It was in the summer
vacation of 2011, I was 14. I went on this camp with my best friends, cherrie
and mansi and a few more whom I knew. On 27th may we were supposed to leave for
it, ‘tirthan’ the place was called. Me and my friends were meeting at the
railway station and as usual I was the late one. I ran inside and when I saw
the group going for the camp I saw a familiar face. Well, it was none other
than the guy me n my best friends hated, arunav. He was cherrie’s ex boyfriend.
He had been a really bad guy. I saw him and got disgusted but when I looked
beside him I saw HIM. He, the one my heart is still hooked on to. Well I was
like ‘he’s hot but forget it am committed’, yeah that’s right I was committed
to someone else, someone I had stopped loving and caring for a month before
then. Someone whom I thought was in love with me, well I was wrong. I’ll get to
that later. By now I had realized that its ok I will move on now since I am
already so late. I ran to my best friends. I hugged them and met the rest. We
talked for a while and finally the train arrived. We started boarding. I went
and sat in a different compartment than my friends, I was told that I could
move later. I sat with strangers who later became my amazing friends. There was
a guy I found cute- dhruv; a very sweet guy- sidak and a few more. Dhruv and
sidak were in the same group as me and my friends so we talked. We got to know
each other, we flirted a bit and then I went to the other compartment where my
best friends sat, I told them about this guy and they were like yeah. We all
became friends (I mean my friends and the others). The next day, early in the
morning we reached somewhere near our destination, I guess U.P.. Anyways we
were put in jeeps and we left. It was a long drive till tirthan, we stopped on
the way for lunch. After we were all done and after that very long drive we
reached tirthan allas! There we put our bags outside and saw the place, it was
a very beautiful place. All the children went inside this hut called KPRD
(khana peena rona dhona). There we were divided into our groups according to
the activities we chose and what luck, that guy with arunav of whom I had
thought about, well he was in the same group as me. When I got to know I was soooo
happy. After a while the chirkuts (that’s the name of our group) were in kprd
playing some ball game, we had to say a person’s name and pass the ball to
him/her. It was 28th may, the day I got to know HIS name- Ron. I felt like
screaming!! I was so excited but I couldn’t tell anyone, not even my best
friends because I was scared of what they will think of me. I let my feelings
stay. On our first trek I remember walking right in front with dhruv and the
teachers. We reached a spot, it was all very pretty around there and even ron
was there. Our instructors told us to go back to the camp on our own, I
remember asking ron for help once on the way. On the way down from the short
cut some of us had figured out I had twisted my foot. It hurt badly and while
walking towards the camp I had wished that ron would come and help me but
things don’t always go your way. We reached camp, a few activities happened and
then dinner time. After dinner I was standing outside when harsh, my school
friend came up to me and he asked me to make out with ron. I got angry but at
the same time I blushed and ran off. Later I sat with cherrie and mansi and
told them they told me to maintain distance with ron, well I couldn’t do
anything but say ok. Later, we all said good night and went off to sleep. That
night I gave it a thought, kirat I mean, my boyfriend back in delhi. I thought
n thought n thought n finally I decided that when I come back id tell him the
truth about my feelings and break up. The next day, 30th may in the morning we
were being taught map reading and standing beside me was ron. We both
accidentally touched each other once or twice, I felt very good by his touch so
I started trying to touch him as often as possible but I guess he had realised
it so he became a little distant. We all left for the waterfall in a while. It
was a very long and tiring trek but it was worth it. We reached the waterfall
and all got wet. At the waterfall I was being particularly close to dhruv but I
had no feelings for him so everyone thought that there was something between
us. Anyways he wasn’t wet but ron was and he had taken off his tracks with the
other guys and was standing in his boxers. I couldn’t help but gape at him.
After a while we moved on, we had to go further for river crossing. On the way
we stopped and learnt how to make tents. We were divided in 2 groups and
unfortunately ron wasn’t with me. I was still talking to dhruv all the time. We
were inseparable during the trek. We reached the river and were gonna cross in
groups of four. Ron, harsh, nipun and arunav had already gone. I was going in
the second group. It was difficult for me, a little more difficult than the
others, my jeans would just fall and I was almost floating but our instructors
caught me. We reached the other side and my tshirt was all wet, it was bound to
happen. I was wearing a white tshirt which became see through so I asked dhruv
to give me his tshirt till we went n got our bags. The pillar type of this
where the other four including ron sat was where our bags were brought. Me and
dhruv also went there and sat. others from our group were not there it was just
us six. Dhruv in his vest and me wearing his tshirt. He was singing a song that
he had written. It was very cute but we were interrupted by harsh nipun and ron
saying stuff. They asked dhruv whether he had a girlfriend and he said yeah,
they pointed out about kirat and I felt hurt coz I knew what all of them were
thinking. I couldn’t help it but get up and take out my sweatshirt and go and
change. I felt pathetic. I changed gave dhruv his tshirt back, he apologised to
me I was like forget it. I walked towards where the others sat and asked the
instructor and he pointed out the way to the camp to me. I walked and went to
the camp, everyone came. I didn’t talk to dhruv even a bit. I felt that cherrie
was right when she told me to maintain distance. I felt terrible. That day I
cried a lot. Eventually I got over it but couldn’t stop thinking about ron.
