Xossip Ultimate Story Contest 2014

[Expert]

The meet...

Psyx

It had been 5 long years since I saw her last. And yet here I was... waiting for her to walk in my life again.

‘How will she react? Would she be elated to see me? Or would it be an awkward encounter for both of us? Hope she has not forgotten me after all these years…’ random thoughts kept intriguing my mind. The coffee house with its soft indie music and soothing aroma was not helping. I kept glancing over my watch again and again.

It was 6:40 PM when she walked in.

Oh, how beautiful she looked... adorning that all black - suit jacket, pencil skirt and heels, with white-collared shirt under the jacket. Her hair neatly tied at her back. She looked even more gorgeous than the last time I saw her. And she pulled that even without having any make-up on.

“Thank god, you didn't leave Abhi! Sorry for keeping you waiting. The meeting went long.” She innocently apologized as I held out a chair for her to sit.

I never failed to be amazed by her innocence and simplicity, not only today but throughout all the years I have spent with her in graduation. She was one girl I knew that could have easily made a career out of modelling and yet she spent her nights slogging for MBA entrance exams. She made me study too… God knows, I pretended to study only for her!

And here she was today, as the classy career girl that achieved success too early in her life. The one, women her age aspire to be and the men her age want to date. No wonder I am in love with her. I mean, how can anyone not fall in love with her? She was everything anyone could ever desire in his girl. Sometimes I wonder why wasn't everybody quitting what they were doing and concentrating on winning her love.
I certainly was.

And yet, “I’m just happy you came Sujal” was all I could manage to say to her that moment.
She seemed so happy on seeing me; it put me in ease from the anxiety that was brewing in me before she came. I now seemed to enjoy every moment passing by.

“So…? Finally we meet!” I was trying my best to sound upbeat about this meet
“Yes we do” Her persona was one thing, but she always managed to make so much better an impression when she spoke.
“So how is everyone at home?” She enquired. She was always concerned about my parents’ well-being. Her concern made me feel so important.

“Everyone is doing great!” I replied. “They keep inquiring about you every now and then”
“Oh do they!” She seemed pleasantly amused by my reply. I think I saw her lip curve in a smile.
I was smiling too. And I didn't know why. Before I met her, I never knew what it was to look at someone and smile for no reason.
“Heyyyy… stop grinning! I know I’m looking fat in this dress!” No wonder she had caught me smiling.

“No you are not. You are looking so…” I gulped down my words before they escaped my mouth.
“So..?” Her lips curved into one of those mischievous smiles that I so knew from college. She had me cornered again.
“Pretty?!” I was not going under this time, Sujal. Ha!
“Would have preferred if you’d said hot!” and she broke into her carefree laughter, the way she usually did back in college days.

Even I was laughing hard. I guess some things never change. We are the same college mates taking it up from where we left, as if nothing has changed in the past five years.
“Anyways, how are things at office?” I tried bringing a change to the conversation topic.

“Seriously! We are meeting after so long and all you want me is to talk about my fiascos at work” and though I know she would be best in what she did at her job, I allowed her to ramble about how miserable her work was and how pathetic she was in doing it. Seemed like she was still the quirky girl I knew.

‘How can anyone be so innocent? Beautiful and yet so modest! Why aren't other girls like her’ Thousands thoughts kept rushing to me and as I sat there listening to whatever she continued to tell me– her life in the new city, new friends she made, shopping she did and what not! I was so loving her company. It was as if my world had suddenly become alive from the moment she had walked in that door.
In fact, at one point I realized that I didn't even know what she was talking about. My mind was so full of her that all I could do was to stare at her pretty face and watch her take my breath away with every word she spoke.

