Chapter 35 - Huye Anjaane Kyun

“Where the f*ck did I keep it?” Simmi pulled her hair in frustration. “I swear to God saamne pada hoga and I’m blind to have not seen it!”

The doorbell rang and she sighed looking at the mess that she had made searching for her wallet. Correcting her shabby hair, she walked out to open the door.

“Hey.” Nil smiled at her.

“Yes?” She squinted back at him.

“I got something for you.” He replied with hands in his pockets.

“What?” She looked around.

“Me!” He chuckled lightly.

“Huh?” She scrunched her nose.

“You left this at the academy.” He shook his head and pulled out her wallet from his pocket.

“I’ve been looking for this for over an hour.” She sighed and held her head. “La.” She forwarded her hand to him.

“Be careful next time.” He told her sternly.

“Thanks.” She smiled, shaking her head.

“Okay then..” He stepped back.

“Yeah.. bye.” She nodded and closed the door behind her.

Simmi took a few steps away from the door and the doorbell rang again. She turned around and opened the door to find Nil staring at her. He took a step ahead and instantly connected his lips with hers. She immediately reciprocated back to his touch. It took her a little while to understand what was happening and she pulled apart. Nil looked at her with hooded eyes and saw confusion written all over her face. He hastily separated and ran back to his car and drove off.

“What the f*ck was that?” Simmi stood rooted, staring at the wall of dust that his car had left behind.

…

“Do something with your life, will you?” Sharon looked at Sara.

“Why are you here?” Sara huffed and looked away.

“Why not?” Sharon let out a chuckle.

“You should leave. It is getting pretty late.” Sara smiled softly at her.

“Why are we pretending to be happy? It’s been over two weeks and everyone is behaving like nothing has changed and..” Sharon sighed. “Why?”

“Because no one wants to face the truth. No one wants to believe that he lied to our faces. That he left us!” A tear rolled down Sara’s eye which she wiped off immediately.

“Why?” Sharon’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“As much as I want to scream that I hate him, I don’t. I..I can’t!”

“He has been with me by my side regardless of all the fights we’ve had. Regardless of how much I have annoyed him, irritated him. I even tried to push him away but he never left. Then why now?” Sharon sobbed. “I get that he doesn’t want to be around here but why lie to be in touch? Why lie about his whereabouts?”

“Bhai se baat huyi?” Sara asked.

“He reached out to her friends. They didn’t go back to London. He lied!” Sharon gritted her teeth.

“I’m pretty sure his conscience is eating him alive right now.” Sara scoffed.

“I spoke to AB and I agree with him to a certain extent. Him and her sound like a fabricated lie.”

“Is it though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Sara shook her head and got up.

“Sara?” Sharon walked behind her to the living room.

“You wanna order something?” Sara picked up her phone. “7 missed calls?” She furrowed her brows.

“Who?” Sharon squinted.

“Swayam.” Sara answered as she dialed his number.

“Why weren’t you answering my calls?” Swayam yelled from the other end.

“Phone mere paas nahi tha.” Sara sighed and sat on the couch. “Kya kaam tha?”

“Sharon wahan hai?” He asked.

“Haan.” Sara answered, looking at Sharon.

“Okay.” Swayam disconnected the call.

“You didn’t tell him that you were coming here?” Sara looked at Sharon.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Sharon huffed and sat next to her.

“Okay.” Sara leaned over and rested her head on Sharon’s lap. “Pizza?” She asked.

“Regular order.” Sharon nodded.

“They’re out of diet pepsi.” Sara rolled her eyes.

“Ugh!” Sharon gritted her teeth. “Order whatever!”

“Done!” Sara kept her phone aside.

“Swayam was pissed at me today for bringing him up in every conversation. But I couldn’t help..” Sharon looked away.

“You were right. The pretense is getting too much. You have the launch next week. This can’t be the morale for everyone.” Sara shook her head.

“How the f*ck am I supposed to boost everyone’s morale? That’s not my job!” Sharon sighed.

“Leave that to me.” Sara sat up straight with determination.

“Rehearsals at nine!” Sharon informed her.

“I’m gonna be there tomorrow!”

…

“We both love each other and want to be together.”

He sat reclined on the leather office chair as it squeaked at his every slight movement. That old squeaky chair was the least of his problems yet he mentally made a note to get it replaced soon. These tiny meaningless tasks were his coping mechanisms to avoid thinking about the larger apparent questions and problems he was facing. He closed his eyes and sighed as his mind wandered back to the looming darkness which he struggled to push aside.

“The truth is that we both like each other and want to be together.”

He absentmindedly started swirling the glass paper weight on the table. Numerous questions were forming in his mind but he didn’t know who he could look for to get those answers. He leaned back more into the chair making it squeak more. The grinding of the glass paper weight against the glass tabletop and the occasional squeaking of the chair now started to feel relaxing to him.

“Bhai!”

He jerked open his eyes and stared at the emptiness in the room. He sighed loudly and got up making the chair squeak back to its original position.

