................................................
"i missed you"
There was a pause.Then Tariq turned to her with a half grinning,half grimacing look of distaste,"what is the matter with you?"
How many times had she,Hasina and Giti said those same three words to each other,Laila wondered,said it without hesitation,after only two or three days of not seeing each other? "I missed you,Hasina.Oh,I missed you too."In Tariq's grimace,Laila learned that boys differ from girls in this regard.They didn't make a show of friendship.They felt no urge,no need,for this sort of talk.Laila imagined it had been this way for her brothers too.Boys,Laila came to see,treated friendship the way they treated the sun:its existence undisputed;its radiance best enjoyed,not beheld directly.
"i was trying to annoy you," she said.
he gave her a sidelong glance."It worked".
But she thought his grimace softened.And she thought that maybe the sunburn on his cheeks deepened momentarily.
(This is an excerpt from the book " A 1000 Splendid Suns". Hope the READERS read it..!!)