Falling in Love, Again

Chapter 13- The burden Removed

The campus was full of hustle and bustle as usual. But today Aryan seemed to not to pay to attention anything around him. He just walked further without noticing anything or anyone.

As he walked, he saw Aarushi sitting at a raised platform at an edge of the ground. He went to the platform and sat near her.

"Hey Aarushi!"

Aarushi looked up from her book.

"Oh hey Aryan."

"How are you?"

"Fine, you?"

"Good. Actually I feel much better after yesterday. Seems like I have finally removed a huge burden from my mind."

Aarushi smiled a little.

"Yeah" She replied.

"I knew Aarushi, you were always there for me. You were the one who always supported me. And if I actually talked to you what i were feeling at that time, you would have taken care of the matter. But I don't know, why was I so stupid to leave you like this. I am sorry Aarushi, I-I couldn't be the one, I couldn't be your Aryan, you must have expected me to be there for you as you were for me always and I-"

"It's okay Aryan. When I said you weren't my Aryan, I failed to realize that I also weren't being your Aarushi. I forgot that you had an opinion too, and the fact that you didn’t speak about it much doesn't means I shouldn't have bothered about it. Perhaps, maybe there were mistakes from both sides."

"Well, it can't be called mistakes, those were unfavorable situations, and instead of trying to make them better, we both made them worse."

"Yeah, if at that time we talked about it, the problem would never arise I guess."

"Maybe destiny wanted to clear everything we had in our minds. See, there must be the reason we both are here, though we never wanted to be. After all, how long can a person keep so much with himself."

"Yeah, but why you didn't go to USA?"

"Umm...I wanted to, so badly, after all that's what I worked for, and was all set to go, prepared hard for the exam,did hundreds of revisions, renewed my passport, but-"

"But?"

"But I fell severely ill that year, some weeks before my exam. And I couldn't appear that year. But I didn't give up, I decided to give it an another year, worked hard again, all those things I did before I made sure to do in a better way this time. But fate had different plans, I was rejected by one mark. I could give it an another year or some more if possible, I never cared about all the taunts and gossips about me, it was my dream, I had to make it successful, but now I had two years of gap from school, and I was no longer allowed to take the exam. Hence I had to appear in our college exam and leave my dream of USA forever." He sighed.

Aarushi put her hands on his'.

That touch, after one and a half year, what a comfort it gave to him, seemed like she had taken away that thing from him with her.

"Don't worry, maybe God had better plans for your future." She smiled.

"Maybe, but why you? Why didn't you go for psychology?"

"There were three months gap for my entrance after school, I know I could have done much better, but I just messed it all up. For those three months, I never believed in myself, like I used to do. I kept believing that I wasn't worth it. And in that doubt, I messed up my exam. I didn't have enough patience to restart it all again, to study the same thing again for yet another year, I was not able to beer all those taunts, especially when my sister got in a college of her choice, and I had no direction to go. Then after a lot of research,  my father came up with idea to try journalism, and since I was clueless of what to do, I agreed. And now, I am here, though I never thought I would be able to do this too!" She sighed too.

"Hmm...it hurts to see the person whose strength was her confidence, which has been lost to so much extent, and it hurts more to see that I am the reason for this."

Aarushi looked down.

She didn't say anything. Just then the bell rang, the break was over and they went to the class.

"Hey Kavya"

"Hey"

"What happened? You look sad?"

"No...nothing!"

                          *******

5pm

Aryan entered Aarushi's room.

"Hi"

"Hey, quiz is in two days,  don't waste your time and let's start. Come."

"Yeah yeah, coming."

                          ******

"And it was always like, Aryan and Aarushi, behind the bushes, making their 1000th promise."

"Enough no Adya!"

"What happened Pratik?"

"Don't you think that I a meeting you daily since the past few days, but I know about your sister more than I know about you? I mean I also have a sister. Do you even know that her name is Shruti?"

""Yeah now I know your sister's name is Shruti." She chuckled.

"Dude no!"

"Okay, what do you want to know about me?" Adya asked jokingly.

"Anything except how your sister's ex left her and how she changed her stream."

"Okay, Mr Pratik , I am Adya Shah, currently a second year student pursuing fashion designing. I recently met a Frenchman, thinks he looks like one but do not and who is neighbor and I am enemy." Adya laughed.

"Oh my God, Adya, when will you stop teasing me about it?"

"Never lol"

" It was just a joke. I didn't expect I would be teased everyday for that."

"Well, you deserved that, Frenchman."

"Shut up."

"I won't"

"Then go to hell."

"But the devil is already here!"