A Simple Bond

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"How about the 8th of September? If that works for you."

The message was direct and caught me off guard. I tried to remember if I had any plans, but nothing came to mind. So, I agreed without hesitation. We quickly settled on a place, and just like that, it was happening. I could hardly believe it—I had a date set up through an online dating site.

The girl didn’t have a picture of herself; instead, her profile picture was a simple pen sketch of Lord Ganesha. Seeing it reminded me of my old best friend from college. The last time we talked was on my birthday—ten months have passed since then. I still remember our best moments, the practical jokes, and the endless laughter. I used to play the funniest pranks on her, only to later explain how they could help her in life!
 
It was September 6th, and I had just two days to make a good impression on my date. I treated it like an exam—researching endlessly, scrolling through countless web pages, and gathering advice from friends who always seemed to get date nights right. I even bought new clothes, hoping to look my best.

While flipping through old college photos, I stumbled upon a few of just the two of us. She was always shy about taking pictures together. But one night, I managed to capture our first real photo—with no food between us. She had dressed up for an event, but, somehow, the outfit made her look like a clown. I couldn’t stop laughing every time I saw it. Something about that moment made me miss her. Without thinking twice, I picked up my phone and called. She didn’t answer—probably busy. But just past midnight, my phone rang. She had just gotten home from work.

"Hey, I thought you weren’t going to talk to me. Ten months since our last conversation... I really missed my best friend." I said.
"Listen, if you’re about to pull some trick on me at this hour, I swear, I’m going to thrash you the next time we meet. Been wanting to do that since college, you know." Typical her.
"Why would you think that?" I asked, amused.
"I don’t know, just getting a weird vibe." She replied.
"Well, I have something to say, but it’s not a joke."
"Alright, go on."
"I matched with someone on that dating app you told me about last year. She agreed to meet tomorrow evening. Isn’t that great?"
"Wait, what? You? On a dating app? You’re actually going on a date?"
"Yeah, thought I’d give it a shot. Nothing important happening this weekend anyway."
"Hmm… so you called me for advice, didn’t you? But since you know I’m no expert, you won’t explicitly ask for help. Instead, you’re hoping I’ll gather some pickup lines my friends like. Am I right, or am I right?"
"No wonder you’re still one of my best friends after all these years. So… could you?"
"Nope. Learn through trial and error."
"What do you mean?"
"In your terms—attempt a random pickup line, watch it fail, get feedback, and backpropagate to improvise your pickup lines accordingly. Keep repeating until someone actually likes it."
"Have you been working on deep learning models or something? I always thought you’d end up doing—"
"Glad you got the reference. Anything else?"
"Nope, that’s all."
"Are you sure you’re not forgetting something?"
"I don’t think so… Anyway, bye! See you soon."
"Bye."

I arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early and asked for the birthday cake.
"Sir, may I suggest something?" the waiter asked.
"Go ahead."
"If you're celebrating someone special's birthday, our other restaurant is more popular. It's just a five-minute walk from here. This place mainly caters to couples, and our services are designed accordingly."
"So what? I have a date here. Just bring the cake. Understanding the bond I share with my date is beyond your comprehension. But if you could hurry up, that’d be great."
He gave me a confused look before turning away. A few minutes later, the cake was on the table—ready before she arrived. 

She walked into the restaurant, her beautiful smile lighting up the place. I stood up, wearing the signature smile I am known for.
"Happy birthday, my dear," I said.
She grinned. "No wonder you’re still one of my best friends after all these years!" Then, without hesitation, she pulled me into a hug.
It is a bond, beyond comprehension for me, let alone others.
Girl And Boy Bestie Wallpapers - Wallpaper Cave 

                                                          Siba Smarak Panigrahi
(Modified on 23rd Feb 2025)

Comments

  1. Unknown30 May 2020 at 21:28

    Aesthetically written man,I just read it continuously

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tuhin Mondal5 June 2020 at 06:01

    Simple yet beautiful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Siba Smarak Panigrahi5 June 2020 at 06:23

      Thank you. These kind of bonds are one of the purest in my opinion.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous3 July 2020 at 22:01

    Simple bond was simple cute story I liked that ..Although I did anticipate the ending in midway.Great oNe��������
    CP

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Siba Smarak Panigrahi4 July 2020 at 00:11

      Thank you. I meant it to be simple, so that we all can appreciate such a bond even in this world! If you want to make your mind a bit busy while reading, try "Mission STS 192" or "Old Architecture Building" of this blog!
      Thank you CP bhai :)

      Delete

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