Ishqiya - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

S I M R A N
After lots of cajoling and convincing from Sumedha, I found myself sitting in the farthest end corner of the banquet hall where the supposed high school reunion was taking place. Judging from my expression anyone could tell that I wanted to be anywhere but here.
I passed an annoyed look to my so-called best friend, who was obvious to my miseries but seemed to ignore the look I was passing her way. And the cherry on top was the fact that we were early before time was the other invited guests were yet to arrive.
"Stop making that face", Sumedha said looking at me animatedly. "What face?", I snapped back. "Like you will pass out anytime", she added
"Oh so glad that you took notice of it. Because mujhe chahiye neend, bahut saari neend, sukoon ki neend, hadd se jayada neend, my only need is neend", I tell her glaring my best as possible. She paid no heed to my rant and busied herself on her phone, sending messages.
[translation: Because I need sleep, lots of sleep, peaceful sleep, too much sleep, my only need is this sleep]
I ran my gaze to the whole place and narrowed my eyes to my phone screen, trying to kill some time. Suddenly I feel a smack on the back of my head and someone occupying the vacant seat next to me. Sajal
"Hi!", his tone was so annoyingly cheerful that I wanted to slap him across his face with the same chair he landed his butt on.
"You know, I would call you a pig, but that would even be offensive to pigs", I gritted through my teeth passing him a sickly extra sweet smile. "Still up with that sarcastic attitude of yours?", he adds back visibly cringing because of my smile
"At least I'm up to something, unlike you who always slack back" I, retroat and we glared at each other, none decided to step back
"Guys can you please have a normal conversation without having to rip each other's hair off?", it was Sumedha who interrupted our banter
Sajal and I have a history of fights and arguments, they're always harmless though. We couldn't stand each other without trying to rip each other's neck apart, but our friendship says otherwise. We were cordial yet worst enemies.
I smoothened the creases on my evening gown when the host of the party stood up on the stage and decided to welcome the guest. The host was some rich senior who just wanted to throw a party like it was just a piece of cake to show off his handsome money. Rich people, I tell you
After sharing a few greetings here and there the party started as the DJ played a blast of party music turning all the party animals to hit the dance floor. Sumedha and Sajal hopped on from the chairs joining others to the dance, dancing crazily and I took as a queue to quickly vanish from their sight to avoid future mishaps.
I walked towards the empty drinks counter to drown in my own solitude. Ordering a soft drink I sat on the bar stool and looked at my surroundings. My eyes shamelessly roam around each corner for the mere sight of the specific specimen with those brown eyes. He was not even here and I was behaving like a love-sick teenager. Stupid, stupid heart *sigh*
"Searching for someone?", I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise as the familiar masculine was heard amidst the blazing DJ music. There he was Avinash Thakur, dressed in a crisp ironed white shirt with dark dress pants, his shoes were polished to the utmost perfection that I could even see my reflection in it. His hair tossed back giving him a pure gentleman vibe and he adorned a welcoming smile making him look more appealing and enticing for the eyes.
I royally ignored him and focused on my drink even if his presence affected me. He pocked his cheek with his tongue after getting ignored and sat on the seat beside mine.
"Can I buy you a drink?", he questioned following my line of sight and gazing at the others dancing and enjoying their time. "No, but I'll take the money instead", I reply back looking back at him
Our eyes collided when I turned towards him and time seemed to stop for me. Everything around me seemed to disappear and I felt that we were back in time. In the time when we sat together on the same tuition seat.
"Why are you being so distant Simran?", he questioned, his eyebrows thinning ever so slightly in a visible frown. "Isn't it obvious?", I find myself replying.
I don't know why but I felt my anger crawling on my skin suddenly. Now when I was ignoring him and being distant he was complaining about him. Wherever I'm nowadays I find Avinash Thakur there, is it a mere coincidence or there's something I wasn't aware of? I wanted to make peace with myself, but I couldn't seem to find it.
The man sitting beside me was obvious of the fact that I had a major crush on him back then, hell I loved him to go to the extent of doing anything to be in his line of sight. But what did he do? He acted nonchalant of my feelings, acting as if my mere existence irritated him. I know that we were teenagers back then, dwelling on our feelings but now when I want to be away why was acting like a leech all of a sudden?
"Am I missing out on something Simran? Is there something I should know?", he asked again. And God forbid if I didn't find the way my name rolled from his tongue bone-chilling. A shiver passed down my spine as he turned serious out of a sudden, his eyes darkening as he fully turned towards me, facing me.
"Forget it. Anyways, are you by any chance stalking me?", I asked the question which had been roaming in my head. He seemed to be amused at my question that he laughed making me chew on the inside of my cheek. It wasn't funny? Right?
"Stalking? And me? I thought it was your department Simran", his tone was amused as his lips twisted upwards in an amused smirk. The tip of my ears turned pink and I felt my cheeks burning with the coy feeling. I felt timid under his gaze and my mind drifted down memory lane.
Flashback~~~
"Kids run faster, at this rate I don't think we can even manage to get through the selections", our kho-kho trainer yelled at the top of her voice as she balled orders at us
Well, I am Sumedha played for the school's kho-kho team. Our team managed to win the interschool matches and now we were aiming for the zonal level.
