One Stop Destination

       Inspired by Scarlet O Hara's statement "After all tomorrow is another day," I made coffee and took it next day morning after breakfast. I found Chow sitting in his room. I left the two cups there and returned back. My phone beeped.        "I do not need coffee any more. Stop bringing them. I am busy studying."        I felt really bad and hurt. I thought that maybe in my impulsiveness I had driven away a good friend. I replied.        "I am really sorry for what I messaged yesterday. I just spoke my heart out. I really don't want to lose a good friend."        "Leave me alone."        Like always, I sat and cried. I felt so foolish to have sent him a message without having weighed the pros and cons. After crying my heart out I decided then and there that I will try and avoid going out or hanging out with the group till normalcy returned.        Next day onward I started coming late for lunch and went f

       Exactly a month after our first cup of coffee, we were sipping our coffee in his room. His phone beeped.        "What is the matter? Everything ok at home?"        "Oh yes. Its just that we have an official party this evening."        "Oh, ok. Then I guess, its time for me to get going."        "I did not mean to tell you to go away. There is still time."        "But you have to get ready, right?"        "It is absolutely OK. Sit for some more time. Please."        After an hour I stood up to go; he escorted me till the door (A first again!!!).        " Bye. Enjoy your party."        "These are generally not very interesting. Still I will try."        I heard Athlete, Chow, Brat and him to be loudly calling each other. When the shouts stopped, I understood they had gone. I picked up the latest book I was reading - Margret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind

       The next day was too hectic for me in the office to even exchange messages. My phone too did not beep at regular intervals. When I came back from office I found almost everybody had reached. Seeing me, they all started moving for lunch.        "Shouldn't we wait for Mallu sir and Chow sir? I asked Athlete.        "Oh no, they have gone out on detachment. They will be back only after two days."        I quietly followed with mixed feelings. One part of me felt hurt as to why I was not informed of his going. The other part reasoned it out saying that I was nobody but a junior in his life. Hence, there was no need for him to have  told me.        I reached my room, changed and was about to settle for an afternoon siesta when my phone beeped. Message from Mallu.        "Hi, sorry I could not tell you before I left. It all happened in a hurry."        I cannot tell you how happy I was to have seen that message. I typed.  

       It was a week after the coffee break began that we all decided to go to a temple. The boys were desperate to bribe the gods for passing them in their upcoming exam. For the first time, Mallu signalled me to be his pillion rider. Though we had gone out before, I heard him sing for the first time.        "I did not know you could sing too."        "I am a bathroom singer too. An untrained one at that."        "You really sing well. Why didn't you sing on our earlier trips."        "I had not known you then. Why don't you join me? I am pretty bad when it comes to remembering the lyrics."        Together we sang some of the songs known to us. For the first time I didn't feel the need to clutch on to the side bar and holding it tightly as if my entire life depended on it. I felt relaxed, at ease and comfortable being with him.        By the time we reached back, my heart was almost on the verge of lea