“As stupid as it sounds, I’m starting to like this chair more.” He let out a chuckle and walked out of the cabin.

He walked to his cabin across the hallway. He held the door handle and contemplated going in. He couldn’t get himself to open the door.

“Armaan sir aap iss waqt yahan?”

“Huh?” Armaan was startled by the voice and turned around to face the security guard.

“Aap theek hai?” He asked.

“Haan voh kaam karte karte shayad meri aankh lag gayi.” Armaan shook his head. “Main chalta hoon.” He left, giving him a curt smile.

…

“Ugh!”

She propped her elbows on the table and rested her face on her palms. She tapped her fingers on the sides of her neck and stared at her laptop screen. She saw the mess of a design she had made and sighed. The measurements were incorrect and the dimensions made it look like a room out of a cartoon. She closed the project and deleted it. She glanced over and saw the long list of files in the deleted folder. She felt frustrated at the growing mess. More of the stuff in her head than the list in front of her.

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her head and opened a new file and started designing the room again. After a couple of tries, she managed to make it look somewhat coherent. 

“Taani? Tu abhi tak soyi kyun nahi?” Shivam knocked on the balcony window.

“Haan bas yeh khatam karke I’ll go to sleep.” Taani answered back.

“Theek hai.” Shivam went back to his room and started playing on his phone.
“Why are you awake at this God awful hour?” Shivam smiled reading the text from Sneha.

“I was going back to sleep. What are you up to?” He replied back.

“Walking home between a wall of snow.”

“Be careful.”

“Aww look at you being sweet.”

“Bye Sneha!”

“Itni jaldi haar maan li? I thought we were trying to get to know each other.”

“Not at 4 in the morning. Please!”

“Alright. Good night!”

Shivam kept his phone aside and walked out to the balcony again. He peeked into Taani’s room and saw her sitting at her desk staring into the laptop screen.

“I’m sorry that I failed you but I will make you forget him. I can’t see you like this. This is not you.” He clenched his fists tightly.

“Is this how you’re going to perform on the stage?” Sara yelled.

“Can you please shut the f*ck up?” Vicky yelled back at her.

“Why the hell are you getting mad at her?” Neha looked at Vicky.

“Exactly! She said nothing wrong. Every one of us is slacking and we are just a week away from the launch.” Swayam pointed out.

“Ek kaam kar, tu bhi chale ja jaise voh gaya.” Aashi flared her nostrils.

“F*ck him for doing what he did. We will deal with him later. But this is our dream. Hum sab ne bohot kuch sacrifice kiya hai to make this happen. He does not get to take it away from us. We have to show him what he lost by leaving!” Nil stepped up.

“I agree with Nil. Tum sab ne apni life hold pe rakhi huyi thi for this. This is your dream. I know it hurts that he isn’t here. I’m sure everyone of you would have wanted him to be here. Now you’ve gotten a chance to show it to him how amazing of a job you all did together by making the academy a success. Usse feel hona chahiye what he is missing out on. Make him want to crawl back to D3!” Sara backed Nil.

“Yeh dream uske saath dekha tha.. How can I just forget him?” Sharon looked at them.

“No one is asking you to do that.” Swayam walked up to her. “D3 means a lot to us, including Rey. Just because voh yahan nahi hai hum iss dream ko bhul nahi sakte. Like Sara said, we need to show it to him what he is missing out on by staying away from us. Honestly that is the only way I see him coming back.” He comforted her.

“Aur usse nahi aana ho toh be it. Uske liye main apna dream sacrifice nahi karne wala.” Amar spoke with determination.

“I understand why everyone is upset. What Rey did was shitty. Voh bina koi reason diye chala gaya. Aur jhoot bola voh alag. But even after all that none of us is hating him. We all want him to come back. And that speaks to what a person he is to us. He believed in all of you guys. He trusts in you guys to make D3 a success. He knows that he doesn’t need to be here to keep things moving. Agar voh academy ko, the thing that means the whole world to him, usse tum sab pe chod ke gaya hai toh I think you guys owe it to him to make it a success. He wouldn’t want anything less than a hundred percent from each one of you!” Sara looked everyone in the eye.

“I miss him terribly and want to punch him in the face for doing what he did. But I cannot get myself to hate him and neither should you all.” Simmi walked over and stood next to Sara.

“Jitna main Rey ko jaanta hoon, voh jo bhi karta hai uske peeche koi na koi reason hota hai.” Bharat stood next to Simmi.

“Rey told us that we can meet him wherever he is. And I am sure he will make it happen. He cannot stay away from all of us.” Rinni stood next to Bharat and started to form a circle.

“Voh kameena jab milega tab mere haath ke dus chaante khayega!” Vicky stood beside Rinni.

“Aur mere se bees!” Aashi stood beside Sara.

“Jab voh wapas aayega tab main usse bataungi ki drama queen ka asli matlab kya hota hai!” Neha started walking towards Vicky but then turned away and stood beside Aashi.

