RagNa OneShot: Notice Me (Final Part: Page 3) - Page 2

The first time it happened, he was 16.

"Pakhi, please don't be ridiculous!" he heard a frustrated voice calling out.

"What do you mean? Come on, yaar! This is the time to try new things. Besides, you will look at these times and laugh later on. But you won't be able to do that if you are stuck up about it! Just relax, dude. Learn to have fun!"

Raghav frowned as he tried to tune out their voices again. Suddenly, a thought struck him. The warden was right! There have been girls sneaking into the boy's dormitories. He wasn't really sure what to do. They were told to report any "suspicious" activity, but he was far too comfortable on the grass in the insides of the boys' dormitory. Does he really want to go through the trouble of reporting someone? Some poor soul is probably trying to catch up with his friends. Right? RIGHT?!

Before he could make up his mind, he heard shuffling of footsteps from inside the boys' dormitory. Oh, well. Guess he didn't need to worry about reporting them, after all. It's probably the warden that's coming.

He started drifting off again until he felt someone shaking his shoulder. He looked up to see Sammy smiling down at him. When Raghav made a vague gesture, somehow symbolizing his confusion, Sammy just pointed towards the back entrance (the one that was not usually guarded).

"Hey, yaar! I invited some friends over. They are really cool. I want to introduce you to them!" Sammy exclaimed in delight.

Raghav shook his head. He was far too comfortable on his spot. He waved Sammy off with a vague gesture, somehow symbolizing 'do what you got to do but leave me out of it.' He heard Sammy sigh in defeat and leave towards the voices that he had head previously. At least now Raghav knew who the girls were coming for. If anyone asked, he had no idea about them at all.

Raghav only came back to reality when he heard loud voices.

"Come on! If you didn't come here to have some fun, then what are you doing in boy's dormitory?" he heard some guy leer at someone else.

Raghav shook himself out of sleep to see what the commotion was all about.

"Ahh! What the heck? Girl, what's wrong with you?" he heard the same voice call out. This time, Raghav was fully awake. He quickly shot up in sitting position to see where the voices were coming from.

"If you don't leave me alone, then it will be worse than that punch just now, okay? I am not here for your kind of 'fun.' I am here for my friend. And you know why that is? Because I know how to break someone's bones in exactly five different ways. I may not look strong but I can take you down without breaking any sweat!" he heard some girl say.

Raghav turned around to see that there were two people standing in the opening. From their view, he was hidden. However, he could see the whole ordeal with ease. He sat frozen, unsure if he should help or not, especially since the girl seemed to have everything under control.

The guy seemed to freak out when he heard the guy and quickly scampered away. He heard the girl sigh and just sit down. She was facing Raghav, except Raghav was under hooded shade, where it would not have been possible for her to see him. He took his time to notice her. There was something about this girl that he hadn't noticed in anyone else. He won't approach just yet. He would first observe and wait for the right moment. Not just yet.

Before he could approach her, her friend came and got her, telling her that she was looking all over for her. Raghav didn't get a chance to approach her. However, he made a mental note to hassle Sammy until Sammy spilled exactly who she was.

The hassling never came about. Sammy was far too busy that week. Then, he had another project. There never was a right time to ask about her. Raghav saw her around school. He wanted to approach her. He wanted to talk to her, show her that he existed. Ask her to notice him. However, every time he so much as found himself alone, there were people surrounding him again. Just because he was a class monitor, didn't mean that people had to always be around him. Right?

The moment finally came exactly 1 month, 4 days, and 15 hours later. Who's counting, though, right?

It was more dramatic than he would have liked. His first impression on her was completely spoiled because of Maya, of all people. He didn't get a chance to introduce himself or sit down and have a nice chat with her, get to know her. No. It was a moment of sheer panic when he realized that the girl had ended up antagonizing Maya, and Maya (because she is Maya) wanted her to regret it. Before he could think of a solid plan, he just charged in and called Maya out. Before this moment, Raghav had never ever invited Maya over for lunch. Yes, they hung out but Raghav tried to keep their interaction to a minimum. Eh, small sacrifices. Though, he didn't even get to smile at Kalpi for the fear that Maya will catch it somehow.

