See You Later

Chapter 29 (The past)

Seven years ago: College

Maahi didn't realize a single sentence could break her heart in two. But apparently it could.

The day surprisingly began with excitement. She had bought the watch for Aarush a few days ago and had it tastefully gift-wrapped too. She had carefully placed it in her backpack and made her way to college with a great deal of anticipation amping her up. It was the last day of college. She had decided to give it as a farewell gift instead of a 'thank you for finding this rare book for me' gift.

She looked all over the place for him. The classroom, the amphitheatre, the library. She then walked over to the theatre department and found him sitting on the steps. He was sitting with a friend. On closer inspection, she realized that it was Tanmay, their senior and Aarush's drama department buddy. She continued to walk down the steps. Before she could reach them though, she overheard their conversation. The thing with this room is that the acoustics were pretty good.

Overhearing their conversation wasn't really difficult.

Aarush had asked, "Are you going to continue though?"

Tanmay had taken a pause before saying, "Writing...Probably. But acting...I think that will take a backseat."

Aarush had shifted to look at Tanmay better and asked, "But...don't you feel that urge?"

Tanmay had responded, "I do. But I want to work as well. It's just something I need to try out."

He had then looked at Aarush and asked, "What about you? What are your plans?"

Aarush had smiled and said, "I don't know. I just...I don't think I will be going the usual route."

"You're going to do stand-up?"

Aarush had nodded.

"Full time?"

"No. I got a writing job too."

Tanmay had nodded and smiled.

"I'm proud of you. I'm so glad you know what you want to do."

Aarush had shrugged and said, "I don't know if I know what I want. But I know what I don't want."

"That's half the battle won. What about Leela?"

An instant smile crept up on Aarush's face at the mention of her name.

"What about her?"

"What does she want to do?"

"Well, you know her. She has had her plans set for years now. Work for a couple of years and move abroad."

"Does that fit into your plans too?"

Aarush had just shrugged and said with complete confidence, "No but...we'll figure it out. She's the one for me."

Tanmay had laughed and asked, "Baat toh aise kar raha hai jaise kal shaadi karne ko taiyaar hai."

Aarush had quipped, "Kal toh nahi. Par shaadi karunga toh usse hi."

Maahi froze. This wasn't news to her. This shouldn't have shocked her. It shouldn't have made any impact. But it did. It felt like the final blow to her heart. Instead of walking closer to them, her feet automatically carried her away from them. She suddenly felt both hot and cold at the same time. She stuffed the gift box in her bag and rubbed her arms to rid herself of whatever she was feeling, as she made her way out of there, far, far away from him.

Author's Note: Yes, it's the same Tanmay from Dear Pat. :)