“We have sacrificed a lot. But it ends here. We are just one step away from living our dream. Let’s do it together!” Amar stood beside Neha.

“In a way it’s good that he isn’t here. He won’t be cribbing about everything related to the launch. Yeh aise kyun hai? Voh abhi nahi karna hai. Isko yahan kisne rakha?” Nil mocked Rey, making everyone chuckle. “All for one. One for all!” Nil joined the circle beside Vicky.

“All for one. One for all!” Swayam smiled and repeated.

Swayam forwarded his hand towards Sharon. Sharon stared at his hand and then looked over at the rest of the gang. She could feel the boost in morale reverberating throughout the room. Sharon glanced over at Sara who met her back with a warm smile plastered on her face. Even though it was genuine, Sharon could see through it and notice the sadness that Sara was hiding within her. Sharon then glanced over everyone and finally landed her eyes on Swayam. There was no facade behind his smile. She felt the warmth of love radiating through his eyes. She closed her eyes and inhaled in a deep breath.

“I love you all.”

“I love you and I will wait for you.” Sharon mumbled to herself and placed her hand in Swayam’s.

They both walked over and completed the circle. As if on cue, they all put their arms around each other and formed a huddle. They all looked at each other and passed a warm small.

“Hai ek zindagi do isko ek chance.” Sara hummed.

“Deke dekho, deke dekho dil aur jaan.” Simmi grinned.

“Life is fun, it's full of masti.” Vicky bopped his head.

“Dil se karte hai hum sabse dosti.” Amar had a wide smile on his face.

“Hai one thing which is our life.” Aashi squeezed her arms around the people next to her.

“It’s Salsa, bhangra.” Neha swayed a little dancing in her head.

“Hip-hop and Jive!” Nil had a suave look on his face as he moved his legs.

“Dil se dosti.” Bharat looked at them and they smiled at him.

“Dil se dance.” Rinni grinned, seeing everyone happy.

“Deke dekho life ko ek aur chance!” Swayam looked at Sharon.

Sharon was still hesitant to give in. She wanted to be happy but couldn’t get past the missing link to her happiness. She plastered a wide smile on her face but her eyes couldn’t hide the heart wrenching sadness inside of her. Swayam leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. Sharon closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek. Simmi pulled out her phone and played the song. They all started dancing to it. Swayam pulled Sharon into his embrace allowing her to cry her heart out. She needed to let it all out.

The noise subsided and Sharon peeled herself away from Swayam. She looked around and saw that almost everyone had left. She looked at Swayam and saw nothing but love and support in his eyes. 

“I love you.” She mumbled to him.

“You want to talk?” He smiled at her.

“No.” She shook her head.

“Why?” He furrowed his brows.

“I don’t want to annoy you more.” She looked away.

“You never annoy me. Test my patience maybe, but never annoy me.” He chuckled, making her smile.

“I miss him terribly.”

“And I don't?” He raised his brows.

“Not more than me.” She pouted, making him shake his head at her.

…

“Neha!” Vicky stopped Neha as she was leaving.

“Haan?” She turned around to look at him.

“Mom ka message aaya. They’ve reached.” He informed her.

“Oh good!” She smiled.

“Good?” He raised his brow.

“What are you expecting me to say?” Neha rolled her eyes.

“You haven’t yet answered.”

“To?”

“Oh come on!” He sighed.

“Dekh Vicky..” She looked at him. “Umm..”

“Come with me.” He held her hand and they walked to his cabin.

“Bol.” She sat on the chair as he propped himself on the table.

“Tu theek hai na?” He asked her.

“Haan, meko kya hua hai?” She squinted at him.

“Toh aise ajeeb kyun behave kar rahi hai?”

“Ajeeb?” She furrowed her brows.

“Aur nahi toh kya? Itne time se mood kharab hai tera aur abhi bahar jo tune kiya voh. What’s wrong?” He asked her.

“Abh yeh bhi main hi batau teko?” She rolled her eyes.

“Mom dad yahan tere parents se milne aaye hai. Shaadi abh bhi karni hai na?” He eyed her.

“Maine teko kabhi na bola hai?” She had a light smile lingering on her lips.

Vicky loosened his tensed shoulders and felt a sense of relief. His lips curved upward in a smile and he met his eyes with Neha. She looked back at him with love and admiration. But he didn’t fail to notice the lack of contentment in them. Her eyes were searching for something. A question, perhaps an answer, but he couldn’t correctly comprehend it. He decided to not bring it up at that exact moment as he didn’t want to lose the smile from her face.

“Vicky?” Neha stretched her arm out to him.

“Haan?” He grabbed her hand firmly in his.

“I love you. Will always do. Don’t ever question that.” She squeezed his hand.

“I’m not.” He shook his head.

“Having said that..” She pulled her hand out of his. “I am mad at you and you need to find the reason why!”

Neha got up and stood right in front of him. He furrowed his brows as he stood leaned against the table, observing her actions. She leaned forward and pecked his lips.

“Good luck!” She winked and walked out of the cabin.