However, the sacrifice didn't seem so small when Maya started to hang out with them as if she had a born right to be there. It slowly turned into a dull headache that he felt every time he saw her.

Slowly, Maya seemed to have figured out that Raghav didn't stop Maya from bullying in general. He stopped her from bullying Kalpi. This seemed to set her off more. This could be because he paid more attention to Maya when she was plotting Kalpi's demise, or it could be that she was plotting her demise because Raghav paid more attention to Kalpi than her. Either way, Raghav had decided to keep Maya close and make sure that their interaction never turned sour.

The second time it happened, he was 18.

Sammy was planning to throw a party. He was just making a guest list when Raghav flopped down beside him on the sofa. For a second, Sammy stopped working and turned towards him with raised eyebrow.

"And exactly what do I owe this pleasure? Did you finally get time from watching a certain someone's back all the time?"

Raghav shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no idea what or who you're talking about."

"Uhuh," Sammy eyed him dubiously, "You're about as subtle as a guy with a crush to me. You would never voluntarily hang out with Maya, that's for sure."

Raghav rolled his eyes. "Who are you inviting," he said as he innocently peeked at the guest list.

"Don't worry, bro. I will make sure to invite a certain someone who you seem to want to meet. May be this time, you will get enough guts to actually talk to her without glowering at someone beforehand."

Raghav bared his teeth, "Yeah? May be this time you will actually get to invite Pakhi on a date instead of following her around like a puppy instead!"

Sammy gaped at him and tried to smack him, but Raghav easily dodged him and got up. After all, his investigation was done.

When the party time finally came, however, Raghav was pissed. Who had told Maya that there was a party at Sammy's? Knowing Sammy, he would never have invited Maya if he knew that Raghav was finally going to work up his guts to approach Kalpi. At first, it happened been a problem. Maya was on one side of the party, and Raghav was at another. However, the moment Raghav caught Kalpi's sight, his breath caught in his throat. He couldn't help but stare. Alas, Maya had also noticed her entrance. Not only that, she had noticed how speechless he was when she came in the room. She stuck to him like a magnet, and there was nothing he could do other than be by her side for the fear that the witch will do something to Kalpi when he isn't looking.

Perhaps it was better to keep his distance for the time being.

The third time it happened, he was 19.

He had wanted to go shopping with Sammy at the new mall that he had heard so much about. Alright, so his intentions hadn't been so pure. He knew that Kalpi had started to work there. However, he knew exactly what he was going to say this time. He was going to first act very surprised to see her there. Then, he would ask her about her day and lead from there. He had everything planned and it would've been perfect.

So, of course, he heard Maya squeal when he was right in front of the boutique, trying to sum up enough courage to go in. He froze as she sauntered to his side and dragged him inside. Again, he felt his heart sinking as he saw Sammy shake his head in defeat. He was never going to get rid of her.

Hah! That previous thought was proven wrong after the boutique visit. He had wanted to intervene and defend Kalpi so bad, but he also knew that Maya will create an even bigger scene and get Kalpi fired instead. Eventually, the manager had come and dealt with Maya with forced politeness. Even Raghav could tell that the manager didn't ever want Maya to return. Raghav had waited for Maya to finish her shopping.

After she had unloaded all of her bags in her car, he had turned towards her. His gaze had turned cold. "Never do that again. Just because I let you eat with me once doesn't mean I like you. In fact, leave me and Kalpi alone. If I so much as hear that you touched a hair on Kalpi, I will ruin you."

Maya had gasped in shock, "But Ragh--" she started as terror colored her features.

"No buts. I don't want to hear your crap. The next time I see you around me, I will end your social life without lifting a finger. Don't mess with me again, alright? And leave me alone from now on, okay?"

