Forget-Me-Not : Bound by Secrets

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

It was a late lunch for Ananya as she closed the lid of her tiffin and put it back in her bag. She'd packed herself some lunch, just to experience how it would feel to know that you had something from home to eat, not the usual junk from the restaurants or street. She had to admit-it felt really good. However, it reminded her that she'd had to get up extra early to pack it, and that her mother hadn't been there to do it for her instead. As soon as that thought entered her mind, she blocked it. Her shoulders squared and her chin came up. She could very well fend for herself, and she didn't need her mother behind her at all times, ready to take charge when she didn't feel like it. She absolutely refused to want her mother's assistance in everything she did. She was a grown, responsible adult. She could handle her life.

Right. I can handle my life.

"Ananya!" a female voice called in the distance just then, and Ananya looked around to see Richa approaching her.

I can handle her, too, she thought, and pushed away the flicker of panic she'd felt at the sight of her friend.

"Hey," Richa said with an indulgent smile. "Someone's sitting alone today. What happened to good old noisy lunch?"

"Didn't feel like it. Plus, I had to ponder over the model we're making."

"The model," Richa sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I took designing. I could have stuck to the simple stuff and lived my life."

Ananya smiled a mocking smile and said, "Well, isn't it a little too late to regret that?"

"You bet. So, what's up? How was class?"

"The most amazing session I've ever had in my life. I think I'm going to heaven," Ananya grinned enthusiastically.

Richa smiled back. "At least there's someone enjoying all these unending hours of designing and planning and model-making. Are you planning to stay on or go home?"

"I'll stay for while, figure out what to do, go to the studio and work out some ideas."

"Cool. Well, I'm too tired to sit and wait for a brain-storm that's never going to come. So, I'm going to go home and rest my mind, and then figure out how to go about it."

"Okay. Well, then. See you later."

"You too. Are you sure you're alright? I mean, seeing you without a lot of people around you is equivalent to something being wrong."

Ananya shook her head. "Nothing's wrong with me. I just wanted a break from all the chatter. Sometimes you just need your space, you know?"

"Right. Okay, then, I'll get going. C'ya!"

"Bye," Ananya smiled. As soon as Richa was gone, she exhaled and allowed herself to relax. It wasn't as if she was hiding something-there was nothing to hide. She seldom hid. But today she'd felt like she needed some time alone. Time with herself, time to figure out why she was succumbing to the very things she knew couldn't affect her. Her life was perfect-she needed nothing more in it.

Well, maybe a little appreciation would do, but hey-she was fine.

She got up from the platform she was sitting on, and began walking towards her college building. The JJ Institute of Applied Arts was one of the buildings nestled in the campus of the JJ College of Architecture. The JJ group of colleges was spread over an area of many acres, containing three college buildings and a modest bungalow for the Dean. It was one of the premium institutes for Fine Arts, Architecture and Applied Arts in India. She'd worked really hard to get here, and now that she was three years into her course and aiming to be an interior designer, she was glad that her efforts had paid off.