…

“Sorry!” Simmi bumped into Sara.

“You good?” Sara held her.

Simmi just shook her head and sighed. Sara saw Nil walking away from them and furrowed her brows in confusion. Simmi regained her balance and stood up straight. She followed Sara’s gaze and looked behind her to see absolutely no one. She frowned and turned back to face Sara. Sara fixed her face and shook her head at her.

“I’ll see you.” Simmi smiled at her and started to leave.

“Simmi..” Sara stopped her.

“Haan bol?”

“Umm.. I.. uh..” Sara pressed her lips together struggling to form a sentence.

“Yes, I completely agree.” Simmi nodded.

“Shut up!” Sara rolled her eyes making Simmi giggle.

“Waddup b*tches?” Aashi walked over to them.

“I need help!” Sara frowned.

“Yes, you definitely do need help. There is no denying that!” Aashi chuckled.

“Why am I even trying?” Sara rolled her eyes and stormed off.

“Sara!” Simmi called behind her.

Her phone beeped and she stopped to look at it. As she pulled it out she heard Aashi’s phone and a few other beeps down the hall. She opened the text and looked up to see Nil pacing in front of her.

“Why are you calling everyone here?” Aashi asked Nil, putting her phone away.

“Wait till they all arrive.” He continued pacing.

“I thought we were done for today.” Vicky arrived with Neha.

“Abh kya hua?” Bharat sat down, frustrated.

“Itna kya urgent hai jo tune sabko wapas bulaya?” Swayam asked after everyone had arrived.

“Watch this!” Nil opened a video on the screen in front of them.

“God I hate his face!” Simmi shuddered in disgust at Steve’s face on the thumbnail.

Nil pressed play and they all turned their attention to the screen. As the video progressed, they all looked at it with utter disbelief. The video was a tutorial to one of their older routines which they were planning to perform at the launch. It had already crossed about hundred thousand views within a day of posting. Nil turned off the screen after the video ended and turned to face everyone. He could see confusion, anger and even rage in the collective.

“How?” Nil gritted his teeth.

“My exact question!” Swayam furrowed his brows. “There is no video of this routine anywhere in public. This is what we used to do in between rehearsals. How the f*ck..?” He felt short of words.

“Yeh exact routine iske paas kahan se pahucha?” Aashi squinted.

“Can you play it again?” Sharon asked Nil.

“Kyun jale pe namak chidak rahi hai?” Vicky rolled his eyes.

“Just play!” Sharon demanded.

“Here, have at it!” Nil handed her the remote.

Sharon fast forwarded the video to the last thirty seconds and played it. She walked up to the screen and squinted at it. Everyone furrowed their brows in confusion but didn’t ask anything. She rewound the video a few seconds and reduced its speed. She played again, squinting harder at the screen and paused.

“That’s Rey!” She yelled, making everybody walk closer to the screen.

“What?” Sara gave her a side eye and looked at the screen. “Where?” She asked, unable to locate him.

“I know that you’re missing him but I think you are starting to see things.” Swayam shook his head. “That’s a tiny pixel of some rando!” He rolled his eyes.

“I’m still confused ki yeh routine SSD ke paas kahan se pahucha?” Vicky scratched his head.

“I think Sharon is right, that looks like Rey.” Sara squinted at the screen.

“You two have gone crazy!” Aashi snatched the remote and turned the screen off.

“Now what?” Neha glanced at them.

“Well.. pehle toh koi aur old routine select karna hoga and then we’ll figure this thing out. Abhi meko SSD pe time waste nahi karna.” Swayam stood with hands on his hip.

“But that is Rey..” Sharon sounded frail.

“Sharon, can you please stop?” Swayam pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You don’t need to yell at her!” Sara comforted Sharon. “And looking at Rey’s recent history, it’s not impossible to assume that he did this!” Sara flared her nostrils.

“What do you mean?” Simmi squinted at her.

“Nothing! Forget it!” Sara shook her head.

“Nahi bata tu. Kal bhi tune yeh topic ignore kiya tha.” Sharon separated from Sara and looked at her.

“It’s not important. You guys need to focus on a new routine first.” Sara tried to deflect.

“Abhi hum waise bhi nahi karne wale kuch toh tu apna muh khol!” Aashi folded her arms across her chest.

“Is this what you needed help with?” Simmi asked, recalling their conversation which got interrupted.

“I.. uh.. gotta go.” Sara turned around and sighed heavily.

Sara was having an inner turmoil. She wanted to discuss what she had on her mind but was having trouble forming a coherent sentence about it. It was all loose thoughts in her mind which had started to make some sense to her since Rey’s departure with Riri. The other reason she didn’t want to bring it forth was the reason behind her knowledge about the situation. Swayam stepped forward and placed his hand on Sara’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

“Let it out!” He said.

“Really Swayam?” Sara let out a small chuckle. “Stealing Rey’s ways?”

Sara shook her head recalling Rey doing the exact same thing when she was depressed going through her breakup. That memory put a smile on her face. She inhaled a deep breath and turned around to face them.

