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

The first time it happened, she was 15.

It seriously wasn't her fault that little Ms. Perfect - Maya Shergil - didn't care that the school had a dress-code that they were all required to follow. It really wasn't her fault that Maya had tripped while walking in 6 inch (or however long was that monstrosity) heels when she should be in simple black shoes that were especially instructed by the school (which you could buy at a store - owned by the school - across from their boarding school). It wasn't her fault that Maya, despite being rich, wasn't sensible enough to know that dressing for school really isn't the same as dressing for a fashion show. It also wasn't her fault that she kind of snickered as she saw Maya tumbling down on the floor when she was trying to flirtatiously walk towards Raghav.

Alright, so the last bit may have been slightly her fault. Everyone knows that you should never laugh at someone's demise, especially if that someone is a drama queen heiress who's dad own like half of the boarding school (through his very generous donations). The point was that the snickering was very involuntary in her part and she quickly schooled her features back. Alas, she wasn't fast enough and Maya's eyes had zeroed in on her.

Maya had raced towards her with a speed of the desperate crowd going for shopping at a black Friday at Wal-Mart. Kalpi only had a second to gulp before she was abruptly pushed into a wall behind her. Thank God that the wall hadn't been too far away, or else it would have wounded her severely.

"You think that was funny, do you? Huh!"

"Look, I honestly didn't--I am sorry!" Kalpi stuttered.

Maya advanced towards her, smirking meanly as she said, "Oh, you will be." However, before she could do anything else, a voice interrupted her.

"Maya, that's enough. Stop it! It was an accident. Just let it go."

"B-But Raghav! She--" Maya started to say, red-faced.

"I said, just let it go. We're getting late for lunch anyways."

Maya sneered at Kalpi and turned away with an angry huff.

That wasn't the most notable thing that stuck with her. Well, it was notable, since Maya never backed down from a fight. No, that wasn't the thing that bothered her the most. It was the brief and dismissive glance that Raghav threw at her after he turned away from them. Kalpi knew that she should have been grateful to Raghav for saving her from a gruesome end, but all she felt was a deep-seated coldness that she didn't even know sprouted inside her.

It was like a cold confirmation. Before, when they hadn't ever interacted, Kalpi could have been content with the fact that his dismissal came because they never got a chance to interact. Now that they had interacted, she could safely say that she wasn't even just a face to him. She was irrelevant.

The second time it happened, she was 17.

They (mostly just Pakhi) wanted to sneak out to a party being thrown a little further away from where they lived by a very famous boy a year ahead of them, named Sammy. They lived in a girl's housing at a boarding school, so they had to sneak out in the middle of night, making sure that no one is able to see where they are sneaking off to. If anyone ever asked Kalpi at that time, she'd say it was all Pakhi's idea and they were making a grave mistake. If anyone ever asked Pakhi, she'd just laugh and laugh and laugh until there was no air left in her lungs.

Much to Kalpi's disappointment, she couldn't leave Pakhi alone even for a second. She was too scared that Pakhi would do something horrible that they will both regret for the rest of their lives. A tad bit dramatic? She was still a teenager at that time. She deserved a break!

She groaned as she felt Pakhi, her best friend, nudging her forward. This was seriously a terrible idea. Who thought of these kinds of terrible ideas? Oh, right. Pakhi!

"Sammy!" she heard Pakhi exclaim in glee. "Dude, how are you?"

Sammy's eyes lit up like a highly charged bulb. Or however those sayings go. The point was, he was ecstatic to see them (mostly just Pakhi) there. "Oh my God, you guys actually made it?! I was starting to think that you guys changed your mind."

Kalpi smiled weakly at him. "When Pakhi decides on something, even a tsunami can't sweep her away. She will most likely just stick to that damn spot and wait the tsunami out." She felt Pakhi pinch her back as soon as those words left her mouth.

"What Kalpi means is that she's just as excited as I am! She just likes being a downer all the time. Right, Kalpi?" Pakhi raised her eyebrow at Kalpi expectantly. Kalpi raised one back. While this strange exchange was happening, Sammy cleared his throat.

