[SS] Chessboard of Love

Name: Adilah Miswan
Class: LGB6B
Semester: 6 
Title: Chessboard of Love
Word Count: 742
Category: Short Story
Brief Summary: A story in parts describing an unrequited love.


Part One
I lose my heart the moment I see you.

You busy yourself with serving the food. I look on, feeling bewildered. You pass by without making any acknowledgement. I dearly want to talk to you, but you look so aloof, my lips stay locked.

Only after a while do I gather my courage to speak to you. Thankfully, you proved me wrong. You weren't aloof after all, just shy. We get on nicely for a bit, then silence sets in. It is a comfortable silence, however, which is nice. I rack my brains for another subject to explore, but my mind wouldn't produce its yards of yarn. I sigh with disappointment.

It isn't until late at night that I made myself brave enough to broach another topic with you. You listen politely, but when I finally hit on a topic that you are familiar with, it's then that I see you blossom. We get on capitally (I with a glad heart) until my mother calls me. Eager to keep the friendship growing, I ask for your e-mail. Impulse drives me to ask for your mobile number... and I get both! Joy to God...

And you become my friend.



Part Two
My heart would not come back, whatever happened.

Every friendship, no matter how strong, has its stormy parts. Ours too, no less, but perhaps the storm set in a little too often.

I was taken when I met you. I don't know if it is fortunate or not, but the knowing of you has lessened my feelings for him until the bond thinned and finally broke. I couldn't help it; you are so pleasing to look at, so different, like a breath of fresh air. Your friends, whom you introduced to me a little while later, are the same.

You and I fight a lot over trivial matters (to me, but I don't know if they are trivial to you). Blame my unruly tongue for running away with me. Sometimes when I am close to losing my temper, I just let fly any word that comes to mind. And that hurts you. Once, my words hurt you deeply. It was a long time before I was accepted back into your confidence. But the damage had been done. You became distant.

Despite all that, I love you. You read it right. I love you, in spite of your imperfections. I guess what they say is right. Love is blind. In this case, love blinds me to certain faults of yours. I am used to loving and waiting, so I bide my time until I see hope. In the meanwhile, I act normally. No one could guess of my affections.

Maybe I should drop a few hints here and there...


Part Three
You say no politely.

I was done with the waiting part. Time to make my move on the chessboard of love.

It happens calmly. You are about to go abroad for a couple of weeks and as it so happens, there is a good opening for me to introduce the subject. As I expected (yes, I actually know what your answer is going to be), you reject me. As nicely as possible, of course. You calmly tell me you are not interested. Your interest lies more in preserving the bond of friendship. As one who values that bond, I respect your decision... and sigh in relief. I don't have to be secretive about it anymore and perhaps, I can move on.

But my heart just would not let the matter rest.

It delights in torturing me with confusion. Do I still harbour feelings for you? I can't tell. When I am in the presence of you, my heart stays quiet. When I am not with you, it acts up like anything. I try to escape the torture by amusing myself with other boys... and for a while it works. I find myself thinking less and less of you.

Unfortunately, the effect does not last long. I find myself drifting back to the enigma that is you.

Will I ever untangle myself from this web of confusion?

The end
I am free... at last.

I've thought about it real deep and I've decided... I don't have any more feelings for you.

I might be over-considerate when it comes to you... but it's just the thoughtful part of me. I'd like to think of you as a friend.

And I'll wait for my knight in shining armour to find me.

The End


EDITED BY: Maisarah binti Ahmad Kamil