The whole school playground was full with every player practicing their sport and bathing in sweats. It was the month of March and we could already feel the blazing sun doing sheer torture on us. It wasn't anywhere near summer but it was so damn humid. I felt a sweat drop rolling down my forehead and disappearing in my cotton t-shirt as I sat with the balance of my knee in the lane. My exposed knees brushed with the ground beneath staining it with the mud since I was wearing shorts.
I swatted the hairs that fell on my forehead with my sweaty hands when I saw his class coming downstairs. It must be his PE(physical education) class. Since Avinash started his 10th grade, he wasn't allowed to play sports on the pretext of focusing more on his academics. My eyes squinted towards every student trying to find that tall specimen with brown eyes when I felt a hard tap on my shoulders. It was my queue to run and I took the lead focusing on my game.
But luck didn't seem to be on my side. I mistakenly locked eyes with Avinash in the middle of the game, and that was my worst mistake. My feet suddenly felt tangled among themselves and I felt a strong adrenaline rush. And before I could comprehend what happened, I landed on my butt, hard.
Time stopped as instantly pain travelled through my body, everyone stared at me as I groaned in agony and embarrassment. Everything was silent until Sumedha broke it laughing like a Hyena, along with my teammates, and a few passersby and joined by Avinash and his group. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks and I glared hard at my best friend planning to unalive her then and there.
After the game I walked towards the restroom stalls to wash away the mud off me when I encountered Avinash, laughing with his friends. I quickly averted my eyes and walked inside.
It happened for a week, wherever I went I saw Avinash. Either I went to fill my water bottle, went out of class, in the playground, or when I walked towards the washroom, Avinash was everywhere. At times I thought my eyes were playing tricks with me but no he was everywhere, making me question my sanity.
I'd had enough of this shit that now it was annoying me. It was once after my practice sessions when I was walking towards the water cooler to fill my water bottle I saw him again. I kissed my teeth in irrigation and clicked my tongue, ignoring it I closed my eyes and walked further when I was stopped dead in my tracks.
"Simran?", it was him, the actual him! Avinash freaking Thakur was standing in front of me. My hands turned cold and my throat felt as dry as Sahara. I forced my lashes open and looked at him as he stood towering over me.
"Have you installed some type of chip in me or something? Why do I always see you everywhere around me? Or are you stalking me huh?", his question had left me flabbergasted, as I stared at him as if he'd grown two heads.
Present~~~
"Where are you lost?", I was snapped back from my reverie because of Avinash, he looked genuinely concerned as I zoned out completely. "Nothing", I answered back sitting straight.
"Anyways, let's talk about life, shall we? We have missed a lot don't you think?", he said. "What's there to talk about?", I replied sipping on my new drink as it burned my throat
"Anything! Your career, life after you left Raniganj", he spoke again and engaged in a comfortable conversation. Things felt easy and calm now. Our conversation flowed as if nothing had changed, as we were still the same as we were back then. I felt at ease as we shared about our lives.
Avinash completed his master's and had stepped foot in his father's company ready to take over. Good for him though.
"Can I have a dance with you?", Avinash out of the blue asked making me visibly surprised. A dance? That also will Avinash? No!
He looked at me with his extended hand as the DJ switched to a romantic track. I fought back a rather sarcastic comment that was on the tip of my tongue and accepted his offer to not kill the moment.
We walked towards the dance floor and took our position along with the other couples. His one hand settled on my waist and the other intertwined with my fingers while my hand travelled to his shoulder. The proximity made me weak in the knees, but the feeling was ethereal, it felt as if I fit right in his arms. Everything felt right!
At that moment, maybe it was his laugh as he whispered something funny in my ear, his brown eyes that twinkled in the lightning, or his smile that never left his lips. It could've been his hair that was styled to perfection, or his voice that made goosebumps erupt on my skin, or his charming personality. Whatever it was, It made me fall pretty damn hard for him all over again, that I forgot all my senses as we swayed to the music.
And I was reminded again that he wasn't mine, and I wondered why can't I be his girl.
Was it too much for me to ask him to love me as much as I did?
I shook my head, trying to get rid of the unnecessary thoughts and focus on the moment we were sharing.
"You look beautiful", he whispered leaning down to my level. His lips brushed with my earlobe and I felt electric jolts passing through my body. I decked my head down as a crimson hue covered my face. He chuckled making me more red like a tomato. A fond smile plastered on my face as I felt out of the world.
We were close, so close that I could his rich cologne. My hesitant eyes rose up to make contact with his twinkling brown eyes and I felt a deep shiver ran down my spine. My lips parted with the proximity and intensity of the situation, a small tug and we would have our lips hovering over each other.
"Avinash?", But my happiness was short-lived. The butterflies I felt in my stomach suddenly died, the firecrackers in my body extinguished and the spark in my eyes disappeared when I heard that voice and instantly recognised it. I could never forget it, my nightmare, and I knew everything went wrong. Suddenly Avinash's proximity which was comforting a few seconds ago felt suffocating.
An unsettling feeling rose in my chest as I felt his securing hold loosening around me. His eyes which were on me trailed behind him as he stared at her.
"Vidhi", it was her Vidhi, Avinash's first-ever girlfriend, more like an ex now. She was his first love, as he was mine.
And I was again reminded of my unreciprocated feelings, my throat clogged and tears gathered at the end of my waterline. My heart felt heavy with the pent-up emotions. The enchanting night suddenly turned all grim.
It felt like I was in an ocean, waves drowning in fiery tides as I was struggling rather than swimming to save myself, I knew he would never be mine because it was nothing but unrequited love.