The Story Of Us

CHAPTER 4: The Beginning Of The End

Before we delve any further, I want to clarify the complex dynamics that existed within my friend circle. It all began with Alizeh - she and Priyank were inseparable, and their bond was more like that of siblings. Priyank cherished their relationship deeply; in fact, his call logs were filled with Alizeh's name. On the other hand, Alizeh and Rahul shared a unique brother-sister relationship. And, as fate would have it, she was committed to Kabir - that guy from the amphitheater. Kabir and Shanaya, in turn, shared an equally strong bond of siblinghood.

Rahul was a different story altogether - he and Shanaya shared a similar relationship of siblings, while Rahul and Reva were the best of friends. Prathu and Reva were committed to each other, and Reva and Akash were like siblings.

As for me, Ishani and I shared a bond like that of siblings. At that time, Shanaya and I were just friends, and we didn't share the kind of sibling relationship that existed between others in the group. I was friends with the rest of the gang, but I never got a chance to develop any deeper relationships with them because I hardly knew them.

As the semester ended, I packed my bags and headed off to Singapore for a much-needed break. Even though it was a short trip, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the city and its many attractions. However, I couldn't help but feel anxious about my exam results, which were supposed to be released on the 25th of May. But, as fate would have it, they were delayed by a week.

It was during this time that I received an unexpected message from Alizeh, asking about my results and wishing me luck. It was a surprise to hear from her, but it made me feel good nonetheless. We exchanged a few messages, and she even suggested that we should party together after returning to college, which I knew was just wishful thinking.

During my trip, I bought several souvenirs, including chocolates and keychains. Alizeh had asked me to bring back chocolates, so I made sure to get plenty. I also purchased keychains for some of the girls I knew and was friendly with, including Ishani, Reva, and Shanaya. I even got a separate keychain for Alizeh, hoping to give it to her someday.

But as I sat there with my gifts, I couldn't help but feel unsure about whether it was appropriate to give them to my acquaintances. I didn't know them well enough, and I didn't want to make things awkward. So, I decided to hold onto them for the time being, waiting for a day when we would all be comfortable enough with each other to exchange gifts freely. 

As the vacations came to an end, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement brewing within me. For once, I had made friends and I was looking forward to not feeling alone anymore. Little did I know that this semester was going to be different from all the rest. The dynamics of our little friend circle were about to change and I, who was always strict with the mindset of not making any relationships, was willing to take a chance and risk it all for that elusive happiness.

Throughout my life, all I ever wanted was to be happy. But I was always afraid of being in a relationship. Maybe it was because I was too scared to depend on someone else for my happiness, or maybe it was because I wasn't confident enough to handle something like that. Whatever the reason may be, I always resisted it. But this semester was different. For some reason, I was willing to take that chance. The chance that left me completely shattered.

As the semester began, we were all separated by our branches. I was in CSE-B, and even though it was a new class, it already had some familiar faces - Alizeh, Ishani, Akash, Shiv, Angad, and Nikhil. I was happy to have some known faces around me. The first few days were just like any other, with me sitting in the fourth row with the guys, while the girls sat in the first row, surrounded by some new faces. The first row was like a girl gang, with five girls, including Alizeh and Ishani, sitting in the front forming some sort of club, which we liked to call the KITTY GANG. We were only joking, of course, but that's what we called them.