"Welcome back, everyone. How was your vacation? I had a boring one, so don't bother asking" Ashima announced to everyone. The normal group members were all sitting on the grass, having their first lunch after summer vacation.
"If you meant staying at home and sleeping, then I had a great vacation." Replied Zen.
"You're so boring, Zen. What about- what are you two doing?" Ashima asked, turning over to Jamie and Lynda, who seemed to be busy doing something on their phones.
"Not fair! I was supposed to win. I didn't have enough time to play. I demand a rematch." Jamie whined.
"Demand rejected. Now, give me those CD's as promised." Lynda said in a business-like way, extending her hand to him. Jamie's head hung low as he admitted defeat and handed over the CD's to her.
"What's going on?" Ashima demanded an explanation.
"Lynda and I made a bet to see who could score more points on the DOTA 2 game. As you can see, the winner is receiving three games from the loser." Jamie sighed while Lynda made a victory sign. Then, Jamie turned to Ayu and asked how her vacation went, but was instead met with a glare. Taken aback, Jamie asked Ashima what was wrong.
"She's angry at you." Ashima answered, nonchalantly.
"Why?" Jamie asked, totally clueless.
"Ask her yourself."
It was only after classes got over when Jamie confronted Ayu, since she seemed to be ignoring him the whole time.
"You ignored my messages during the summer vacation so I'm returning the favor."
"Well, uh... we did message one time right? Sorry, I was busy." Jamie said, avoiding her gaze.
"Only to reply to my WhatsApp status. Acha, so you talked to Zen and everyone else, but you were too busy for me?" She asked bluntly, placing her hands on her hips. Jamie could see that she was angry.
I guess I just wanted to distance away from you for a while, dunno why, he thought, but didn't voice out loud. "Yeah, I could have messaged you but... I had a lot going on there. Sorry." Jamie rubbed his head.
"Fine, let it be." Ayu said, thinking she was over-reacting as well.
"Although, you have horrible timing, Ayu."
"Why? Were you busy at the time?" She asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Very busy." He smirked to himself. Ayu decided to ignore that.
"How were your holidays, then? What about the problem you were having?" She asked hesitantly, not sure if it was the right time to ask, but she wanted to know.
"Ah, that! Don't worry, it's fine now. My father won't bother me for a while." He said, raising a thumbs up. Ayu was going to ask further when her phone beeped.
"Gotta go, Alex is waiting for me." She beamed.
"That Alexandria. You're still dating him?" His eyes widened in mock surprise.
"Of course I am, and stop calling him Alexandria. You know-" Ayu said, inching a little closer to him. "I made up an excuse and came to Delhi three days earlier, just to spend some special time with Alex. I had a fantastic weekend."
"Special, huh? Ah, I can see how special it was from the way you're blushing. Did you have sex with him or what?"
"Geez, Jamie! You aren't supposed to ask these questions! It's private." She poked his head, her face scarlet red.
He let out a chuckle. "Just look at yourself. Good for you. By the way, you're not the only one who had a fantastic time."
"Huh, whats that supposedto mean?" Her eyes grew wide with realization. "Did you also...?"
"Private, remember. Bye."
* * *
The next few days passed by in a jiffy as everyone settled down with their new classes. The world history class ended with the semester, so the five of them had to decide on a common subject, where they could all be together. Zen made the final decision and they all agreed upon taking 'Indian Society and Community' as the subject this time.
And so, in one month's time came the fresher's party, which was organized by the second year, which was us. The classes were divided into small groups as they decided to celebrate on their own. There were a few juniors from the French club who took a liking to Zen ever since he took charge of the club in the current semester. He was quite good at it.
"Tell us where we are going, Zen?" Jamie asked impatiently. The five of them, along with some other classmates and the juniors, were seated inside the metro train.
"I know just the place where we can all celebrate." Zen said, excited. It was rare to see Zen of all people in this state, thought Jamie.
When they reached their destination, Jamie and Ayu stood at the entrance of a fancy bar, dead in their tracks. The name plate read-'Kim's Clubhouse.'
"You two look like you saw a ghost. Is something wrong?" Ashima asked, confused by their facial expression.
"No." The two said in unison.
"Good then, what are we waiting for?" Ashima said, already going in.
