LOVER, LOVER, FRIEND.

What makes a love story? A hero and a heroine. Wrong. Any love story would have been incomplete without the third person, who happens to be the best friend or best friends of the lovers. This person(s) had been present in the hero and the heroine’s lives before they found each other and they were the ones who saw the love blossom. They played the role of Cupid sometimes, the confidante or a shoulder to cry on at other times, depending on the stage of the love story.

I have been this friend in many love stories, some successful and some unsuccessful ones. I have seen my friends falling in love, answered the “You really think she loves me?” question countless times, giggled at each encounter they had... I have made phone calls on my friends’ behalf, conveyed messages and help resolve lovers’ tiffs and been their alibis. It has been my success to see the lovers unite and my failure when they didn’t. I have cried with my friends when their dreams shattered, lost hope in love with them and floated on clouds when things went well…

I have also shouldered the responsibility of seeing that my friends did not get too hurt when they broke off. So I had the unfortunate job of tearing all the love letters and pictures. My hand trembled; my faith shook as I tore those letters full of emotions and promises, of commitment and abandonment. Can a person who goes through so much from the beginning to the end of the love story be of any less importance than the lovers themselves? Perhaps not.

But, as most friends in a love story would have felt, I had felt neglected almost as many times as I have felt elated in all those love stories. I had a twinge of jealousy at being replaced each time. How many times have I planned something with my friend only to be ditched at the last moment because sheepishly, he would admit, “I can’t go! Sorry. She called me a while ago. We are going for a walk.” How many days have I sat all alone reminiscing of the times I had someone to share my thoughts with? How many days have I gone along with them to be a silent spectator as they sat lost in each other? How many times, after being a part of every single turn in their love story, have I been told to mind my own business rather than meddle in theirs? Countless times, I suppose!

Has this put me off love stories? No, I am a die-hard romantic and a very loyal friend. My support has been unconditional to all my friends who have fallen in love in the last so many years. So has the support of all the friends in the love stories around the world. Without them, there would be love stories, but somewhat empty and lacking. I decided long ago that love and friendship could go together; it was a matter of being more sensitive to both. There is always a place for best pals in love stories.