“You know how all of us including Armaan bhai find this Rey-Riri relationship.. wow, that’s a mouthful.” She shook her head and continued. “We all find it absurd and..”

“Because it is! There is no way in hell that it is true!” Simmi interjected.

“What if I tell you something which will make you think otherwise?” Sara raised a brow at Simmi.

“So you believe it to be true?” Sharon questioned.

“Well yes and no.” Sara sighed.

“Tu batayegi?” Nil was fed up with her beating around the bush.

“I sa.. know something and I need you guys’ help if I should let bhai know about it.” Sara chewed on her lower lip as she felt nervous vocalizing her thoughts.

“What did you see?” Vicky asked.

“Huh?” Sara looked at him.

“You explain whatever it is and then we’ll figure out if AB needs to know about it.” Sharon gained Sara’s attention.

“Alright so..” Sara let out a heavy breath. “This was when Rey was in London filling in for bhai as he was ill. I had gone there unannounced to visit. It was Riri’s birthday. Rey was high as a kite. He opened the door and asked me when he came to Paris.” She let out a small chuckle recalling the incident. “He could barely walk straight so I helped him to his room. Inside, I saw Riri sleeping on his bed.”

“Really?” Swayam had a stern face as he crossed his arms. “Are you really serious right now? Just because they were sleeping on the same bed..”

“With their clothes off? On the ground?” Sara raised her voice and interjected him.

“What?” They all scoffed.

“You’re implying that they were sleeping naked?” Sharon had a look of contempt on her face.

“He was in his boxers when he opened the door.” Sara informed.

“And did you try to talk to him the day after?” Swayam was trying to be the voice of reason.

“He deflected.” Sara answered.

“Agar tu yeh meko do hafte pehle bata rahi hoti toh main tere muh pe hasti. Par abh..” Aashi scrunched her nose at the possibility of it being true.

“Bhai should know.” Swayam sounded unsure as he said it.

“No!” Sharon opposed immediately.

“Ek minute!” Nil raised his brow. “Iss sab ka routine se kya connection hai?”

“Nothing?” Sara answered unsure.

“Then why are we discussing it? If Rey likes Riri then be it. What are we judging him for?” Nil shrugged.

“Par AB..?”

“Bhai knows Riri better than all of us. So if he thinks..” Nil stopped mid-sentence and thought over it. “Then that would mean.. Why the f*ck would Rey lie?” He wanted to pull his hair.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Sara apologized.

“Bhai will take time but he is strong enough to get through this. And if Rey and Riri are happy then we shouldn’t be questioning it. We all know how much Rey respects and loves bhai, usne yeh step soch samajh ke hi liya hoga.” Swayam tried to make sense of the situation.

“I think we all need to go home and rest. Launch is just a couple of days away and as selfish as it sounds, we need to keep our focus on it!” Sharon announced.

“Starting with a new routine to replace that one.” Nil pointed behind him to the blank screen.

“Tomorrow same time?” Aashi looked at everyone and they all nodded in response.

“Taani?” Ayushman placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Haan?” Taani was startled to see him standing behind her.

“Designs? Did you finalize them?” He asked her.

“I’m still waiting for their reply.” She turned to look at the screen. “Which is here.” She saw the recent unread email. “I’ll get back to you.” She quickly opened it and started reading it.

“Taani.” He called her to gain her attention. “I think you are overworking yourself. Why don’t you take a half day today and go home and relax?” He suggested.

“I’m completely fine. I don’t need a break.” She shook her head.

“I.. heard what happened with Rey and..”

“Like I said, I’m fine. I was just thinking about another project and I must have missed this email.” She put forth a strong face.

“Alright, but please take breaks when needed. Don’t burden yourself with all the work.” He smiled at her.

“Yeah.” She curved her lips up to form a smile and turned her attention back to the screen.

Ayushman walked into his cabin and locked it behind him. He paced back and forth contemplating his decisions. As a boss, he wanted to chastise Taani for disregarding her work. But as someone who went through a crumbling relationship and eventually a heartbreaking separation, he could relate with her. He wanted to let her know that she could lean on him for support but their dynamic at their place of work stopped him from doing so. Also, having heard just the vile accusations against Rey, he didn’t want to form his opinions. He wanted to learn the truth so as to provide help to Taani, even if it meant in the mean time drowning her in work to a point of exhaustion.

“Hello.” Ayushman called Sharon.

“Hi!” Sharon replied back. “Shut the f*ck up!” She giggled. “Sorry voh Nil.. is being Nil. Anyway, why did you call?” She asked him.

“You seem busy. Time hai? Kuch baat karni thi.” He hesitated.

“Academy launch hai in four days!  Definitely busy hoon! Par bata kya baat hai?” She asked him to continue.

“Milke baat kare?”

“Milna jaruri hai?”

“Chod, rehne de. We’ll talk after.” He disconnected the call.

“Saale guilt tripping insaan bata kahan milna hai?” She called him back.

