Koi No Yokan – Short Story (5 mins read)

Meera seated herself comfortably in the meeting room and saw Avinash for the first time sitting across the table. She had anticipated this situation many times in her mind while preparing for this interview, after all, this was her first interview!

Avinash asked her to the first question, ‘So Meera, tell me something about yourself, your family etc. and also run me through your resume, if you can”. No sooner did he say that, Meera started speaking profusely, as if she was on a mission to seize that job, anyhow. Mission it was for her; after all, she had bagged this interview with ‘Digitos Media’, a renowned Media firm, for an intern’s position after many trials. This was her chance to prove her mettle, her way to impress and bedazzle. For every question, she shot back with double the energy and vigour.

He observed the zealous flapping of her eyelids, the vehement waving of her hands and an uninhibited spirit that wouldn’t rest a bit. Well, this was not the first time that Avinash Kumar was interviewing a girl, he had done that many times before. Being the Manager of the Marketing Department of Digitos Media, infact he had seen and recruited many female candidates. Many of them had been well groomed by him too. But today was different from all other days, it felt special. Watching this girl and her nonchalant attitude, something inside him melted a bit. She was speaking much more than asked for and was also blabbering unnecessarily. On other occasions, Avinash might have felt annoyed and brought an end to the interview abruptly, but why was he not doing it today? This girl sitting infront of him, speaking in innocent frenzy, he thought to himself, ‘how simple she is, how very unassuming.’

Meera was speaking with confidence trying to convince the much tenured man sitting across her, a project that she must not fail in. Avinash that day had watched in amazement the sprouting energy of this girl, a breath of fresh air, he couldn’t manage to ignore.

That day itself, Meera was told by the HR that she has been selected, her joy knew no bounds.  She was appointed as an Intern for 6 months, reporting to Avinash.

That’s how they had met for the first time.

What magnet drew the two towards each other, they knew not. What followed were restless days and sleepless nights.

For Meera to fall for a dynamic person like Avinash, wasn’t a surprise. She was in awe of him and admired him deeply. She was told by her colleagues that she is extremely lucky to have got him as a Boss. When she asked why is it so, they would say, “why not, you get to spend so much time with him. He is such a charm! Girls swoon over Avinash Sir but he doesn’t talk to many girls, not much beyond work’.

Due to the fear of gossip mongers in office, their relationship remained clandestine to a large extend. But on weekends, the love birds knew no restrains, they would happily meet and spend the whole day together. On one such day, Avinash, curling Meera in his arms said,

“Have you heard of the phrase – Koi No Yokan?”

“What?” said Meera

“It’s a Japanese word”, said he

“Koi No…what?  What does it mean?” Meera saw Avinash turning a little thoughtful

“It means, a feeling that a person has upon seeing someone for the first time, you know, a sort of sense that he might fall for that person in the future.”

“Ok, love at first sight”, quipped Meera

“No sweetheart, that’s different. Koi No Yokan doesn’t mean ‘love at first sight’, it’s quite different from that, as it does not imply that the feeling of love exists, only the knowledge that a future love is inevitable.”

Meera nodded, looking at Avinash.

“The first time I saw you, I sensed there might be something to us. Did you not feel it?” asked Avinash

“Yeah, may be, I don’t remember exactly, I was too caught up with the whole tension of clearing my interview, koi no..Whatever that is, it was the last thing in my mind.”

Avinash laughed at this and looked at her with his eyes filled with love and affection. He kissed her on her forehead and felt an inner peace.

“What did I say for you to laugh?” said Meera.

“Well, you could have said that you fell in love instantly, but you being the beautiful soul that you are, didn’t do that to please me, you rather said the truth and this is what I like the most about you.”

“So basically, it’s me who felt the love not you. Hmmmmm. Now I get it!” chuckling within, Avinash was at his playful best.

Meera felt embarrassed and curled up in his arms again, vehemently denying his charges against her.

The sun was setting outside casting a crimson red hue across the sky. The trailing beam of the setting sun entered the room through the large window, where the two lovers away from the humdrum of life were exchanging sweet nothings. That day when they had met for the first time, did Avinash sense a prelude to an ensuing chapter yet to unfold? Can love really have a forewarning to itself or is it just a stroke of serendipity? Well, it is for the lovers to decide. As the room filled with their gay laughter, the ancient Japanese word almost echoed all around. Koi No Yokan – The premonition of Love.