~* The Way We Were *~ pt 9 page 16! (A TiaRa ff) - Page 12

awesome update ash,

Originally posted by: ash419

So Tia sat and she thought about it. For one moment she let her anger drift away and she no longer saw red. She saw Maurya High and her classmates ' getting up to no good in the classrooms, forging permission letters and throwing secret parties at night. Gossiping in the canteen. Fighting with friends. Singing, dancing, living life to the fullest. Healing heartaches.. and being expected to do all the homework and revise for tests on top of all that! Needless to say those school days meant something to her. They meant the world to her.

And that's when she decided this: that for one night, instead of running away, she would have to put her fears and depressing feelings aside and once again show the world her smiling face, even if her heart is crying inside.

tia finally giving in for the re-union...😳😳

Originally posted by: ash149

Ranveer looked in the mirror while he hurriedly did up his tie. His mind was oscillating between the prospects: She'll come but ignore me... She'll come with her new boyfriend... She'll come but we won't talk...She won't come at all. Out of these potential unpleasant scenarios, the last one was clearly the worst.

Originally posted by: ash149

Tia pondered over that question, and then gave her straightforward reply: 'No. But it's what I have. I've been so incredibly lucky...I got given everything I could possibly want for 18yrs. And now it's like I'm balancing out by having a little less. But I still have my family, my friends, a job which I worked for myself.. I'm content.'

'And love?'

'Puh-leez Vrinda...'

'But you were always so optimistic, a dreamer and a true romantic.'

'I guess I grew out of that phase.'

'Love's not a phase.'

'I don't care anymore! I stopped wishing for my fairytale ending.'

'Why an ending? Love never ends; its forever! And you better start caring, because you're a good person Tia, and you of all people deserve everlasting love. And you'll get it, even if I have to do the wishing on your behalf. Especially tonight...'

'T..tonight?' Tia whispered, too scared to speak louder, as if her voice might shatter this fragile fantasy of a possibility.

'He's on his way,' Vrinda whispered back.

Those words made the dormant butterflies in Tia's stomach go delirious. She walked away as if in a trance. She felt queasy and uneasy, and (for once in her life) foolishly dolled-up. Would He think she was trying to hard? She had wanted to wear something less dressy, but Meher had insisted on this creamy silk gown and all these pearls. 'Tia Ahuja's place is in the limelight, not in the background!' Meher had said.

Spending time with her family and friends had kept her occupied and had been a good distraction. She had written herself mental notes and stored them neatly at the back of her mind ' stay calm and composed, act mature, be gracious, etc etc. But nothing (NOTHING!) could have prepared her for the actual event of meeting Him.

She paced up and down the room, a nervous wreck, hyperventilating, incapable of speaking. If she was already such a mess what would she be like when He-

Tia froze in her tracks. Her heart stopped beating there and then, as if its batteries had died. In a rush of adrenaline, she spun around.

And there He was.

Originally posted by: ash149

For the moment, she couldn't bear to look at him..Yet she simply couldn't help herself. She didn't know if she was trying to find flaws or finesse; just some clue as to how his life was without her. She subtly stole glances at him 10 times every minute, mentally obsessing over every detail of his appearance and mannerisms. It was like she was possessed and she was going out of her mind with curiosity: everything her eyes drank in, her brain followed with random, silly questions.

His hair was longer (Why isn't he having his hair cut?!), he was wearing a suit (Did he pick it out himself?! Does he wear them every day??), he was holding his mobile (why is it in his hand?? Is he expecting a call?! From a girl??) and he had a scar on his hand (what sort of stupid things has he been doing?!).

Of course these petty queries were followed by deeper, blush-evoking thoughts that she would not admit she thought: like how incredibly handsome he looked, how she wanted to put her arms around him, run her hands through his longer hair, bring his hand to her lips and kiss his scar all better...

thts the true depth of her love... perfectly depicted by u...☺️☺️

Originally posted by: ash149

'Tia?' The sound of his soft voice flowed like silk on her soul, putting her butterflies to sleep like a lullaby (albeit momentarily). He made her name sound like something so rare and precious, she could listen to him repeat it all day. There was no running away now, and Tia knew that this was as prepared as she'd ever be. Slowly, she turned to face him.

'How are you?' Ranveer continued, not knowing what else to say. He had politely fought his way through the crowded room, drawn like a magnet towards the centre of his universe. He had to hear her say something, anything, to convince him that them being apart was the right thing... because at the moment it seemed like the most unnatural thing in the world.

'I...I'm fine' she stuttered, surprised that something comprehensible actually came out of her mouth. She still didn't look at him directly, worried that her tell-tale eyes would reveal the truth: she wasn't fine at all; she was a mess.

'I'm fine? Not Tia's fine?' he smiled.

