Sharing personal information.

Now that I had been spending so much time with Dave it was becoming easier for me to talk about all issues with him. I even got quite daring and it was so enjoyable. I didn't have a brother and all my male cousins were older than me, so there were many things I did not know about the opposite sex. Of course, The Internet was here for such research but it was not as fun as asking my private encyclopaedia to enlighten me. So I would often send him text messages.

'Have you ever had an erection in class?

'Is it painful?'

'Did you ever have a girlfriend?'

I actually regretted asking the last question. I wanted to know everything about Dave, but I did not realize that I could get hurt by the answer as well. And this is how I learnt that Dave actually had a girlfriend two years ago, but they broke up after some time. He was the one who ended the relationship. I knew I was setting myself up for more pain, but I couldn't resist asking additional questions about her. I thus learnt about her name, and even though the relationship was over, I still felt jealous. I was glad that I only dared to send risque messages as opposed to having face-to-face interaction, as otherwise, he would have got to know about my feelings right then. I couldn't help but visualise Dave kissing a girl without a face. He had described her as being beautiful and each time, I looked at myself in the mirror, I kept thinking.

'Do I look as good as her? Does he find me beautiful?'

Day by day, I could feel the attraction between us deepening. It was not only about looks and chemistry, I liked the way he behaved. For example, I knew that he was very compassionate and couldn't bear to see people in difficulty. The other day, while walking to the gym together, we came across an old woman, maybe in her fifties. She was wearing old, but clean clothes and she was asking students to buy her lunch from the canteen. I had already met her earlier when I was with Roy and Gaya, so I knew that she wasn't that poor. She was too lazy to work and found it easier to beg. Not only that, she was also very choosy. When Dave saw her, immediately his gaze softened and he proposed to buy some flatbreads for her. But she rudely scoffed and said that she wanted a burger and a soft drink, to keep his flatbreads for himself. He was perturbed by such a refusal of his help and was actually disheartened for some time. He felt better when I explained,

'She's like that all the time, don't worry. She has her own money so she won't go hungry. I know her.'

He also asked me if I had a boyfriend before, but I could easily answer that.

'Never had the time. I was too busy studying and never found a worthy enough candidate.'

Until him, that is.

It was surprising how through the medium of the phone, I could ask him so many questions and not feel embarrassed at all, but as soon as we came face to face, I was tongue-tied and flustered. He brought up so many emotions in me and made me feel so alive.

Her name was Lizzy. I couldn't erase that name from my memory. I was still taking my medication each day and still going through one hour of nausea. As there wasn't any other activity to do during that time,my mind kept traveling to paths that produced a lot of pain. Jealousy is an ill that keeps eating you from the inside and it's hard to get rid of it.

'Forget about her,' Gaya had told me when I talked about her. 'You are only harming yourself. If he left her, it must mean that he found something wrong with her or the relationship.'

I knew she was right and tied my best to focus on more positive things.

That afternoon, I had planned to meet Dave at the gym again to play badminton. In the morning, he would have his driving license test and I was eager to know the results. This time I reached the gymnasium before him and sat at our bench, looking at the other players on court. I had grown to appreciate this game even more as it helped me to come close to Dave. Also, my techniques had improved a lot and I was even thinking of participating in the tournament organized by the university.

'Hi.' Dave had walked so softly that I didn't notice he had reached until he greeted me.

'Hi,' I said breathlessly. 'So how did it go?'

He lowered his head down and took a deep breath.

'I made it! You now have in front of you the proud owner of a brand new driving license,' he said cheerfully. For one second, due to his behavior I actually thought that he had failed again.

I gingerly got up, took one step which brought me face to face with him. I gently reached out my arms and pulled him close for a hug. I was enveloped by the smell of his perfume and shampoo. The delicious softness of his pullover was between us and pillowed my chest. The hug lasted only 3 seconds, but it made my nerve endings sing with pleasure.

'Well, that was the hug you deserved.'

'Ah, thank you,' he said lightly scratching the back of his neck and not meeting my gaze for a second.

It was starting to get awkward, so I interrupted the moment and said, 'let's get changed.'

He readily agreed and left.