“Dear diary,

I saw Nikhil today. I actually met him. An ancient Eygptian proverb says hate is not the opposite of love. Hate is merely love standing upside down. What it really means is that they both arise in the heart. They both stand back to back. They are just different sides of the same coin.

Believe me...he has not changed at all. The same hairstyle, same dressing sense, and yes the same old attitude.

Remember how he used to tease me for my attitude? He was at the super market, shopping for vegetables. Vegetables! You bet he did not know one from the other. After all this was not India?

He didn’t recognise me at first. Of course he wouldn’t. He kept staring at me for almost five minutes. It was as usual, I, who went up to him and broke the ice. He was behaving like maniac. Happiness and shock, both could be seen on his face at the same time. I almost laughed aloud. He practically made me run down my bio-data. He could hardly believe it was his college best friend, Anita standing before him.

We spent the whole afternoon together. Nikhil had come down to Australia for some business meeting, which was cancelled. So he decided to explore Sydney. And little did he think when he started on his journey that he would bump into me! I didn’t want to tell him it was my birthday but I badly wanted him to wish me.

We walked into a garden and sat down on a bench. I felt really odd sitting next to him because ever since Mansi, his college girl friend came into his life, we had stopped talking the way we used to. Maybe I had become a bit too possessive about him.

We had met each other in the eleventh standard. I do not know whether it was just a crush or love but I do know that I fell for him. I got his number from a friend of mine and we started talking on the phone. We hardly spoke in college. I guess we were too shy to talk. Slowly we started exchanging notes and talking more freely to each other. My liking for him grew and finally one day I confessed this to him. He was shocked and he told me that he already had a girl friend. I was deeply hurt but said it was fine. Slowly the news spread and all our close friends came to know about it.

One day when I was walking towards the bus stop with my friends, he came running up to me and said something that I couldn’t understand because he was panting so much. I guessed something good was cooking because his friend congratulated me and Nikhil turned red like a tomato. He still does. We were talking about all this and when I told him how he had told me “I love you”. Nikhil turned crimson.

I had thought that in our love story there would be no villains but there were - my own friends. They went and told him some crap about me that caused our break up in just two days. I was totally devastated and didn’t know what to do. I felt like ending my life. But then why to waste my life on a guy who never loved me? I went on with life and gradually we became friends again but not as before. I knew that was not possible.

Time passed, we finished 12^th, left college and parted ways. I came down to Australia and lost track of Nikhil. Just an occasional mail was exchanged between us. Years passed and today on my birthday we had met again. He had never remembered my birthday so it was natural for him not to wish me today. Suddenly he put his hand inside his bag and brought out a gift. I tried not to take any notice of it and looked the other way. He put his hand on mine and placing the gift in my lap softly said, “Happy birthday”. I couldn’t believe my ears. A guy who never remembered my birthday in so many years was wishing me today without being told.

I opened the parcel. It was a photo frame with our snap in it. The snap was the same one where we were having ice cream standing in the rain under one umbrella.

I hugged him so tight that I almost astounded him. He kissed me on my cheek and went down on his knees. Before he could he say anything I knew what was coming. He was going to propose to me.

What would I do? I had not told him anything about my present in my joy of meeting him. He was saying, “Anita, I am m really sorry for whatever happened between us in college. Can you please come back into my life? I need you. I love you”. I was stunned. If I could I would have said a yes but....

“Nikhil, if only you had told me this years back I would have said yes but I guess its too late now. I just got married three months back. My husband works here. That’s how I am here”.

For the second time in my life I saw Nikhil crying. The first was when I was in hospital and the doctor said I was going to die. I felt so bad having told him that but it was the truth and he had to accept it. He said, “I wish I had realised what you meant to me years back. You would have been mine right now”. I was too choked to say anything. I just said, “Nikki, its getting late. I gotta go. Keep in touch. Bye”. And with tears streaming down my cheeks, I left my best friend for the second time, never knowing when we would meet next.

Anyway, I don’t think I’ll ever forget this day and even if I do you’re there to remind me, ? Okay it is getting late now and I must catch some sleep. Goodnight. Ciao!