"I am just glad you're both here!" He gave them the most genuine smile and proceeded to wave someone over to get them something to drink. "We have all kinds of strictly non-alcoholic drinks here. You can choose any you like." He was about to say more but someone called his name. Before disappearing back in the crowd, Sammy gave them both an apologetic smile with promises of joining them again.

Pakhi sighed forlornly at his back and turned towards Kalpi. "Yaar, mera to Romeo gaya. Ab at least tum jaake apne Romeo se baatein karne lago."

Kalpi looked at her, perplexed. "Ro--What? Who?"

Pakhi gaped at her. "You really don't think I noticed you sneaking glances at tall, dark and broody every time we pass Sammy in the hallways at our school?"

Kalpi gulped. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I think all of that drinking is making you delusional."

"It's non-alcoholic," Pakhi shot back. "Also you're not as subtle as you think. I am telling you. You need to go and teach that Maya who Raghav Singhania really belongs to before it's too late."

Kalpi sighed. "Man, it's a really good thing that you're learning not to treat people as commodities and piece of meats there, Pakhi. Also, Raghav doesn't belong to anyone. He can do whatever he wants, with whoever he wants. I don't care." Even as she uttered those last words, she could feel her insides churning at way Maya snaked her hands on Raghav's shoulder.

Good thing was that they both got out of the party shortly after they got there - Pakhi, because she claimed that it was not as exciting as she thought it would be (even though they both knew that it was because Sammy got hauled away by his "long-lost" childhood friend named Susan) and Kalpi, because she didn't want to come to this stupid party to begin with (and it had nothing to do with the fact that Raghav only seemed to have his conversational skills reserved for Maya).

The third time it happened, she was 18.

Her educational expenses were fully covered by the scholarship that she was getting while attending the school. However, she still needed money for occasional shopping or savings. That's why, she had gotten a job at a boutique, owned by one of the much-loved trustees of the school. She was merely a salesgirl but the employee benefits, as well as they pay, were enough to keep her content with the work, despite the occasional rude customers. She was usually pretty patient with the customers that had any qualms about any products that were being sold there.

Alas, that was until Maya walked right in, followed quickly by Raghav Sighania and Sammy Garewal. Kalpi actually heard her squeal before she actually saw her. However, the dread that had descended upon her from the squeal only doubled when she spotted Maya with Raghav. She froze as she made her presence known. She really hadn't expected Maya, of all people, to come there. In hindsight, that was seriously a mistake. She really should have, if only because Valor was one of the top boutiques that people who had big bucks came to. For some reason, her brain never connected big bucks with students. Hence, her reason for being frozen.

She quickly collected herself and intoned, "Hello! Welcome to Valor. How may I assist you today," professionally. Of course, Maya could be anything but professional. The first thing she did was laugh. It was just a giggle at seeing something unexpected. It was an all-out guffaw. It took all her willpower for Kalpi to not reach forward and shake the laugh out of her. She remained stoic and professional. "Anything funny, miss?"

The only response she got was the chorus of, "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God.."

She took a deep breath to collect herself again and smiled. "Please feel free to take a look around and let me know if you need help." She was about to turn away when she felt Maya grip her shoulder vehemently.

"Now, hold on just one minute. What kind of service is this? Is this--" and on and one she went about the poor customer service they provided. All the while, Raghav stood and watched with disinterest while Sammy smiled apologetically, trying to get Maya to back off. In the end, she heard Raghav sigh deeply.

"Just call someone from the management. They can deal with this better," was the gruff and crude reply from his mouth when Raghav actually deemed it alright to interfere. As much as Kalpi wanted to not only punch Maya but Raghav as well, because seriously what did he mean by deal with it better,' Kalpi really needed her job. So, she merely nodded and gripped Maya's hand tightly as she shook her off.

"I will call the manager for you. You can voice out your concern then. Thank you for your patience," she finished off primly. She, then proceeded to call her manager, who was surprised to actually get a call as strange as Kalpi's since Kalpi never had trouble with customer service. Yes, she was that good.

Soon after, to the displeasure of her manager, Kalpi quit her job for the fear of that incident repeating again. Knowing Maya, she would just come to the boutique to create trouble for Kalpi again.

The fourth time it happened, she was 19.

