Forget-Me-Not : Bound by Secrets

Chapter Fourteen

Except for her friends. Ananya smiled slowly to herself as she thought of Dia and Vidhi and Geet. It was a week since she'd met them, and she was already missing them. Her busy schedule hardly gave her any time, but she wished she could spend more time with them than alone, because they kept her sane, they kept her wanting to be herself. She knew exactly how bossy she could be, but her friends put up with her not because she was rich and entertaining-but because they knew who she really was, and they loved her. Unlike other people, unlike her parents, they actually cared. She knew she was lucky. She would never say this out loud to them, but she couldn't imagine what she'd do if she didn't have Dia to fool around with, or Geet to share things with, or Vidhi to argue with. They were just too important a part of her life. And she meant to keep it that way.

She thought of her birthday, of the morning after the Michandani's party when her friends had wished her and gave her something she'd never forget-two sheets of A4 sized paper filled with Geet's feminine handwriting.

"This is for the girl who has it all," Dia had announced. "We thought we shouldn't give you anything, for a change, as you've already got enough."

"Besides, money is too precious to waste on you," Vidhi had added.

"Actually, this present sums up exactly all we think about you," Geet had said. "We've written down on paper, for proof, how annoying and tiring and persuasive and bitchy you are. It's a whole list of complaints, and we wish you to have it."

She'd laughed at that-they all had. And she would never admit, but the pages full of things they'd written about her had filled her with something like awe. She was never consciously grateful to people, but when her friends did that for her, she could do nothing but be wondered. She still had that sheet in her bag. In fact, she carried it wherever she went. It had become a reminder of what she could expect when she was with her friends, a reminder of good times and happiness and perfection. It made her realize that whatever sour thoughts she'd been having all morning were worth nothing. She should be enjoying every moment of her life, just like she always did.

The thought cheered her up somewhat, and her steps felt lighter and happier as she walked with renewed vigour towards the extreme north of the campus. As she was walking, she collided with someone coming from the opposite direction, and her bag fell to the ground.

"Sorry," they both said together, and Ananya looked up at a familiar face. She blinked in surprise, and recognition flashed across the person's face as he looked back at her.

"Well, well," she drawled, collecting herself. "Fancy meeting you here." Her whole demeanour changed-her mood lifted up a notch, the mischief that had been missing from her voice a few minutes back returned. She bent to retrieve her bag, but Abhay beat her to it and picked it up gallantly, holding it out to her. He was smiling now, a very faint, amused smile, as he looked at her.

"I admit, this was the last place I was expecting to see you again," she said.

"Me too. Would it be by any chance that you study here too?" he did look surprised, but just as confident as he'd done at the party, when he'd first acknowledged her. And she wondered how they hadn't asked each other anything about their studies, or what they were doing.

"Oh, come on. What are the chances that you land up at the same college that I go to? You must be following me," Ananya said with a teasing smile, and Abhay cocked his head to the side, returning it.

"It must be fate," he mused. "The universe is sending you signals that you shouldn't let me go."

He looked gorgeous, looking at her with his dark brown eyes-the colour of dark chocolate and temptation, dressed in a checked shirt and pants, projecting a completely different image than he had at the party. He also wore glasses, unlike the last time she'd seen him, and ridiculously that seemed even more attractive to her. She'd gotten over her fascination for him after the party quite soon, but now that she'd seen him again, she wondered whether it would be easy to forget him this time.

"Is that so?" she replied coyly. "Well, I heard quite a different account a week ago. I think it was something about you getting punched in the face for something you did at the party."

Her quip had the desired effect-Abhay immediately looked surprised and a little embarrassed. But still, that didn't make him look stupid. In fact, she marveled at how he pulled off looking guilty and innocent at the same time.

"I agree it wasn't one of the brightest moments of my life."

"Right. So... let me guess. You want to be a famous artist some day?"

"Architect. I'm doing architecture-I'm in my last year. And you?"

"Me too, but I'm doing Interior design."

"Great," he said. "Had lunch?"

"Yeah," she said, and then putting on her haughtiest expression, she said, "I've got to go to the studio now."

His lips twitched into a smile, and he said, "Sure. You reckon we might cross paths again?"

"If the universe wants it," she said. "Until then, goodbye, Abhay."

"Goodbye, Ananya."

She didn't look back as she resumed walking towards her college building. But whatever that small meeting had meant, it had surely gotten her thinking about Abhay. She hadn't expected to see him again, much less in her own college. Amusement filled her mind, and she suppressed a smile. If Abhay thought she was easy to play, he didn't know her. She wondered again why he'd kissed her friend, and when she thought of it, she actually wished she'd been there instead of Dia. Though she had teased Vidhi relentlessly about her first kiss, it didn't necessarily mean she wasn't mad at Abhay for lunging at her best friend. If she'd been in Dia's place, she would have punched him too.

But the more she thought about him, the more she felt like she wanted to see him again. There was something about him that appealed to her sense of adventure, her love of life. She knew he was as impulsive as she was-the kiss stated it. She just wondered whether she was going to do anything about it.

Well, if the universe wanted it, she thought. Until then, she'd just live normally, and forget everything about meeting Abhay.