Two nights ago, I get an email from my course provider which read this:

(un) Dear Pepperoni- faced idiot,

Hah! Lmfao. You got fooled by us. The exam for which you are sulking and preparing for past a few weeks, we the people who don't give a damn about you have decided to postpone it till January.

We don't feel pity on you. Go and cry your ass out and sulk with the books for longer now, until we haunt you again. Curse your books, not us, and if, like anything's gonna change and hell we care.

Fuck you.

People who love to see you cry.

Your course provider.

I don't know what to say now. To be happy or to be sad. *deep sighs*

Nevermind. 

Hello after a long time. I missed you all.

:)

__________________________

It was a minor fracture. Four days still felt like hell. Guest have started to come at home and there are people who were visiting me just to look and show fake concern. My room must be taken by one of the aunties *cries and cringes*. I hate sharing my room with anyone.

Alya came to meet me. As she entered, we literally climbed to each other. She bought brownies made by her and Harshad Bhai bought flowers. So sweet. The brownies were very tasty, maybe, because I only got a small bite from the whole box. You can never expect to eat a lot of food with your friends around, or specifically Aviral and Cabir. 

Manik didn't come. 

I was expecting him to visit me for no reason. Why shall I?  I have no right and reason after what I did. The knot in my chest has tightened to a painful level now.

And then Navya came, Navya Iyer, my paternal cousin from Aurangabad. You won't believe we were awake the whole night, sharing the hospital bed and watching Andhadhun, Badhai Ho and Dream Girl all at once. XD

And in the morning...

Did I play cupid unintentionally? I don't know. *chuckles*

"And we reach!" 

"Huh?"

"Princess we reached home." Daddy says.

"O.. oh." 

I was just busy playing my whole life in my mind that I forgot I was coming home. Lol.

Daddy comes to my side and helps me out of the car. Hopping I get inside the house to see many familiar strangers giving me awkward smiles. I smile back. And somewhat rush towards my room limping.

"Kanpur wali Chachi has your room. You have to shift down to Rashi's room." Mom says not looking at me.

I give her a hurt look. "Is my cupboard locked? My stationary! Oh god." I cry inside looking at Mom. "Why did you do this? You know na I hate Chetan!" I say to Mom. And she pays no heed and rushes me to Rashi's Pink and Green world of dolls and kitties. With extra pink feather pillows and bubblegum fragrance. 

Aiyappa why!?

"I won't share my quilt with you" Rashi says angrily. I am not shocked or angry. I know how it feels to share your room with anyone.

"I don't even want to touch your oh-so-precious Tinkerbell bed." I say.

"Nandini, go and lay down. I'll send juice for you. And please stop fighting for god's sake." Mom says and I carefully lay down on the bed with my left foot on a pillow. There are so many things written on my plaster. Get well soon, eat chocolates, stay in bed, how you doin' , aur football khelo, Ms. ######## (I asked what was scribbled beneath but my question was royally ignored), and also a lot of emojis. My plaster acted like a canvas and everyone, highlighting Cabir, Aryamann and Yash were the Picassos in making. 

Alya made a sock on it and wrote this- Wear me soon.

She remembers Parth wrote this on Pooja's plaster when she met with an accident on Nach Baliye. 

This is special. *squeals and blushes* Aww. 

Thank you Parth. I love you.

*blushes again*

*****

A week later.

My plaster was removed yesterday. And feet is tied with a crepe bandage for three days (which I'll surely remove by today evening.) 

Sangeet!

But I cannot dance. Her hands and feet are all filled with mehandi. Even I was asked to apply but no. I don't like mehandi. But being one of the bridesmaids, I had to put a thin design on my palm. Can't wait for this to wear off, but! I drew a small 'P' and 'M' secretly. 

I am crazy. Now certified.

*****

"Get up you lazy head! " Rashi calls out. "Go get ready. We have to leave for the guesthouse in two hours" she shouts. Mom has packed all my stuff and I just have to drag myself. Getting dressed in one of the suits given by Mom, I go down to sit but meet Aditya.

"Hi" he says.

"Hello" I say meekly. 

"How are you?" he asks.

"Better than before. It doesn't pains but the bandage irritates" I say smiling. Just before he could reply, Rishabh comes and I, waving a bye at Aditya, leave in the car. 