She was interning at a firm called Singhania and Associates. At that time, she didn't exactly think to check if they were related to Raghav. She had no reason to. Sighania wasn't exactly the most unique name. She had thought that she was being paranoid, especially when she wasn't sure if she had truly wanted to intern at a place where she may have a chance to run into him. It was so much him, but what came with him - or who. However, she dismissed her paranoid notion right away.

That notion didn't seem so paranoid when a hand shot in between the elevator doors to stop the elevator from closing. Soon after, the hand was followed by the very menacing and intimidating figure of Raghav Singhania, clad in a well-fitted suit. If he was surprised to see Kalpi, he didn't say anything. He merely stood next to her and punched in his floor number. They both stood silently, waiting for the elevator to drop them off to their respective floors. If either of them had anything to say, they made no sign to let that be known. Kalpi, for once in their (almost) interactions, would have the chance to act calm and collected. She would just calmly stand and step off the elevator when her floor came. She would be completely nonchalant.

Of course, that was until the elevator lurched violently and stopped with a thud. She hadn't even realized it, but she was gripping Raghav's forearm pretty firmly, in a painful hold. The only sign that Raghav had felt as unbalanced at her, at the sudden turn of events, was the fact that her hand was covered by his. She stared down where their hand was connected. Raghav cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly removed his hands, as if that small gesture hadn't just shaken all of her insides. She was more nervous about that small gesture that the stupid elevator being stuck.

Soon after, thank the deities, her training kicked in and she quickly informed the main branch using the phone in the elevator. She then stood as far away from Raghav as possible, until the maintenance came and got the elevator working again. All the while, Raghav had stood to the same spot as he had been standing in after he came inside the elevator, making no motion of moving near or away from her. It was as if her presence didn't really mean anything. Before, she saw dismissal though his, albeit minimal, reaction towards her. That day, she had seen it through his non-reaction towards her.

Taking that as a sign of her doomed (non)relationship and (non)interaction with Raghav Singhania, she had quickly exited the elevator as soon as it had been fixed. Two weeks later, she had handed in her resignation.

The fifth time it happened, she was 21.

She finally had a well-paying job at one of the top firms. She was celebrating this with Pakhi at their favorite restaurant (which they could finally afford without worrying about being able to make the rent or not).

"Oooh, guess what? I invited some of our old friends over!" Pakhi exclaimed in delight as she looked towards the entrance of the restaurant. Kalpi turned the same way and couldn't help but let the smile play on her lips. It had been a while since she had seen either Raghav or Sammy (and Maya, thank god!). She let herself bask in it. She knew that the moment wasn't going to be long, knowing her luck. She was going to enjoy it.

They made way for Sammy and Raghav to join them at the table. After ordering their food and exchanging pleasantries, Kalpi sat back and just enjoyed the flow of conversation. Soon, their food was there to munch on while they caught up with their lives. Kalpi had noticed that while the three of them were making conversation, Raghav was mostly making polite conversation in the background. She didn't let it bother her though. For the first time she had known Raghav, she didn't want to force conversations. After all, it took two to make a conversation.

After a brief period, Kalpi herself became the observer and started to notice how Raghav had changed. The last time she had seen him, he was still making a transition between late childhood and early adulthood. Now, it had seemed that adulthood had welcomed him into its arms. Though it was still obvious that he was young, but he looked as if he was mature enough.

She was so deep in her thought that she hadn't realize before but Sammy and Pakhi had left them alone to dance. At least, it had seemed to be working for one of them. She had decided to quietly watch them dance and leave after some time.

After some time, she had heard Raghav clear his throat beside her. She had turned to him and seen him smiling at the dancing couple.

"They finally did it, huh?" she had said jokingly.

He had turned towards her with the same smile and nodded. "Sammy always liked her. But he was always nervous about overwhelming her with his feelings."

Kalpi had nodded and looked back at them. "I guess I see what you're saying. But I always believe that it's better to clear out the misunderstandings. He obviously knew that she liked him. But how did he think that his feelings were stronger than hers? He should have talked about that if he knew that the feeling was mutual."

