Yes? No? Maybe? - whenever these words crowd my brain, I know that I am in need of a break. I am not exactly the kind of person who would pack their bags and run away to some place because they need solitude. However, I love taking long strolls and take turns without thinking where the road would lead. It was during one such nighttime stroll that I came across the house. I call it 'the house' ever since and it's become my go-to place. It seemed that the house was abandoned but for some reason I pushed the gate and went to check if the door was locked and to my surprise, it wasn't. Abandoned places don't have furniture so it was silly of me to assume that it would be a fully furnished place but I can't deny that I was a teeny bit disappointed to see the empty hall. Nonetheless, I climbed the flight of stairs and they led me to the terrace. Sitting on the edge of the terrace with the breeze playing with my hair, I looked at the winter sky and realized that I can sit there till the sun comes up. As much as I wanted to stay, I knew I needed to get back home, so I got up and made a mental note of visiting the house often.
It was not long before I had memorized the turns that would lead me to the house. One evening while running a personal errand I decided to take a quick detour to sit on the edge of the terrace. I had been in such a hurry that I did not notice the door was ajar but it's a bit difficult to not notice a six feet person standing in the exact same spot you are used to sitting. I was about to leave when he interrupted me, "I don't mind if you want to stay." I looked at him and he passed me a smile that reached his eyes which were painfully blue. I took a few steps forward and sat next to him. He must have been a year or two older than me but that didn't stop me from stealing a quick glance at him, for he was invariably the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I know guys aren't supposed to be beautiful but he was. "Do you come here often," he asks after having caught me staring at him. I blush and somehow manage to get out the words without fumbling, "Yes. Not everyday. But I do come here a lot. It feels nice. I don't know why the people who lived here abandoned it." He laughs a boyish laugh and I think I missed some joke but he explains, "The people who abandoned this place are my parents. This was my favorite place but sadly we are selling it. I liked it here too; serene, isolated, away from the mundane world works for me." I don't know what made my stomach lurch - the sadness with which he described the place or the fact that I won't be able to visit.
He seemed to have read my thoughts, for he changed the topic and asked, "Any particular reason for coming here?" I was startled by his question and also annoyed at him for breaking my chain of thoughts. He raises one eyebrow when I don't answer and my cheeks choose that moment to turn crimson which amuses him. "Sometimes, I need a break when my thoughts become to much to handle. Where am I heading? What if I fall? What if I reach a dead end?", I shiver. He folds his legs and turns to face me; I blurt without thinking, "You are wearing bunny socks. They're too cute for a guy." He grins, "I would take that as a compliment. Thank you very much." I thought he was done but he adds, "You know that's the problem, you come here because you need a break. You'd find another go-to place when some family comes to live here." I was about to get up and leave because I don't like when people tell me what not to do. I really think he could read minds because the next moment he said, " And you just judged me for acting like a know-it-all, didn't you?" He laughs his boyish laugh again and I change my mind. "You don't talk much, do you?" I look up to him and say with a teasing smile, "You don't allow anyone to speak. And I am sure you read those lines in some book. Everyone needs a break." He shrugs, "Of course they do. But not from their own thoughts. I take breaks when I am tired of hearing the mundane dos and don'ts of this hypocritical world. I don't understand what's wrong with a guy wearing blue bunny socks." I grin and was about to apologize but he cuts me off, "Or what's the big deal in taking the wrong turns and reach a dead end, you could always turn around." I look away from his face towards the swaying trees, "Words are easy to come by. Each dead end you hit has a consequence and I don't think I am ready to face it." He tousles my hair and my I am pretty sure he heard the thud of my heart; however, he continues with a grin, "This is the time to make mistakes and hit dead ends so that when you're 40 you'd know which road to take. Don't listen to someone just because they have been here longer, they might have a different perception and it's not mandatory for you to have the same."
I could have listened to him talk forever, such was his charm. All of a sudden the moon reminds me that this was supposed to be a quick detour and I get up with a start, "I really have to go. It was nice talking to you." He plants a kiss on my cheek and this time my cheeks turn a ridiculous shade of pink to which he laughs again and says, "It will be around a year before my parents actually sell this place. This can be your go-to place until then or maybe you could start looking for some other abandoned house." I go to the house everyday in the hope that he might be there but he hasn't visited since that day. That evening and his perfect appearance are the only memories I have of him. You'd think it was stupid of me to forget asking for his number but the way I see it, this one memory is enough to last for a lifetime and who knows I might find him standing on the edge of the terrace of some other go-to place I find.
It's like he knew I would come searching for him the next day because he had tucked a note under a piece of wood. I opened the note and it read, "When confused between Yes/No, I'd go for Maybe any day because that way I have half a chance of not hitting a dead end."