He had been so pissed at her that he hadn't even told Sammy that he had left. He had gone running instead, trying to find ways to approach Kalpi and apologize for what had happened.

Two days later, he went to same boutique to apologize to Kalpi. Alas, she had already quit her job. Her manager had been very curt with him, as if it had been his fault to begin with. Considering this as fate, he had left, sullen and angry.

The fourth time it happened, he was 20.

He was really happy to realize that the new groups of intern included Kalpi as well. His father had told him that he will be helping out the person who was in charge for the intern. He would not associate with them directly, but he would help out with the paperwork. His father wanted to slowly transition him into the firm. He may not have run into Kalpi yet, but he was going to, eventually. Right?

It had been about a month and a half, since Kalpi started interning, when the opportunity arose. He saw her entering a lift and ran towards her, in hope that he would finally get enough guts to apologize to her and converse with her. When he finally got into the elevator, he stood up, trying to collect his thoughts. He had punched in a random floor number just to not seem odd. However, before he could say anything, the elevator had stopped with a lurch. His panic didn't even register because he had felt a firm grip on his hand. He looked down to see her holding onto him for dear life. And that? That made his heart somersault out of her chest. Without thinking, he had covered her hand with his. Of course, he didn't really get to enjoy the intimacy for long, since she had noticed her grip and was started to move away. He let her.

He saw her call and wait for help to come. He wanted to talk to her so much. He wanted to apologize to her and then ask about what she was doing. Before he could say anything, he noticed how she had tried to put as much distance between him and herself. It was as if she was afraid that Raghav was going to do something. Did she think he would hurt her? All this while, he had only been trying to protect her. All this while, she was leaving him speechless and she had thought that he wanted to hurt her? It didn't make any sense.

Was Sammy correct? Was he always glaring at everyone and making everyone believe that he hated humanity in general? Even if he did, he never would have hated Kalpi. Still, he didn't know what to do. If he moved away from her, that would send out the wrong message. If he moved closer to her, she would feel more uncomfortable than she was already feeling. So, he stood rooted to his spot. He wasn't about to give up. He was going to have a decent conversation with her.

He was still planning on what to say to her when the elevator dinged again as it resumed. Be finally cleared his throat to apologize but he saw her move out when the elevator was finally over.

Towards the end, he could only curse at the maintenance crew for being so quick. Who actually fixed elevators within 10 minutes? That should be a record!

The fifth time it happened, he was 22.

Sammy had smiled goofily at him and told him that he would finally have the guts to ask Pakhi out. Then he went ahead and punched Raghav's shoulder.

"Man, it would be so cool if you could ask Kalpi out too and we could double date! I know that Pakhi would like that. She worries a lot about Kalpi and says that Kalpi is far too busy for relationships. But she also doesn't want Kalpi to be alone."

Raghav shook his head. "Even if Kalpi wanted to date someone, which as you said is not the case, she would never pick me." He tried not to feel bitter about that.

Sammy had frowned. "Why would you think that man? I am sure she can look past your socially inept attitude and like you for who you are! She's a really sweet girl. You just need to talk to her first."

Before Raghav could protest any further, Sammy got up and threw a suit jacket at him. "Wear this! We're going to celebrate with them today. I will steal Pakhi away for a dance, and then you will have a chance to talk to Kalpi for a bit. Use it wisely."

He did come to the celebration. Most of the time, he had felt mesmerized. It wasn't because of how Kalpi had looked. It wasn't even about how she had transformed over the years. It was because of the way she talked. The things she had said were so simple and light, yet carried so much meaning. There was no extravagance. It was just simply Kalpi. And he couldn't help but feel that he didn't have much to contribute. He wanted so bad to be part of their conversation, and he did insert his comments here and there, but he was enjoying listening to them a lot more.

