Living In Oblivion

34

Sitting at Kufri Point, Divit gazed at the pristine white snow with softened eyes, completely mesmerized by its beauty. Shimla had more to offer than just being the place where his heart had been broken. The hushed voices, sparse crowd, and tranquil peace warmed his heart, despite the gentle snowflakes falling from the clouds above. It reminded him of his hometown, Dehradun. If not for responsibilities, he would have never left his beloved city behind. He cherished every aspect of the hills, the rain, the greenery, and the plains.

The crisp, fresh wind caressed his soul, unlike the smog that enveloped Gurugram and Delhi. His teammates were gathered behind him, capturing selfies, posing for pictures, enjoying noodles, and engaging in playful snowball fights. Shaking his head with a smile, Divit took out his phone and captured a picture of the snow-covered mountains from the viewpoint.

It was his second day in Shimla and the sixth day of their trip. The recruitment interviews in Ludhiana had been a headache, but things had gone smoothly in Chandigarh. They had successfully selected some brilliant students from there. Shimla, too, offered promising candidates, but they still had two more days before concluding the recruitment process.

"Guys, it's time to head back," Zubaida shouted, breaking Divit's reverie.

After a few minutes, he stood up, dusted off his hands, and put on his gloves again. He walked back to the group.

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"Thank you, sir," the young man nodded, getting up from his seat. However, he stumbled, causing the chair to creak sharply.

Arun winced and covered his ears, while Divit maintained a poker face, waiting for the nervous candidate to leave.

"Mark that as a no," Arun whispered to Zubaida as soon as the candidate exited.

"Off campus placement are a bigger pain in the ass as compared to the on campus placements" He turned to Divit "At least here alongside some ass licking we get the best food for free"

Zubaida chuckled before eyeing to the guard to send another candidate in.

Picking up his pencil, Divit absentmindedly shaded the back of his diary, feeling bored. It was nearly evening, and they had interviewed more than twenty candidates so far, but none of them had impressed him enough for a group discussion.

"Good evening," a voice interrupted Divit's thoughts.

He froze, his grip on the pencil loosening, as the tight emotions within his heart began to unravel. Looking up, he forgot to breathe upon seeing the familiar face that had once filled his dreams with beauty and turned his days into worse than nightmares. His heart dropped, and a warm tingling sensation enveloped him, before he felt his stomach tightening in knots. His throat went dry, and he swallowed hard, his eyes fixated on her oblivious expression. Avanti's gaze met his, and for a moment, time stood still. The intensity in her eyes pierced through his soul, leaving him unable to look away. But feeling overwhelmed, he averted his gaze.

Keeping her resume in hand, Avanti looked up with a smile, only to freeze when she saw the same face that had haunted her dreams and stirred up feelings of guilt for the past four years. She had moved on, pushing herself forward in life, but in quiet nights, memories of him still surfaced, questioning her choices and reminding her of the mistakes she had made.

Divit continued to watch her unabashedly, lost in a realm of daydreams and illusions. As their eyes remained locked, his heart skipped a beat, and he looked away, struggling to contain the rush of emotions coursing through him.

Blinking rapidly, Avanti composed herself, wearing a smile as she greeted them once again. She took her seat after handing her CV to Arun, determined to remain calm and collected throughout the interview.