It Was Always You

Chapter 2

Abhimanyu's POV:

I hung up the call saying that I would mail him the details. I walked to my Scooby gang mailing it. I introduced myself, my eyes still glued to my screen. I then raised my head to look at and shake hands with the incharge from their college with whom I will have to work during my stay here, coz I was the incharge from our college. I had made a mental note to send a strong message that I was not anyone to be messed with or flirt around, through a hard look and a stiff formal hand shake.

But on the contrary my mind went blank and my body became numb the moment I laid eyes on her. Fortunately or unfortunately, she had turned to face her friend who was whispering something in her ears, right when I raised my head.

She has changed a lot. No scratch that. She has totally changed in every way. Her short hairs which never made an effort to touch her shoulders were now flowing till her waist. They would go even further if she hadn't curled them towards the end. Her well toned body which never got a hint of anything other than sweats or cargo or anything boyish except at times when she had to wear those beautiful elegant dresses but none traditional was now clad by a beautiful pinkish red with black contrast salwar. The converse were now replaced by sandals. The long earrings, the rings were very much new to her ears and fingers for they were always void.

All these aside, the changes in her that weighed tons in my heart was that her tanned skin had lost its glow as if she had lost her soul. Her dark brown eyes which always shone with all the life in the world, mischief running in her naughty little brain, kindness and care reflecting her heart, the innocence of a 3 year old that never left her even after all those years of growing up into a intelligent teenager, the cockiness she never failed to display after those incidents, the confidence that would make anyone think twice before even questioning her decisions were now ..... just .... empty .... void ..... Those dark orbs now housed an emotion that I was unfamiliar with those eyes. I didn't know what it was but all I wanted to do was wipe it off her little eyes.

All my memories of our past which I thought had been locked away and buried so deep inside that they would never ever be able to resurface, now awakened by those dark brown eyes and the emotions flashing in it, started making their way to the surface of my beating heart, so fast that I didn't even realize I was letting them loose. But my memories of our last meet that I never let fade away served its purpose, stopped the others midway, shoved them to their original place and brought me back to my senses, flashing again and again in front of me, making me realize that those emotions that her eyes were displaying were just a ploy to play with someone else's. They were going to destroy someone's dream, someone's happiness. But I, on my part, am going to make sure that I don't become that someone, again.

'Do you still have them to be played with and destroyed' taunted my brain.

"Let me guess you go by Abhi. Right?" the girl to her left spoke, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"You are absolutely right" Han was really excited. Ugh, she already likes them.

"BUT.....but he also has another nickname"

'Now which one is Ash talking about???'

"Are you even going to say what it is?" the other girl on her right seemed irritated.

"Of course. You can always call him Rapheel." My eyes went wide. From the corner of my eyes I could see even she was shocked. I could sense her throwing questions at me through her eyes. I didn't dare look at her, face her questions.

Ughhhh, this is not how it should be happening. I shouldn't be the one avoiding her gazes. I just wanna kill Ash right now. I had clearly warned him not to utter that word again. But no...this stupid just can't listen to others, not even once.