Part I: The Incident. The End.

"I'm not happy with you, Kshitij. Is that not enough? I know it hurts, but at times you have to be selfish. And please be quick, I don't have much balance and I can't recharge now."

I had not seen this coming so soon, no. Alright, I was aware that things were not going right. But I had always thought that everything would be great again, all problems will be sorted out in a single day, and life will be great as ever between me and Ritz.

I didn't know how to react to that. Tears started flowing incessantly. My throat was choked. I wanted to say a thousand things but nothing came out.

"Please, Ritu, don't do this. It's just a small problem. All will be great as ever again. Please, I'll change. Give me one more chance, please! I beg of you."

The usual story, begging, crying, pleading for one more chance, promising to change.

"It's over, Kshitij. It's not working now. I can't give you so much of my time everyday, you're too demanding. Frankly, I'm sick of all these obligations of talking and calling. I don't think we're destined to be together, Kshitij. It's not due to only some reasons. Please try to understand. I'm not happy with you, is that not enough for a reason?"

Those are the times when you hardly have any power of reasoning left in you. Those typical "Why? why? why?" and "Why me?"s are what engulf your mind.

"Don't do this to me, Ritz, please. I love you so much, still. I'll be shattered to death. Things can always work out. You're just angry, Ritu. Just cool down a bit, okay? Please. You're not in your senses. You're not like my Ritu. Just think over all of it again, Ritz, don't take this harsh a decision just because you're angry or pissed. Okay baby?"

"I'm sorry, Kshitij. I AM in my complete senses. And I have thought over it a thousand times. I'm not going to change my decision now at any cost. Accept the reality, will you? I don't love you any more. And honestly, I think I never did love you. I thought that I loved you, but I didn't. And stop all this 'love, feelings' crap, will you? Stop being so immature. You'll get loads of better girls than me, okay? Please, Kshitij, forget me and move on. Swear at me if that would help. I can say nothing more. My friends are waiting for me. I don't have time now."

I was crying like a wailing baby now. I had lost all senses of control, crossed all limits of sorrow. I think only the death of a loved one can come closer to the amount of gloom one gets in while being dumped like this.

I tried to say something, but all that came out was a faint "Pleeasse, Ritu, don't do this, please. For my sake. Don't be so selfish. I still love you Ritu, more than ever. Please, try to understand. Pleeaasee!"

I don't know how much I pleaded to her, in a last glimmer of a seemingly lost hope. But you can't always delay the inevitable each time. Life is sadly, not a bed of roses.

"YOU try to understand Kshitij. I don't want to talk about all that any more. It's over, and I have a life to live. Don't irritate me now by discussing it further, please. Just focus on your own life and let me foocus on mine. We can still be friends if you want. And for heaven's sake LET ME GO now, I'm getting late and I have some work with Abhay and he's getting pissed at me for being on the phone for so long."

The tide of hopelessness had swept in. Maybe some anger too, at the mention of that guy. How can some freaking Abhay get pissed when MY Ritu talks with ME?. I don't think she'd give a damn to any Abhay or Vijay or whoever while talking to me. Oh, how can she change so much? Is this real? Is this a dream? Will things be great again when I wake up tomorrow? I literally pinched myself. But that was stupid, even in any amount of senselessness.

I had stopped crying by then, and held myself up a bit. Some sense came back, and I turned more serious.
"Alright Ritu, I'm sorry to have taken up your time. Please forgive me for this, and for all the times I've made you feel bad. I really am very sorry."

"I have no time for your sarcasm, Kshitij. I'm hanging up now."

Blurting a sarcastic comment was obviously one of the worst thing to do at that time, but some things never change.

"Alright, just tell me one last thing. Is there some other guy involved? Please, Ritu, answer honestly if you've ever felt any wee bit of a thing for me."

"Why would YOU bother now, Kshitij? I don't understand. And anyway, other guy or anyone else has nothing to do with why I decided to break up. I gave you my reasons earlier, and those are the real reasons. Think whatever you want to now, I'm tired of explaining. I don't want to talk about all this, and don't call me back now. Bye! Take care."

And she hung up.

For some minutes I was completely emotionless. On the roof of the hostel, I was alone, beneath the starry night, staring at the stars. Enjoying their beauty, there were so many of them! What were we, insignificant human beings on an insignificant planet, smaller than the smallest quark with respect to the grand, majestic and indefinite universe. I laughed, laughed heartily, because of no reason. All of that was so stupid. All these emotions, crying, love, bla bla bla. I thought nothing more about the convo at that time. There was a cool breeze blowing, which was soothing my nerves. I went back to my room. Fatso was fast asleep. I rolled up my mattress and the bed-sheet, and took it somehow up the roof. Spreading it up, I slept to a hearty night's sleep. All was pleasant, calm and serene. Maybe all of that was really a dream, after all. There was nothing to worry about. Not a worry in the world.