Rita stood in her fields among the swaying crops. The fresh morning breeze, the chirping of birds, and the dew drops on the grass created a beautiful scene. But only one fear ruled her emotions—the fear of Philip.
"How long will he keep harassing me? How long will I stay silent?"
She wanted to bring Philip's ugly face before her parents. She could not bear this pain any longer.
She was thinking this when she heard the sound of a car. It came close and stopped. When she turned to look, Philip got out of the car. His eyes looked at her like a hunter looks at his prey. Rita was terrified.
"No... not today. Please, not today," she stammered.
Philip did not stop. He came near Rita and spoke lovingly.
"Hello Rita."
But there was no humility in his words. It was an order.
Rita ignored him and walked ahead. But inside, she was trembling. Philip moved forward and stood in front of her. He stretched his hand toward her.
"This is the hand of relationship and friendship between us. Accept it."
Rita pushed his hand away and tried to walk ahead. But Philip caught her arm and pulled her toward him. Rita screamed.
"Leave me!"
There was nothing but darkness in her mind. And then suddenly-
A powerful punch landed on Philip's face. He stumbled and hit a tree. Rita turned around—Julian, her brother, stood before Philip like a strong wall.
Fire burned in Julian's eyes. Philip turned and hit Julian hard, but Julian knocked him down again. Then another punch. Then a kick. Philip became helpless. He got into his car and fled.
Rita was scared and crying. She ran and clung to Julian. He held her hand and gave her courage.
"Why are you afraid? As long as I am alive, I will not let anyone harm you."
Rita smiled weakly. But she knew Philip. He would not give up so easily. He would become even more dangerous now.
---
The next day, Rita left for the city. Her college admission was confirmed, and she would stay in the hostel. She was leaving her old wounds behind and starting a new journey.
Alone in her hostel room, she kept feeling as if Philip was watching her. Whenever her thoughts went toward Philip, she would shiver. But the moment Julian's voice echoed in her ears, her courage would return.
---
Today was Rita's first day at college. She sat quietly in her class. All the faces in the classroom were strangers to her.
But then she felt it—someone was looking at her.
She raised her eyes. In the second row-- a boy. Dark eyes, a simple smile, and peace on his face. He was looking straight at Rita. Rita's heartbeat gave away its secret. Her heart pounded hard.
"Who is this?" she thought.
She quickly looked away. Then she looked at him secretly again. He was still looking at her. With a small smile. As if saying, "Welcome."
Class ended. Rita quickly got up and went to the library. She wanted a distraction. She wanted to read academic and non-academic books. She wanted to stay busy and forget Philip. But in the library too—
The same boy. Standing there.
"Is this a coincidence?"
Rita did not pay attention to him. She went to the bookshelf. She reached for a book. And at that same moment, that boy also grabbed the same book.
Their hands touched.
Electricity ran through Rita's body. Her breath stopped. She pulled her hand away in shyness and lowered her gaze. But what could she do about her heartbeat? It would not calm down.
"Are you following me? Do you have no shame?" Rita said in anger.
But was it anger or embarrassment in her voice? She did not know herself.
The boy replied simply, "Sorry, I needed this book. You take it. I will read it later."
A small smile played on his lips. Innocence dripped from his face. He walked away shyly.
Rita stood there thinking. "Who is he? Why did my heartbeat become so fast?"
---
The next day, Rita sat in the cafe, lost in thoughts while drinking coffee. She would get worried thinking about Philip. But the next moment, that boy would come into her mind, and her worry would disappear.
She was about to take another sip of coffee when she saw that same boy entering the cafe. He came and sat in front of her.
"My name is Marcus. May I ask your name?"
There was simplicity in Marcus's question. No arrogance.
Rita smiled slightly and said while looking down, "My name is Rita."
"Rita-- you are a very nice girl. Different from everyone else," Marcus said without any hesitation. Rita liked that.
Seeing Rita's silence, Marcus gained courage and spoke. "You think you are alone, but you are not alone. Consider me your friend."
Rita saw real sympathy in Marcus's words. She smiled and left without saying anything.
As she was leaving, she turned to look. Marcus sat there watching her. A new feeling had awakened in Rita's heart. What name should she give this feeling? She did not know herself.
---
For the next few days, Marcus did not come to college. Rita thought, "He must be busy."
When Marcus did not come for many days, Rita started to worry. She looked for Marcus in the classroom, the library, and the cafe. But she could not find him.
Rita started feeling sad without him.
"What happened to him? Is he sick or has he left college?" She kept thinking this all the time.
His words echoed in her ears. "You are a very nice girl."
"What if he does not come back? What if I never see him again?" Strange questions filled Rita's mind.
She told herself, "Rita, why are you so restless for a stranger?"
One day, unwillingly, she went to the college office and asked about Marcus. The office clerk told her, "He is on sick leave."
Hearing about Marcus's illness, Rita became worried. She wanted to call him and ask how he was. But she did not have his number.
Two more days passed. Then one day...
When Rita reached the classroom, he was there. Seeing him, Rita's face lit up. She sat on her seat and kept looking at him secretly. She felt that Marcus was also looking at her. As if he was trying to say something.
As soon as class ended, Rita got up and went to him. Without thinking, she held his hand.
"How is your health now?" Rita asked.
Marcus replied, "I am fine, just had a little fever."
"I missed you so much," Rita said.
"You could have called," Marcus told her.
Rita became quiet. She thought in her heart that she did not have Marcus's number. In the silence, when their eyes met, Rita felt as if time had stopped. As if all distances had ended.
---
Then one day, Marcus took Rita to eat pizza. For the first time, she was going out with a boy. For the first time, there was happiness in her heart. For the first time, she had forgotten Philip. Laughing joyfully, they sat in the pizza place and ate pizza.
But then
Her eyes fell on the table in front. Philip was sitting there. Staring at her.
Rita's heart stopped. Her happiness ended in a moment. Her breath stopped. Trembling started in her hands. The glass fell from her hand and broke.
"Marcus, we have to leave here," Rita said in a low voice.
Marcus said, "But the pizza is still left. Eat first."
Rita got up and walked toward the door. Marcus also got up and went to the counter to pay the bill. Rita was standing outside waiting for Marcus when Philip came near her.
"You rejected my love, I tolerated that. But I will not tolerate that you can be so happy with someone else. I will destroy both of you."
Poison was in Philip's voice. Fire was in his eyes. Rita was trembling. She did not say anything, and Philip left.
When Marcus came out, he saw Rita trembling and asked, "What happened? Who was that?"
Tears were in Rita's eyes. But she did not tell Marcus anything about Philip. She did not want to trouble Marcus. She was scared and thought that Philip would try to harm Marcus.
With these thoughts, she walked toward the hostel. Every step felt heavy. Marcus lived in this city, so he had not opted for the hostel. While going home, he gave an envelope to Rita and walked toward his house. Rita took out a poem from the envelope and read it. Only one sentence was written on it.
Rita, I love you.
Reading this, Rita forgot all her sorrows. The clouds of sadness lifted from her face. Today she felt that she was not alone. She had a strong support.
Rita took a taxi and returned to her hostel.