“Coffee pe chalegi mere saath?” He chuckled.

“Thappad khayega?” She sneered at him, making him laugh.

“Raat ko ice cream place?” He asked after a minute of thinking.

“Sure! See you then! Bye A-man!” She giggled.

“Bye!” He shook his head and disconnected the call.

…

“Ready?” Juno asked over the phone.

“For?” Taani asked unsure.

“Dinner ke liye ja rahe the hum. Bhool gayi?” He sighed. “Arjun and I have just picked up Purvi and are heading to your office. You better get your ass out of that chair and meet us at the gate.” He informed her and disconnected the call.

“Meko nahi jana hai!” Taani whined and slammed her phone on the desk. “Meko? Urghhh!!” She pulled her hair and adjusted herself on her chair.

“Abh kya hua?” Adah walked over to Taani.

“Haan?” Taani turned her head to look at her.

“Now what did you mess up?” Adah chuckled.

“My life!” Taani replied, exasperated.

“When was it not messed up?” Adah chuckled more and sat opposite to her.

“What do you want? I want to finish this.” Taani rolled her eyes and got back to her work.

“Take a break girl!” Adah held her head and shook it a little.

“After I’m done.” Taani pushed her hand away.

“Before I forget what I came here for, I need your help with something.” Adah fiddled with her fingers.

“Sure, what is it?” Taani looked at her.

“Kal Ayushman sir ki ek meeting hai and I was going to accompany him but I have to take a leave tomorrow for some personal stuff and he asked me to find a sub. Can you please do it for me?” Adah pleaded, joining her palms together.

“I’ll go. Tu drama mat kar.” Taani shook her head.

“I owe you one!” Adah threw her hands around Taani and hugged her. “Thank you!” She shrieked.

“That’s enough now.” Taani freed herself from Adah’s hold and smiled at her.

“I love you.” Adah grinned at Taani and left.

Taani sat staring at the door as Adah’s words rang in her head. Even though not intended, she felt her words as a tight slap on her face, a constant reminder how people in her life leave her after professing their love for her. She tried hard to push those vile thoughts away, but she felt helpless. It had been three weeks now since Rey left her. She kept telling herself to move forward but everything happening in her life kept reminding her of him. She wanted to lock that compartment and bury it at the bottom of the ocean. But for that she had to gather all of his memories into a box and that’s what loomed before her.

“Kahan pe hai tu?” Juno yelled as soon as she picked up her phone. “Dus baar call kar chuka hoon tujhe!”

“Kaam mein thodi busy thi.” Taani replied.

“Dude look at the time. Just come out. We are waiting!” Juno disconnected the call.

Taani gathered her stuff in her bag and made her way out.

“Aaj jaldi nikal rahi ho?” Ayushman walked out of his cabin behind her.

“You’re still here?” Taani was surprised to see him.

“Yeah Adah told me that you were still working so I decided to stay back and give you company.” He smiled.

“You didn’t have to do that. Mere liye itni takleef uthane..”

“Tere liye? Main apna kaam kar raha tha. It wasn’t a favor.” He raised his hands and chuckled lightly.

“Mere kehne ka matlab..”

“Don’t fret over it. Relax!” They both walked out of the building.

“Finally padhari tu! Abhi chale? Meko bohot bhook lagi hai!” Arjun yelled from inside the car.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Taani turned to look at Ayushman.

“About that. Adah told me..”

“Yeah she told me about the meeting. I’ll come with you.” Taani interrupted him.

“I can manage it on my own. Don’t worry about it.” Ayushman smiled at her.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be there!” Taani insisted.

“Ayushman Saxena, can we please have our friend? Humara dinner reservation hai and we are running late.” Purvi got out of the car with her hands on her hips.

“Maine kahan rok ke rakha hai isse? Main toh kabse isse jaane bol raha tha.” Ayushman defended.

“Taani?” Purvi glared at her.

“I am coming!” Taani replied between gritted teeth and walked to the car.

“Bye Ayush!” Purvi smiled at him.

“Bye you guys!” Ayushman waved at them and walked to his car.

…

“Aur kitna time lagega khana aane mein? Bhook se marre ja raha hoon main!” Juno huffed.

“It’s just been ten minutes.” Purvi rolled her eyes at him. “Yeh kha tab tak.” She shoved a piece of cucumber in his mouth.

“Sab iski galati hai.” Juno sneered at Taani.

“Maine bola tha tum sab ko jaane. I had a lot of work. Mujhe late hone hi wala tha.” Taani shrugged.

“Okay enough of this cribbing. Tum log batao ki Pune kab aa rahe ho? Kabse plan bas postpone hi ho raha hai.” Arjun huffed and rolled his eyes at them.

“I am free most weekends. Ask Taani.” Juno pointed at Taani.

“I’m extremely busy this month. Mere paas bilkul bhi time nahi hai.” Taani shook her head.

“Time na banana hota hai.” Purvi passed a sly comment.

