Gumaan
11-March-2014
Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.
“The flight coming from Singapore has been arrived at Terminal 3.” The announcer announced in her animated tone.
Sanchi excitedly walked towards Terminal 3. She was waiting for Gumaan. It had been three long years when she had seen him last. She scanned through the crowd and found Gumaan waving his hand to catch her attention. He picked up his bag from the conveyer belt and moved towards Sanchi.
“Hey Gumaan…” she hugged him as he came nearby carrying his bag.
“Hey Sanchi… How are you?” He asked as he hugged her back.
“I’m good. Missed you a lot.” She said.
“Missed you too.” He replied with a gentle smile.
They headed towards her car and left the airport. It took 25 minutes to reach them to Sanchi’s apartment where she used to live alone.
“So this is my small home.” Sanchi said opening the door of her lush flat, well designed with simplicity on its peak.
Gumaan smiled and they entered inside. Sanchi showed him the guest room and went to kitchen to make coffee for them. Gumaan kept his bag aside and opened the window to let some fresh air in.
He looked outside. Three years… everything was changed but there was something magical in the air of Delhi. It reminded him of his college days. He felt nostalgic. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A movie of past memories started running in his mind. He was lost when Sanchi came and distracted him.
“Here is your coffee.”
He heard Sanchi calling him from behind holding two coffee mugs in her hands. He turned back and took one mug from her hand. They sat on the couch.
“So how was Singapore?” Sanchi asked.
“It was good.” He replied taking a sip of his coffee.
“Found someone special?” She asked with a wink.
“Come on.. You know I’m not good at this entire flirting thing.” He smirked.
“Ahan…so you’re still single.. That means I still hold a chance.” She said rolling her eyes.
Gumaan just gave a smile. They sat together and talked about their lives, jobs and how these three years passed. There was a lot of change in Gumaan. He wasn’t as jovial and lively as he was three years before. He was very quite all the while. Sanchi could feel this change but she ignored it thinking it might be due to the long and tiring journey. She decided to give him some time to get fresh and take a nap. She excused herself by saying that she has some important office work to finish and left the room.
Gumaan and Sanchi were friends from their college days. Sanchi had a huge crush on him but before she could profess her love to him, Gumaan gave her the news that he and Adaa are in love with each other. Adaa was also their batch mate.
After knowing this she could never gather enough courage to tell him how much she loved him. She simply started maintaining distance from them. More than a year passed happily and one day Gumaan left India for some reasons unknown to others but relevant to him. She came to know from their friends that it was all over between Gumaan and Adaa. Whatever the true side of story was nobody knew but the ultimate truth was they were no longer together and equally miserable.
The day when Gumaan told Sanchi that he is coming back to India for some project she persuaded him to stay at her place. She was extremely happy. She had decided that she would tell him this time how much she loved him.
As Sanchi left the room Gumaan got freshen up and thought to take a short nap. He tried hard to sleep but today sleep was far away from his eyes. Something was troubling him inside. He was feeling uncomfortable. He finally gave up the thought of sleeping. He got up and flipped open his laptop. An image appeared on the wallpaper flashing a radiant smile. It was the image of Adaa, the one and only love of his life. He looked at the screen. His eyes welled up. “I still love you.” He whispered.
He struggled with himself to escape her memories but it neither happened in past three years nor it happened today. He played music to take his mind off from the past.
It’s been more than one hour since Sanchi left his room. She thought to check if he had woken up or not. As she reached near the door she heard the song playing:
"Sometimes,
You hurt the ones who love you most
And sometimes,
You hold the ones who leave you lost
And sometimes
You learn, but it's too late
It's too late
You gave yourself,
I didn't see it
You died in me,
I should have saved you
You gave yourself
Why did you give youself to me
You died in me,
Why was i too blind to see
Wish you were here with me.."
She was little confused at his choice of song. Silently she opened the door and found Gumaan lost in some other world gazing at the laptop screen. She cleared her throat to make him aware of her presence.
Gumaan instantly came into his senses and immediately flipped down the laptop.
“Oho… hiding something from me?” Sanchi teased him.
“Nah…nothing.” He replied.
“Let me see then…” She took the laptop and flipped it open.
There was Adaa’s pic. Her face instantly lost its color. She never imagined even in her weirdest dream that Gumaan still loved Adaa this much. She felt broken. Her dreams were crushed. A few things in life come with no second chance and love is at the top of that list. She curbed her desire to profess her love.
“You’re still so in love with Adaa. Don’t you?” Asked Sanchi.
He nodded.
“Go and tell her.” She suggested.
“Are you kidding me? It’s been three years today.” He replied.
“So what? You love her and who knows she loves you too.” She argued.
“Stop day dreaming Sanchi. It happens only in movies.”
“Atleast give it a try.”
“It’s not possible Sanchi. Everything is over now.”
Tears were evident in his eyes.
“Then move on…”
“I’ve moved on.”
“Yes, you still remember the date when she left you, her picture is still there on your laptop's wallpaper and you’re still crying. Surely you’ve moved on.”
Gumaan had no answer. He kept mum.
There was an eerie silence between them.
No matter how much he tried to show how strong and unnerved he was but from inside he was so weak and hurt. In past three years he had missed Adaa with every breath. He could not take his mind off from her.
Sanchi had no intention to remind him his past and hurt him. She finally broke the silence and diverted the conversation.
“Okay let’s go out.” She said enthusiastically.
“No Sanchi, I’m not feeling to go anywhere.” He denied.
“Trust me..You’ll feel better.”
“I really don’t want to go.”
“For mysake…” She made a sad face and he had to surrender.
Sanchi was happy that she convinced him to go out with her.
"So sweet of you. I'm going to get ready, you too get ready faster." Sachi instructed him.
"Yes ma'am " He replied.
Sanchi left the room. Gumaan's mind was clouded with thoughts of Adaa. Where she is? How she is doing? If she still loves him or moved on?
To be continued...
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