"Wh-what should we do? What if that bartender sees us?" Ayu asked, looking at him helplessly. This was the same clubhouse where Jamie and Ayu went to celebrate Sunny's birthday last year. The same place where they caused a ruckus and ran away before the bartender could catch them. And the same night where they had their first kiss inside the car.
"It will be fine, Ayu. Besides, it's not as if the same two men who were there a year ago, will magically show up today as well. Just chill." He reassured Ayu with a pat on her shoulder.
"You're right, they won't." She said, a bit relieved.
Unfortunately, it seemed that luck wasn't on their side. Not only were the same two bartenders there, but there were also many people from their college who stopped by for the same occasion. It was like history repeating itself.
"I'm starting to believe that great coincidences exist." Jamie spoke with dread.
"Jamie, we're screwed if we remain here. I don't even remember half of what we did last year. Let's run."
"You're right. All I remember is singing loudly and breaking a few glasses." Jamie said while running his hand through his hair, exhaling.
"Um, are you Jamie?" A pair of junior girls approached the two and asked.
"Yes, that would be me. What are your good names?" Jamie asked, his demeanor changing in a split second. The girls giggled and told him their names.
"There he goes again,"
"Oh, we forgot. Zen was looking for you two. He told you to come and dance. Let's go!" The girls informed them and dragged Ayu and Jamie along.
"Uh, thanks. Did anyone tell how pretty you two look today? Jamie smiled while Ayu rolled her eyes.
"Thank you." They chimed and then looked at Ayu suspiciously. "Um, I
Is she your girlfriend?"
"Oh, her?" Jamie pointed his finger in Ayu's direction. "Just ignore her. She's taken anyway, while I'm single. So, where did you two come from?" He asked, getting involved with them while Ayu rolled her eyes at him and left him on his own.
Knowing there was no purpose in being with Jamie any further, Ayu moved away to meet with Ashima and Lynda. The girls stepped on the dance floor besides the pool. Ayu kept reassuring herself that she wouldn't be spotted so easily due to the insane crowd today. The girls danced for about two minutes until Ashima got tired and excused herself. Lynda followed her. Ayu didn't feel like leaving yet, so when she spotted Jamie dancing along with some guys, she called him out. Jamie separated himself from his group approaching her.
"Where are those pretty girls of yours? I cannot spot them anywhere." Ayu said, pretending to look for them. Jamie let out a laugh.
"I finished talking to them. They even added me on Facebook." He raised his collar as if it was something to be proud of.
"I don't even know what they find amusing in a playboy like you." Ayu frowned. Just then, the D.J changed the song to a different one and they looked at each other in recognition.
"You remember?" Ayu asked.
Yeah, it is the same song from the time we first met. Jamie smiled at the memory. So much had happened since then.
"Nope. Will you make me remember?" He lied and asked by offering his hand. Ayu raised a brow in question. "Don't worry, I won't bite. It's just a boring, casual dance."
"I guess I'll have to jog your memory, then." Ayu smiled while placing her hand in his.
.............
"Oh, there you are Zen." Ashima screamed, trying to get out from the crowd of people.
"What's with you?" Zen said while holding her by her shoulders as she lost her balance.
"I think my head is spinning. Parties are so not my thing," She said while trying to catch her breath.
"You look so funny right now. Look at your hair," Zen couldn't help but laugh.
"Gee, thanks, I feel much better." She said sarcastically and he released his hand from her shoulders.
"It's because you're so petite you got squished by the crowd." He mocked. "By the way, have you seen that bastard?"
"Oh, Jamie? Leave him alone for once. Let him enjoy or admit that you can't live without him." Ashima joked.
"Don't be foolish. A guy was asking for him earlier. Why would I bother him?"
"Oh, well, I just saw him on the dance floor earlier." Ashima said, trying to spot him from a distance. "There, he's with Ayu now."
They saw the two dancing together in sync, enjoying themselves. Jamie seemed to have said something to Ayu, but she wasn't able to hear due to the blaring noise of the music. He placed his hand on her ear and shouted. Ayu laughed harder in response joined by Jamie's laughter.
"They seem to be having fun. I'll inform him later."
"Maybe I'm thinking more than necessary, but don't you get the vibe that something might be going on between those two, even if they are just friends?" Ashima blurted out, still observing them. "I mean, I know Ayu can't be cheating on Alex and I personally know her but still..."
