It all began after our results were declared.
There was a great hustle and bustle amongst everybody to get admitted in colleges. Everyone's ideologies suddenly became so goal oriented and career driven that it genuinely started to feel scary all of a sudden. The carefree attitude with which we had spent so many years in school suddenly felt inadequate and out of place. And so, along with everyone else, I too was sweeped off by the storm of institutional frenzy.
Siddharth had made up his mind to pursue engineering, so he sat for the entrance exams and Kavya had already managed to score an admission in her didi's college at Kolkata. This left only me flying from one college to the other, standing in long ques for the admission forms and tirelessly waiting for the merit list selections.
The days followed into weeks, and a month had already passed since our results, when one day Kavya informed us of her departure. She seemed more heartbroken than us while delivering the news. I remember the last evening walk we shared, all silent and solemn, pondering about our own fates and that of our friendship.
A couple of weeks after that, even I too got admitted in one of the local colleges. Siddharth however could not crack the entrance exams. He was disappointed, but not disheartened. I thought, he might just give up on his idea about engineering and get into the same college as me and I wouldn't have to loose yet another friend. But he was adamant. He, against the wishes of his family though, decided to take the year off and prepare for the exams to be held the following year. Also, he insisted on joining the coaching institutes for the same.
"If you gotta do it, do it right all the way," he would say. So, it wasn't completely suprising when he told me that he was going to Kota for the year. "I have heard they have the best coaching institutes in the country there," he told me. I just nodded. What would I know about any of it? My mind was then busy to only grasp the realisation that my friends were leaving me behind.
And then on one fine day, Siddharth left. Without Kavya and him around, my life took a drastic turn. The new college life had its wonders, but it wasn't like anything that any of us had ever imagined. The classes were lengthier, the professors were more serious with their lectures and the academic performance was meant to matter for real this time. It took some time to get used to, but with none of my friends around, I could dedicate my all to it. And it showed in my performance reports. To put it simply, the new name of Dhruv Dutta began to be recognised amongst the teachers and my peers alike. And to be completely honest, I began to like the attention I was receiving. If you work hard for something and are appreciated for your effort and gifted with equal results, you're bound to feel proud of yourselves. The hole in my life that had formed earlier, was beginning to fill up. I was finally beginning to enjoy my new life. I was so engrossed in it, that I hardly noticed that the Puja holidays were almost upon us.
It was one lazy weekend morning, when I was just sprawled out on the sofa watching TV when the door bell rang. Opening it, I was genuinely surprised to see Kavya standing there grinning foolishly.
"Aren't you going to let me in?" She said, pushing her way in past me anyway.
"When did you come?" I asked, trying to get hold of my breath, which I aprently seemed to have lost all of a sudden.
"Last evening," she said and sat down taking possession of the remote. She began flipping through the channels as I stood there looking at her.
Though it had just been about five months, to me it felt much more than that. And right then, looking at Kavya, my feeling was intensifying by the second.
She appeared to have changed completely. Her long hair, which she was so proud of and never missed a chance to flaunt, was gone. Instead she had cut it short upto her neck. Where there were ponytail or braids, she now had just a simple hairband. The moment she had got into the room, she had accompanied with her a sweet fragrance, which I hardly remembered to be around her. Also, the girl whom I was so accustomed to see wearing t-shirts with jeans and baggy pants, was now sitting cross legged in my living room wearing a kurti and a long skirt.
"What are you looking at?" she asked, noticing my wide eyed expression.
"Who are you? What did you do to my friend?" I inquired in return.
"Shut up and sit down."
I obeyed, but my eyes were still glued on her.
"Stop staring at me like that dude, you're giving me the creeps."
"What happened to you? And most importantly, what happened to your hair?"
"Just got off the extra length. Trying something new." She made herself a little more comfortable and then said once more,"Stop it Dhruv."
"Excuse me, but this is going to take some time getting used to," I replied.
"Achha?" She pinched me so hard on the arm that it made me squirm.
"Ouch!"
Then she hit me once more. This time a punch.
"Hey quit it. That hurts." I protested.
"Got your old Kavya back now? Or do you need a little more convincing?"
"I surrender," I said, raising both my hands. And then both of us burst out laughing.
"So, how is life?" she asked.
"Just the way you guys left me in," I said, trying to sound very serious.
"Wow Dhruv. Such sophistication. Doesn't suit on you though."
"Always a tone of surprise, huh!"
And more laughs followed.
We were both happy to be there, to have got each other back, after so long. It's strange, how you could not talk to your friend for a very long time, but once you do, its like the gap wasn't even there to begin with. And time flies when you are with them.
Also, we both had so much to tell one another. She told me all about her new college, the new hostel life, new friends she made, new city, everything. I, told her the same about my life in return. So, it wasn't surprising when we checked the time and found that we had been chatting for over two hours already.
"Damn, my mother's going to kill me. I told her I was going to the market."
"So what? Tell her you are here at my place. You can' t leave before lunch."
"No Dhruv, please. Not today. You know, how it is when you come back home after so long, they don't wanna loose sight of you."
"I know." I lied.
She got up to leave and I walked with her to the door.
"What are you doing in the evening?" asked descending down the stairs.
"Nothing," I answered. "But why?"
"Good. Be at my place by Five," she said, ignoring my questing and left, waving her arms.
