Just Wanna Be With You

Chapter 2 - Same Old

Chapter 2: SAME OLD

 

Never long for anyone from the past. There is a reason why they never made it your future.

KAVYA’S POV:

It had been years since I had stepped in a club. I remember the first time I came, I was 18. It was a week after my 18th birthday. My brothers had convinced my parents how it was such a good idea to let me come to the club. I really had enjoyed myself that evening. I had danced like crazy.

After that night I had been out a couple of times but academics had caught up and life had become real hectic. I had done IT engineering in Pune. As soon as college had gotten over I had taken up a management course in Mumbai in marketing. Mumbai is a 3 hour ride from my own home town Pune. The course had finished just 2 months back, and I was working in an IT company now. The job had started a month ago and now I was in Mumbai. Life had never been this satisfactory.

After college had finished, we all had gone our separate ways and it was fun catching up today. All of us had come to Pune from all over the world just so we could meet each other again and reminisce the best four years of our life. We had chatted nineteen to dozen. After ages I had laughed this much. I was exhausted with all the dancing and we all dropped on the chairs in front of the bar. Everybody ordered margaritas and we were all sipping away to glory. By then some of my friends had regained their energies and wanted to go dance again.

I was really tired as I had had a long day and decided to sit instead. My friend Aliya stayed back with me. We had been friends since the first day of college. We didn’t know anybody on that day and ended up sitting next to each other. We had been stuck since then. She was Aliya Mehra, my best friend. She was fun, smart and a big flirt. She was my confidence booster and my shoulder to cry on. She had a done a post-graduate course in the US and had come back 3 months ago. She was in IBM now.

Looking up at me right now she said, “So how’s the workplace? Any hot stuff there?” She winked as she said that.

I rolled my eyes and said, “Hot stuff? Really? You and your ways to describe guys. Anyways I did see a cute guy in the HR department. But I have a feeling he’s already committed.” I added a fake sigh.

“No worries”, she said. “You will find the one soon. You just have to keep a lookout for him.”

“My life’s real good, thank you. I don’t need a guy to complicate it.” Just then she was called on the dance floor and she went off grooving to the beat. I smiled at her disappearing figure in the crowd.

Right about then I heard somebody ask me, “Why would such a beautiful girl be sitting all by herself here? Would you care for a dance, Miss?”

I looked at him and realised who it was. It was Ahaan Phadnis. He was the guy who I had had a crush on for the first year of college. I still remember the first time I had seen him. He had entered the class late and was still smiling about it. He was this cocky, overly confident guy who had a great sense of humour. You could always find him laughing or joking around. His smile was contagious. I remember the first time I had heard that he had aced the test I was really shocked. For a guy who practically had fun all the time, this guy managed to ace all his subjects. He was beauty with brains. I guess like all the girls around me, I too had a thing for him back then.

By the end of the 2nd month, I had realised that this guy was just another well a guy. He was arrogant, haughty and too full of himself.  I had moved on to better things. If I say I never liked the guy that would be denying the truth. I did like him but not as much as everybody made a deal of. I still remember Aliya telling everybody about the crush. I never heard the end of it. The teasing went on till the end of 2nd year. I had learnt to ignore all of them by then. But every time I looked at him I had this feeling that he knew about my crush.

In those two years of my so-called crush I remember avoiding him like the plague just to get away from the teasing. Aliya had apologized a million times for getting me in the situation but I knew it wasn’t really her fault. Everybody was just making a huge deal about it. So now when I looked at him I was wondering why he was suddenly approaching me now and by the looks of him I knew he hadn’t recognized me.

So I answered, “No, thanks but I’m really done for the evening Mr.?” I saw disbelief flit across his eyes. He couldn’t believe I hadn’t recognized him.

He said, “I’m Ahaan. And you’re Kavya, right?” I was amazed that he did remember my name. I didn't even think that he knew I existed.

“Ya that would be me. Weren’t you the guy who loved showing up late for class in the first year?”

He smirked and said, “Yes, that would be me. So that’s how you remember me?  The guy who showed up late? I thought I would have made a better impression on the girls.”

Man this guy was still the same. COCKY. He couldn’t get enough of himself.

“Glad to see you haven’t changed a bit. And I wasn’t one of those girls.”

He raised his eyebrow, “What do you mean I haven’t changed?” Before I could say anything I was pulled away by Aliya.

I just looked at him shrugged and said, “Forget I ever said that.”

I looked at my watch just then and realised it had been past 1 am and we had to get back to Aliya’s parent’s place. We were to leave back for Mumbai tomorrow morning. Luckily it was Saturday and we could leave a bit late tomorrow. Her parents were not going to be very happy though.

As we sat in the car, she smiled, “So today was classic right? Can’t remember when it was last that I danced this much? It was totally great! And did I just see you with Ahaan? What was he doing approaching you?”

I sighed, “God only knows. Thank god you got me out of there. I think I was a bit rude at the end and I would have had to explain myself if you wouldn’t have saved me. Anyways forget about him, so how are we going back tomorrow. Did you get tickets for the bus?”

She smiled and said, “No, but got a better way of going back. Remember that guy Rahul from our batch? He’s hired a car for tomorrow morning at 10:00 am. He knew I had to go and then offered. I told him you would be coming too. He said there’s enough space so we are going with him now.” I thought about arguing with her about going with somebody we hardly knew but refrained myself. The rest of the ride back home went in chatting about the evening.

Aliya and I had stayed over at each other’s house all our college life. Since picking us up from one house would be easier, I decided to crash at Aliya’s place.

I had moved to Mumbai a month after graduation. Throughout doing my MBA I had lived in the college hostel. I had found a flat a few months back when my job offer had been confirmed. I would have lived with Aliya if it wasn’t for the location of my office. Her house was at the other end while my current house was just half an hour’s ride away.

So now I lived with this girl from work. Her name was Vidhi Sharma. She hardly ever stayed in the house. That girl was real nice and all but I never knew who she was spending the nights with. She was a rebel so I guess going out with every other guy was her mantra. Not that I minded her adventures. She never got any guy home or let anybody. It was her parent’s house and the rules stated that no guys were allowed. Even though she left the house mostly to me, I still had to pay half the rent. I had got a good deal and I sure as hell wasn’t letting it go.

Thinking about the lovely evening I changed, brushed my teeth and fell on the bed. I zonked out as soon as my head touched the pillow.