The Loner

1.

His point of view

He was the top student of the class. But he doesn’t have a single friend. Everyone thought he was stuck-up. They don’t get along with him. They talk about him behind his back. They don’t have the courage of bullying him or something like that, because they are somewhat afraid of him. No one knew about him or his family. They didn’t try either.

But he knew well what they thought about him. He was hurt of course. No one knew that, he wasn’t stuck up. He was just introvert. No one knew how much pain he was going through.

He is thinking about his past sitting beside the window. Usually, when people think about past, they recall the happy memories. School life is considered as the golden time of life, but to him it wasn’t. To him it was cold, lonely and unfriendly. He still remembers how he waited for the school to end and wanted to come back to his home. He didn’t have parents or family to save him from that cold world outside. He only had his room. His bed, table, window. He didn’t own the room. It was a hostel room. But it was his home. At that time if puberty, when human heart craves for love and affection, he grew up all alone. In his own way. That’s why now people can’t take him so easily.

He loves this time, when the sun starts to go down. He sits by his window at this time and thinks. This is his very own alone time. This time is so transient, that’s why it’s even more beautiful. He wants to hold onto this time forever.

In a time like this, the second person enters the room. His roommate. They are of the same age and have opposite personalities. But they are still friends.

2.

His roommate’s point of view

Every afternoon, entering the room he sees his roommate sitting by the window. He looks like a silhouette. He looks so lonely. Seeing him like this, his heart aches. He feels a pain.

He says, ‘‘Hey, I’m back. You can’t sit like that anymore. Is it okay to sit and think like that all day?’’

The other person turns his head from window and says, ‘‘I often remember the day we met first. I didn’t know back then that one day you will take this much place in my life. ’’

He says, ‘‘So, you are finally acknowledging that I have a place in your life.’’

His roommate didn’t respond and lay flat down on his bed. He was going to sleep. He is like that, he has no specific routine like others.

He remembers the first time they met. The first day when he came here, his roommate didn’t even look at him, but he was observing quietly. The next day, his roommate confessed,

‘‘Listen, I have lived alone all along, so I am a bit weird. Try to adjust a bit.’’

He didn’t care much about his weird traits and tried his best to adjust. His roommate did so, too. He is extroverted and has lot of friends, opposite than the other one.

One day, his roommate told, ‘‘I envy you so much.’’

‘‘Why?’’

‘‘Because you can get along with others so easily.’’

He sighed. Everyone takes it positively that he can get along with people easily. But it does have bad sides. Some people envy him. Some people don’t trust him. Everyone sees only the happy and extroverted side of him.

He said, ‘‘Will you believe me, if I say sometimes I feel so sad, too? There are times when I desperately want someone to hold my hand, but no one does. In those times I feel like the loneliest person.’’

The other one stayed quiet for a while. Then said, ‘‘That’s something we share. Both of us are lonely. From now on, tell me if you feel like that again. I won’t console you, but I will hold your hand.’’

And he kept his promise. That’s what kept them together to this day.

He comes to reality. The other one is asleep. He thinks about him. Everyone thinks that he is a cold person. But it’s not his fault. It’s the fault of the atmosphere he grew up in. He is unsociable. But if he gets true love, it won’t be a problem anymore. Ice can be melted by warmth only. One day he said that he is becoming numb. But now he is changing.

The weather is cold. It’s raining heavily for days. He covered his sleeping roommate with a sheet. A little touch of caring, but it means a lot to him.