~*The Way We Were *~ Pt 6 page 5! (A ReMiX FF) - Page 3

PART 2: Bittersweet Nights and Unexpected Phone Calls

1 am. Ranveer was lying in his bed, thinking about the date he had just come back from. It had been a week now that he and Nainika had been dating. She was sweet, intelligent and pretty.. and they seemed to agree a lot. And yet thoughts of Her kept cropping up out of nowhere.

Like when Nainika had asked him if he had ever ridden a camel.. He automatically thought of Her voice shrieking "You dehati camel!"

And when Nainika twists a lock of hair around her finger.. He just remembered the way She used flick her hair behind her.

And when Nainika asked him to dance.. well what else could he think of but those dances with Her.

She didn't want to be with you Ranveer, remember?! I'm sure She's moved on by now. She's probably better off without me in her life, probably found someone new, who won't fight with her or hurt her.. who's probably richer and classier than me.

I'm sure she's so happy that she doesn't even think about me.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some people count sheep to fall asleep. But Tia counted the number of times she had found herself in His arms: the almost-kisses, the desperate embraces, the slow dances.. His scent, his breathe, his touch, his voice. Every caress and every word.

Of course she hated doing this, because that phase of her life was finished, and these memories of "the way we were" only weakened her current determination, and made her so sad. Yet she couldn't deny that it worked like a magic, because after only thinking of a couple of these memories, she would fall into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. He was her bitter-sweet solace.

In the morning she made herself strong again. She remembered convinced herself she was doing the right thing...Tia Ahuja didn't need any more heartbreak.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello?"

"Hello.."

"Tia?!"

"Meher? How are you angel? It's been so many days since I last spoke to you..."

"Tia, voh sab baad mein.. I have some really bad news – Pri's really ill."

"WHAT?????? Omg what happened to my angel??? Where is she???? Meher you should have told me earlier!!! How could you not tell Tia about her angel!???"

"Tia I'll explain everything to you, you just come home right now. Pri needs you babes."

"I'm getting the next flight to Bombay. Talk to you soon."

Tia put down the phone with her trembling hands. Her mind kept coming up with awful situations and explanations about what could have happened to her Pri. She and Pri spoke to each other all the time, even more than she did to her Papa. Something must have happened to her today itself.

Tia rang up the travel agent to book a flight, and then her work to tell them that an emergency had come up. Then in a rushed frenzy she began stuffing everything she could find and think of into her Louis Vuitton suitcase.

"Hello? HELLO? Ranveer?"

"Yes speaking."

"Ranveer, main Vrinda bol rahi hoon"

"Ohh Vrinda! Kaisi hain aap? Aman kaise hain?"

"I'm fine.. But Aman is really ill.."

"Aman???? Kyaa hua Aman ko????"

"Voh.. Ranveer I think you need to be here. Can you come to Mumbai??"

" I'll be there as soon as possible."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Me too Anvesha! Tia sounded like she was having a heart attack when I told her Pri was ill", added Meher.

"Meher, since when did you become a Mehereshwari? You and Vrinde, do you both really think that if we told them the truth they'd come out of their hibernation or exile or whatever they think they're doing? If you told them "Ashi is back from her around the world trekking tour and is dying for a Maurya High class reunion, so please please pretty please come" they'd come? Na-uh; They'd be the only 2 missing people from the whole year group.. It would be like a smile with two missing teeth!"

"I guess you're right. Some day or the other Tia has to face Ranveer and solve out their problems. They are meant to be together", said Meher.

"Hey Bhaggu! Timbo to Timbo hamesha rahegi, but why is Thakur acting so stubborn?"

The three girls sat in silence in Ashi's kitchen while waiting for the kettle to boil. Everyone knew Tia and Ranveer were apart, but not everyone knew why. Tia hadn't even fully confided in Pri and Meher.. they too only knew bits and pieces of the story. All they knew was that it was a bad idea to bring it up to her, and to him.

No one knew what to do...but then came Ashi's plan. She had been trekking through the Amazon rainforests, scaled the peaks in Peru, safaried in Africa and swum with sharks in Australia, dragging Yuvi along everywhere with her of course ;) Yet when she had recently returned to Bombay, she was filled with a longing for her classmates, and decided that 4 years apart was more than enough, she had to have everyone together in the same room again right now! Then she put 2 and 2 together, and realised that this was in fact the perfecto opportunity to get Tia and Ranveer to meet. It wouldn't be easy, but Ashi had a spirit and an energy that could change the world, so what were two troubled souls in comparison to that? Now phase 1 of her plan was complete.

"What happened happened. Now all we need to do is get them in the same room together, and they'll be pulled towards each other like magnets.. By the way Vrinda and Meher, you're performances were award-winning!" laughed Ashi.

------------------------------------------------------

rika: heyy ok il pm u next time.. thanks for reading :) Well ul find out soon where he is!

hey ash, my name is glinda, but everyone on If call me Glen😳

Glen: dun wori babes, will be posting it real soon! i just keep getting sidetracked and writing future scenes insted of what i shud b postin next! 😆

cute_unknown: i just LOVE it when i get comments.. however big or small! so thanks for that, and i hope ul continue reading 😊 will def pm u

PART 3: An Angry Angel

Tia was feeling hideously under-dressed. A pair of dark jeans (jeans?! She didn't realise she owned them) and a white shirt. No jewellery; just a pair of sunglasses to hide her sleep-deprived and make-up-less eyes. But she knew that this was not the time to think about that. She grabbed a cup of coffee to keep her awake while she waited for Meher. Please come quickly, she thought. It was good to be back in Mumbai – she felt at home, but also so worried about Pri...and terrified at the thought of potentially coming across Him. Who knows where he was, or what he was doing? A familiar voice interrupted these dangerous thoughts..

