This will be a double chapter update.

                                                              AYU

We stared at each other blankly for what seemed like several minutes. The crowd besides us ceased to exist, the place fell into a standstill and the noises vanished at once. Then it hit me.

'It's been one year, nine months and twenty five days since I've last seen him.'

For him it was less since he had the leisure to sneak inside the bedroom to see me during my graduation day. I only came to know that when Ashima told me later.

I had no idea what to say to him. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do because I felt like my feelings were all over the place. It's been such a long time after all.

There was so much between us before, and now, its all blank.

His hair that was cut a little above his neck while his face was shaved completely. He always preferred keeping his hair slightly long before. There was something different about his eyes. They held a different emotion, something that I was unable to understand since his expression was unreadable right now.

Then suddenly, I noticed him parting his lips as if he was about to say something. I watched him in anticipation and held my breath.

"Ayu beta!!" Lynda's mother called from behind making me snap out of his trance. "Where's Lynda? I seriously hope she didn't skip the lunch and wandered off somewhere else, that girl. Our guests are asking for her," Mrs. Mishra huffed in annoyance.

I tore my gaze away from him and faced her mother. "I saw her by the reception hall a minute ago. She might be there." I informed her. "Uh! Can I come with you?" I added. Anything to get away from him for the time being.

"Sure dear. Thank you for your help." Mrs Mishra smiled. I looked back at Jamie only to watch him go. I went ahead with her.

There was a small banquet set up in the main hall. The five of us stuffed the food in our plates and settled down on the chairs to eat. Zen and Jamie were expressing their opinion about Nishant, whom they just met earlier, saying he's weird, caring and whatnot. I was simply eating my fill while listening to their stupid conversation.

"So when did you arrive, Ayu?" Jamie asked me out of nowhere. Everyone fell silent at once.

He said it so suddenly that the food got stuck in my throat and I almost ended up choking. I took Lynda's glass of water, drinking it almost immediately.

Zen, Ashima and Lynda were throwing desperate looks that said- 'Just say it, goddamnit.' I glanced at Jamie who had resumed eating his food with a slight frown on his face. I wanted to say something but it just felt so awkward. I couldn't open my damn mouth even though I have no problem talking to someone. Something is definitely wrong with me.

Eventually, Jamie stood up from the chair to dump the empty plate into the wastebin. He didn't came back, instead he stood there.

The three of them looked at me again.

"Okay, before you guys say something like why I'm ignoring him and whatnot. I'm on my way to talk to him. Bye," I recited quickly and left the table.

"Don't end up choking again," Zen said behind me and laughed. Idiot!

I stood behind Jamie at a distance, without his notice. He was standing in front of the Rasgulla (a kind of sweet) stall and was watching the swimming pool which was at a distance in front of him. Just watching his back made me feel nostalgic. I started fidgeting with my fingers feeling agitated. 'Come on Ayu, its no big deal. He's no stranger. You can do this.' I motivated myself. I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Nice swimming pool over there," Way to go girl! What a fantastic way to start a conversation!

But the way he responded was even more hilarious.

He dropped the little paper bowl he was holding in his hands. It fell on the floor along with the Rasgulla that was in it. I got to know that when I walked up to him. I was about to pick it up when he leaned down first and threw it in the dustbin. Guess I'm not the only one nervous here.

"Sorry," I said making an apologetic face.

"Ah, no, it's fine. I'll just order another one," Jamie replied and ordered the baker who was making those sweets to give him another. "Yo- you want one?" He asked without facing me.

"Yeah!" I said in a low voice without looking at him as well.

Well, this is weird.

We stood there while eating sweets. "I agree... it's nice." Jamie said after clearing his throat.

"What nice?... Oh, the swimming pool," I said in a high pitch voice and laughed it off to cover for it.

"Especially those blue tiles."

"Yes but the whole hotel is nice. It kind of looks like a five star hotel."

"Yeah it does."

Silence followed.