Aditya was looking red for some reasons. And he had a useless and seemingly uncontrolled smile on his face. He looked... funny.

***

"Tenu lakhan ton chhupa ke rakhaan akkhaan te sajaa ke tu ae meri wafaa, rakh apna bana ke
Main tere layi aan, tere layi aan yaaran
Naa paavin kade doooooooriyan....!"

Smiling meekly at everyone, I sit on the last chair of the second last row in the hall and take a sip of the now warm cold drink. Everybody danced but I couldn't. And my so called friends, they also have not reached yet. They knew I'll want their company but no! They are jus.....

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry....." Mukti comes ranting this and sits beside me. 

"Where are others?" I ask. 

"Cabir went to the food stall, accompanied by Aviral and Aryamann. Radhika's sister is unwell so she could not come and Alya I don't know. Yash is parking the car" she tells.

"Alya is busy with some guests. She'll come tomorrow." I say. Mukti stays silent and then picks up a cold drink from the butler going by. 

"Somebody is looking so pretty today!" she says and I smile. "Look who's talking!" I reply and then she laughs.

"When did you buy a new phone?" I ask seeing two phones in her hand. She looks at me bewildered for a moment and then smiles sweetly.

"Arey this! This is.. is... uh.. Dad's old phone. Mine wasn't... err.. working properly so I thought to change." she says fake- brightly.

"Really? Show." I ask. "Locked."

"You are my best friend! You'll have your face Id on my phone. Just like yours has my finger print." she says and chuckles satisfied. I smile. "Okay" 

She taps on the phone and in just minutes, my face unlocks her device. Yey! 

We look behind to see the boys standing and smacking their lips and licking the gravy of the chicken they are having. Shaking my head, I get up and go and stand beside boys. Cabir looks at me and grins toothily. We have a small talk when Mukti excuses herself and Cabir smiles at me.

"Can we have a talk?" he asks.

"Of course. Why to ask?" I reply.

"Not here. Somewhere alone." he says and the first thing that comes in my mind in Navya. Call it luck or anything, Navya blesses us with her presence exactly that time and Aviral and Yash cough. Navya looks at me and takes my phone saying she has to click pictures and her phone has low battery. I look at a flushed Cabir who, I know, now has already proposed the idea to be her personal photographer in his mind. Navya looks at Cabir and before she could actually smiles, turns abruptly and leaves. We laugh looking at Cabir. 

"Let's go" he says and I lead him to the back of the lawn, which faces a river. 

"So Ms. Murthy, how's all going?" he says sitting beside me on the stone bench. 

"As if you don't know" I say chuckling. He smiles shaking his head.

"So, now that you people know, who is Navya?" he asks being a bit flustered.

"She is my cousin. And single too.  So should I.....?"

"No, no. Now that I know, I'll do all myself. You follow her on IG?" he asks and I nod. 

"So what's up with all Punjabis in your family?" he breaks the momentary silence. The moon up in the sky, reflected by the water and the grass around me, it feels so good if only I remove the thought that I know what he means with Punjabis.

"What? I am not sure what are you talking about." I say faking question in my voice. He chuckles.

"Ahaana SUBRAMANIUM is marrying Mihir ARORA, Cabir DHAWAN likes Navya IYER, and you... You toh have an entire list." he says laughing at me and I make a flat face. (-_-)

"Let me count, Shikhar KAPOOR, Vishal BAGGA, Aditya BHALLA, Man... nevermind." he sighs.

"He didn't even come to see me." I murmur. 

"That's what you and everyone thinks." he replies.

"Huh? What?"

"He thinks he can stay away from you. Surely he can only if he keeps his heart and mind out of his body. But then, he'll only exist. He won't live."

I say nothing but keep looking at him, shocked.

"What? You don't know? He has taken a so-called oath that he won't get affected by you. And guess what, that oath hardly reached his mind when I told him about your accident and deliberately switched my phone off" chuckling he continues, "He went crazy. He gave a very original idea of dropping me to the hospital when I came to meet you first day. Thank god you were busy with the nurse that he couldn't meet you." he laughs.

I say nothing and try to process his words in my frozen brain. 

"Why?"

"That day when you broke your leg, when we came over, I requested him to come with us and solve the issue, at least talk, but that moron was hell bent on proving himself, after living like a brainless zombie for two years. He is an idiot. When he got to know about the wed..."

"Cabir!" Yash calls from behind.