Tia laughed nervously. 'No.. I mean,Yes... um.. Tia is a little less self-obsessed these days...she can say I just like everyone else does..'

[Over the past couple of years Tia had done quite well to not say it out loud too much, but sometimes she couldn't help but talk in third person. Tia thinks it's true, old habits do die hard!]

Her cheeks turned flushed and she began fiddling with her beads. She couldn't breathe, and her heart was drumming so loudly, she was convinced he could hear it. Tia, don't look at him, she warned herself, certain that her out-of-control state would only get worsened by that.

'But Tia, you're nothing like everyone else. You're so special...'

That certainly took her by surprise. She instantly looked up...

Their eyes met, and it was as if time stopped. Everything froze, the whole world froze. It was just her and him. Tia and Ranveer. She had believed that their love had been burnt to ashes. But all it took was one look, and the embers were reignited. She felt like her soul had gone up in flames. She was scorched and smouldered, but all she wanted to do was burn further the intensity of his gaze.

Somewhere, elsewhere in the room, people had begun dancing. Of course, they didn't exist on the cloud Tia and Ranveer were floating on, but somehow the music seeped in. Ranveer took Tia's hand and led her to the dance floor. His touch sent an electric current through her which set all her senses alight. When his skin brushed against hers, it was as if she could actually feel her cells chemically changing.

And they began to dance, never taking their eyes off one another. Not another word was spoken, but their eyes did all the talking. Ranveer had never had an agenda of pretence planned, and Tia had given up on hers a while back. He saw all her sadness, her loneliness, so many things she wanted to say but couldn't. His own eyes unveiled the confusion of his turbulent mind; A whirlpool of worries and questions galore that Tia wanted to save him from drowning in. Not that she was in any state to do so ' she was falling into the depths of his eyes, slipping away like sand through fingers. She surrendered. No one could rescue her. Everything about him moved her in indescribable ways.. His scent, his breathe, his touch, his voice.

And, after all this time, it wasn't just Tia putting herself to sleep; this was all real, a living dream. Oh this was love! Who was she trying to fool? She had thought time apart had given her perspective and taught her how to live without him. Instead it had taught her that she just couldn't live without him, without his love. She was blinded by love; she didn't care about what happened yesterday, or what will happen tomorrow, all she wanted to do was live here and now.

They had lost all sense of time and place, but at some point they wandered outside into the moonlight. A skip in her step, a smile on her lips, Tia felt drunk on a happiness that only love can give you. This evening was nothing like she's imagined it to be. She didn't even know what had happened. It was like magic, and they were both bewitched. Then she saw his scar and remembered.

'Ranveer, what did you do to your hand? Tum apne gaao mein rehkar clumsy ho gaye?' she asked. She had spoken without thinking, and then turned pink with embarrassment, unsure whether she still had the right to joke with him.

Luckily Ranveer seemed to find it immensely amusing. He smiled that annoying all-knowing smile of his and said, 'Kaunsa gaao Miss Tia Ahuja? London?'

'Wha-.. What????? Tum London mein rehte ho???' Tia was genuinely shocked.

Just the a voice called out: 'Ranveer!! Surprise!' There stood a tall, beautiful girl, with glossy, curly black hair, her face beaming.

'N-Nainika?!' Ranveer looked like he had seen a ghost.

Tia took a step back and looked from Ranveer to the girl. She was speechless. It was all crystal clear. Tia had been right, this evening had been magic. And all it took was one person to break the spell.

i cnt expresss wat all i was goin thru while readin thiss... they way they felt when they were closee... all tht was goin thru their minds b4 meetin each other.. had no meaning.. coz ven they meet.. ven they see each other.. their hearts make them act.. coz they cnt hide their love for each other.. no matter for how lng they were separate.. no matter since how lng they have nt seen each other.. the love for each other is always present nd onli doubles up once they are together...!!

nd why did this nainika have to cum in nd spoil it allllll 😡

awwww.. m sooo sooo sooo happpyy..

thank you soo muchhh for have given this to uss...🤗

Originally posted by: ash419

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, was a little busy.. somehow managed to put this together this morning!😳 But i promise a quicker, and better part next time!

Part 8: A Raging Tempest

Ranveer hadn't meant for anything that spellbinding to happen that evening, but the incomprehensible ways of his heart were beyond his own control. One look at Tia Ahuja and he had forgotten everyone else. That is, until they appeared and called out his name.

"Ranveer!" called Nainika, running straight into his arms.

"You.. here.. how?!" asked a befuddled Ranveer. This felt like d'j'-vu... Nainika really had a terrible knack of turning up at the wrong place at the wrong time. And this was without doubt the worst timing and placing. The most blissful of dreams had instantly turned into a nightmare...and the worst thing was he couldn't pinch himself and wake up from his slumber.