She had heard Raghav heaving a deep breath. "Yeah, but sometimes it's hard to read people. It may be obvious to you that you like someone. You may think that your feelings are being broadcasted, but it's not always the case." After hearing that statement, for a second, Kalpi's heart had started thudding, thinking oh god, he knows! However, that thought had soon disappeared from her mind when she turned to him in shock, only to see him looking at the couple blankly. He wasn't talking about her. He was talking about Pakhi and Sammy. She had quickly hummed in response and looked away, feeling the same coldness welling inside of her. She seriously needed to stop running into him.

The sixth time it happened, she was 23.

Kalpi was frustrated. For the past few months, she had a run-in with Raghav at every turn. Her firm was working on a project with Raghav and Associates, so it was only a matter of time. Every time they would be in close proximity, she'd try to make conversations; it was futile. He didn't care for niceties and she was giving up. What frustrated her more was the fact her firm was hell-bent on putting them in the same room. She didn't even work in finance. She worked in manufacture. She had no idea what she was even doing to help. Either way, her boss had been very satisfied with her work.

It happened at a time when she had least expected it. She was actually talking to one of the workers that she was supervising, when she had felt Raghav hovering. She had first ignored it, thinking that it was her hyperactive imagination conjuring up things because she had an unhealthy sort of attachment to Raghav (which made no sense since she never even had a decent conversation with him, ever). When she was sure that it wasn't her imagination, she had turned to him.

He had smiled one of those rare smiles at her and gestured her to come with him. She had followed him, until he stopped next to the field that she had become quite familiar with, seeing as their "base of operations" was right next to it. However, without speaking, he had pointed to a side she never really thought of exploring due to work. Her eyes had completely lit up, because Raghav smiled even wider. There, in all its glory, was a huge field of white lilies. It hadn't made sense to her. How could she have missed that?

"Wow," she had exhaled, not knowing what to say. "How--" did you know that my favorite flowers were lilies? She wanted to ask. But she had stopped. She didn't want to presume anything. It seemed that Raghav had still heard what she hadn't said. His response was to give a big-toothed grin.

"I remember you talking about it with Pakhi during boarding school." That's all. He didn't reveal anything else as she waited for more. He remembered her talking about this? How? Because she definitely hadn't. She had squashed down every feeling of her heart somersaulting its way out of her chest.

Instead of prodding further, she only smiled. "Didn't realize that you paid attention to anyone other than Maya back then."

He looked at her, confused. "I am not sure if we're both talking about the same Maya or boarding school. She was the only one I didn't pay attention to."

Kalpi chuckled. "Right. I remember you distinctly being glued to her side on every occasion. You looked so annoyed whenever people came to talk to you."

"Oh, you noticed?" Raghav asked, surprised.

"I think everyone did, dude." And once again, Kalpi felt the same dread pooling in the bit of her stomach after being reminded that not only had he not stopped seizing to be the subject of her attention but also because he didn't deny always wanting to be with Maya. She really needed to stop talking to Raghav - just give up on this whole idea of making conversation with Raghav in general.

After brief pause, Raghav cleared his throat. What was with him always clearing his throat around her? "Yeah, well, you and everyone noticed wrong. I didn't glue myself to her side. She was glued to mine. After a while, I had to set her straight because it was becoming overwhelming for me, especially after the Boutique incident. Half the time I looked annoyed was because I was annoyed with her. Not at anyone else."

Kalpi had quietly taken in the conversation, not really sure what to think at that point. As much as she wanted to be delighted about the fact that he had cut her lose, he never said it was for her. He had clearly stated that it was becoming too much for him. One thing Kalpi was certain about though, she had thought. Even if Maya was annoying and overbearing, Raghav had still never given Kalpi a second glance before. He had dismissed her mere presence without time and time again. Maya or no Maya, this little revelation should not affect that.

She had snorted in reply and they had been called back in to work. After that, there hadn't been many chances for them to chat.

The seventh time it happened, Kalpi Jadhav was 25.

She was in the process of waiting for her "blind" date to arrive. Her mother had set her up, requesting her to meet the guy just for her sake. She had promised that she would not be pressured into saying yes' to the guy. That's why, she had relented.

However, sitting there, while making forced conversation with another guy, she realized the true size of a hole she had actually fallen in. Every time the guy said something or did something, she had compared it to Raghav. For God's sake, she didn't even know him well enough to compare him to anyone. Tell that to her stupid brain! It was a terrifying and very unsurprising outcome. When the date' came to a conclusion, it was quite obvious to both of them that this was not happening.

