Akash and Vikas were by far the coolest guys in our class in college. They stayed in their own flat while the rest of us lived in the hostel. All the cool parties were always thrown at their place. They were also really popular among the ladies and the admiration was openly expressed. They seemed to enjoy the attention a lot and it kinda did make them a little cocky too.
I had met them on the first day of college and we’d been friends since that day. I had had a crush on Vikas since the first day itself but I decided to do nothing about it because we were friends and because I wasn’t the kind who would drool over a guy. Akash knew about my crush though and always teased me about it when we were alone. He’d find reasons to leave us alone and always push me to talk to Vikas about my feelings but I just did not want to.
After our first year exams, they threw this amazing party at their flat. Practically the whole class was in attendance. Funnily enough that was the day we found out who are classmates actually were because some of them had not even attended a single class yet! There was alcohol, good food and amazing music. Within a couple of hours, everyone was drunk out of their minds and dancing like there was no tomorrow. We were all having a crazy time!
Another couple of hours later, when most people had either crashed or had gone back home (we had designated drivers, no drinking and driving!), I was sitting on the couch with a beer when Akash came and sat next to me and said ‘Tonight is the night!’
‘The night for what?’ I asked him. He did not answer my question but instead asked the remaining eight of us to come play a game of ‘Spin The Bottle’. We were all drunk and I had never played this game before and I was excited to do so! The rules were simple – whoever the bottles points at has to choose between truth or dare and the person sitting opposite them gets to ask a question or give a dare. If you refuse to do it, you’ll be punished.
Vikas ended up right opposite me by a stroke of luck (or Akash’s deliberate manipulation, I wasn’t sure) and we started the game. The first time the bottle pointed at Vikas, he chose dare and I gave him a silly dare to do. When, after a few turns, it was my chance to choose between truth or dare, I chose truth. Vikas looked at me and asked, in a very weird way, ‘Is there something going on between you and Akash?’ I looked at Akash and the two of us started laughing hysterically. ‘Not in a million years. We’re just friends’ I replied between bouts of laughter. The next time the bottle pointed towards me, I chose truth again. I was tipsy and feeling too lazy to get up and complete a dare. This time he asked me, ‘So if not Akash, who do you like?’ By this time, my usual inhibitions were gone and I decided to be honest. ‘You. I like you. I’ve had a crush on you since the first day of college’ I said casually and proceeded to spin the bottle like I hadn’t just confessed the biggest secret of my life.
The look on his face of priceless. He blushed and then gave me his biggest, brightest smile ever. Once we’d played a few more rounds and were bored of the game, V, as I liked to call him, walked over to me and asked me why I hadn’t ever told him what I felt. ‘It’s not something to advertise, is it?’ I said, a little irritated now. ‘If you had, we would have saved all this time and would be dating by now because I’ve always liked you too,’ he told me.
I was so shocked by this sentence that I was left speechless for a few minutes. ‘You like me too?’ I managed to ask. He simply laughed, then held my hand and kissed me on the cheek. ‘Yes, I do, I really do!’
We started dating a few days later and it’s been a few months now since that day. I’d heard that it was amazing to date your best friend but now that I’m finally living it, it’s much better than I expected. We’re taking each day as we go and it’s a lot of fun!
* Names changed to protect privacy.
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