As we finally reached DPS Chandigarh after a long and tiring journey, we were received warmly by the welcome committee.
And soon we were given our school codes, chest numbers, food coupons and allotted rooms to stay.
After all the formalities were done we were given the welcome drinks before we left for our rooms.
Being exhausted after the traveling, I happily forwarded my hand and grabbed a glass of lassi but I realized it was snatched harshly from me before I could even take a sip.
And as expected it was him, RKB.
I looked at him angrily and opened my mouth to demand an explanation but he started to speak before I could.
"Lassi se tumhara gala kharaab ho jaata hai...kal tumhe perform karna hai" I looked at him blankly as he casually said those words looking at the glass and not at me.
I was still amazed about the fact that he remembered such small thing but he was here to surprise me more.
"Coffee...for you" he said while handing over the cup to me and left giving me no time to react.
"Yayyy jeet gaye" we all shouted together while returning home after winning a tough cricket match.
It was an exhausting match but that didn't exhaust our excitement. We were as energetic and fresh as a bright morning.
Just then Toshi Aunty got lassi for us. I didn't even know something like that existed in the world. For me drinks meant coconut water, coffee or rasam.
And as I drank one huge Punjabi glass of lassi, I liked it so much that I finished another glass in excitement.
It was so damn tasty that I could just go on.
The next day, Raman landed at my home when he realized that I didn't turn up for the play date we had planned.
And there I was lying in a bad state. I had a sore throat, so bad that my voice had completely gone.
As I cried in pain, Amma reminded me that what I was bearing was a result of my own foolishness as I had drunk 2 glasses of lassi the previous day.
"Don't ever drink it again if you cannot bear the pain" she angrily warned me.
"I love it Amma and I want to have it again and over again" I whined to earn an angry glare from Amma and some weird looks from Raman.
"Main tumhe woh lassi kabhi dobara nahi peene dunga. Aur agar tumne kabhi peene ki koshish bhi ki toh main tumse katti ho jaunga. Kabhi baat nahi karunga" Raman cutely reprimanded.
Ouch...here I hurt myself. I went back to our beautiful childhood yet again and here burnt my lips sipping the hot coffee.
Choti Choti Baatein
Yun Hi Aate Jate
Yaadein Sehlake Jaati Hain
The day passed by with a blur as we settled in our rooms and rested for some time.
In the evening, we all gathered for dinner and to be honest my eyes did look around to get a glimpse of him but he remained far from me, almost out of my sight.
The ignorance did upset me even though this was what I had wanted. Not sure why.
Too confused to understand anything, I decided to catch a sound sleep so that I could wake up fresh and put all my concentration on what I had come here for; my event.
As I settled down on my bed, ready to sleep, I sent a silent prayer to Murugan to not bring him in my dreams.
Strange!
There were times I would wait to sleep with a big smile just because I would meet him in my dreams and today, I am praying to not meet him.
Raaton Ko Sirhaane
Baasi Muskaane
Mujhko Sulake Jaati Hain
There were days when I craved to get a glimpse of him and now when I can see him with my bare eyes and he is so close to me, an unavoidable distance has surfaced between us.
A distance that can probably never be covered...
Milna Nahi Hai Mumkin
Why did we meet again after so many years if we were not destined to be each other's?
Itna Batao Lekin
Hum Phir Mile Kyun Hain
Aaj bhi maine isi umeed se bus mein kadam rakhi thi ki kuch hi samay ke liye sahi main us se dur jaa rahi hoon.
Par kaisi kismat hai yeh jo humen baar baar paas laa rahi hai...
Main jitna use bhulne ki koshish karti hoon woh utna hi jyada yaad aa jaata hai...
Aur yeh nazdeekiyaan!!! Yeh toh mera use bhulana aur bhi mushkil kar rahi hain...
Tujhko Bhula Na Paaun
Tujhko Bhula Na Paaun
Kyun hamesha hum jo chahte hain uska ulta hota hai?
Kyun pyar karna aasaan aur pyar ko paana mushkil hota hai?
Kyun pyar hone keliye ek lamha lagta hai aur usko bhulane me umr lag jati hai?