"Well, besides the fact that they seldom flirt with each other, I don't think so." Zen said, looking uninterested. "I'm heading outside in that small garden to catch some air. Would you like to come?" He asked while Ashima nodded immediately. They were about to go when a tall, handsome guy stopped Zen.
"Sunny paaji! What a coincidence." Zen smiled and they shook hands.
"Same here. I guess everyone is dedicated to our juniors." He laughed, and then looked over to Ashima. "Oh, meet my friend, Ashima."
"Well, well, well if it isn't the famous Sunny that everyone adores." Ashima praised him.
"Nah, not true. I'm just overrated." Sunny laughed again. "By the way, where's your friend, Jamie? I heard he is here tonight. Pretty bold of him."
"He sure is famous around here. Someone else was asking for him, too. He's over there." Zen pointed hos finger towards the dancefloor where Jamie was dancing with Ayu.
"Whoa, he's with that girl again. I guess they are together now. Man, I just hope they don't cause a ruckus like last time."
Zen and Ashima shared a look of puzzlement. Ruckus like last time? Did they miss something?
"I- I think you misunderstood something." Ashima interrupted.
"About being together?" Sunny asked in doubt.
"No. She was asking about the ruckus part you mentioned earlier." Zen lied confidently while Ashima wondered why.
"Thank Goodness! For a moment, I thought, I said something wrong." Sunny heaved a sigh of relief. "But I'm surprised you don't know about what happened here. It was my birthday and it was pretty rumored about afterwards. "
"We are quite immune to rumors, you see. Would you care to elaborate?" Ashima blinked innocently.
"I guess those two were too embarrassed to tell you since they were drunk that time."
"Please tell us all about it. We are their closest friends after all." Zen said, smiling his brightest, freaking out Ashima a bit.
Thus, Sunny recited the incident, completely oblivious to the fact that Zen and Ashima knew not an inch about it. Obviously they were startled, since they never heard such things from either Ayu or Jamie. Nonetheless, they acted cool in front of Sunny.
.
"Now, that was fun," Said Jamie wiping out the sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah, we've been dancing for a while. Let's go grab a drink. I'm dead thirsty." Panted Ayu. Just as they were about to go, a group of excited juniors rushed past Ayu towards the DJ, requesting a song and pushing her in the process so she landed right in Jamie's arms.
"Ah, sorry about that," Ayu apologized as she was about to get off him, but something got stuck on Jamie's collar button, which caused her to pull back, and they were face to face with each other.
Time stood still as they stared into each other's faces, speechless. However, Ayu broke the moment, trying to move the string of her necklace away from his top button in a haste. It was hard to concentrate with Jamie's heavy breath, fanning against her face. All she saw in front of her was the lower part of his face. Focus, Ayu, focus! She reminded herself
"Wha-what are you doing?" Jamie frowned, his eyes growing wide when he noticed her biting her lip right in front of his face. He tried to move his head around before he got too self-aware of her.
"Atleast don't move!" Ayu snapped, closing her eyes. With one last pull, her necklace got detached from his collar button. Having no idea about how to react, she simply walked away without saying another word.
"That was close." Ayu exhaled out loud while leaning against a wall. She brought her hand to her mouth, touching her lips lightly with her fingertips. She couldn't help but think about how close her face was to his lips and bare neckline. How she could smell him, the same masculine scent when they used to... She groaned in frustration. "Argh, stop, STOP! My stupid mind."
"Ayu!" Lynda called, appearing out of nowhere. "You should get out of here now."
"Huh, but why?" She asked, worried.
"Those bartenders know that you two are here. I just saw them searching for you. You should have repaid them, at least." Lynda explained while looking around nervously. She took Ayu's hand. "Let's leave from the back gate. Hurry!"
"But how do you know-" Ayu trailed off. No, this wasn't the time to confront. They soon caught up with Jamie, Zen and Ashima on their way out.
"Thank goodness you're here." Ashima heaved a sigh of relief as the two girls approached the group.
"It's not like they'll kill me." Said Ayu, forcing a smile. She stole a glance at Jamie, who was also looking back at her. They averted their eyes, recalling the weird incident earlier. The others noticed it, but decided to confront them later.
