Reunion

“Hey Riya, you can’t say no to this reunion. I’ve put in so much effort to plan this. We’re all meeting after 5 long years, yaar. Please come. And luckily, you’re in India. “This was Sheena, Riya’s best friend trying to convince her for the reunion party.

“Sheena, try to understand. I don’t want to come,” Riya replied, firm in her decision.

“I know why. Avi, right?” Sheena remarked, sensing the reason behind Riya’s unwillingness.

“You know the reason; then why did you plan this reunion? And why are you inviting me?” Riya questioned.

“Come on, Riya. You both are my friends. It’s been so many years since we last met. Remember, we had decided we should meet every year after college?” pleaded Sheena.

“But why now?” asked Riya.

“My dear Riya, because we managed to gather at least 20 of us together. Every year I try, but you guys are never available at the same time. This year it happened by chance that most of our friends are here. Let’s catch up with them. Just come for an hour. I won’t coax you to stay. Okay?” said Sheena.

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As soon as she stepped out of the taxi, Riya’s eyes caught sight of Avi, who was busy on a call. Avi also glanced at her, hoping to say something, but Riya ignored him and headed towards the entrance of the party hall.

She greeted everyone with a smile and enjoyed the compliments on her successful career. Avi too was busy talking to other friends. Meanwhile, everyone played games and had some great moments, but Riya and Avi both avoided being together. Although, they managed to steal quick glances at each other from across the room whenever they got a chance.

“Hello everyone, let’s go back to our college days and show our dance moves. The dance floor is open. Come on, join us!” said Sheena with exuberance.

Riya danced for a few minutes as Sheena was persistent. She quickly excused herself and made her way to the bar. She saw Avi coming towards her. “How come the most talented dancer of our college is not on the dance floor?” Avi asked.

“People change, their choices also change.” She said with a sarcastic smile.

“Hmm”, Avi nodded.

Riya was lost in thought, thinking, ‘That’s the reason I wanted to avoid him. Oh God! He has the same charisma. Why am I getting attracted towards him? I want to run away from him, but at the same time, I want to be with him, hug him tightly, and ask him, “Why did you do this to me?”‘

“How’s life?” Avi interrupted her thoughts.

With an attitude in her eyes she said, “very well. Nice job, heavy salary package, big house! What else do you need?”

“Love?” Avi said, his voice carrying a hint of seriousness.

“What?” Riya was surprised by his frank question.

“I mean any thoughts of getting married?” Avi asked hesitantly.

“Yes, parents are after me, but I don’t want to get married right now. I want to enjoy my life,” Riya responded firmly.

“Okay, tell me about your wedding plans,” she changed the topic.

“This year may be.”, said Avi.

“Oh great. So you found your perfect love, right? As far as I remember you were against arranged marriage. ” She said, raising an eyebrow.

“Beauty lies in imperfection. Nobody is perfect, Riya. But with love, we can overcome anything,” Avi remarked.

“Oh, so deep. That’s typical Avi,” Riya chuckled..

Avi didn’t appreciate her remark, but he chose to remain silent.

“Sounds great when it comes from you. But do you practice it or is it just for show?” Riya questioned with a teasing smile.

“You never understood me, Riya. That’s the reason I never gathered the courage to call you,” Avi said.

Riya felt a sudden wave of emotion.

“Why, Avi? Why?” her voice trembled as she questioned him. “5 years, and not a single call from you. Did you ever love me, Avi? Tell me,” she pleaded.

“And I was craving for your message, your call. I used to think only about you in these 5 years,” Avi confessed.

“Oh, is it? You could have also called me,” Riya responded, her tone tinged with a hint of bitterness. “But why would you call me? Your ego gets in the way,” she added, her words expressed her despair.

“You misunderstood me, Riya. You never gave me a chance to explain what happened. I used to call you, wait for you after college, but you were so adamant. Then you are blaming me that I didn’t make any contact with you. Wow?” Avi said, his frustration was obvious.