“Enough about me. Tell me what are you up to, these days Abhi?” suddenly she realized she hadn't given me a chance to speak till then.
“Well, nothing much. Was thinking of starting my own venture.”
“Cool. Let me know when you do. I will quit my job and join you.”
“And why would you do that?” If there was any excitement in my voice before, it was hardly compared to what it was now.
“Well, I want to make sure it succeeds.” She obviously hadn't grown over the notion of me as the immature and lackadaisical guy she knew at college
“Trust me. I will manage this one alone. It has been my childhood dream” I said that with the sincerest expression possible.
“I know” She was smiling again. “And I also remember the vow you made that you will not marry till you have a start-up of your own” She was literally mocking me now.
“I have kept to my word then. Haven’t I?” And that’s when we both burst into laughter.

At that moment, we were back in college again. Sitting in canteen when I would've cracked a joke that would get her laughing. And we would laugh together. Loud. Carefree. As if the world around us didn't matter.

“Well that was for me” I continued as we both stifled our laughter as the entire coffee house turned its attention to us and then back to what they were doing “...but tell me how come you are still single?” I couldn't resist passing the question, hoping it wasn't a sensitive subject for her.
“Well, no one approached me till date. Most of the men in my life are intimidated by my success” She replied with equal humour, and then she broke into laughter again.

I pretended to join her in the laugh, but deep down in my heart I knew how true her words were. Take me for instance, I’m her best friend from college and yet I could never muster the courage to ask her out for the past decade I have known her. She was just… too out of my league! After all, I was just another tech grad with 20-odd-grand salary a month; whereas she was an IIM gold medallist working for one the biggest Consultancy firms of the world. She has her own chauffeur-drive car for god’s sake! I should be just happy that she made time for me; even in her two-day hectic scheduled stay in the city.

“What about you? You can’t tell me you have trouble finding dates.” She giggled as she spoke.
The truth was - I tried dating numerous women after college but none of them tend to be the kind whom I’d like to spend my time with. Because when it came to women, I had a lot of unrealistic expectations. Or maybe, I was so used to being around Sujal that she became the benchmark; no girl could ever meet. In fact, I didn’t want to be with any other girl than her. It was her, it had always been her.

“Where are you lost now?” she caught me mid-way with her wicked smile again— the one that made you see the naughtiness behind her expressions. “Still counting?”
“No nothing like that” I smiled back.
I guess my response was not conceiving enough for her. But still she continued…

“So tell me how is everyone? Vaibhav, Sambhavi, Ishaan, Ragni… they are still in the city? Pity you didn’t inform them about me” She didn’t sound too sad about that fact though.
“Oh ya, Vaibhav is here. He is working for…” and that’s when we got into discussing where our college friend circle was, and what all each one of them was doing in his/her life.

An hour passed like a jiffy.
“Hey, look at the time.” She had suddenly caught sight of the clock at the wall “I’m getting late for my flight, I guess I should be leaving now”
I followed her out of the Coffee House after paying the bill, only to find her waving for a taxi. Sadly for me, there were enough taxis available that evening.

At that very moment, there were so many things that I wanted to say to her. So many things that I wanted her to know… but all I could say was “Thank you for taking time out to meet me, Sujal. You have no idea how happy I’m to see you after all these years”
“Don’t mock me. You know I would always make time for you.” She was smiling again. But this time it was a different smile, the one that wanted to convey something to me.
“And why is that?” I was genuinely curious.

At which point she took a deep breath, straightened herself up, looked straight in my eyes and started speaking again. And when she spoke, she didn't sound like her usual jovial self.
“Because you are the best friend I ever had” She said that with a clenched jaw and her earnest simplicity
It was getting hard for me to decipher the emotions behind her words. And her reply though short, had changed everything. Now, I had so many questions that needed answers. So many thoughts that deserved explanations. I fumbled for the right question, but couldn't think of anything.

“And yet…. and yet, you never gave me a visit! After all these years…? Sure I deserved better.”
Silence. As the moment stretched between us, filled with sudden awareness and unspoken things. It was a moment that was due for long. And I knew the words even before she spoke…
“Because you never asked.” She said as tears welled up in her eyes, giving away all the revelations that she ever tried to hide. “It is you. It has always been you Abhi!”
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"Feels gud to be back.."

My maiden attempt at writing a story (feedbacks welcomed):