31st may- the day we were leaving for our 2 nights out. I got down that day,it
was my first day and was going really weird. While trekking I, in the starting
itself I fainted. I was forced to have glucose and some biscuits and there
onwards I was in front, ahead of all with one of our instructors pari ma’am. We
both went quite ahead together and the others were behind us. After about half
of our trek pari ma’am went behind and me, ron and a few more were together. I
really liked it. Though I wanted to sit and rest my heart was said “its ok, I
should do it this is my only chance to atleast become friends”. When we were
resting we talked for the first time, his leg was itching due to the insect
bites and I offered him lacto calamine. We talked for the first time n I was
feeling good, I thought that its better late than never.we trekked together.
After a while it started raining we all rain with the tents and the bags. Many
were far behind it was just a few of us and the instructors. We started putting
the tents in a hurry. I helped them We put the bags under a cave and started
doing with the tents. After a while the rain stopped and everyone arrived. Now
all the tents were set and we were gonna start cooking lunch. It started
raining again so we all were sitting under the shade of that one main tent. I
was right behind ron and at a few points I got to touch him. We had lunch,
washed the dishes did everything and now we were standing outside. Not all, it
was me, ron, divyajot and one or two more and we were generally talking. There
was a small cave sort of a thing and I said to everyone that I am tired and I
am going to go and sit there. My plan was to brush past ron and go and sit
there but as I was brushing past him I was stopped, he held onto me. He told me
not to go there I asked him “why” and he told me that he and the other guys had
peed out there, I felt grossed out but the fact that he was still holding me I
felt amazing and I felt secure. After a while of our wandering around and
clicking pictures we had to go in coz it started raining heavily and it started
getting dark. We all sat under that one shed in a circle because we had
just one sheet to cover and it was very cold. I sat on the corner, on my right
was ron and on my left was the grass which was wet. I asked ron if I could hold
his hand coz it was very cold and he said yes, I held his hand. After a
while when others started to notice we left each other’s hands. Ron told me
that he might have fever and I checked and he was quite warm. I asked him to
lie down, so he did. I tried to take care of him. In a bit even I felt weird
coz of obvious reasons being my periods even I lay down but on ron’s chest, the
reason I gave was that if I lie down my face would get wet as it'll go out of
the shelter. My heart was beating very fast and I even felt your heartbeat once
or twice. At that moment I had wished that something magical would happen and
well it did, your hand came around my neck and held my hand. It was the cutest
thing so far. I felt amazing! I was probably on cloud ninety! I felt very
secure like that. But then the others, they started singing hindi love songs
trying to point towards us. So both of us got up but under the sheet we still
held hands. Whenever the sheet was pulled away we let go of the others hand and
the when the sheet was pulled back we held hands again. We were then supposed
to get up and get squashed inside one tent due to the heavy rain. We went, we
sat opposite to each other but when they started making fun of us again I got
up and went out in the rain, I cried for a bit then came n sat outside without
a sheet. I was feeling cold. I told everyone that I was going to sleep and
left, I was standing outside when he came out with nipun. Nipun was on the
other side and ron came to me with a torch. I was nearly in tears and I was
missing my parents, I don’t know what came to me that time that I switched off ron’s
torch and hugged him, he hugged me back. I was calm. His arms gave me
everything. I felt warm and much better. Everyone started to come out so we let
go off each other, he dropped me to my tent n went. After he left I got this
sudden breeze go across me and I felt very cold and started crying, our
instructors came they wrapped me up and my friends took care of me. That night
me and mansi and cherrie fought. Cherrie told me that I was doing wrong to
kirat, yes I knew that I was doing wrong to him but they didn’t know why had I
stopped liking him and that I had already taken the break up decision. I said
some nasty things to cherrie that I still regret, I made both of them cry. I
felt terrible at that time. I had a weird sleep that night. Next morning I was
the first one to wake up, I was in a bad health condition because it was my 2nd
day. I woke up and brushed and then woke everyone else up. When I saw ron in
the morning I went close to him, his morning face made me smile. We started our
trek after breakfast. I started becoming weak in the starting and I was behind
everyone with mansi, cherrie, angshuman and 2 of our instructors. Our
instructor, tara sir was forcing me to have glucose which I hate and mansi kept
screaming ‘charu get up, your perfect relationship is waiting for you’. After
this I started running, it was mostly because I hate glucose. soon I was ahead
of everyone with a few people but after half of our trek things became
difficult, it started raining very heavily, it started getting colder and
everyone started getting tired. We stopped for a while and were waiting for the
rain to end but it wont happen so we continued our trek in the rain. The
further we got the worst things became. We were to go to the mountain peak,
while trekking the altitudes increased eventually it started getting colder
time after time. I was the one who started crying due to the cold, ron hugged
me n I stopped. At a certain point I sort of hung on the root of a tree and was
in bad situation, a situation which was difficult to get out from, that’s when
nipun pulled me up. The whole while I was thinking about ron, he sort of gave
me some sort of strength. There were points where I got breathless and cried
but just one look of his gave me a little strength and I started moving again.
