I saw her sitting on the stairs of the hostel. I wondered what she was doing there, in the middle of the night. From where I was standing, I could see her face. She smiled to herself. It was not a happy one. It was a smile of sheer frustration and sorrow. If you thought only tears could move you, you were wrong. Sometimes a smile reflects the sorrow better than a hundred tears. I wondered if I should go and ask her what bothered her, but would she tell her problem to a complete stranger? I took another step towards her. Oblivious of someone watching her, she moved further towards the wall and just when I was about to call out to her, a tear trickled down her cheeks. I decided to ask her what her what the problem was.
I went and sat next to her.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
She looked at me for the first time, smiled and nodded. It was the same smile. One of pure sorrow, and this time there was something else. Regret. The face had a pained expression. She seemed lost and confused. Her eyes took my heart away. They were so melancholic that it brought tears to my eyes. I felt lost and helpless and I still had no clue what was going on.
"What's wrong?" I asked softly.
She looked at me while tears filled her eyes once again. She started softly. I had to strain my ears to hear what she was saying.It was, as if, she was talking to herself.
"Have you ever lost a friend who was so much more than a friend?" she asked me and without waiting for a reply, continued.
"I have. Not one. But two. And the sad part is, I cannot blame anyone for it." she laughed and it sent shivers down my spine.
"And the sad part is, I don't have clue as to what exactly they think about me. Hate me? What? I hope things get back to normal.I swear to God that this time nothing will go wrong. I will not let anything go wrong this time."
I smiled and moved away from the mirror.