From the page i missed.....

He used to sit in the 3rd bench and I on the 4th. We met there, in the tuition class, but we knew we had met before- where and when we didn’t know. But it was for sure that we had met before.

While going back we either boarded the same bus or he would come with us in my car. Curses about the teachers then sprung in the air,Unchecked by my dad, as he too didn’t like Math and chemistry. He never knew where I stayed. He always got down in the middle. And he got out from the tuition class in the middle too.
When professor asked for the reason, he shyly said he wanted to prepare for JEE. In our part of the country only People with insane mind go for IIT the rest of the insanes get satisfied with NIT or other state colleges. But he wasn’t insane.

After that I saw him for the IIT screening, which I humbly wrote because I was supposed to write it as my mothers friends sibling were fighting for it. For unbounded forces and the deep integration which that paper heralded at me, I should have ran away from that examination hall. But I stayed. After the exam I saw him in the middle of the crowd fiercely arguing the correctness of his answer. An inner shame compelled me not to go there.

When the result came, his name popped out from everywhere. Those who didn’t know him claimed to be his best friends and those who knew, praised his hard work and dedication.

Then the unavoidable space of separation came between us for about 3 years.

One day when I was at home for my vacation, I read in the newspaper about an IITian getting drowned. I prayed it was not him.
But then he was always in the habit of getting down in the middle. And yes, he went in the middle, to where I still don’t know.

11 years……

Tring Tring.

“Hello, Aadi here”.

“Hi, do you recognize me “The other end said with an air of naughtiness.

“uh? Umm….Rithika?”

“why? Is she the only female who calls you up?” There was a tint of disgust.

“Ok, tell me which angel is talking” He asked.

“ah , so you flirt eh??” She was mused.

There was a brief of silence as Aadi was ransacking his brains.

“you remember a short, bobbed and cheeky girl in 6th and 7th std ?” she was not sure.

“Tia…? TIA!!!!!” finally senses knotted together to pulled it up.

And so the conversation started. 11 years of stories was exchanged in 6 minutes . There was more to be said , more to be heard. May be it was 11 years since he met her. But still he could sense the bondage. And moreover there was this easiness in talking to her.
11 years is a long time. A time for which change has no absolute meaning. A time when you feel that you have been forgotten, peacefully laid in the entangle of some obscure grey cells.

“So how come you remembered me suddenly?” he asked.

“Umm…who said I forgot you” The tone was heavy.

“Adi!!!!!!!! Aren’t you coming with me or not??” a female voice shouted in the background.

“Who is that??” The concern in the voice was feeble yet strong.

“She is my friend….girl friend” he said with a pause.

Beep Beep Beep. The line became dead in the next second.

Everything had changed in the 11 years.