A Stranger

    "I am sorry, I am really really sorry, nothing was intentional, I am really sorry Miss, 'Miss 388'". He picked the pen and sat on the ground, persuading me. Maybe my face covered made him think I was crying. He was keep going on, "Sorry, please, I had no intention to do so, Miss 388"

    "Helena" I removed my hands from my face. 

    "What?" his tone immediately changed from convincing to shocking. Of course he must be disappointed, because he kept his ego, rude behavior apart and tried to stop me crying, but I am not crying. 

    "Helena Smith, my name, not 388" I said, in a normal tone.

    "Oh, I am sorry miss Helena" He stood up.

    "It's ok, it wasn't you only, I was already messed, and this happened, I am sorry too" I stood up too, now I was in my casual behavior. Also I don't want to ruin my Friday night by stretching this scenario more. 

    "Fine, you continue." giving a pen to me he said. He was picking all his stuff kept on the bench, beer bottles, bad, maybe to leave.

    "You can sit here, no issue." I sat back on the bench. Of course he reserved it first.

    "Are you sure" He asked me with his eyebrows raised.

       I shook my head and gave him a yes gesture. 

    'Cool' he whispered and sat on a bench keeping beer bottles back, in space between us.

    Though I was back to a normal mood, it couldn't help me to bring the meditating mood again, I didn't want to look autistic, drawing random figures on paper.

    "Beer?" He asked, taking out a cap opener from his bag.

    I gave him a strange look, without uttering a word. I was not here to give him company for beer. First he ruined my moment, and now he is asking me to join him. Before I would deny, he moved one uncapped bottle towards me and held another in his hand. I wasn't expecting that. My mind was asking me to grab the bottle, N number of times I have thought of having wine at this place, to make my earlier moment perfect. But the security won't allow me to bring alcohol on campus, I don't know how he managed to get this in.  

    "Have  it" pouring beer in his mouth, he said.

    "Thanks," I said, grabbing the bottle.

    "So what brought you here? Break up?" He asked, he was trying to make me comfortable.

    "I often do come here, after working late." in a fake accent, to show him I am already comfortable and he is not required to put efforts. After a small pause, I questioned back, "And you?"

    "This is the only place without cameras, in this campus." 

    "Good, aren't you too fast to know that?" I asked.    

    "My agency provides camera service to ADC, if you know" he said, taking another sip of beer.

    "Yeah, I remember, thanks for service today, I badly needed it." I said, taking my first sip of beer.

    "It's my job, but don't kick it that hard from next time" he said, first time making eye contact with me, in this conversation.

    He made me keep silent for a while. 

    Breaking silent he continued, "Chill I won't tell it to my boss, nor yours."

    "Thank you, but how do you know?" I asked embarrassedly. 

    "I was in the Control room, I saw you kicking the CPU in footage." 

    "Fuck, thanks man, I owe you." I said, smiling.

    "twice" He added    

    "As in??"

    "You made a fake complaint too."

    "God, I knew it, I knew you caught me, but really thanks for not reporting it." taking another sip and pointing to bottle I continued "By the way, I owe you thrice" 

    "It's not countable" He replied, and continued "did you know this place has no camera?"

    "Yeah I do, the guy you replaced, he is my close friend, once he told me about it." 

    "Lucas, I know him," he replied.

    "Yeah, he told me about referring this job to you" 

    "And ?" he asked, taking a pause between sips.

    "And you guys belong from the same academy," I added.

    "And?" he asked, controlling his laugh.

    "And nothing, and what's so funny?" I asked, remembering what I exactly said, that made him laugh.

    "Nothing, but don't tell anyone about this beer and all, otherwise they will kick me out."

    "Yeah don't worry, but you don't seem to be that serious about your job, are you?" I asked curiously. 

    "What made you think this?" he questioned back, without answering mine.

    "You dress like this, bring beer on campus, risk your new job" counting things that can make him lose his job, I watched time. It was 11.37 PM, "Damn, I need to leave!!!"

    "Is everything ok?" He asked worryingly.

    "No, I mean yes" I said, stuttering, " actually I had to go to 'Restaurant D'amour' for dinner, I just forgot it in between all this, but I think it will get closed, before I reach there" 

    "Oops, sorry, I made you miss your dinner date." He said nervously.

    "Aha it's ok, it wasn't a date, I'll check if any other restaurant stays open till late."

    "I know some good ones, open till late, you can go there" I felt him helping me genuinely.

    "Thanks, but I changed my mood, I will eat something at home."

    "Fine." he said. We both remained silent for some while. Breaking this awkward silence he asks "what you do oftenly coming here?"