Kyun pyar hokar bhi nahi hai?
Kyun aisa ho raha hai mere sath?
Yeh Silsile Kyun Hain
I gave myself to sleep while thinking about some unanswered questions.
And I woke up with a dreamless sleep!
Kya ajeeb ittefaaq hai!!!!
Aksar Raman se milne ki dua karti thi toh puri nahi hoti thi...
Kal raat us se na milne ki dua ki aur puri ho gayi...
Tum Mere Khwabon Me Aa Na Sake, I smiled at my broken state.
Shouldn't I be happy and thank Murugan for listening to my plea?
Yahi to mai chahti thi!
Sab kuch waisa hi hai jaisa maine chaha tha...
Sab Kuch Wahi Hai
Na wo mere aas paas aa raha hai...Na hi woh mere khwabon me aya...
Phir kyun wo mere khayalon se nahi jaa raha?
Kyun ek ajeeb sa khalipan mehsoos ho raha?
Par Kuch Kami Hai
Jab sab kuch meri marzi ke mutabiq ho raha hai to mai itni pareshan kyun hoon?
Kya uska mere paas na hona hi meri pareshani ki wajah hai?
Teri Aahatein Nahi Hain
I wanted to wake up fresh but those stale thoughts just don't leave my side.
Phewww!!!!
I realized that I was again visiting those same thoughts which I am trying hard to get rid of and so I breathed deeply and geared up for the event.
"Ishita the first event of the day is classical singing and you are a part of it. So just be ready with everything you require and do not forget to wear your school ID and chest number" Soumya Ma'am explained me while checking the schedule put up on the notice board of the corridor.
"I hope you are all familiar with the school campus, as you all have been participating and coming here every year. So finding the competitions' venues shouldn't be a problem for you. So all the best" Soumya Ma'am smiled at our group.
"Excuse me Ma'am. This is my first time here. So I don't know anything" I raised my hand and voiced out my problem.
"Not a problem...RKB will help you and show you venues for various competitions" Soumya Ma'am suggested.
"I am sorry ma'am. My competition is right after hers. I need some time to practice before my event. So I won't be able to help. May be Bala can help Ishita" RKB backed off much to my disappointment.
"Alright then Bala please do the needful" Soumya Ma'am ordered Bala and he happily agreed.
I knew Raman did this intentionally and I should have been happy about it but I wasn't.
The inaugural function started in full swing. I looked around the auditorium and saw cheerful faces, chirping noises and happiness spread. But Raman...he was not his own self.
He didn't look a bit gleeful of what he usually was and that saddened me.
Seeing his gloomy face made me realize how much I had hurt him unintentionally and in that process I had hurt myself too.
Maine Nahi Jaana
Tune Nahi Jaana
Jaane Anjaane Jo Hua
One incident and everything had changed between us.
The mere thought that he had moved on in life while I had waited all my life for him hurt me beyond repair.
Kuch Toh Hua Jo
Mujhko Hua Na
Tujhko Magar Kyun Hua
Par ismein uski kya galti hai?
Na yeh mera kasoor hai ki main uske siwa kuch soch na paayi
Aur na hi yeh uska kasoor hai ki woh mere alawa bhi kuch soch sakta hai
Galti Nahi Hai Meri
Galti Nahi Hai Teri
Phir main kyun use kusoorwaar thehra rahi hoon?
Kyun use us baat ki saza de rahi hoon, jo galti uski hai hi nahi?
Kyun usse naraz hoon jab ki usne kuch kiya hi nahi?
I once again got stuck in the storm of thoughts.
Phir Bhi Gile Kyun Hain
I tried to reason with my conundrums.
The only reason that I could fathom was that the thought of him being close to another girl had affected me beyond repair.
It scared me almost like a deadly dream and hence I was too bothered to think about anything else but him.
Neither was I able to get that sight of my mind which had broken my heart and my dreams into pieces.
Nor was I able to remember that incident and erase those feelings for Raman that I had harboured for years now.
