Deja Vu

Chapter 46

Joe's POV

The corridors buzzed with excitement and nervous chatter. New faces roamed around, some looking lost, others eager. The air carried an electric energy, a mix of anxiety and anticipation. It reminded me of the day I first saw Tina.

She had been standing alone, engrossed in her phone, her fingers gripping the device like a lifeline. There was something about her. The way her shoulders tensed, the way her eyes darted around, uncertain. I don't know why, out of all the people, I chose to approach her that day. Maybe she looked scared, and I wanted to ease her nerves. Maybe I was just curious.

But she had been rude.

She barely looked at me, her lips pressing into a thin line as she pretended I didn't exist. I should have walked straight to the lecture hall. If I had, maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe I wouldn't have caused her pain. Maybe I wouldn't have this gnawing feeling that I was about to cause her even more.

I don't know why, but something in my gut tells me that our relationship is fragile, like a thread stretched too thin. It's her who has been holding it together, not me. And yet, despite everything, she remains.

A gentle tap on my back pulled me from my thoughts.

"Hey," Tina's voice was soft, almost hesitant.

I turned, and there she was, smiling at me. It felt like deja vu, except this time, she was the one approaching me.

Without a word, we shared a brief kiss, our fingers naturally intertwining as we walked toward the lecture hall.

"So, are you nervous?" she asked, her voice laced with amusement.

"Why would I be nervous?" I shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, first day and all. Do you remember our first day?" she asked, her tone teasing, as if she had read my mind.

"Mmm hmm," I hummed in response, giving her a sideways glance.

She hesitated before speaking again. "I'm sorry for being rude that day. I was nervous, and when you approached me, I thought you were hitting on me. I panicked and just blurted out whatever came to my mind."

I chuckled. "And from that day, you stuck to my mind like glue."

She squeezed my hand, her expression softening. "I don't know why, but you kept coming to my thoughts too. And then when you smiled at the cafeteria that day, something about it just... stayed with me. But that was our first year. This is our last."

"And it's going to be even more exciting," I said, nudging her playfully.

The lecture hall was packed when we arrived. Veronica and Trisha were already seated, waving at us. They had saved our seats, like always.

"What took you both so long?" Trisha asked, her tone accusatory but playful.

"Met this guy on the way," Tina replied casually before adding, "Hey, it's like deja vu."

My heart skipped a beat. Was she feeling the same thing I was? Was this a sign? How could we both be experiencing the same thoughts, the same strange sense of familiarity?

Before I could process it, the announcement came.

"Good morning, class. I'm your Economics professor, Mr. Bryan Walker. Today, we'll begin by introducing ourselves."

And so the introductions began. One by one, students stood, their voices varying between confidence and apprehension. Then came the lecture. Two long hours of theories, principles, and an overwhelming amount of information. At the end, Mr. Walker assigned us research work, and the weight of the semester began to settle in.

"We're going to the library. Do you wanna come?" Tina asked as we left the hall.

I hesitated. At first, I wanted to go. I had research to do too. But something inside me told me to create distance, even if just for a moment.

"Nah, I'm good," I said, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before heading toward the cafe.

No matter how much things seemed back to normal, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. And when Dad looked at me these days, I could tell he was thinking about something.

Something about Tina. About us.

Since I had returned from L.A., he hadn't once asked about her. He hadn't even mentioned our relationship. It felt unnatural. Either he had accepted it, which seemed unlikely or he was planning something. And if there was one thing I had learned about my father, it was that silence meant calculation.

"Are you okay?" Mom's voice jolted me back to reality.

I turned to see her watching me, concern flickering in her eyes.

"Yeah," I replied, too quickly.

She studied me for a moment. "Are you sure? You look a little distracted."

I cleared my throat. "It's just some uni stuff. Lots of research on the first day."

She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "If you want, I can look after the cafe. You can go finish your work."

I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She had been running the cafe tirelessly.

"I'm all good," I assured her. "I'll check the accounts, then do some online research. I'll ask Tina for notes later."

"How is she?" Mom asked, her voice light, but I knew she cared.

Mom had always been supportive of my relationship with Tina. But when it came to Dad's decisions, she stayed quiet. Maybe it was respect. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was something I didn't fully understand yet.

"She's good," I answered, forcing a small smile.

Mom gave a small nod, grabbed her handbag, and left. I sat down, staring at the account sheets in front of me, but my mind refused to focus.

Why did it feel like everything was falling apart?

Since coming back from L.A., I had thought that things were finally back on track. And to some extent, they were.

Then why did I still feel like something was about to break?

Something was bothering me.

But what?

Trisha's POV

Sometimes, you have everything yet nothing at all.

I sat in my luxurious apartment, surrounded by everything a person could desire. Comfort, security, privilege. Yet, the air felt cold, the silence deafening. The walls, despite their grandeur, felt like a cage, enclosing me in a reality I didn't want.