The guy left before her. She had wanted to stay for a bit more to collect herself. Before she could get up to head home, she saw Raghav joining her at the table. Before she could interrogate or say anything at all, he started talking.

"Everyone knows that a guy should always let the girl go first from table," he had said casually, as if his presence was not an anomaly.

She raised her eyebrow at him, "I requested him to."

After a brief pause, she heard him speaking again. "So, how was the date?"

She gaped at him. Why did he care? "I don't understand how my date or my love life is a part of this conversation at all."

When he only frowned and looked at her intently, she sighed. "Is there something you needed, Raghav?" She was really not in the mood for niceties.

He cleared his throat, again. "I didn't know you date. I mean, I didn't know that you get time to date."

"I didn't used to. But my family wants me to settle down. That guy was just someone I wanted to meet and get to know before deciding anything." She summarized.

"So, what did you decide?" Raghav asked, a strange inflection in his tone.

Kalpi looked at him suspiciously. "Alright. I seriously don't understand. What is going on here? Why do you want to know? You've never been interested in my love life. No, scratch that. You've never been interested in anything even remotely related to me. So, tell me, Raghav, why are you asking?"

Raghav looked taken aback by her reply. Seriously? How could he not think that his questioning was suspicious in the least bit?

"What do you mean that I have never been interested in anything related to you? Kalpi, I have always paid attention to you. You know that. Come on, you have to know that!" he said intently.

Kalpi gaped at him again. Were they even on the same planet when they were in school? She definitely would have noticed if he thought her worthy enough for even a bit of attention. For god's sake, she had an embarrassing crush on him, that'd turned into an unhealthy obsession by now.

When she didn't say anything, he continued on. "Do you really think that I would have known your favorite flower was white lily if I hadn't been paying attention? Or that you hated listening to Adnan Sami but put up with him for Pakhi's sake? Or the fact that you stiffened every time Maya was in close proximity? Or the fact that Maya only relented when I was around to stop her? Or the fact that you never paid enough attention to know that Sammy wasn't just inviting you over to his party to be polite or so he could spend more time with Pakhi, since you wouldn't ever let her stay out for too long. He did that because of me."

Surprise would be an understatement. She was stumped. What? "That doesn't even make sense. You didn't even know my name." she whispered.

"Really?" he raised his eyebrow at her incredulously. "Then why was I so excited to finally get a chance to talk to you when I saw you at the boutique, before Maya ruined it all? Or why would I be talking to you, even if I know that I would probably say something that's going to end up making this conversation a disaster? Or why would I be sitting here, trying to convince you to notice me, after several failed attempts at getting your attention."

Kalpi felt a jolt. It was as if he was narrating her life's tale at the moment. "Is that what you're doing right now? Trying to make me notice you?" Raghav's gaze only got more intense as he nodded. "But why?" Kalpi asked, her throat suddenly feeling dry again.

"So you never need to go on another date' again for a suitor. I am hoping that you won't need to after you finally notice me." He shrugged so casually, but Kalpi had been watching Raghav since she was barely a teenager. She saw the tight edge to his posture.

She smiled, "Why now, though? Did you finally get sick of waiting for me to notice you?"

"I could never sick of waiting for you," he simply said while staring at her with utmost sincerity. "I had a plan. I was going to woo you slowly. You were going to be charmed and then notice me, finally. The only reason I came by was because I saw you with the guy and--" Raghav slightly colored as he broke off and looked away.

Kalpi inhaled deeply as she tried to get her emotion in control, which was painfully hard considering that this moment was something she had been way too scared to even fantasize. She even went so far as looking around to make sure that that wasn't an elaborate plan. When she was satisfied, she slowly reached across the table for Raghav's hand. She gauged for his reaction as she waited. She felt a spike of satisfaction as she saw his eye widen her hand touched his across the table. He turned towards her, with wide and earnest eyes.

"Raghav, I do notice you. I always have." She felt his hand clasp hers, as she saw joy spreading on his face, making his eyes light up in delight.

It was true, she had always noticed him. However, for the first time, she finally noticed him looking back.