Instant Connection. Or Not?

Love stories through the years have led you to believe that all connections are instant and sudden. That people just fall in love at first sight, and live happily ever after. If you're older than twenty years of age, chances are that you're already disillusioned with that notion. You know better than to believe that fairy tales exist. You have lived the "real life" where meeting new people is a tedious task, putting yourself out there feels like a real burden and liking someone, genuinely liking someone doesn't come easily. 

So when Ishika and Siddhant met for the first time, neither of them was naive or inexperienced enough to believe in 'love at first sight' or anything remotely similar to it. They had both had their own share of relationships and heartbreaks and were just exploring something new. Ishika in fact had no intention for it to be anything more than an evening out with a new guy. Siddhant was cautiously optimistic. Blind dates hadn't worked very well for him in the past. 

So they met and tried to see through each other, like most people do these days. They talked and laughed and very soon lost track of time. Ishika was an amazing listener and Siddhant had a lot of stories to tell. She wasn't sharing much about herself (being cautious) but had that smile which mesmerized Siddhant. And while they talked about their lives, their views on things and their crazy experiences, Siddhant couldn't help wondering how amazing this situation was. 

You see, Siddhant craved for real connections in life and he knew from experience that those were hard to come by. And here was a girl who not only heard him, but saw through him, challenged his ideology and made him feel good about it too. And it didn't help that her hair was being ruffled around by the cool evening breeze and her eyes were darting across his face, holding his gaze as she gave her views about his stories and smiled at his quips and jokes. 

She was growing prettier every minute as the evening advanced. Every word she spoke just kept breaking down that wall Siddhant had built around his heart. Siddhant was pouring his heart out without even realising it. And Ishika liked his vulnerability, his honesty and that childlike simplicity with which he looked at everything in his life. But the two weren't on the same page yet.

You see Siddhant felt a connection strong enough to convince him that it could be more, way more than he'd initially intended it to be. Whereas Ishika felt like she needed to help Siddhant find the way. He was like a puppy that was lost. She felt like she needed to get him home. I hate when this happens. When two people perceive each other so differently. But you know difference isn't necessarily bad. 

When the two parted ways later in the evening, Siddhant promised himself to give what he felt a fighting chance. He wanted to win her over, break down her wall just like she'd broken down his. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it felt like one of those rare moments in life when you need to really try for something, as if a lot was riding on it. 

Ishika didn't wanna overthink things. She liked the guy but didn't want to give him any hopes of a future, something she could see forming in his eyes through the evening. For one, she didn't want any complications in life in the form of another crazy guy, for another, she felt like being a 'buddy' is better, she could do more 'good' that way. They ended up talking through the night over the phone. She liked listening to Siddhant's stories, his flawed logic about things and more recently, his stupid attempts at flirting.

Siddhant was using a crazy combination of juvenile and sophisticated lines that, if nothing else, gave Ishika something to laugh about. She was clear that she didn't want anything romantic, but every now and then, he'd say something so dead earnest that she couldn't help blushing and feeling a little weak in her resolve. And even in her rejection, Siddhant kept seeing chances of a future, of something great. 

He didn't know if she'd ever feel the way he was feeling. You see, every smile of hers made his heart pound faster. Her chubby cheeks, her wavy hair and those cryptic eyes, soon became irresistible. ANd this was Day One. Every day, Siddhant would decide to give up the pursuit and every day, he'd give up on giving up. He wasn't being crazy, there was something there. Even Ishika was scared that there might be.

So she kept pushing him away. But real connection is hard to come by. So he kept pursuing her, subtly, without being too obvious. He decided to just be there, be consistent. 

At this point, I will step away for a moment, because I need to order dinner for myself. I'd let you crazy kids decide how this story ends. Would there be a happy ending to this tale? CAN there be a happy ending to this tale?