    "Nothing, I Just love coming here, sitting on a bench, in the dark night, under deam golden garden light globe, in silence, surrounded by plants and flowers and alone, it makes me feel alive, at least better than my home." I replied. What made him come was already I had seen, I almost partnered in this crime. But the beer bottle was maybe a bribe to keep my mouth shut and don't make him lose his job in the very first week.

    "So, have you planned to stay here all night or something?" He asked me with his eyebrows raised. Which made me realise it's time to leave, or even too late for that too. I stood up immediately,

    "No, I am just about to leave, you too leave soon, it's not safe, if anyone finds you, ADC will surely sue for trespassing, beware." I said in an alert tone.

    "Yeah I am about to leave since I finished my beer." he said, keeping empty beer bottles, caps in his bag.

Oops. That just made me realise that, I made him stay long, and not him. I remained silent, we stepped out near the exit, he looked at the parking door, then walked with me to the taxi stand. He stopped the taxi for me, I got in, he shared some words with the driver, I couldn't listen, and then he came inside the car.

    "Do we share the same route?" I asked curiously.

    "How do I come to know?" He asked, smiling.

    "Oh of course, I live in Uranus Apartments."

    He did not reply, I expected him to tell me his, or at least answer my earlier question. Am I rushing or just being extremely frank. Like he did not tell me his name yet, avoided to answer most of my questions and I told my address to him. How duffer I am!! What if he is a serial killer, even he whispered something to the driver. I immediately look out of the window, to check if we are on a regular route or not. Hashh, till now we are on a perfect route. I decided not to talk to him at all, until I reached home.

    He remained silent all the way,  maybe it was just a beer thing, until we reached at my address I kept looking out of the window, and to him in between, but obviously did not make him realise. 

    "It was nice meeting you," he said. We were standing together at the entry gate of my tower. Taxi driver was waiting with a taxi for him at a distance.

    "Same here" He said. We remained silent for a while, avoiding eye contact, and may be clueless about what to say. Before I could ask his name he continued "Good Night." breaking the silence. He realised about me wanting to ask something.

    "Yeah Good Night" I replied.

    We both turned to our way, He got into the taxi, but I could not hear the voice of taxi leaving, I looked back, what I saw was Him looking at me out of the passenger window, He smiled and screamed, "DENVER WHITE".

    There was another level of spark I felt hearing his voice. I was smiling on my own, repeating his name in my mind. 

                                                                                             ***

    "I Miss You <3, do you miss me??" 

    I  saw the anonymous text on my Notification screen.  I got up, opened the text and replied immediately, "Who are you??"

    I did not receive any reply for the next 15 minutes. I was trying to figure out whom I recently have shared my contact with. Usually I don't even bother to open anonymous text. But this time I was really curious to know who the person missing me was. I had no new person coming in my life, texting me, missing me, and expecting me to miss them back, unless the person I met on Friday I was recalling my memory, guessing who it could be, first name in my mind came was "Austin", he may had changed his number after our break up. I Opened the contact list of Austin, I saw a green sign indicating him to be online, of course it wasn't him. 

    "Denver White" the name flashed in my mind. We know each other only by our name, there was no any chance of him having my personal contact number, I am just a Cubicle Number 388 for him, also there was no reason for him to miss me, and why would he expect me to miss him back. I kept trying to convince myself that it is definitely not him, but I couldn't convince myself enough. I opened the texts of that anonymous contact and typed 'Denver?' and sent.

    Message was sent, immediately but I had received no reply yet, I called on the same number, 

    "Hello" I heard voice of middle aged lady, 

    "Hello, I received a text saying miss you from this number, can I know whom am I speaking to

?" The voice of the lady other side made me talk very formally.

    "Oh dear, it's been so long hearing your voice, its me Emily"  

    Emily aunt is my mother's best friend. I used to live with her in Frido during my graduation, she is more than a mother to me. Also she has no other girl in the house, all her love for dall, she showers on me. Since I left her home, and shifted here, she keeps telling me how badly she misses me, and keeps tagging me in our old photos on social media. I miss her too. Whenever I pray about family and friends, she is the only person I remember as family. 

    "I miss you too auntie. How are you doing?, and what was your text about missing me, absence of text made me worry" I laughed.

    "It is just a social experiment I heard of, from my lady gang, texting people about missing them anonymously, and seeing whom they are missing." She replied. 

    "Oh that's great, but I think you are using too much social media nowadays, you need little break from social media. I didn't even know about all this trend." I replied.

    "You live life, and I enjoy it." she laughed, and continued, "By the way, who is Denver?? Is he your boyfriend?

    "No one, I am single and you know it right." I asked in convincing tone,

    "I know you too, take your time but let me know when you are sure about him, I assure you that he is something more for you."

    "Sure? Sure." convincing her about something is definitely not my cup of tea.