Alright, what's with the formal way of talking? Were we like this before? And why the hell are we talking about the swimming pool and the hotel here?

It took a while to get in the normal way of talking. We only asked about basic things though. I told him about my job in Infosys that was two hours away from my hometown while he mentioned about his job. It was good to know that he was doing fine atleast. In between all those questions, I had this urge to ask him one question that has been bugging me for a long time. Should I ask him now?

"Oh, that reminds me," Jamie said as if remembering something. "I bought souveniers for everyone including you so, I can give it you now but you'll have to come to my room to get it. Well, if you're not so busy that is."

Just then I remembered that I had to go to the salon with Lynda and Ashima. "Actually I have to go somewhere with Lynda so, does evening sound good?"

"Evening is good. You go ahead," He said giving away a small smile. I wonder what he bought for me though. I bid him goodbye and turned around to leave.

Just when I thought we were done for today, he spoke something that ached my heart all over again. "I'm glad to know that you're doing fine, Ayu," He spoke behind me, softly.

You have no idea! "I'm glad as well," I said while smiling to myself and left him.

Time passed as I eagerly waited for the evening to arrive. Not because I'll get to see him or recieve his gift but because I'll finally have my chance to ask him.

He called me to his room which was just a few rooms ahead of mine. The gift was wrapped up in the shape of a rectangular box. Like a curious little girl, I opened it. It was a jar filled with Anzac biscuits. My eyes lit up. I remember eating them when I visited Australia back then. Those memories seemed like a mere vision now. I thanked him as I held onto the jar pressing them to my body.

He stood at a distance probably waiting for me to leave but I didn't. I could feel my heart beat rising. I don't think I'll be able to contain myself anymore. I have waited long enough.

"Is something-"

"Why did you lie to me, Jamie?" I blurted out and exhaled in exasperation.

A small frown etched on his face. "What are you-?" He asked puzzled.

I swallowed and forced myself to look at him. "When... when you wanted me to break up with you..." I can't believe I'm talking about this. "You mentioned that you slept with Laura. I don't get it. Why did you say that? That matter with Laura was disclosed a long time ago yet you decided to bring it up again. And the way you lied so fashionably, I ended up believing it but I still doubted it," I said, bluntly. Even though my memory was vague, I could remember the hurt, sadness, anger and the despair that still aches me up to this day.

"How can you say that I lied? Can you really prove it?" Jamie said, still maintaining his calm demeanor.

"Of course I can't prove it but you can," I said and stepped closer to him. "Say it to my face, what you said to me that time. If you can do that, then I'll believe you," I challenged.

Jamie let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh my God. I can't believe this. I don't even want to talk about this."

"Neither do I. So just cut the chase and say it already," I raised my voice a little.

He took a step closer and faced me, his forehead creasing a little. "I did it..." He started and looked straight into my eyes. I was starting to feel nervous but I didn't my gaze waver.  "Wi-with..." he trailed off like he was struggling hard to say it. "And... Oh screw this!" He snorted, waving his hand in front of me and took a step back.

I let out a small breath that I was holding all the while. Ridiculous.  How does he still manage to have that hold over me? "I knew it. You cannot even lie to my face. How lame is that?" I said, my voice tight.

"And how can you be so sure? You just said that you believed it at first." He frowned.

"Since you didn't care to admit that you lied to me, I decided to clear my doubt from the other party."

"You WHAT?" He gasped, his shock evident.

"You heard me. I met Laura myself." I confessed. I still couldn't believe that I actually met her in person. Who would have thought I would be seeing her like this. She wasn't that bad but one thing was clear after meeting her-- We could never along even if we wanted to. That bitch.

Suddenly Jamie bursted out laughing and I looked at him with my mouth open. "Oh fuck. I can't believe this. You seriously met her? You despised her so much. I'm surprised she never mentioned this to me. I know this is inappropriate to ask but really, how did it go? I hope you two didn't ended up pulling each other's hair. That'd be so funny to watch," He said and laughed some more.