“Tell me, why should I call you?” Avi’s voice softened with emotion. “I loved you like anything, Riya. But when I saw you had no trust in me, it was futile. After that incident, you left the college hostel, went to stay with your aunt, and hardly interacted with me. It was I who was trying hard to make contact with you. I wanted to meet you in person, explain to you it was not my fault,” he confessed earnestly.

“We were best pals, right? And more than that, at least for me. I deserved one shot. Don’t you think so?” Avi questioned.

“But I was deeply hurt,” Riya confessed sadly.

“I was hurt too, Riya. For me, you were everything. We had planned so many things – a nice family, our bright future.  But I think for you, I was just a rival,” Avi admitted, his voice heavy with disappointment.

“You betrayed me,” Riya uttered, her voice thick with hurt.

“What?” Avi said in surprise.

“I had initiated the project, worked hard on it, and it was you who got the credit. I just went for 3 days, and you guys went ahead and presented the project also. Without giving me a single credit. Is this your love for me?” Riya said.

Avi felt sad seeing her disappointment.

“At least now give me a chance to explain,” Avi pleaded.

“You know how close I was with that project. It was my dream,” Riya interrupted again, not letting him to speak.

“Can I?” Avi said, his voice filled with longing and desperation. He wanted a single chance to explain himself, to express his feelings, to clear all her doubts. He had been waiting for this moment for so many years. In his mind, he had rehearsed these lines a hundred times, but he never got the chance to express them to Riya before.

“Sit here,” Avi said gently, holding her hands. The same closeness, belongingness, and warmth enveloped them as they shared a moment of connection.

Riya felt a sense of comfort just by sitting next to him. After so many years, they were sitting like this again. She remembered how they used to fight, and how Avi would always sort out everything by making her sit like this and explaining in a gentle, calm voice. She always admired his maturity.

“That day when you left for your sister’s medical emergency, RK sir entered the lab. He declared that we all had to leave immediately for Delhi to present our project. I personally requested him that Riya is not here. She is our team leader. But he said HOD is forcing him. We had no time, Riya. We tried to call you, but your phone was switched off. We tried so many times.

Riya noticed that Avi was holding her hand tightly, just like he used to before. Surprisingly, she didn’t pull away.

Avi continued, “That day itself, we had to take a bus for Delhi. No one was ready to lead the team, so I had to reluctantly take charge. We got first prize. I told sir to make a certificate for you because you played the main role in this project. But Sir said, as per the rules, only those who were present will get the certificate. Believe me, I tried my level best to speak with the authority, but it was of no use.

She began to believe him a little more now.

“You saw my pic with the trophy, and you misunderstood that I wanted to take your position. It was never like that, Riya. I always considered you as my partner and more than that, I wanted you to be my guide. My guiding light not only in my career but in my life also. I thought you would be happy with our trophy.” Avi explained earnestly.

“Things went wrong ahead. Based on that, I got selected first on campus. I could feel the angst in your eyes. Everyone came for my success party except you. “Avi got emotional while speaking.

“My success was meaningless without you. Even now, I feel incomplete,” Avi confessed, holding her hands tightly as he looked into her eyes. His eyes, moist with tears, conveyed nothing but lots of love for Riya.

Riya listened quietly, her head bowed with emotion. She knew she loved him deeply and regretted not giving him a chance to speak before. Raising her head, she looked into his eyes and uttered, “I am sorry Avi.”

“I could never ever stay away from you. I’ve always loved you. Can you forgive my silly mistake, just as you did before? I know we’re meant to be together, and we can’t live without each other. Please, please, please, marry me before anything goes wrong,” Riya pleaded, pouring out her heart to Avi.

“You won’t change, Riya. It was always me who had to solve the problems, and then you would plead. I know even after marriage, it’s going to happen the same. I’ll be the first one to say sorry, no matter whose mistake it is,” Avi expressed

“But then you’ll be my husband, right? And it’s the universal rule that husbands are meant to say sorry first,” Riya said with a playful smile.

Avi held her tightly in his arms, embracing her with all the love and relief he felt in that moment. Finally, he was with the love of his life, his Riya. He silently thanked Sheena from a distance for bringing them together.