I Hate You!

A short Story

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“I hate you” She was angry or was she just pretending to be angry?
“I know” he smiled
“No! Seriously, I hate you” Was it anger? he could not tell.
“Seriously, I know” He was still smiling.
“How many years have you known me?” She asked
“2 years and maybe a couple of months”
“And still you give me Tintin on my birthday? And that too in front of everybody”
“Yup! You liked it?” It was not a question for which he exp0ected any answer. The smile never left his face.
“Its so embarrassing. Me? Still reading comics?”
“I know! But it’s the best gift you have had today. Even if you don’t want to admit it”
“How many days have youi been searching for it?”
“How does that matter?”
“It does”
“Five”
“Do you love me?”
“I don’t know! I think I do. Does it matter to you?”
“No”
“Then why do you care? Just enjoy the comics”
“I hate you”
“I know!” He was still smiling ===============================================

“How could I?” She was crying
“Come on! It happens! Its not the end of the world as we know it” He sat next to her
“You will know when you fail something like this” She said between sobs
“I have always failed. You know that. You could still try after 3 weeks and you know that too”
“But how could I? I am good at this.”
“Its just a driving test. You can give it a number of times. You can give the test to say like, eternity” He smiled
“I had practiced so much for this”
“I know! But it happens. Take it positively”
“What is positive to think here?” She was angry at his advice
“The number of times you fail, you pay the salary of the people working here”
She smiled. The tears were still rolling but she smiled.
“One more thing”
“What?”
“The roads will be safer till you get your license” He was smiling
She laughed. It was a whole hearted laugh wiping the tears from her face. He looked at her and just smiled
“I hate you” She said somewhere between laughing and crying
“I know” he smiled knowingly

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“Where do you think you were going?” She was standing at the door and she was angry, again.
“Nowhere! I was in a little hurry. That all”
“What is the damage?” She was concerned
“A broken hand, some bruises and 3 weeks of bed rest”
“That’s all?” She asked, rather sarcastically.
“Come on! I told you I was in a hurry. It happens”
“Hurry, for what? Was the world coming to an end or something?”
“It might have. You said 6:00 O’clock sharp” He smiled.
“Don’t you dare blame me? You could have started earlier.”
“I had work in the office. It was a choice between getting killed while driving or getting killed by you.” He smiled again more on his own joke than at the situation.
“Its not funny” she shouted. She was trembling with anger but tears were rolling down her cheeks.
He looked at her, felt scared and knew he had to sort things out.
“Look! Its not your fault. I was not driving safely. No need to feel guilty about it. It happens!”
“I am not feeling guilty.” She was crying now. Yes! She was definitely crying. “Do you realize what would I do without you?”
“Now! Now! Your world was not going to come to an end or something” He was trying to crack joke and make her stop crying.
“Yes! It would have. Do you realize what you mean to me? Do you realize how would I live after you? Do you realize how much I care for you? Do you realize how much I love you? I love you, god damn it” She shouted and then she broke.
Her head rested on his shoulders and the crying was pretty intense. Her tears made his shirt wet.
He was stunned. He couldn’t speak. He was trying to come in terms with what she just said. He couldn’t handle her tears, at least not these tears when he didn’t know what to say.
She looked up and saw his face. One look and she started laughing with all the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“What?” She asked
“Nothing!”
“Don’t you love me?” She asked
“Of course I do! I always had. You knew that all the time, didn’t you?”
She couldn’t stop laughing
“What?” he asked
“You seem surprised or is it shock by what I said”
“Yes! Sort of! I had to almost kill myself to make you say those three words”
She laughed while resting her head on his shoulders.
“You are mean. I hate you” She said
“I know” He embraced her.

He smiled. They both smiled.