How I realised I was in love?

This is a hypothetical story short story in first person. Hope you have a good time reading it.

" I will be there in an hour " he says and hangs up the phone.

I hate him for making me wait for so long. How am I going to pass an hour in the restaurant sitting alone? I shouldn't have made plans for dinner with him. I should have straight gone home. It was a bad idea to try to catch up with his life. I go out of the restaurant, find a clothes store and do some window shopping to pass time. I look at the watch, still half an hour to go.

I find a book store and go inside. I search around the shelves for one particular novel I always had my eyes on but never got to read. I don't find it. Instead, I get stuck on an other novel. I start reading....1st chapter, 2nd chapter. BAM!! I instantly remember why I was in the book shop in the first place. I check my watch. I was late by 20 minutes. I check my phone. No calls from him.

Maybe he hasn't arrived yet.

I rush back to the restaurant and eagerly scan the crowd to see his familiar face as I take my seat. He isn't there.

This is too much, I tell myself.

I call him. He doesn't pick the call.

Maybe he hasn't heard the sound of the call amidst all the honking horns.

I order a cappuccino.

He was now 40 mins late. I mentally figure out how exactly I am going to scold him for being late.

I decide to give him an other call.

He doesn't receive it either.

I don't like it now. What the hell is he doing? He always picks up the phone.

I order a coffee. I am constantly staring at the restaurant's entrance. 20 mins pass and my nerves are getting bad.

I ditch the table even though I know I won't get it again as the rush hour was about to start.

I am outside the restaurant, searching frantically for that one familiar face.

What if....?

I stop that thought from progressing.

I start pacing the road now. It's now 2 hours and 45 mins since I last talked to him. I had made 10 calls in the time being, none of them were received.

I call a friend in the mean time to ask if he knows anything. He says he saw him leave 3 hours ago.

I calculate the distance between the restaurant and his office. It hardly takes 45 mins even in the worst traffic.

I hate him now for making me miserable. I think of calling the police. My mind shows me all the worst possibilities - accident, kidnapping, murder etc. I hate myself for thinking like that. I call two of his friends in between, no leads there again.

The watch is ticking so fast, I grow nervous with every new second. I patrol the entire street now. He isn't there. I try to remember the conversation we had a few hours ago.

Did I tell him the name of the restaurant correctly? There is no way I could make a mistake there. We always go to the same restaurant. This realization makes me more miserable.

I suddenly feel weakness in my legs, my throat feels as if it is drying up and it seems I am choking on something. I feel faint but I continue to stand. I consider going to his office to check personally.

The phone rings suddenly.

I thank god but I am instantly disappointed to realize that the call is not from him. I answer. An old friend trying to catch up with my life. I don't have time, I shut her down rudely.

I sit on the pavement. My expensive dress is all wrinkled and ruined. I care nothing for it.

I find myself praying to god. Something I have never done in years. I pledge my allegiance to him and ask for his safety. I start tearing up.

It's a good 5 hours since I last talked to him.

The restaurant is closing down for the day. Onlookers are looking at my dishevelled appearance. I am convinced something bad had happened to him.

I decide to go to the police station first after waiting for half an hour more.

Meanwhile, someone is trying to make me get off the pavement. I resist. I am weak. The person is trying to shake me to bring me back to senses.

"Where the hell have you been?! " he shouts.

I know it's him. I thank god. I pinch myself to confirm it's not a dream. I turn around to look at him.

I see his eyes which were blazing red and his attire is as dishevelled as mine. His eyes are shining with little tear droplets as well but a little smile spreads around the corner of his lips as he looks at me.

I crumble into his arms. He hugs me back. I don't ask him a reason nor does he. We just stay there like that for some time.

This new found feeling is different. He was a friend until a few hours ago. But now, he is more. I know he feels the same.

I look into his eyes. They seem to be reflecting the same thoughts.

"Where have you been?"

I ask him in a low voice.

"I was here the whole time"

I don't understand. I tell him I was there the whole time as well. He shows me his phone. He had called me 50 times. Why didn't I get his call? I show him the list of my calls to him. Why didn't he get my call?

He brought out a different cell phone while leaving his office and it never hit me to try his other number.

His mistake.

I look at my phone and an instant guilty realization hits me. I blocked his other contact number over a fight a few days ago in such a way that I could call him but he couldn't and I could never figure out how to remove the block from it. It was the same reason why I insisted him to take up a different number.

My mistake.

We both suddenly laugh at this realization, not letting go of each other still.

He was apparently waiting for me on the other entrance before scanning the entire street. We just didn't happen to cross paths.

"Dinner?" he asks, as he takes my hand in his.

He doesn't need to ask to take my hand.

The past few hours had taught what we meant to each other.

While I thank the past few hours to make us realize this fact, I also wish we will never have to face that situation again.

Had it been someone else, we both would have been more alert to notice through our mistakes.

I guess this is what love means! Care for a person so much that you can't think straight.