“Main koi excuse nahi bana rahi.” Taani faced Purvi. “Gauri has given me a lot of projects to handle. Abhi nikalte time bhi main Ayushman se kal ki meeting ke baare mein discuss kar rahi thi.”

“Hogaya na sab discuss? Abh kya soch rahi hai?” Arjun asked her.

“I don’t know who the meeting is with nor do I know what it is about.” Taani wondered.

“Kal meeting se pehle pooch lena Ayush ko.” Purvi chuckled.

“But how am I supposed to prepare for it?” Taani pulled out her phone. “I should ask him.”

“Pagal hai kya?” Juno snatched her phone. “Just because you like getting your work home, doesn’t mean everyone likes to do that.”

“Par Juno tu samajh na.” Taani whined, trying to grab her phone back. “Agar maine prepare nahi kiya toh he will look bad in the meeting. I don’t want that to happen.” Taani tightened her forehead in worry. “I’ll call Adah and ask her. Phone de!” Taani tried to snatch it from his hand.

“Juno, phone meko pass kar.” Arjun forwarded his hand. “You’re not getting this till you reach home.” He switched it off and kept it in his pocket.

“Tum sab ko ho kya gaya hai?” Taani asked them.

“Tujhe kya hua hai?” Purvi asked her instead.

“I’m fine!”

“Her question wasn’t how you were.” Juno pointed out.

“Same thing.” Taani shrugged as the waiter arrived with their order.

“Khana!” Juno grinned.

…

“Yaar college ki yaadein taaza ho gayi.” Ayushman grinned as Sharon walked to him. “Please.” He patted on the bench asking Sharon to sit next to him.

“I agree.” Sharon squinted at him and sat facing him. “It’s the exact same. Tu yahan mera wait kar raha hai. On a bench. Without ice cream!” She sneered.

“Tu jitna wait karati hai usme ice cream ka milkshake ban jata!” He scoffed, making her giggle.

“Bata kya baat karni hai?” She shook her head.

“It’s about Rey.” He said and visibly saw her face turn stoic. “I heard some stuff but it’s so hard to believe. I mean it’s Rey.”

“It’s true.” Sharon replied softly.

“How? I can’t fathom the fact that he just left!” He shook his head in disbelief.

“Tell me about it.” Sharon scoffed.

“How are you holding up?” He wiped the lone tear rolling down her eye.

“Struggling.” She propped her legs on the bench and curled up hugging them. “Kisise baat bhi nahi kar sakti iss sabke baare mein.”

“How long will you avoid the talk for? Abhi next week academy launch hai. You think these questions are not going to come up?” He looked at her sternly.

“Stop!” She tightened her arms around her legs.

“Sharon?” He moved closer to her.

“I just want all this to be a nightmare and I wake up tomorrow to everything being the way it was.” She leaned on him.

“At least once, wish for something that is achievable.” He joked.

“I wish for Rey to come back and not worry about what others think of his relationship.” She loosened herself and looked at him. “People move on.” She smiled at him.

“Yeah, it may take, what, six years to move on? But they do.” He chuckled.

“Shut up tu alag case tha.” She giggled.

“Teko itne saal lage, Taani ko kitne lagenge?”

“I knew it!” She sat up straight facing him. “But it’s too soon. You need to wait for her to get over Rey. And honestly, I don’t think usse tu pasand aayega. She won’t be able to handle you!”

“Hogaya ya aur bhi kuch bolna hai?” He asked with a straight face.

“You’re not interested?” She asked meekly.

“No! Taani is a good friend. I’m not at all interested in her and I definitely don’t want to pursue her!” He flared his nostrils.

“Theek hai na, gussa kyun ho raha hai?”

“Meko teri help chahiye.”

“For?”

“I want to know what exactly happened so that I can deal with Taani.”

“What do you mean deal with her?”

“She has become a workaholic and it’s not good for her. Main try kar raha hoon usko samjhane ki usse khud pe focus karna chahiye, but she isn’t budging a bit. Toh bas usko khush rakhne ke liye main usse kaam diye ja raha hoon.” He sighed.

“How is she? I haven’t seen her since that day.” She asked in a soft tone.

“Delusional.” He shrugged his shoulders and sighed heavily. “I want to talk to her and let her know that she can talk to me. Par meko khud nahi pata ki exact hua kya hai. Uski kaise help karu?”

“In simple words, he fell out of love because of his residual feelings for Riri. Aur obviously agar voh dono ko ek saath rehna hai toh yahan thoda awkward hoga, as AB needs to be here. So he made a wise decision of leaving everything and walked away.”

“Was it wise though?” He asked, studying her face.

“Passion ko, itne bade dream ko pyaar ke liye chod diya. You tell me how wise that decision was?” She sneered.

“When has love been wise?”

“I don’t f*cking know!” She snapped at him. “You want to know anything else?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I don’t know!”

“I’m here to talk if you need to.” He held her hand.

“Thanks.” She eased her shoulders and smiled at him.

“Ice cream khayegi?” He wiggled his brows.