"Tia!!!" Meher shouted, waving Tia over. She was decked out in a bright yellow sundress, dangly earrings, high heels, a massive white tote bag, and a huge smile on her glossy lips. Ok, though Tia, I know she works as a beauty assistant at Vogue India, but she definitely does NOT look like she's about to visit her sick friend..

Tia hurried over and hugged her angel, still very confused. "Meher, angel! It's so good to see you again.. Umm... we are going to visit Pri right? Now at least will you tell me what's wrong with her? I was going sick with worry!"

"Oh, um, Pri is feeling much better now..." Meher looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Meher, look at me. What's going on?"

"Um..er.. Babes just come with me. We have to meet Pri right?" Meher's cheeks had now turned a shade of pink that had nothing to do with her Bourjois Blush. She took Tia's suitcase and started walking quickly in the direction of her car.

"Meher, you can run but you can't hide anything from Tia!" Tia called as she hurried along after her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The drive to Pri's apartment was...certainly some ride! Meher's rash driving skills had Tia on the edge of her seat, praying to any God that would listen to keep them alive. Meher seemed oblivious to everything around her, but Tia was certain that they had missed several head-on collisions, just by mere inches!

She was still recovering by the time they were outside Pri's door, ringing the bell. Oxygen, oxygen, she needed oxygen.

The door opened, and there was Pri, fit and fine. Pri was a journalist now. She wrote a lot of things, but mostly she reviewed restaurants. She had very limited hang-ups about her weight, and she was a much happier person now – she had a job which she loved, as she got to eat VIP style in some of the country's most prestigious restaurants, and she got to write about her love of food and the tastes of every dish in as much detail as she liked. She was extremely good at her job. J Despite the trips to Dehli and daily phone calls, Pri missed her best friend.

So there stood Pri. She was happy and glowing, and hugged Tia before she could say anything. But Tia pulled away.

"Pri, what's happening? If neither of you tell Tia what's going on right NOW, Tia's going to scream!"

Both her angels looked sheepishly at their feet.

Tia gasped as the truth dawned upon her. "This was some evil scheme to get me to Mumbai wasn't it!! How could you do this to Tia?!"

Meher feebly tried to explain, "Tia it's not what you think, we didn't mean any harm. It's just Anvesha-"

"Anvesha?! I knew this was all her doing! I'm going to kill her!"

"No Tia, we're having a class reunion! You have to be there!" Pri added nervously.

Words flashed through Tia's mind: Maurya High.Class reunion. Me. Him. Oh. My. God.

Suddenly a dizziness washed over Tia, and she didn't have the energy to be as angry as she felt she should be. The lack of sleep, the flight, the drive, and now this sudden revelation were all too much for her. She fainted on the spot.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three girls sat in Pri's lounge, having a hush-hush conversation in the candlelight.

"I just spoke to Vrinda.. Ranveer is in Mumbai," whispered Ashi.

"And he's not angry?" asked Meher.

"Oh he's furious! But he's hardly going to go back and catch the next 9-hour flight, now that he's come all the way to Mumbai," Ashi grinned. "Now for phase 2."

"Phase 2?" asked Pri.

"Phase 1 was getting those two tortured souls in the same city. Phase 2 is getting them in the same room. Remember what I said?"

"Ohhh yah! They'll attract like magnets!" Pri exclaimed.

Just then a very dazed looking Tia Ahuja walked into the room, one hand held to her throbbing head.

"Magnets? Pri why are you talking about magnets? Owww my head." she moaned.

"Oh.. hum... fridge magnets ki baat kar rahe the Tia!" replied Pri.

"Ok..And why is it so dark around here? What's with these candles? I'm so confused..."

"Babes you were knocked out cold since the morning! We tried everything to revive you, but you just wouldn't wake up. It's midnight now," said Meher.

"Midnight?!?" Tia gasped.

"Yes its midnight, Princess Tia, but don't worry, you won't turn into a pumpkin" grinned Ashi.

Tia just noticed that there was a third person in the room. It had been over a year since she had last seen her, just before Ashi had embarked on her world tour. Her hair was longer and wavy, with faint coppery-red highlights, but she was just as fun-loving and mad as ever. She and Tia had become closer since school finished, but that didn't mean they didn't still fight like 5 year-olds. Like right now, Tia felt like killing her.

"Anvesha! You! This is all your fault! How dare you brainwash my angels into carrying out your evil plan!"

"Brainwash karne ke liye brains to hone chahiye, right?" laughed Ashi.

Pri cut in before any damage could be done. "Ashi please, stop this now.. I don't think Tia feels very well at the moment. Tia just sit down, please relax, I'll bring you your favourite green tea."

"Pri, your fool-Tia-into-coming-to-Mumbai plan may have been successful, but your butter-Tia-up-to-fool-her-further plan is not going to work, understand? I'm just so angry and disappointed with all of you. I'm leaving right now."

---------------------------------------------------------

😲 Oh no whats this? Tia leaving? How will Ashi's plan ever work now? All will soon be revealed my luvlies 😉