Tujhko Bhula Na Paaun
Tujhko Bhula Na Paaun
Ye Silsile Kyun Hain
I came out of my baffled state when I heard the announcement of musical fest starting in few minutes.
Bala and I entered the room where my competition was supposed to start in a while.
Not exactly nervous but tensed, I tried to hide my emotions by cross checking if I had everything I needed again and again.
"Lao do main list read karta hoon aur tum check karlo" Bala offered to help on noticing me.
"Sab kuch to hai Ishita" Bala spoke after matching my things with the list.
Sab Kuch Wahi Hai
"I know but pata nahi kyun kuch missing sa lag raha hai" I finally told him.
Par Kuch Kami Hai
"I think I know what is missing" Bala said while doing something in his phone.
"Lo yeh padho" he said giving me his phone.
And I saw a chat window opened and realized that it was the conversation between Bala and Raman this morning.
As I began to read, some secrets came out.
RKB: Hi
Bala: Abey tu isi row me baithke mujhe msg kyun kar raha hai? Meri bagalwali seat khaali hai. Idhar aaja.
RKB: No yaar. Ishita is sitting with you. She may not like it.
Bala: Oh
RKB: Mera ek kaam karega
Bala: Hukum kar
RKB: Ishita ko best of luck wish kar dena.
Bala: Jo hukum mere aaqa
RKB: Aur ek baat. Usko batana mat ki I wished her. Shayad uska mood kharab ho jaaye aur woh theek se perform bhi na kar paye. I hope you understand what I mean.
Bala: I do buddy. Don't worry tera kaam ho jaayega.
RKB: Thanks bro.
Bala: Tu kabse thanks bolne laga bey. Itna sadhu banna tujhe shobha nahi deta.
RKB: LOL
Bala: Thank God tu finally hasa. Warna mujhe toh laga tha ki tu RKB nahi koi aur hai.
RKB: Kash ye baat wo samajh jaati.
Bala: Jaldi realise karlegi. Tu chill maar
RKB: Anyways chod ye sab. Tu event khatam hone tak uske saath hi rehna ok.
Bala: Ok. Ek doubt tha
RKB: Pooch na
Bala: Woh kar legi na? I mean dis is her first time. Woh ache se perform karegi na.
RKB: of course she will. She is amazing yaar. Jab tu usko sunega na then you will realize that she is one of the best singers u have ever heard.
Bala: Great then. We will rock it.
RKB: Yes we will.
"This is what was missing" Bala said confusing me even more.
And so I arched my eyebrows to ask him what he meant.
"Your smile" he said pointing at my lips to make me realize that I was actually smiling unknowingly after reading that chat.
I still could not believe that my smile was dependent on Raman's good luck wishes and kind words for me.
Teri Aahatein Nahi Hain
Usne khud na aake meri baat ka maan rakha aur Bala ke through wishes bhejke apni duty bhi kardi, I gladly accepted inside my head.
But my elatedness remained short as I realized that his ignorance created a void inside me which nothing could fill.
Sab Kuch Wahi Hai
Par Kuch Kami Hai
His absence had left me empty and incomplete.
Teri Aahatein Nahi Hain
Teri Aahatein Nahi Hain
But why? What is the reason for this emptiness and incompleteness?
I started to question myself again.
Kyun Nahi Hain
'None but you are the reason for this void Ishita!' came a reply from my inner soul.
"Maine hi chaaha tha ki tum mujhse door ho jao.
Par is doori se ek ajeeb si ghutan mujhe mehsoos hoti hai.
Tumhari kami mujhko satati hai.
Shayad mera dil tumhe apnane laga hai.
Shayad wo waqt khareeb hi hai jab mera dil pukarke kahega ke tum hi mere Raman ho
Aur main bhi duniya se pukarke yeh keh doon ki tum mere dil mein rehte ho aur
Tum Mere Khwabon Se Jaa Na Sake"
------------To be continued-----------
Shayad is update ke sath aap logon ka asli intezar bhi khatam...
Ishita ko ehsas hone laga hai ke ye uska Raman hai...
Aap logon ko kya mehsoos ho raha hai?
Batao to jaanun😃
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