After a very long and bad trek we reached the peak, when I saw the huts I had
already given up ron held onto me and pulled me up. There were huts out there
where we were taken. Apparently most of us were suffering from hypothermia, a
very weird disease. I don’t know much about it but I know that ron gave me
warmth and did as much as he could to make me feel better. And well he did help
a lot. After an hour or so when we were all getting better something happened
to me and I felt cold again and started crying while sleeping, our instructor
called ron and I stopped crying. When I asked them why did they call him they
said that while sleeping I was taking his name, I don’t know if it was true or
not but when he came I felt amazing. I felt his warmth, I felt him. After
another hour or so we ate and left, our 2nd night was cancelled. We were going
back to the camp. We were again to trek till the place where the sumos were
standing. This time it was easy. I felt much better than before and I was ahead
of all, most of the time I was alone with everyone including ron far behind me,
during the times when I was alone I just wished ron came running to me. When we
reached the sumos I sat first. In the sumo in which I went had very few people
and a lot of space. At first I sat opposite to ron. we both were very close,
the distance between our lips was just 3-4 inches. We were looking into each
others eyes and talking and he came close and kissed me. Thinking about that
kiss still makes me blush. It has been my best kiss ever. After a few seconds I
stopped him and told him that we should stop and I asked him whether he knew
about kirat or not and he said yes. After a while I went and sat beside him, I
rubbed his arms coz he felt cold and I didn’t like it ofcorse. In a while I
found myself kissing him again. It was embarrassing but that was thing I least
cared about, I was in love. We reached camp and there we were welcomed by the
others. It was a dj night and as soon as we entered kprd our group -except me
and ron and a few that stayed back- screamed “ron ki ho gayi vah bhai vah”. I
found it rather hilarious, it was for him and me. I blushed and ran to my tent.
That night I slept with a huge smile on my face. Next morning I woke up and got
ready and went to have coffee, I met him in the morning. His morning face again
made me smile. It was the last day of camp. It was a weird day for me. In the
morning ron told me that he doesn’t wanna have an official relationship with
me. When he said those words I was moved, I had a no. of thoughts going on
inside my mind. I got scared. Very scared and moreover shruti, my tent mate who
was in my group told me a lot of things, she said that ron is just using me and
many other things it made me get worst. Me and ron went and sat with nipun
harsh and arunav in kprd and there we were talking and I was about to cry
thinking about him not wanting to be with me. I left from there and went to my
tent and started crying. Nipun and ron were outside for a very long time. When
I was going to the washroom to wash my face I got out of my tent and saw ron
and nipun sitting across of me outside their tent. I ran and washed my face and
came back. I didn’t talk to him. At night after the talent night was over and
so was the fireshow harsh stopped me and told me that ron cried and he really
is serious about me, as soon as ron came I hugged him and started crying. After
dinner which we practically didn’t eat we sat in ‘ghanta ghar’. We talked for
an hour or so and when the lights went out for a minute or two we kissed. We
gazed at the stars, we hugged. It was an amazing night. he gave me his jacket
because I didn't have one. he dropped me to my tent, and I remember running to
the washroom with mansi and cherrie that night and having one last look at him before I slept. Next morning we did the the tree crossing, we got pictures
clicked. We left, I had his jacket with me. When we stopped for breakfast I
broke off with kirat. Actually nipun helped me in that. And that’s when I
officially considered myself as his property thought we hadn't started dating.
At the station we both were put together in a completely different compartment
of the train. I was wearing his jacket, we talked and in between even kissed a
few times and got caught. It was weird but later it was cute. When we hugged at
the station I got scared that he might not talk to me after this. We went out,
I met my parents and for the last time I hugged him and said goodbye. The
scared feeling was still there but I knew that we will be together and someday ron
might just date me.
