Tanya's POV:

Today, I was looking around the town, visiting the places I had roamed as a school kid. Some were still the same, while many others had drastically changed.

The small shops that lined on the street were still the same, but their owners had grown quite a bit old. The food chains like McDonalds, KFC and Subway had entered this small town by now.

I was still looking around when I heard someone calling my name from a far.

"Tanya, right? I saw you passing by and instantly knew it was you", a girl of my age said, looking cheerful.

She seemed familiar but I couldn't exactly recall who she was. I guess my confusion was visible from my face as she narrowed her eyes at me, putting her hands on her waist.

"Don't tell me, you didn't recognize me. I am Shweta, from the dance competition. Does it ring a bell?" She asked hopefully but then continued in a dejected tone,

"Maybe not. After all, I was just a competitor/ friend made during a inter-school dance competition. You must have participated and won in hundreds of other competitions. How would you remember the little ol' me?"

"Oh God! Stop with your dramatics. I remember you. I felt that you were familiar but it has been so many years and your looks have changed. So don't become a crybaby just because it took me time to recognize you", I spoke playfully, intentionally ignoring the comment on my dancing career.

She didn't need to know the details. It was my luck that the friends I made during dancing, didn't know about my family's condition. I always entered with our school's name. So even if they knew about my father's temporary arrest, no one here could link it back to me.

"How have you been doing? It's been so many years" I asked politely.

"I am living my life. I work as a dance teacher in Amita's academy. You remember Amita, right? The one you had cut-throat competition with", she answered.

"Yeah, I do remember her", I said.

Amita and I were always at a tough competition. We both were the only ones who secured first and second place in most of the competitions. Shweta was also a great dancer and I was happy that she was living her dream. She always wanted to be a teacher.

"Oh! I am meeting Amita for lunch today. It would be great if you could join us", she invited me.

"I don't want to be a bother...", I trailed off uneasily.

"Nonsense, don't even try to give any excuse. Meet us at 1:30pm at the restaurant we used to go after winning", she said firmly, not leaving any room for reasoning.

"Cool".

We soon parted our ways. On my way home, my mind was filled with conflicted thoughts. I was happy to meet a childhood friend but I was also jealous. They fulfilled their dream and were excelling in their careers while I just became a housewife. Being a housewife wasn't bad, but only if I enjoyed being one. Dancing was my passion but circumstances made me throw that part away from my life.

★★★★★

I called Raghav, before leaving for the restaurant, knowing fully well that I would return before him. But looking at the scene that happened last time, I didn't want to take any chances.

"Hey, what happened? You never call me during work hours. Is everything alright?" He started firing the questions in one go, as soon as he picked up the call.

"Relax relax. Calm down a bit. Everything is okay. I just wanted to inform that I was going out for lunch. Please don't panic in case you decide to come early and I am not at home".

"Are you taunting me for last time?" He asked, sounding wary.

"Not at all. I am being sincere. I didn't want to worry you in case it gets late. Rest assured, I would most probably be home when you come back".

"You had me scared for a second", he spoke, his relief clear through his voice.

"Don't rush because of me and enjoy your time. Just make sure to keep your phone on", he advised, being the usual responsible person he was.

"YES SIR", I imitated a soldier's voice, going as far as to salute, even though he couldn't see it.

He chuckled loudly hearing me, making me lose my act and chuckle too.

I left the home after hanging up the call and soon met up with my friends. Unlike how I had assumed for it to be an awkward encounter, we all had a jolly time together.

We were reminiscing our memories of competitions when I saw a figure pass by our table and take a seat at a nearby table.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at her again to clarify that I wasn't imagining things. I kept looking at her hoping I was wrong but the words Shweta uttered, dropped a bomb upon me.

"Do you know Naina? You were staring at her for quite a while", Shweta asked, after noticing that my sole attention was on other table.

My eyes closed in pain as I cursed my fate. I looked up again, hoping that it was an illusion and she wouldn't be there when I opened my eyes. But there she was sitting calmly, unknown about the storm she had brought in my life by her mere presence.

There she was, the only girl Raghav had ever loved in his life, his ex-girlfriend - Naina.