If I Had A Love Story - Chapter 5



Chapter 5

The symposium craze had just ended and we were going for an industrial visit. These visits held the very best moments of college life. The industry we were going to visit was situated at Andhra Pradesh near Tada and would take nearly 2 hrs to reach there (The longer, the better and more enjoyment). Speakers and music (strictly kuthu) were the lethal weapons to be equipped during IVs.

I stood in front of the logistics building waiting for signal from the driver to board the bus. Seats were almost like reserved and who sits with who had been already carefully mapped and I was wondering if I would get a seat near my friends and not near any of the staffs. When I got into the bus, most of the seats were reserved already (I had already anticipated this and was cursing my bad luck). One of my friends called me and offered me a seat. I looked at him surprisingly and sat near him. We started chatting for a while. Midway near the college entrance, a girl got in. My intuition ordered me to get up immediately and offer her the seat which I did. Looking at the two happy faces, I smiled now leaning on a stanchion for support. Happy faces everywhere except mine.

My eyes sought Diya who had already seated herself beside our sir. Accepting my bad luck, I held on tight to the hand grips as the last thing I wanted to happen to me that day was me toppling down when the driver applies the brake.

Suddenly I heard someone calling me. It was Diya, our sir had just shifted his seat to guide the driver with the directions. She asked me to come and sit near her. I initially refused her offer saying I was ok standing but deep down, my heart wanted her to come and fetch me there.

She got from her seat, took my hand and pulled me there to her seat and made me sit near the window as she sat next to me. It was now I was able to get a good glance of her. I felt a sudden surge in my dopamine levels and I was totally perplexed. Her pink tops and green dupatta out shined everything in the background. A single strand of hair falling in front of her face almost buried me alive. I winked trying to adjust my blurry vision. I knew from that moment that she had did something to me.

The music was on. Some were dancing while some were singing along. Diya had fallen asleep over my shoulders and the cool breeze was hitting my face hard. I gently stroked the strand of hair on her forehead past her ear admiring her elegance and charm. I was feeling a whole lot of emotions inside that I wasn't used to be feeling. Pushing them away, I completed the rest of my journey beside her (Fortunes change anytime, my thoughts whispered).

Everyone alighted from the bus and made to the reception. We were asked to hand over our mobiles and other belongings there. They gave us protective gear that looked like a surgical cap. We were then asked to separate into four batches and I managed to stick with Diya. We were escorted into the factory. The escort was explaining about each and every machine we went across and answered our queries. Midway, we got bored and wandered away from our batch. I was staring at the huge factory layout stuck at the wall. I turned back to see Diya gone.

"Diya?" I called out.
"Diya?" I called out this time louder.

My eyes circled scanning for her. She was nowhere to be found. An uncomfortable pang of panic struck me. She was right behind me seconds ago.  I began searching for her throughout the factory. I started enquiring my friends if they had by chance seen her.

"Is something wrong?" One of my friends asked me sensing desperation in my voice.

I shook my head and set in search for her again. I had searched almost everywhere. I was now sweating profusely and felt distraught. I wiped the sweat off but it kept coming. I had been searching her for like an hour to no avail and no one had seen her. It sent shivers down my spine.

Exhausted and thirsty I looked out for water and found one at the North West corner. I gulped a glass of water with enormity of thoughts racing inside my mind. I finally had decided that I would inform everyone.

The small cabin door a few steps away from me clicked. Shockingly it was Diya who had come out of the room. She had one hand on her head and held a hair pin on her another. I ran to her and held her in my arms. She seemed to have suffered a concussion. I fetched water and gave her a glass. She drank it quickly and took me inside a deserted cabin hastily. She sat down gasping for breath. She had a bad swell in her head. I had already been terrified beyond imagination and this arrived via special delivery.

"Do you trust me?" she asked me still fighting the pain in her head.
"With my life" I acknowledged.

The next five minutes had my head spiralling as she explained the situation we were stuck in now. 

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