Zoe's Casper

It has been a little over three hours since Casper picked Zoe from her home. He had called her the night before and said that there was something very important that he wanted to share with her; moments after they had bid each other good night, after their daily ritual of an hour long late night telephone chat. Zoe hung up the phone, and wondered what it could be about. Casper and Zoe have been friends for over six years now, but then, there was something strange about the whole thing that night. He sounded tensed, his voice shivered, and he was restless. She tried hard to figure out what it could be all about. After having kept herself awake for a long time, she finally decided to hit the bed, and listen to what he had to say the next morning.

Casper had arrived at exactly 10:00 a.m. that morning, much to the surprise of Zoe. It was the first time in all these years that he had been on time. She got into the car and asked him what it was, and waited impatiently for his response. He looked out of his window, and told her that he would tell her once they find a comfortable place to talk.

Three hours had gone by and he had not uttered even a word. Considering that her friend was not his true self, Zoe decided to give him the space he needed, and settled to listen to music until he was ready. After another half hour of drive, the car finally came to a halt at a place that was more magical than scenic. Zoe could not believe what she saw. Green hillocks, beautiful meadows, colorful flowers, a serene lake, and not many people – it was like a picture on canvas. She had always been a nature lover, and it did not take her more than a few moments to merge into the abundance of nature.

She did not realize how much time had gone by, until Casper placed his hands on her shoulder. With a sudden jolt, she turned around and smiled at him. She was about to say something to him, when he brushed aside the strands of hair that rubbed against her face, and placed the most romantic kiss on her lips. For a moment she stood still. She never expected this from Casper. “How could he? I thought he was my nice friend…but then why did he?” A train of thoughts raced within her, until suddenly, her inner voice asked …”How could you?” She was startled, and confused at the same time. “Leave aside what he did…you knew it was not the right thing. But then, why didn’t you stop him, pull yourself away, or just scream?” it asked.

As she stood there not understanding what was happening, Casper finally spoke. “I know that you know it too Zoe. Let’s not pretend any further. We both know that we love each other more than anything else in this world. It shows in the way we care for each other - our future, career, family, likes, dislikes and every other damn thing. I am sure you feel the same too. It is getting difficult by the day to hold back all the wonderful feelings we have for each other and pretend to simply be great friends. It is getting hard on me to see you day after day, talk to you every other hour, depend on you for the simplest of things, and finally let you go as just a friend. You are the essence of my being, and I need you more than anything else in life.”

Zoe listened to him, and confessed to herself that she was no better. He had become an external part of her a long time ago, but she had never nurtured to courage to let him know. “How could I take the first move?” she always battled within her, and settled to bury her feeling until this very moment. She never wanted to do anything that could cost their relationship. But now, she suddenly began to feel happy, and her heart was light. She finally had found “Her Casper”. With her eyes brimming with tears of joy she looked into his eyes, and asked…“Idiot, what took you this long?”