The Great Indian College Romance

29. Soul Threads

It was the day of Soul Threads. 

We had decided to chill on the beach and save our energy for the long night ahead of us. Yug had been in contact with Neel ever since the first night and he had volunteered to get us the tickets. Nobody really knew about them but they sure were puzzled by Yug's enthusiasm for a fashion show. Vahni, Deepani and I were genuinely excited about it. Sarah and Matt had left for their conference in the morning and we were gearing up for the show. 

I pulled out my prettiest dress which was also the one I had worn on the day of Fresher's party. I was glad I had packed it despite my reservations of it being too dressy for Goa. Occasions like these crop up at times. 

Vahni on the other hand was trying one outfit after another, frustrated at not finding something appropriate. 

"Do you want to borrow something of mine?" I offered.

"Ugh! If you have something nice," she answered from the bathroom. 

"I have this blue top you might like," I said as I pulled out my own suitcase. 

Lying on top was the shirt Angad had lent me. I smiled to myself as I put it aside carefully and looked for the top. I hadn't given it back yet. I wanted to wash it before I could since I had worn it while playing Volleyball. Also, okay, maybe I wanted to hold on to it a little longer. I would have plenty of time to return it. 

I gave Vahni the top and she tried it on. 

"Hmm," she mused looking in the mirror, "maybe if I layer it?" 

Vahni pulled out a white shirt of her own, draped it on and tucked it into her shorts. 

"Looks great!" I said.

"Yeah, I will have to wear a bold lip colour and high heels but I am not mad at this outfit," she said.

I hopped into the shower once her outfit was finalized and came out. 

"That is your Fresher's party dress, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said looking for the hairdryer.

Whatever she said next was drowned out in the noise of the hairdryer because I switched it on. She didn't repeat so I assumed it was nothing important. 

Half an hour later we walked out to meet everyone else in the lobby. Yug looked especially cute in his striped tee. I complimented him and he thanked me. I spotted Angad nearby with Deepani and Shreyas. Siddharth was nowhere to be seen.

"Sid's not coming," Yug said when he found me looking.

"Oh," I said a little disappointed.

"C'mon, you of all people know he needs his space right now," he nudged me. 

"I know and I respect that. I just can't help but feel... sad." 

"It's not always going to be like this," he squeezed my shoulder gently and I nodded. 

***

We reached the venue which was teeming with people. Seemed like Soul Threads was very popular. Our seats were all the way in the back because of the last-minute purchase of our tickets. 

We hadn't taken our seats yet and were taking in the frantic, charged atmosphere of the event. The main event hadn't even begun and yet it seemed abuzz with excitement and chatter. There was supposed to be a dance performance in a bit.

Someone tapped on my shoulder and before I could turn around I saw Yug break into a huge smile. 

"Neel," he said a little breathlessly.