Bestie...

Have you ever wondered when, and why does someone become your best friend? And share a place in your life that no one else, perhaps not even your spouse does?

Someone who understands you more than anyone else does. And even in fights, you know s/he loves you. Not the run-of-the-mill kind of passionate love, but a love that you know will always be with you. Even when you’re out of touch for months.

This post is about my best friend… someone who I referred to indirectly in this blog often.

Where do I begin? The first time we met? Or when we realized we are best buddies?

2003, I met him. First day of college, we shared an orange candy. He, obviously, had his eyes on a cute classmate already. To me, he was just another classmate then.

What followed was 3 years of adda, bunking classes for movies and theaters, endless gossips and phone calls. Discussions from Eliot to Freud. Study plans. We were just like any other friend. Though I never realized why his girlfriend hated me.

We moved to different cities. He to Pune. I moved to Hyderabad. Gmail connected us. One day, he pinged me: “I broke up.” My instant reaction was: “Thank God!” Hour-long call followed. And unknowingly, we became best friends.

That was 2007. We used to talk for hours every day. Share who we have crush on, semester pressure, talk about that cute guy/ girl in class. Both of us have had many relationships since then. Needless to say, all of them came with an expiry date.

What survived was our friendship. Yes, we have had our share of misunderstandings. And ego clashes. But we have survived that.

They say, a guy and a girl can never be best friends without falling in love. I won’t deny that. Yes, we fell in love. But then realized our friendship is more precious than love. So we decided not to be in a relationship.

13 years later, I know he is the only person I have who understands me. And my mood swings.

Having seen life, what matters now I guess is the fact that you have someone who you know will always be there. Someone you can share your insecurities with. Someone who would understand and zap you back to reality. Someone who you can hug and cry, knowing he will understand why you’re crying without asking.

Yes, we don’t communicate often. Our midnight chats are rare now.

But, I have someone who understands me, like no one else does. Not my parents. Not my spouse.

Guess that is what best friends are all about. A hug when you need most. And a smile when you want to cry.