Am I allowed to slap him? Can I please slap him? He's getting on my nerves. I threw a death glare towards him. "Is this a fucking game to you or did you lost a screw in your head?" I scowled.

"Okay, I'll stop. I just couldn't stop picturing the scene inside my head. So how did it go? Please tell me," He pleaded. Why is he so curious to know about that? Can't he see that I'm frustrated. Oh right, he doesn't care about me anyway.

I sat at the edge of his bed comfortably . "I met her the very same night when you ruthlessly dumped me." I said trying to get a reaction out of him but his face was the same- blank. I sighed. Thus I began to recite that incident despite the awkward situation we were in.

Flashback

My pride didn't allowed me to go back and ask Jamie if it was a lie or not. I knew he wouldn't say it. I was beyond hurt. I felt like I can go crazy any minute now. But somewhere at the back of my mind something was telling me that what he said about Laura might be a lie. He didn't look at me even once when he said it and that's where I started doubting but maybe I was just imagining things. Maybe I only wanted to be a lie so that I could maybe hope for something then. There was only one way to find out. I called Neal to give me Laura's address. I was determined to meet her despite me not liking her. I just wanted to clear the doubt so that I can have some peace with myself.

I was exhausted both mentally and physically but I was determined to do this. I knocked the door to her apartment. When Laura opened the door and looked at me, I could only think of one thing.

Oh my God! She's sexy. And I'm not even lesbian.

She was only wearing a simple tank top and shorts but her clothes fitted her so perfectly like they were made just for her. She tied her hair to a ponytail, her blond curls falling heavily on her back. I kind of get why Jamie sticked with her for a long time.

"Urgh!" Laura groaned pressing her forehead with her fingertips. "I think I drank too much again. This is not real." She said groggily and was about to close the door.

"Excuse me... I think I'm real." I said trying to put some sense. If I was making sense that is.

She raised her brow at me. "Alright, if you're real then what in the world are you doing standing in front of my door? If you're here to enquire about your boyfriend then please loiter somewhere else."

"You know me?" I asked surprised.

Laura scoffed. "Oh please, don't flatter yourself. You're the bitch who stole my long term love away from me. I had to suffer because of you. How can I forget that?"

She just called me a bitch. I wasn't wrong to hate her. "And you were the very same bitch who had forcibly slept with my so called boyfriend. We've broken up, thanks to you. Not entirely but-"

I was interrupted by her loud laugh. It was sickening to hear. "Is this what, the 90's? Unbelievable. To think that I lost him for someone like you. I'm glad I overcame this." She stated proudly.

That ticked off a nerve within me. "What are you trying to say? Its not a big deal for you but it is for me. You had-"

"Oh, will you stop nagging?" Laura said and shot daggers at me. "Do I have to say it for you to understand? For one thing, we didn't had sex that night. I tried but that idiot didn't had the balls to. He even called your name once. I was so damn hurt. But that was a long time ago. It's been more than a year since then and you're still hung up on that day. Seriously will you- huh?" She gasped when she noticed that I was crying.

"So... it was a lie. Somehow I knew it. Thank God." I said to myself, wiping my tears and fell on my knees. I had drenched myself in rain. I was feeling cold, my body was shivering and I was so tired. I felt like I could almost pass out.

"Just where did I get myself into?" Laura complained. I didn't wanted to embarrass myself any further. Even though, I had lost the strength to go back I got up anyway. I was about to go when she held my hand.

"Come inside. You can dry yourself and then go." She said and I actually saw slight concern in her eyes.

"It's fine. You don't have to force yourself to be kind to me. It's clear that you hate me." I said in a weak voice.

"Hate is harsh word babe. I despise you but that's for my own personal reason." She said and pointed her finger to the glass window. "It doesn't look like the rain will stop anytime soon. So please, do me a favor and come inside before I try to change my mind." She yawned.

