Roshan was on his way back home when an old friend of his called him to meet up for coffee. He would have skipped the invitation if Arnav hadn't told him that the "Gang" was there. This was incentive enough for him to overcome his laziness and head out to the mall. Everyone had got so busy with their jobs that there was hardly an opportunity for all of them to meet. The last time they managed to do this was right after college when they had planned a trip to Mauritius. Fond memories ran through his mind of the good old times while he headed out to the coffee shop.
The experience of seeing all of them at once was overwhelming. Once he got into conversations with others, he realised it all started when Arnav got nostalgic last night at a party and started calling one after the other. He would have received the invitation last night itself if his battery hadn't died on him. As he was talking to a friend, he noticed a girl on the other side of the coffee house. Strangely enough he gazed at her for a bit longer than normal. There was something familiar about her face but he couldn't make the connection. He kept jogging his memory for a hint but drew a blank. He was about to give up when it hit him.
She looked strikingly similar to his school friend - Bhavana. He hadn't spoken to her in ages but there was a time in school when they were inseparable. She had moved to a different city. They had kept in touch initially but the rigour of plus two didn't let them stay that way. He stared at her for longer than he should have and she noticed it. But there was no reaction from her side. He pulled himself back and got involved in a conversation with Arnav. But his mind kept going back to her. Was it really her? Had she totally forgotten him? Has it been that long?
After a bit of back and forth in his mind, he stood up and decided to check out. She was sitting with a group of friends. He walked up to the table, drew a deep breath and said to her -
" Hi ! Hope I am not bothering you. I am Roshan and you look a lot like a friend of mine from school !!"
There was moment of silence around the table. She looked a little surprised and replied " Sorry, I think you mistook me for someone else !!". Latching onto this, some of her friends started making jokes -
"How come guys would never come up with a better line?"
"Has it ever worked for you?"
"How many times have you said the same thing before?"
There were giggles all around and he found himself helpless. He was never so embarrassed in his life. After a minute he gathered himself, uttered a hasty apology and ran back to his table without looking back. Once he was back with his friends, he dared not look back in their direction. The giggles haunted him for the rest of the evening. But his thoughts kept going back to Bhavana. He chided himself for being stupid and promised himself never to put himself in such a situation again.
As the evening drew to a close friends started leaving one after the other. He was the last to leave. He walked towards the lift and realised that he would have to make a dash for it if he didn't want to wait for the next one. He reached the lift in a hurry and pressed the button. The doors which were closing, stopped momentarily and reopened. To his surprise, he noticed that she was in the lift.
After the dose of evening jokes he wasn't sure if he wanted to get into the same lift. He hesitated for a minute and entered the lift pretending not to notice her. As the lift started its downward journey, his hands started sweating. He felt nervous. He lifted his eyes for a minute and noticed that she was smiling. There was something different from the smiles he noticed at her table before. He stood there dazed for minute until she said - " So what if I am who you think I am?"
The experience of seeing all of them at once was overwhelming. Once he got into conversations with others, he realised it all started when Arnav got nostalgic last night at a party and started calling one after the other. He would have received the invitation last night itself if his battery hadn't died on him. As he was talking to a friend, he noticed a girl on the other side of the coffee house. Strangely enough he gazed at her for a bit longer than normal. There was something familiar about her face but he couldn't make the connection. He kept jogging his memory for a hint but drew a blank. He was about to give up when it hit him.
She looked strikingly similar to his school friend - Bhavana. He hadn't spoken to her in ages but there was a time in school when they were inseparable. She had moved to a different city. They had kept in touch initially but the rigour of plus two didn't let them stay that way. He stared at her for longer than he should have and she noticed it. But there was no reaction from her side. He pulled himself back and got involved in a conversation with Arnav. But his mind kept going back to her. Was it really her? Had she totally forgotten him? Has it been that long?
After a bit of back and forth in his mind, he stood up and decided to check out. She was sitting with a group of friends. He walked up to the table, drew a deep breath and said to her -
" Hi ! Hope I am not bothering you. I am Roshan and you look a lot like a friend of mine from school !!"
There was moment of silence around the table. She looked a little surprised and replied " Sorry, I think you mistook me for someone else !!". Latching onto this, some of her friends started making jokes -
"How come guys would never come up with a better line?"
"Has it ever worked for you?"
"How many times have you said the same thing before?"
There were giggles all around and he found himself helpless. He was never so embarrassed in his life. After a minute he gathered himself, uttered a hasty apology and ran back to his table without looking back. Once he was back with his friends, he dared not look back in their direction. The giggles haunted him for the rest of the evening. But his thoughts kept going back to Bhavana. He chided himself for being stupid and promised himself never to put himself in such a situation again.
As the evening drew to a close friends started leaving one after the other. He was the last to leave. He walked towards the lift and realised that he would have to make a dash for it if he didn't want to wait for the next one. He reached the lift in a hurry and pressed the button. The doors which were closing, stopped momentarily and reopened. To his surprise, he noticed that she was in the lift.
After the dose of evening jokes he wasn't sure if he wanted to get into the same lift. He hesitated for a minute and entered the lift pretending not to notice her. As the lift started its downward journey, his hands started sweating. He felt nervous. He lifted his eyes for a minute and noticed that she was smiling. There was something different from the smiles he noticed at her table before. He stood there dazed for minute until she said - " So what if I am who you think I am?"
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