Two men loved me, yet all I felt was detest. My heart refused to beat for either of them. I had family and friends, but loneliness was a shadow that never left my side. Heaps of assignments piled up on my desk, yet I felt like I had nothing to do, nothing meaningful to hold on to. My life was on pause. A cruel joke played by fate, where I stood still while the world moved on without me.

It was like I was trapped in a box, screaming for someone to open the lid, but no one could hear me. I knew what was coming, yet I had no control over my own destiny. My life's remote was in someone else's hands. I was alive, yet I was breathing for someone else.

I was alone.

Alone with my regrets.

Alone with my mistakes.

I shouldn't have dreamt.

I shouldn't have dared to reach beyond the life that was planned for me.

And I should never. Never. Have fallen in love with Edam.

Now, I hid in my apartment like a coward, terrified of running into him. I went nowhere but the university, the supermarket, and home. I had severed all ties, cut off every way he could reach me. His calls, his messages. I ignored them all. When he begged for an answer, I told him to leave me alone. And just like that, in a single night, I shattered his world.

But what else could I do? What could I say to him?

That I never meant to hurt him? That I lied for his sake?

That there was nothing to "work out" because I was already engaged?

The weight of that truth crushed me. The guilt clawed at my insides like a slow poison, eating away at whatever was left of my soul.

I wanted it all to be over. I wanted my life back. My real life, without guilt, without pain, without this suffocating weight of deception. I wanted to graduate and leave. Disappear. Vanish from their lives before I could hurt them even more.

My phone vibrated. The sudden jolt sent a shiver down my spine. A notification.

I hesitated before unlocking it, my heart already dreading whatever awaited me.

It was a wedding invitation.

Nikhil Weds Trisha

The words were written in bold, golden letters, staring back at me like a verdict.

I zoomed in, scanning the details, but my vision blurred with unshed tears. The dates were set. Ten, eleven, twelve, and the reception on the thirteenth of December. A grand, week-long event, exactly the kind of extravagance wealthy people indulged in.

A lump formed in my throat. The reception was on the same day as Tina's birthday. My best friend. My anchor. Another cruel twist of fate.

Before I could process my emotions, another message appeared.

It was from Nikhil. Congratulations, Mrs. Raychand. The date has been fixed.

"Nikhil Raychand", I repeated.

My fingers clenched around my phone, my nails digging into my palm.

So that was it. I was going to be Trisha Raychand.

A sob escaped my lips before I could stop it. Tears spilled down my cheeks, warm and relentless. Another nightmare added to my endless list.

I wanted to scream, to delete the wedding card, to burn away the fate that had been forced upon me. But I did nothing. Just sat there, drowning in helplessness.

My phone vibrated again.

An email.

I blinked through my tears, forcing myself to read it.

It was from Professor Bryan Walker: Reminder: The assignment is due midnight tonight.

"Oh, fish," I muttered under my breath, wiping my face with trembling hands.

I had completely forgotten about my assignment. There was still research to be done. I glanced at the clock. 7 p.m. There was still time.

I needed a distraction. I needed to breathe.

Grabbing my bag, I booked an Uber and headed to the university library.

The library was eerily quiet, almost deserted. Of course, it was Friday. Everyone else was out, living their lives, laughing, drinking, dancing. Things I had long forgotten how to do.

I let out a bitter chuckle. Poor me.

Grabbing a few books, I sat down at the same table I always did. My usual spot. The only place that felt familiar anymore. I forced myself to focus, my fingers moving across the keyboard as I tried to drown myself in work.

Just graduate, Trisha. Just finish this and get out.

That was my only goal now.

An hour and a half passed. My assignment was almost done when I heard a voice behind me.

"Need some help? I'm done with mine."

My heart stopped.

The words. The tone. The familiarity.

No.

No, it couldn't be.

A chill ran down my spine. My breath hitched as memories came rushing back like a tidal wave.

The first time Edam approached me in the library... he had said those exact words.

Slowly, I turned around, half expecting a ghost from my past.

But it wasn't him.

A tall, handsome man stood there, a laptop bag slung over his shoulder. He looked just like Edam had that night. The resemblance was unsettling.

I stared at him, my mind reeling, my heart pounding. He seemed familiar. Maybe someone from our class.

Déjà vu.

A cruel, painful déjà vu.

"Amm..." he cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly.

"No thanks," I blurted out. "I'm almost done."

I turned back to my laptop, my fingers gripping the edge of the table, trying to steady myself.

I heard his footsteps fade away.

I glanced over my shoulder. He was gone. Just like that.

And for a brief moment, I felt like I had traveled back in time. Back to the night I met Edam, back to the moment that changed everything.

If I hadn't accepted Edam's help that night...

If I had just kept my head down and ignored him...

Would my life have been different? Would I have been spared this pain?

Would I still be trapped in this fate I never chose?

______________________________

"That eerie feeling when you've been here before, but you know you haven't. Déjà vu at its finest."