"What?" he asks turning back. 

"SOMEONE was asking about you" he says simpering. Cabir looks at me, faintly red and I nod laughing. He walks up to him and then tells something to which Yash nods twinkling and leaves.

Yash comes and sits beside me. He takes out his phone and texts something, then keeps the phone back and turns to me with a grin.

"Hi Dhakkan" he says showing his teeth.

"Hello Baigan" I retort. He laughs. We have a light talk. In school, Yash and I were good friends, actually he was my song partner. One word I say, and he would sing a song from it, later joined by me. Dhakkan because I was an idiot in Sanskrit and Baigan because Yash flips a lot. Thaali ka baigan.

Aviral comes and sits beside me, smacking Yash's head for no reason. 

"What?"

"Why did you call me? Where's Radhika?" he says and we laugh. 

"In your heart" Yash says extra sweetly blinking his lashes dramatically. Aviral makes bad face. Shaking his head at Yash, he smiles at me.

"Did you meet Ma..." Aviral stops abruptly as he sees Yash glaring him.

"What's wrong?" I ask. 

"We have to tell her everything." Yash says and Aviral nods and then gives a cute smile to me.

"You are an idiot, Mother India." Aviral says. "All hail Nandini!" adds dramatically raising both his hand in the air.

"Shut up. Will somebody tell me what happend?" I ask impatiently. 

"Tell you!? You tell us, what drugs did you do before declaring about Manik. Like what the fuck. Stop watching daily soaps please." Aviral says. 

"Aye chup! Dramaqueen." Yash says to Aviral and then continues at me, 

"After your oh-so-sacrificial-decision, Alya was so confused. She called me at ten in the night, almost tearing up. She's your friend, for god's sake. She herself was not in right state of mind and then you..." he sighs and continues, "And you think everything will go according to you na? Did you think about Manik? When he left the school before, we were mad at him because he was being mean for no reason to you. And what you did? Called him and cried and didn't even wait for him to say anything. And went underground? What possessed you? You acted so selfish Nandini, I didn't expect that from you." he stops and looks at me.

A tear drops from my eye. 

"Alya befriended Manik. He was so... upset. It took time but Manik was unintentionally hurting Alya. You know about her that she... nevermind. They came together for three months later, but then Alya broke up with him. And trust me, she was happier than before after doing that. Manik too was happy later and they were like before, the way they were all their life, friends. Then Alya met KJ... Kaju... err... Karan Jotwani. You know the rest from now." Aviral finishes.

"And then you came back, and Manik took that oath" Yash says and then both Aviral and Yash laugh. 

"He wont talk to you. He doesn't want to meet you." Yash snorts.

"EVERYTHING IS OVER BETWEEN US!" they both say together and then laugh hard.

"What is so funny?" I ask.

"He is an idiot and that's funny. Because he is a brainless moron" Aviral completes and they again break into fits of laughter, seemingly after recalling something.

"and then the invita..." 

"Nandini" somebody calls me from behind. Aditya it is. 

"Yes?" I answer.

"Rashi was looking for you." he says. "Come with me." he says and I nod. Yash and Aviral help me get up and I walk back to the lawn where everybody was present. Yash and Aviral go to the food stall. 

The only reason boys attend a function- FOOD.

Rashi gives me my phone back after I take the medicines given by Mom and she leaves with Kavya.

"I like you." Aditya says after a long silence.

"I like myself too. Nice choice." I reply, controlling the shock from showing at my face.

"I really like you. I won't even hurt you. I'll never be mean to you." he says.

"You eavesdropped!" I ask bewildered. 

"I couldn't stop myself from hearing. And I am not sorry." he says

"Aditya I am sorry. But what you did was so wrong. How can I? I mean I hardly know you" I say and move backwards.

"How long will you wait for him then? he says a bit loudly after I was a five meters away from him.

"That's none of your business." I spat loudly and walk hurriedly inside the guesthouse to reach my room, fuming.

"Bring your gift from my room" I receive a text from Navya. 

I just take a step forward and then....

WHAT THE....!

_________________________

"Benaam rishta woh, bechain karta jo...

Ho na sake jo bayan, Darmiyaan!

Darmiyaan, darmiyaan, darmi-yaaan, Darr-miyaaan!

Kuch toh tha tere mere darmiyaaan!" (T_T)❤❤