I wouldn't have complied to her request if I wasn't so helpless that time. Never I imagined to be in Laura's house like this. She was the last person I wanted to stay with. It was clear that she was annoyed with my presence too, her face showed it. Despite that, she was kind enough to lend me her spare clothes for the time being. She made some hot coffee even though it was almost midnight. I was already set to go but she insisted me to stay the night since it was getting late. Sleep came to me as soon as I laid down in bed and woke up at ten in the morning. We didn't spoke much throughout my whole stay. I was about to leave her place soon after I got ready.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but thank you for letting me stay. It was kind of you." I said showing my gratitude. It would be utterly rude if I didn't atleast say that.

"Yeah, yeah no need to be so formal." Laura said while shaking her head. I turned around to walk outside her door. "Hey listen." She said almost in a whisper but she had got my attention as I stopped walking and faced her.

"If... something is meant to be, it will definitely come back to you in its own twisted way but if its doesn't, even after you've given your best, then learn to accept the truth and let it go." She explained.

Guess she wasn't as bad as I thought to be. I underestimated her.

*End of Flashback

I didn't dive much into detail when I told Jamie about this. He would only end up feeling proud of himself which would only humiliate me further. I thought he would crack a joke out of it but he just listened to me quietly.

"So what do you want to say about this Jamie? You cannot lie to me now." I said feeling my confidence build up.

"Fine, I admit that I lied to you. Happy."

"Were you that desperate to break up with me? Is that the reason." I asked.

"So what if I was?" Jamie said in a cold voice. "You left me with no choice. You weren't letting me go so I had to come up with an excuse to get you off my hook. Is that so hard to admit?"

"No, but you could have just said so." I shouted getting up. How could he hurt me like this? Is he really the Jamie I used to love? Who is this person standing before me? "You didn't had to spend those three days with me. You didn't had to confess your love to me again and again. If you couldn't bear me then why were you acting like you were happy. That time... you looked like you were about to cry whenever you saw me. You were so afraid of losing me. You said that yourself. Was all that a lie?" I said as I let my emotions out, the ones I bottled inside ever since he left me.

He let out a sigh. "You're starting to get on my nerves. Let me tell you one thing. I came with the intention of attending my friend's wedding and nothing else. I didn't came here to listen to you whine about something that happened two years ago. It's pathetic really. Don't tell me you aren't over me yet?" He said, his voice stern.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, get over yourself. Why would I fall for a two-faced liar like you? Infact, it only makes me hate you. And like you, I came here for the same thing. But as your ex girlfriend, I think, I at least have the right to know why you lied to me?"

"So now you know, right? Good. Now don't ever talk about this again. I was already fed up with all the things that happened before so please spare me this time, Ayu." He pleaded.

"And you're not getting my point. You still didn't answer my question." I argued. Just then we heard the sound of the door being pushed open.

"Hey Jamie, I wanted to ask- Oh!" Zen said while entering the room but stopped as soon as he got the gist of what was probably going on here. "Uh! I think, I'll come later." He said hesitantly turning back.

"No need to go. What were you saying?" Jamie said approaching Zen. He looked like he was relieved to see Zen. That was a cue in itself for me to leave. I passed a crooked smile towards Zen and left the room without saying a word.

Rest of the evening passed by quickly as I got busy with Lynda for the preparations of tomorrow. Jamie and I didn't exchange a word after our argument which only annoyed me more. I still didn't get my answer. Maybe I should stop bothering him. Sometimes I get the feeling that he might be hiding something or maybe that's just my wishful thinking. Who knows maybe he really did want to get rid of me. I wonder if I'm really that annoying to him. The thought alone dreads me. It makes me think that I'm really pushy and whiny.

After weeping for a little while, I closed my eyes and slept looking forward to tomorrow.

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I know, I know this chapter became dramatic afterwards. So what's up with Jamie? (Personally I don't like this sight of him.) Their reunion turned out to be mess, didn't it? I hope you didn't find this chapter annoying.

I have divided this chapter into two parts. Next part will be right up or maybe tomorrow.

Do vote and comment.