The Adrenaline Rush

I took the early train so that I can get there well before 6 PM. That’s enough time for her to get ready after logging out of work. It’s the first day after quarantine confinement. It’s the first time I am going to see her after I told her, ‘I Like You.’

I can’t be late, can I?
So, I get there well ahead of time, pacing up and down the road. And sharp at 6 PM, I call her phone, “I am here, come down.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” She said and hung up the phone.

I was waiting down at the end of a little path from her apartment door to the tarmac. The door swayed open and out she came. She looked at me with a beaming smile and walked towards me.

As she got closer, I had this urge to hold her face with my hands. When she stood in front of me, I somehow controlled that urge. I knew I had a good level of self-control, but not this much.

With my head pointed towards the general direction of the river, I said, “Let’s go.”
We start walking towards the river close by her apartment. I have never been there myself, but she says it’s beautiful to walk by the bank on summer evenings. I had no complaints. I have walked with her before, for hours together. But today is certainly different. Today I could hear my blood pumping behind my ears.

I am usually a confident guy and talk a lot, but recently I have found out that in times like these, I do get a bit quiet. So, she took the lead and started talking, as she always did. It was a short walk to the riverbank, or at least that’s how it felt for me. It was quite enjoyable to see her, just go on and on.

Boy, was she right about the beauty of the whole scene! So was she, beautiful beyond any words!

I saw a bench and said, let’s sit there for some time. As we sat down, I asked,
“Do you know about adrenaline?”

She said, “What? Adrenaline? Like the hormone?”

I said, “Yeah. Do you know about it?”

She went, “Yeah, what about it?”

“You see adrenaline is secreted into our bloodstream when our brain senses fear. It is to prepare our body for any physical response we want to have because adrenaline acts as an energy booster.”

She looked at me with a puzzled look and said, “Ok… So why are you telling me this?”

I gave her a little smile and continued, “Adrenaline is also secreted when we get highly excited. Our brain thinks we want to do something, and it sends our blood everywhere…”

I took her hand, placed it on my chest where I thought the heart is, on the left side.

“…and makes our heart beat faster.”

She just looked at me.

I looked right back into her eyes and with all the courage that I could muster, still holding her hand over my chest and said,

“I don’t fear you. I find myself so honest and special when I am with you.”

I know that there is this question that is bothering you, “Is he sure about me? Does he really like me, or is it just the quarantine that is playing tricks on his mind?’

So here it is, words can be made up, my face can act out sincerity, but this heartbeat, that’s just pure chemistry. You can’t cheat on that. It’s just not possible.”

I let go of her hand, “I hope that answers your questions. I hope that let’s you know that I am as sure as I can be.”

She turned away and stared at the water. Then a smile broke out. And that’s how she knew it…

– Khashish