Chapter Fourteen
It was a late lunch for Ananya as she closed the lid of her tiffin and put it back in her bag. She'd packed herself some lunch, just to experience how it would feel to know that you had something from home to eat, not the usual junk from the restaurants or street. She had to admit-it felt really good. However, it reminded her that she'd had to get up extra early to pack it, and that her mother hadn't been there to do it for her instead. As soon as that thought entered her mind, she blocked it. Her shoulders squared and her chin came up. She could very well fend for herself, and she didn't need her mother behind her at all times, ready to take charge when she didn't feel like it. She absolutely refused to want her mother's assistance in everything she did. She was a grown, responsible adult. She could handle her life.
Right. I can handle my life.
"Ananya!" a female voice called in the distance just then, and Ananya looked around to see Richa approaching her.
I can handle her, too, she thought, and pushed away the flicker of panic she'd felt at the sight of her friend.
"Hey," Richa said with an indulgent smile. "Someone's sitting alone today. What happened to good old noisy lunch?"
"Didn't feel like it. Plus, I had to ponder over the model we're making."
"The model," Richa sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I took designing. I could have stuck to the simple stuff and lived my life."
Ananya smiled a mocking smile and said, "Well, isn't it a little too late to regret that?"
"You bet. So, what's up? How was class?"
"The most amazing session I've ever had in my life. I think I'm going to heaven," Ananya grinned enthusiastically.
Richa smiled back. "At least there's someone enjoying all these unending hours of designing and planning and model-making. Are you planning to stay on or go home?"
"I'll stay for while, figure out what to do, go to the studio and work out some ideas."
"Cool. Well, I'm too tired to sit and wait for a brain-storm that's never going to come. So, I'm going to go home and rest my mind, and then figure out how to go about it."
"Okay. Well, then. See you later."
"You too. Are you sure you're alright? I mean, seeing you without a lot of people around you is equivalent to something being wrong."
Ananya shook her head. "Nothing's wrong with me. I just wanted a break from all the chatter. Sometimes you just need your space, you know?"
"Right. Okay, then, I'll get going. C'ya!"
"Bye," Ananya smiled. As soon as Richa was gone, she exhaled and allowed herself to relax. It wasn't as if she was hiding something-there was nothing to hide. She seldom hid. But today she'd felt like she needed some time alone. Time with herself, time to figure out why she was succumbing to the very things she knew couldn't affect her. Her life was perfect-she needed nothing more in it.
Well, maybe a little appreciation would do, but hey-she was fine.
She got up from the platform she was sitting on, and began walking towards her college building. The JJ Institute of Applied Arts was one of the buildings nestled in the campus of the JJ College of Architecture. The JJ group of colleges was spread over an area of many acres, containing three college buildings and a modest bungalow for the Dean. It was one of the premium institutes for Fine Arts, Architecture and Applied Arts in India. She'd worked really hard to get here, and now that she was three years into her course and aiming to be an interior designer, she was glad that her efforts had paid off.
Too bad that no one's there to share it with, the thought conjured up on its own in her mind.
She clenched her fists and wondered what was wrong with her. She was never so restless. She was never this pessimistic, never this thoughtful and never this cranky. There was something about today that wasn't quite right.
Or maybe yesterday, she thought again, and the memory made her sigh.
This was ridiculous! If she was going to remember it for every waking hour of today, she'd hardly be able to get her work done. And there were more important, more interesting things in life to do than being hung up on a few careless words spoken by her mother. And Ananya was aware-no; she was sure of the fact that her mother hadn't lost any sleep over what happened last night. It might even be the furthest thing from her mind. But then that didn't matter, because she didn't care. She'd had enough to realize that her life was her own, her dreams were her own. She just had to keep doing the things she liked, and everything would be alright.
The argument last night hadn't been a big one-in fact, it hadn't been an argument, just a sort of... determinant. Something that defined her relationship with her parents. They'd come back home after having attended a function, and she'd been waiting up for them. She'd been reading in the hall when they came in.
"You're up," her mother had said, then sighed dramatically and took off her expensive coat. "God, I'm tired."
"Good party?" she'd asked, hardly changing her expression, looking disinterested as she'd observed them. Her father looked every bit the successful entrepreneur in his black suit, and her mother looked glamorous in her gown. Her parents-the reason she was so lucky, the reason she had the life she did.
"Yes, but exhausting. Wasn't it?" her mother had turned to look at her father, and he'd nodded while loosening his tie.
"Successful," he'd added.
They'd shared a smile, of which Ananya had been no part.
"So... are we going to talk about it?" she'd asked.
Her mother had looked at her, and then gotten up.
"I'm really tired, honey. So is your dad-we've had a full day."
"I've been waiting for you," she'd said, sounding slightly irritated though she hadn't wanted to.
"Some other time. I have an important meeting tomorrow; the magazine needs a new editor."
"What are you reading?" her dad had asked, attempting to appear interested, but Ananya could see how tired they were. She'd controlled her sigh and just shook her head.
"Nothing."
"Get some sleep," he'd said, coming over and dropping a kiss on her head. "See you tomorrow."
"You too," she'd said, a little bitterly. Her mother had already gone inside, having taken her coat, and Ananya had been left alone to frown at the empty hall.
She sighed even as she remembered it. It was something normal, she reminded herself. Her working parents didn't have time for her, and she understood. Still, if they couldn't spare a few minutes for her, then what was the use? Well, she'd stopped caring anyway. Years of experience had proven how futile it was to engage them in a conversation. And she was tired of resenting them for the same thing, over and over.
She forced herself instead to think of today's discussion with renowned Designer Sanjay Aggarwal, about the work they'd done in class, about the model she was making of a house. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how much she wanted to be a part of the successful crowd. She realized how badly she wanted, craved success and happiness. And more than anything else, she craved for someone who'd look at her and be proud of what she was doing. Sadly, she couldn't see anyone doing that yet.
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.