It was meant to be!

3. Reunion part-1

Varadha's POV:

I was woken up by the chaiwala who was selling tea in the train to the fellow passengers, I groan and sit on the train bed, I notice that the train has stopped which made me curious if the train has reached Lucknow so I quickly asked the chaiwala "dada train has reached Lucknow?"
"No bhaiya this is kanpur next station is Lucknow"
"Thanks dada, ohh can you give me a some tea ?"
"Sure bhaiya take this". I took the cup of tea from him and sat back feeling relaxed and happy that I'm going to relive my childhood memories again with the most important people of my life.
After 2 hours we reached the Lucknow station, papa and I gathered all our luggage and stepped down on the platform where I saw Abhinav uncle and Supriya aunty waiting for us....as soon as I saw them a wave of excitement rushed through my veins and I walked to them quickly I could see that Supriya aunty was getting absolutely teary so I went to her 1st and touched her feet, as soon as I stood upright she pulled me into a crushing hug, and it was not a normal hug rather it was filled with immense love and care, after 7 years it was the 1st time when I again felt what a mother's warmth feels like. Then I moved to Abhinav uncle who stood with a happy and welcoming grin on his face, I touched his feet as well and he pulled me into a hug too, I felt like home after 12 years.
I held the hands of the couples and asked, "how are you both?"
"Beta now that you are back we are even better, you don't know how much we both missed you and Sharmila didi" Supriya aunty said with a sad smile while she kept her other hand on my face. I knew since childhood that maa and aunty were just like sisters they both loved each other, whenever I couldn't find maa at home I always knew she would have been at Supriya aunty's place.while papa was talking to uncle I asked aunty about Shriya.
"Aunty Shriya didn't come?"
"Beta I tried to bring her with us but she always denied that she would not be able too meet you again after such a long time, she kept saying that you would have forgotten her" aunty said with a laugh
"She is crazy just like earlier "I laughed along with her
"Yes beta ji but she misses you every day, not a single day passes when she doesn't recall you or Sharmila didi"
"I will talk to her, don't worry"
"God bless you beta " aunty said while patting my shoulder lightly. I returned her gesture with a smile and said
"Aunty I'm very hungry can we go home, it's been a long time since I've eaten the food made by you"
"Ofc Varadha, let's go Abhinav , Bhaisahab, my son's hungry we can do all the gossip later"
I laughed at the comment remembering how bossy aunty was even when I and Shriya were kids.
All of us travelled back to my childhood home, the streets, the shops everything looked same as 12 years ago, teh more closer we were getting to my home, all sorts of memories started flooding my mind and each thought was overwhelming. 'Shriya I know you must be thinking I have changed, but I have not changed even a little bit, it's me your Varadha, your best friend forever....And now that I am coming back I won't let us go apart again, and this is a promise I am making to myself.' I said to my heart.

Shriya's POV:

'I don't know what is wrong with me, why am I feeling this way about him, why do I feel angry that I never tried to contact him, why was I never there for him when he lost his mother, why do I feel angry that he never tried to share his pain with me....? Why?I missed him and longed for getting my best friend back for 12 years and now that he is coming home, I don't have the guts to even meet him...why do I feel like this? What does he look like? Is he taller than me? Does his nose still flow when he cries?'i laughed to myself thinking about his running nose whenever he cried to me in our childhood.
We shared so many dreams to travel together, stay as best friends forever... I am not sure if he still remembers any of this....I still do and I will keep remembering until I take my last breath, because he was and still is a very important part of my entire being... keeping my thoughts aside i wear a simple kurta pajama, apply mascara and put a small bindi on my forehead then quickly I go downstairs to prepare the dinning table with all the dishes made by me and maa ready, because I knew they must be really hungry after such a long and tiring journey. As soon as I finished setting up the table, I hear the doorbell ring and my heart skipped a beat.

*Varadha's POV*

I stood in front of my old home, it looked the same as we had left it 12 years ago, I wanted to go inside but more that I wanted was to meet Shriya again. Supriya aunty knew about my excitement so she didn't waste any time and rung the bell, and in a minute the door opened and my heart skipped a beat, I couldn't help but stare at my little panda who was not a panda anymore but she had grown into an extremely beautiful woman with big brown eyes, and the most beautiful smile on the planet....I couldn't believe she has my Shriya! My stare was broken by her gesture of touching my father's feet and him giving her blessings.
"Namaste uncle" she touched his feet
"Arey beta ji, come here" he pulled her into a fatherly hug,
"How are you uncle?"
"Beta ji I'm absolutely good and look at you how grown up you have become, Sharmila must have been so happy to see you...right?"
"I miss her a lot"she said.
"So do I bacha" he smiled sadly
"Arey beta did u recognise him, he is Varadha?" Abhinav uncle said to his daughter.Then she turned her head towards me who was already staring at her, the moment my eyes met hers my heart stopped at the moment, and for the 1st time in my entire life I felt short of words
"Bhaisab pls come inside and take rest" aunty took uncle and papa inside, while Shriya and I stood looking at each other , not being able to find enough words to start a conversation.
"You have grown very tall in these 12 years" she said with a smirk, which made me laugh
"Yes and I think you have also become a Ostrich from panda" I said with the same humour which made her punch my shoulder lightly and laugh out loud, "you haven't changed at all Varadha"
"You also didn't change at all Shriya"
We both looked at each other trying to figure out what more to say, when Supriya aunty called us inside.