She had dodged them all and hurried towards the parking garage. No one or nothing registered in her path. Just as she was about to reach her prized posession she had felt a pair of eyes on her. She found a young man looking at her as if he was amused by the whole scenario. She felt like a deer caught in the headlights but had quickly recovered. She gave him such a look that the poor fellow just went on his way. But did not look like he could do much about laughing about her.

She pictured him laughing at her all the way back home and the thought was enough to send her into a fit. She vowed never to display such a silly emotion so openly.

The next day he saw her, she was walking casually towards the scooter. A bit more than casual, he thought to himself but could not let a smile show. He did not want to get caught in the way of her intense stare that threatened to burn his soul up!

She hoped she was walking sufficiently slow for him to realize that she was not head over heels in love with her kinetic. She had kind of hoped that she might not catch him there, but he was right there as if he had been waiting for her. She cursed him under her breath as she reached her vehicle. She thought the Automatic Starter was the best thing ever invented because she somehow did not want to kick start a scooter in his presence. She still had nightmares about her old Luna that would sometimes require almost 50 kicks before it let out a splutter.

She drove away as he watched. He knew there was something stirring in his heart. There was a change in him. A change so subtle that he did not even notice it till that moment. But after watching her leave the change hit him with a force. He had lingered in the parking lot for a while. He had made up excuses for himself - the tire does not look quite right, let me clean this part and had gone on to clean the entire bike. He knew he was getting late for that meeting with his buddies but he had still lingered. When he spotted her slow,deliberate stride a feeling he had never known took hold of him. It was almost like a flower blooming, except that it was his heart that seemed to be doing it. An exhiliration in his chest that seemed to suggest the same. He had caught the expression in her eyes which seemed to suggest - what are you STILL doing here Mr? He laughed as he recollected her expression. She would not have minded killing him then and there!

Will he there again? She asked herself as she made her way to the parking garage. I hope not, she thought as she made a face. But much against her own will her eyes seemed to be looking out for him. What was happening to her? Why had she not been able to wipe away the man from her thoughts. Why did she have to fret and fume so much over a stranger that she had never laid her eyes on before that day? What did it matter what he thought of her. So what if he thought she was child like? But somehow the thought was unpleasant to her. She somehow wanted him to think the best thoughts about her and not think that she was an immature little kid who could not control her emotions. She had never found herself giving this sort of importance to anyone in her life. True, she was very sensitive to what people thought about her, but here she was displaying the sensitivity of a touch-me-not. The sensation that went through her as she imagined him watching her receding back was exhilirating. She did not know that your heart could beat so hard that you could hear it ringing in your ears just by walking past someone.

Am I in love? He asked himself. The question sounded ridiculous to him. How could he be asking himself that question. It was not like he was an immature young man. He was the lecturer in the college and here he was behaving like he was a part of his student clan. So what if he was only a part-timer and had been in college just a couple of years ago. He had to behave more maturely. He had to leave before she came. He could not be behaving so childishly. He got on his bike to leave.

What was this? He was already on his bike and looked like he was leaving. Just when her mind was conjuring up all sorts of fantastic images of him being interested in her, it looked like everything was just that - an image. She sighed. So much for all the day dreams I have been having.

He could not leave. He thought he wanted to but his soul wanted something else altogether. He sat and watched as she walked past him. Did she even recognize his existence. Hard to say. Except that one time when she had looked at him first statled and then with anger, he had never seen her gaze in his direction. He could be just one of those road-side romeos she'd have to contend with day to day. He sighed. He really had to leave now.

Her whole self was jumping with joy. It took an effort not to do a jig. Just when all her hopes were down that he was leaving without waiting for her, he had. He had waited even after he had started his bike. She could still hear its low whir. But had he really waited for her or was he just trying to heat up his bike considering that it had been uncharacteristically cold that day. She shivered a little as she puts her books in the trunk. She did not even know if he was looking at her as she was hoping with all her might. She had never dared look at him after the first encounter. She had caught a slight glimpse of him from the corner of her eye that did not give away the fact that she was looking at him.

Sigh! She had walked past without a glance. He had been seeing too many romantic movies, he concluded. He revved up the machine of the bike to leave.

she could not believe her ears. He was leaving before her. She had been right in thinking that everything that he had been attributing to him was a part of her imagination. She could not believe that her eyes were turning moist. Tears for a man who did not have a clue as to what was going on inside her. No wonder men made fun of women's tears. They seem to have that capability of springing up at the most inopportune of moments for the silliest of things.

He slowly made his way out of the parking lot. She took a sharp turn.

*Bam* The bikes collided. And the rest as they say is history!

Authors Note: Just wanted to write a simple love story. Close