Secret Admirer

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Secret Admirers.”

The heat was killing me and I was muttering under my breath as I walked back home from college under the scorching sun. I had lent my umbrella to a friend and honestly, I regretted it. What wouldn’t I give to get back that umbrella right now?

“Just a furlong more”, I told myself.

The moment I got home and my brother opened the door I threw my bag on the couch and ran into the kitchen. All I wanted was a sip of cold water!

Just as I was pouring myself a glass of coke, my brother waltzed in carrying a bouquet of white and red roses.

” This just came for you. Clearly there is some fool out there who doesn’t know what he has gotten himself into! ” he said with an evil grin.

I ignored his comment and grabbed the bouquet from him.

I rested it on the kitchen counter and searched for a note. I did find one. It said

“From

Yours-to-be.”

My brother saw the puzzled look on my face and waited for an explanation.

“Well..??” he asked me finally.

“I don’t know. Some random stranger! Maybe he got the wrong person” I said.

My brother narrowed his eyes indicating that he wasn’t convinced. So I simply shrugged and handed over the note to him.

He looked at it for a minute and then handed it back to me.

“At least now you have something to keep you awake at night now. Excited?” he asked me dryly.

I made a face at him and walked out of the kitchen taking the bouquet with me.

*****

Once I had placed the bouquet on my window sill, I read the note again. I mean who could have probably wasted time and money on getting me flowers?

But all said and done, I was excited. I felt the butterflies flutter around in my belly.

Who could it possibly be? Was he handsome? Was he romantic? Did he read my kind of books?

All kinds of questions raced through my head and I became restless.

And then suddenly, I had a thought. What if it had been wrongly delivered? What if I wasn’t the one this guy originally had in mind?

I decided it was time for some serious case study. I picked up the phone and rang my partner-in-crime – Tazz.

Tazz did not answer the phone the first time I called as always. It was her way of reminding me how important her counsel was to me!

“Wazzaaa bitch?!” she said finally picking up the call.

“Wherever the hell are you when I need you damn it?” I said faking annoyance.

“Right here. You know it!” came the reply and that was settled. “Cut the drama and tell me whats eating you up, will you?”

“I got a bouquet of roses today from somebody with a note and stuff!” I blurted out.

As if on cue, Tazz started laughing. Now I was annoyed.

“Whats so funny??” I asked her clearly voicing my displeasure at her reaction.

“Nahhh.. So who is it from? Which poor man has fallen prey to you now?”

“I don’t know.” And I read the note out to her.

“Ooh ooh ooh..!!” she cooed.

“Shut up will you?” I said pretending to be annoyed but smiling all the same. “Any idea who it could be? I would like to hear your valuable comments on the subject ma’am.”

“Don’t mock me alright?!” she replied taking her turn to be fake-annoyed. Thereby signalling that she already had her comments in store.

But surprisingly, she did not continue to blabber.

“Well?? Hello?? Speaketh??” I said.

I checked to see if the call had been disconnected. It hadn’t.

It took me a moment to figure it out. And then it hit me. She was stalling.

“Alright bitch!! Game’s over. I am coming over and killing you right now!” I shouted into the phone.

“Whoa whoa!! Waitttt…!! Whatever did I do?” she asked defensively. But I knew her long enough to know that that is not how a surprised Tazz would react.

“You sent it. Didn’t you??” I said triumphantly as if I had solved the puzzle.

“No, I did not man.”

“Liar!”

“I swear. Upon us. I did not..”

“Then who did?? C’mon Tazz.. I know you’re involved in this.” I said taking a shot in the dark.

“Ok.. You got me..” she said sighing. “I know someone who might have sent it to you.”

“Who?” I said feeling the adrenaline rush in my blood.

“Well its a long story.. He doesn’t know you. You don’t know him. Nor do I.”

“WTF?!”

“Nah.. He pinged me on Facebook a few days back. We became friends. Then slowly he told me he likes you and stuff.”

“Is this supposed to sound real to me, Tazz?”

“You better believe me. Now do you want to hear the rest or not?” she asked though she already knew the answer to her question.

I kept silent and she went on.

“He is an engineering student abroad. About our age. Maybe an year older. From the same city. He has seen you in college and outside a few times. I don’t know how he managed to find your details or mine as of that matter. All I know is that he and I have some weird mutual friends.”

“Hmm..” I said.

“He said he likes you and stuff. He asked me for your number but I refused to share it. Now god knows how he got your address. Oh wait.. I am getting another call. Hold on okay?” she said and put me on hold even before I could respond.

About what seemed like a year-long five minutes later, she came back.

“You won’t believe it!!” she squeaked with excitement.

“Whats up?”

“It was your secret admirer!!” she taunted and I could sense her grin on the other side.

“Oh shut up..” I said dryly.

“Honestly!! It was …” she opened her mouth to say the name and suddenly decided to shut up.

“Not fair Tazz!! I have a right to know!” I said coaxingly.

“Nuh uh.. No can do. Anyway, he just called up to tell me to check if you got the flowers. And that’s that.”

“Oh..” I said.

“What oh? So tell me.. How does it feel to be admired?” she asked and we both grinned.

“Good so far.”

“Exactly.. So far.. Now comes the next part.. ” she said.

“What?!” I asked in surprise.

“Yeah. He wants to meet you and its my job to set you up.”

“No way Tazz. Forget it. I am not going on a blind date.”

“Why? Because you don’t trust me?”

“Glad you know the answer already!” I replied.

“Oh come on.. Don’t be all hard-to-get and haughty now.”

We went on for about ten minutes arguing back and forth.

“He is a sweet guy and he likes you. I am sure you will like him too. Give the man a chance.” she said.

I knew patience wasn’t a virtue either of us possessed. But I liked to test hers every now and then.

Again fifteen minutes later, she asked me one last time.

“Will you please go meet him?”

*****