"Sorry, I didn't realize earlier. That man who was asking for Jamie is a bartender here. I mistook him for a student, since he was so young. Let's hurry!" Zen informed Jamie.
They were on their way to the exit when they ran into Sunny. "Long time, no see, man. One of my pals has been keeping those people busy, so you can run now."
"Thanks, Sunny paaji! You saved us a second time. Sorry, I couldn't catch up. We'll definitely talk tomorrow." Jamie said in a hurry.
"No problem, buddy. I'd do anything for the ones in love."
"Ones in love? What are you--?" Jamie asked, his brows creased while Zen and Ashima did their best to control their laughter. Lynda was unfazed as always.
"Hello, bhabhi! Hope you're doing well." Sunny said, facing Ayu, who narrowed her eyes in disbelief.
"You kids over there! Wait right this instant!" A man in the distance shouted, freaking them out.
"Fuck, we gotta go!" Jamie panicked, and they dashed off quickly, pushing aside people who were in their way.
"Bh-bhabhi?" Ayu said with disgust while Ashima covered her mouth, giggling quietly.
"He probably misunderstood it." Jamie muttered.
..........
"I told you, Jamie. It was a bad idea after all." Ayu let out a huge sigh as she took a seat on the bench nearby. They all were standing on the side of the main road.
"Yeah, you're right. Looks like we are safe now... Although it wasn't necessary for you three to tag along." Jamie said to the three others.
"Don't fret it. We were tired anyway," Said Ashima.
"Thanks for informing me, Lynda." Ayu smiled.
"No problemo! "
"But how did you know, Lynn? You weren't with us and we never told you to find Ayu." Zen asked.
"Well, I may not be good at socializing but I happen to be great at observation, so I figured what was going on. Some moron must have informed the bartenders." She explained.
Zen flinched, knowing full well who that moron was. "So you knew about their incident, too?"
"You didn't know?" Lynda asked, surprised.
"Did we become that famous the next day?" Ayu asked, horrified.
"Gossip is a common thing, Ayu. No one knew your names, though." Lynda said and sat beside her.
"There's one thing I don't understand, though. You two-" Ashima addressed a little louder, pointing her finger to both Jamie and Ayu, freaking them out. "You didn't tell us about this, fine! But why did you lie about meeting each other? And what were you doing with Sunny's car the whole night?"
Jamie and Ayu recalled the time when the four of them encountered each other for the first time in the World history class. Zen asked Ayu how she knew Jamie to which Ayu lied saying they met online and all that crap.
"Um, well-" Ayu started, not knowing what to say. Both Jamie and Ayu cowered before the suspicious stares from Lynda, Ashima and Zen. Just then, Zen let out a villainous laugh, drawing all attention to him.
"I think I get it now. This club incident happened around September last year, right?" Zen said, wearing a mischievous smile as he connected the dots. "Jamie, do you remember? It was around this time when you often skipped classes to meet a certain girl. You'd request me to give a proxy for you each time. You told me that girl was sexy as hell and how you couldn't stop kis-"
Jamie covered Zen's mouth on purpose, eyeing him. "You shitty bastard! Say another word and-"
"You told him about us?!" Ayu snapped.
"No, not your name! But he knew the gist of it." Jamie defended, still covering Zen's mouth.
"Wohoo!" Lynda threw her fists in the air.
"Will everyone just SHUT UP?!" Ashima shouted and everyone fell silent at once.
"Ah, look, its 10 PM already. We should get going, everyone. It's getting late." Ayu urged eyeing Jamie to get going before anyone started questioning.
"Not so fast, dear." Lynda stood before Ayu and then Jamie, wearing a plastic smile. "Not when things get this interesting."
"Seems like you two shared a history, then?" Ashima voiced out bluntly while Zen nodded.
Jamie and Ayu shared a look before letting out a sigh. It was no use denying now. Both of them sat on the bench, mentally spent. "Yeah, we did. It was ten months ago..."
.....................................................................
So what's your opinion about this chapter? It seems like they were found out lol! Look forward to the next chapters and don't forget to vote and comment.
Note: For those who don't know, in our culture a brother's wife is called as 'Bhabhi'. Usually guys here do that either in a respected way or to make fun of their friend.
Take care ^_^