Layla: Reunion

Disclaimer: All characters and events depicted below are purely fictional. Any resemblance to a real person, living or dead is purely coincidental. Check out Layla: Butterflies (Click here) and Layla: Untold Story (Click here) before proceeding any further.

 

“Love is like a mixture of chemical substances. If there is any reaction, people involved are transformed.” – Carl Jung

Their attitude towards life changed after ‘The Proposal’. They both disappeared from each other’s life and started concentrating on their own. They were done with their Bachelor’s degree. They always knew what they wanted. He was never interested in higher education but he was a kick-ass programmer who can give a hard time to any experienced professional working with the top MNCs. His urge to become independent and his eye for the technology pushed him to take a job at one of the IT firms.  She had a different mindset; she always wanted to pursue MBA from IIM, it was her dream. She decided to prepare for Common Admission Test (CAT). And IIM is the dessert only the cream of CAT tastes. They were determined to move on and sort out their life.

After 3 years –

He was at the office in the middle of a heated discussion and his phone rings, “Hello, I am calling from Ignited Minds. Are you looking for a job change?” Though he was incredibly great at his job but he was highly underpaid. So he rushed out of the meeting and said: “Yes, I am”. He agreed for the interview on the next day. He was skilled enough to crack the interview on any given day and he did the same. The interviewer was flattered by his performance and forwarded the profile to the HR for Salary negotiation.

He was confident, he knew he had given his best in the interview, but on the other hand he was nervous too, he had never negotiated the salary before. He was a techy, not a negotiator. With a racing heart, he entered the room and *Bling* he was shocked; he saw her sitting on the other side of the table. She was the one whom he was going to negotiate with. It just made him more uncomfortable. But this time he meant business. She said “Please take a seat. I know it was a long day, you had your lunch? You look tired! Let me know if you need anything.” He said, “I am just a hungry tiger looking for the job and this is my meal”. They both smiled and the interview went on for half an hour, in the end, she made an offer which he couldn’t refuse. He took the deal and decided to join the firm after 2 weeks.

Although he was happy with the offer, he was damn confused, not with the job but with the negotiator. He was still in shock. He came out of the room thinking “Who was she? She looked just like her, but she didn’t recognize me! Back in the days, she had long hair, used to wear glasses and had clips on her teeth. Maybe I was mistaken. Naah, it can’t be her. ” He knew it was her but he was not ready to accept the fact. He resigned that day, wrapped up his unfinished business in the next two weeks and was excited to join the new company.

Finally, after two weeks, he joined Ignited minds. As he was returning from the HR department after submitting all the required documents, someone from behind “Hey, so you joined, I thought you won’t”. “So, it is you!” he said. She said, “Yeah, didn’t you recognize me!” He said “Haha, I was confused; I mean you were a different gal altogether back then. Look at you. How are you doing?”. She said, “Come on, I know, I have grown in terms of perimeter and yeah, I am doing great.” He said “Good to know that,” She said “I am so sorry, I really want to have this conversation but I am getting late, I will see you around. Take care.” He said, “Okay then, bubye.”

The conversation which lasted only for a couple of minutes brought back all the bittersweet memories of the past. He never wanted to face her after ‘The Proposal’ but he was happy at the same time. It was a mixed feeling. They were not the same college kids anymore. They had become professionals. He wanted to talk to her but didn’t know where to start. As dumb as he can get, he thought to be in his own shell. He slowly started making friends at the new office. One day, one of his friends invited him for a party. He was hesitant at first but then he agreed.

Since he was new, he was getting introduced to everyone by his friend. Fortunately or unfortunately, she was there at the party too.  When it came to her, the friend said “She is…”; he said, “I know”. She said, “Yeah, we are from the same college.” The friend said “That’s cool. I will leave you two together to catch up. Have fun, make yourself at home”. And the friend went on to grab some beer.

He said, “So I am just another guy from your college, huh”. She said “Yup, you think you are special” They both laughed and started talking.

To be continued – Layla: The Conversation (Click here)

 

P.S. I was about to end this damn thing after Layla Part II but few people poked me on my face, now the world has to suffer 😀

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