"You remember I called you earlier on this evening? Well I was already in Bombay at that time! With you gone, I was feeling so lonely Ranveer... then I had an amazing thought. I'd come and visit my parents here, and surprise you at the same time!!" grinned Nainika. "But you're the one who surprised me Ranveer, you could have told me you were having a class reunion; it would have been so adorable, meeting your old classmates!"

"But how did you find out?"

"Oh Ranveer, you can't keep important things like this from your girlfriend; just a couple of phonecalls and..."

Ranveer had tuned out by this time... all he could see was Tia. She was staring at Nainika in shock.

"And who's this beautiful girl? Ranveer, aren't you going to introduce us?" asked Nainika, noticing Ranveer's eyes on Tia.

Tia had now composed herself, a blank, polite expression on her face. And in a steely, cold tone of voice, said, "Hi, I'm Tia Ahuja. I'm so sorry, but I was actually just about to leave. Nice meeting you."

And with that she walked off. Ranveer's nightmare was getting worse by the second. He had to stop her.

"Tia! Wait!" He ran after her and grabbed her arm.

She stopped, but wouldn't look at him.

"Tia," he said desperately. "It's not what it looks like.."

"Puh-leez. You don't owe me any explanations Ranveer. What you do with your life has nothing to do with me."

"How can you say that Tia? After everything that just happened between us tonight?"

"Oh and what was that? A game you were playing with Tia? Do you still think I'm just a plastic doll you can play games with?? Someone to pass your time with until your... your girlfriend came?" Tia spat out the words like venom.

That made Ranveer mad. "Tia, you're the one who left me, remember??"

"What, does that mean you just go and find someone else to love?"

She looked him in the eye now, because she had nothing to hide. He knew he had hurt her beyond words, and there was no one in the world he hated more than himself at that very moment. It rendered him speechless.

All he could do was stand there, watching her leave him once again. It was all his fault.

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Tia felt as if her senses had momentarily shut down from emotional overload. Were people talking to her? She couldn't process anything. How could one person go through so many feelings in one evening? How could it turn from the best day of her life to the worst? She felt like she had fallen from the top of the world to the depths of hell. But, with an inner strength she didn't know she possessed, she kept herself together until she reached into the haven of her bedroom. Then she burst into tears. Her poor self had gone through too much that day...her mind was a full-fledged raging tempest: questions and tears pouring down upon a sea of seething anger and grief, with any rational thought swimming around helplessly, unable to reach a safe harbour. She gave up trying to understand and cried herself to sleep.

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Tia woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache, an emotional hangover from being drunk on love and anger the previous evening. She was afraid to look into the mirror, knowing what an awful sight she'd look with her puffy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. Last night, she was confused to say the least. She had been driven crazy with fury at Ranveer for finding someone else, at her friends for forcing her to go to the reunion, and mostly at herself, for agreeing to go in the first place, and then for getting so hypnotised by a tainted love.

But despite all the pain, the morning sunshine bought with it a sense of reason and perspective. She saw the light in the light of day. Had she been at school still, she would have probably stayed angry at him, shouted at him, and called him names, found someone to make him jealous. But she was sick and tired of fooling herself, and too exhausted to be angry anymore... and those stupid ego-driven games made no sense to her anymore.

It was time to face the music. It was a melody that had been playing ever since she had met him, a song that she hadn't always wanted to listen to, a tune that she had tried to block out with every ounce of resistance she had. But now she heard the lyrics loud and clear: Tia loved Ranveer, truly, madly, deeply. It was an absolute truth: She was hopelessly devoted to him. She knew it was undeniable. There was a huge void in her life that only he could fill.

How could she have thought one dance would make everything ok? They had so much they needed to solve. And the worst part was she knew their problems were too complicated, the distances between them too big, that it could be impossible for them to be together again. Now all she could think about was the way they were. She had been given a blessing and she had let it go. It was all her fault.

amazing amazing part ashma. u know i was really becimng impatient to read ur next part but trust me it was worth the wiai. suh artistic parts take time to be formed but wen they are formed they almost take your breath away the way u have described thier feelings like ranveer feeling guilty n tia being giulty at the same time. tia becoming mature not to play games with him anymore n realizing that how much ever she tries to run away the fact remians that she is trluy commited to ranveer and only him.hats to u man. do keep showering us wit hsuch gr8 parts n if possible a little faster. thanks for the pm do continue the pm's

ashma we (tr fans)are jut as much in love with your fic ..the way we cherish our beloved couple..

Originally posted by: Iqbal Neha1

amazing part poor tia

hope they solve their problems soon

Originally posted by: aparna_1988

hey reading your fic is like watching ..remix ..in..seasonafter season 2.after remix was taken off air...the story ort of stayed suspended..an d itwas l eft to one own imagination. this story of yours ..its lke a glimpse into tr future.

love trhe way you express tia feelings😳