When he was finally alone with Kalpi, he didn't get a chance to apologize. He had actually forgotten about that altogether. All in all, that evening had felt like a success to him - at least a lot more than all of their earlier interactions.

Apparently, Kalpi hadn't seemed to think that way because she never bothered to reply to any of his messages on Facebook, when he had attempted to add her as his friend. He didn't want to randomly text her and stalk her that way. That would only make her dislike him a lot more.

The sixth time it happened, he was 24.

Raghav had been delighted! As soon as he heard the offer of his firm doing a joint project with Kalpi's, he had said 'yes' without even looking at the details. His only request from the manager had been that he would get a chance to work with Kalpi. The manager had been fully cooperative about that, happy that he had gotten the project without much groveling.

He had tried to maximize his contact with Kalpi at every turn, even if the interactions were limited to hellos" and "how are yous?" He hadn't mind that one bit. Most of the time, they only talked about their projects, but he still kept note of the soft music that always played from her laptop in form of Sonu Nigam's music. He kept note for the fact that she liked to dress comfortable, rather than stylish if she had a choice and that she liked to tie her hair up in a bun when she was working on something that required all of her attention. It was as if she didn't want to divide her attention between her hair and the task in front of her. It was endearing.

When he noticed a field of lilies beside where they worked, he had been so excited. He still remembered the one time that Kalpi had exclaimed in delight when Pakhi received white lilies from Sammy for Rose Day (which was ironic because 'rose' day hadn't meant anything to Sammy who ended up buying lilies instead). He had remembered how Kalpi's eyes turned soft as she told Pakhi how they were her favorite flowers and how people needed to appreciate them a lot more.

His mind had been on autopilot. He had just dragged her there to see her expression. He wasn't disappointed. Her eyes had lit up in surprise as a warm smile spread on her lips. This was it! He had finally done something right by her. He was so excited.

He had been surprised to find out that Kalpi had actually noticed him, albeit it was only because Maya was glued to his side. But, still! He felt oddly disappointed though. He had thought that he had made more of an impression on her.

He tried. He had really tried to extend their conversation from simply "hellos" and "good byes" after that interaction. However, all of his attempts were futile because Kalpi only seemed interested in talking about the project and nothing else. He had felt dismayed and his mood had soured a bit. He still tried to make the best out of it, though.

After all, he could still be friends with her. Right?

The seventh time it happened, he was 26.

He had merely finished his lunch with his colleagues when he heard a familiar voice saying something. When he turned towards the voice, he saw Kalpi waving 'goodbye' at the guy who was getting up. From the way it looked, it seemed like a date. The guy was too well-dressed for it to be normal friends. He was also dressed way too casually for it to be anything business-related. Kalpi was also not dressed in anything professional. If anything, she had a light golden color churdaar. He hair seemed to be slightly curled and she had them down, to her right side. It seemed that she had also made an effort.

He could feel the burn of jealously bubbling inside of him. So, she had time to talk to other people, guys, but she couldn't even respond to his friend's request on Facebook? Or what about the time he had text her after their last meeting? She had completely ignored him. What had he done to her that she hated him so much? She hadn't even wanted to be friends with him?

Before he could think it through, he had flopped down on the chair opposite of her. If she was shocked, it was nothing close to the shock he was feeling right at that second. How did he find enough guts to actually approach her?

Later on, it turned out that the phone number Sammy gave him was actually her old phone. And the Facebook account that he had added wasn't hers. Apparently it was her cousin's idea of a joke. So, all of this time, he had been texting wrong number and messaging wrong person. He was just lucky that no one had called the police on him. His dad would have been so disappointed, thinking that he was harassing people in a regular way when he had enough experience to harass them professionally due to his law degree.

It also turned out that he really needed to stop overthinking things when it came to Kalpi. His guts were more of go-getters than he himself was.

For now, he was just happy with the fact that Kalpi was finally noticing him back, with the same warm expression she had worn as she gazed the lilies. That is all he had ever wanted from his life.