*Forever : Love Or Friendship?* [Part-1]

~"Sometimes we build walls around us because there is no more left for us to get hurt, all of it inside us has been destroyed, completely."~

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Aryan
New York, U.S.A.

I stood there in the balcony of my hotel room, facing the afternoon busy life of New York City. The fast pacing life, tall skyscrapers, it was as if they were symbolising my life. My ever busy and fast moving life, and all the efforts I had put in to reach the heights, and now I was there and I totally deserved it. The multi cultured people filling up the streets, buzzing here and there, what the other one is upto, seems quite insignificant to the other, exactly like me. I wasn't even bothered about anyone else and what they were upto, except my family. I had changed over time. The old monuments and famous museums of the city, they held secrets, the same way I had buried up the secrets of my life all inside me. And when the dark night sky takes over the sun, still the city never sleeps, just like the thoughts that have captured my mind, no matter what happens, they are all stuck there, right there, often at nights they overpower me. The morning sun, welcoming a new day, and for me it was like welcoming another challenge, many new challenges and the old ones that often come up every now and then. The sounds coming from every corner, it all comes to me as something I need to conquer yet.

Mystery, that's how my sister describes my life. And all that I do is, laugh it off as a joke. But inside, every part of me knows what the truth holds for me.

I was so lost in my thoughts, just when my phone started ringing. The number on the caller ID showed that it was from India. It was 2:30 in the afternoon here, why the heck is somebody calling me up, while it is 12 at night back home.

I answered the call.

"Happy birthday Aryan. It's your day today. Many many happy returns of the day. Congratulations.", that's what she said.

It was Namya, the girl my parents want me to get married to and I often tend to change the topic.
And I had totally forgotten its my birthday. And I didn't want to be reminded of this day.

"Thankyou Namya. That's really sweet of you to wish me exactly at 12 according to Indian time.", that was all I said.

"You are welcome Aryan. And how long is your business trip? Come back soon. Everyone is missing you here.", she said.

"Just a couple of days left", I said hiding the truth.

And soon after that, I got a call from my family and a few close contacts, and all of them had the same thing to say, "It's your birthday Aryan. Come back home."

"My Birthday", the day I hated the most. I sometimes wish that there where just 364 days and this day should have been eliminated. Everyone wants me back home. But I wish I could tell them my meetings were over, two days back, I just didn't want to go back and see everyone celebrating my birthday. This day, I didn't need any wishes, any gifts or people wishing for me to live long, this day I needed some time alone, far from everything else. I totally understand that my friends and family want to be with me on this day, because they think its a special day for me. But then, this day, it's better to leave me and my sane thoughts alone.

This very day, the worst day of the year, when everything comes back to me again, it often does, but on this day, it affects me a lot more than other days.
When everything buried inside me, makes a way to the surface, why would I celebrate, I'd rather sit back, play with my thoughts, find a way to counter them. And then sometimes I feel I have taken over them, but I'm a fool to think like that!
And with every passing year, this day haunts me more and more.