“Meko ghar jana hai.” She pouted.

“Chal phir.” He got up. She followed him

The room was pitch black with the sound of deafening silence. The no moon dark night added to the mysteriousness of the room. A square source of bright white light projected from a screen onto his face. His eyes were blood red from the intensity of the light hitting them, but more so because of the tremendous crying he had endured. He kept looking at her picture on the screen which was blurring with every second he stared at it.

The doorbell rang, breaking the silence and disturbed his trance. He closed his eyes shut but he could see the outlines of her face. He wanted to hold on to that image, to never let go, but the constant ringing of the bell forced him to open his eyes and walk out of his room. He walked through the dark hallways and reached the main door. He closed his eyes and forcibly curved his lips to form a smile. The moment he opened the door, he couldn’t hold onto the façade. The person in front of him could read his soul. He dropped the pretence as tears sprung out of his eyes.

“Daaru laata, par stock khali tha. Toh paani se kaam chala le!”

“I have not been drinking.” He denied, taking the glass of water.

“I did not accuse you of that Armaan.” He smiled at him.

“When did you come back from New York?” Armaan smiled back at him.

“Landed what, two, three hours ago?” He gave it a thought. “Direct aane wala tha but I had to drop off my luggage at home before coming here.” He sat next to Armaan on the couch.

“Thanks for coming, Sid.” Armaan kept the empty glass on the table in front of him.

“Thanks for coming?” Sid made a disgusted face. “That b*tch really did do a number on you!”

“Sid!” Armaan reprimanded.

“I’m allowed to call her a b*tch for doing what she did!” Sid huffed.

“No you’re not!” Armaan passed him a stern look.

“Why not?” Sid huffed.

“Because with that logic I should be calling you a b*tch for doing what you did with Tyler.” Armaan sneered.

“That chapter is closed and I’m not interested in revisiting it!” Sid rolled his eyes.

“You are a lil b*tch!” Armaan scoffed.

“This was the reason why I was not supposed to meet you!” Sid spoke through gritted teeth and kept slapping his forehead for forgetting.

“Now that you are here, please tell me. Enlighten me!” Sid’s antics put a smile on his face. “What happened?”

“He cheated. That’s what happened. And I clearly don’t need to explain it to YOU how that feels!” Sid scoffed, emphasizing on you.

“Did he actually cheat or did you formulate a false reality for yourself?”

“It doesn’t matter now. It’s all over.” Sid leaned back into the couch.

“Aisa kya hua all of a sudden? Talk to me.”

“Oh self-proclaimed master of deflection, I see what you’re doing here.” Sid sneered. “I came here for you. Don’t you turn things around!”

“I am not. And there is honestly nothing for me to talk about. I was the haddi which they both finally decided to yank off from between them.” Armaan passed a sad smile. “Waise tere tak yeh news kaise pahuchi?”

“Nikki! She was almost in tears telling me about it.” Sid sighed.

“Aayi toh nahi voh yahan.” Armaan scoffed lightly.

“Tune khud usse mana kiya tha.” Sid reminded him.

“I feel lost, Sid.” Armaan said after a minute of silence. “Kaam pe bilkul dhyaan nahi hai mera and Mamoo wants to make me a CEO. Why?”

“Because you f*cking deserve it, you moron! You’ve earned that position, don’t forget that!”

“I.. don’t know Sid.” Armaan shrugged.

“Main yahan tere love crisis ke baare mein baat karne aaya tha. Yeh aise tu topic mat change kar!” Sid huffed.

“That relation was not meant to be. And I feel awful ki meri wajah se they both left from here.”

“Armaan stop it! She cheated on you. And I’m telling you usne Rey ko bhi kuch patti padayi hai. He would never do this to you!”

“I did that to him. He stepped away for me. Agar maine Riddhima mein interest nahi dikhaya hota toh aaj story kuch aur hoti.” Armaan looked away. “He bloody sacrificed his dream as he didn’t want to be with her in front of me! How am I supposed to live with that?”

“Armaan.” Sid placed his hand on his shoulder. “You did nothing. It was his decision, rather, their decision. I know it hurts but it is good that she is out of your life. You don’t need such people in your life.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Tyler loves you a lot to cheat on you. Please don’t ruin what you have between you two. You deserve that happiness!” Armaan placed his hand on Sid’s.

“You think I don’t have love for him? That I’m not dying for him to just tell me that he did not cheat on me? But voh yeh nahi karne wala. There is a huge difference between my illusion and the actual truth.”

“Toh tu maanta hai ki your illusion is not the actual truth?” Armaan smirked.

“Stop twisting my words.” Sid whined.

“I’ve met the guy, Sid. He selflessly loves you. And you can’t be mad at him for being friends with people. It’s like saying that Abhi should have had a permanent hatred towards me because people assumed that Nikki and I were a thing.”

“That is a bullshit analogy. You two never were a thing. It was all a hoax and bhai knew it very well!”

“Kisi aur ka example doon? But I’m pretty sure you won’t like it.” Armaan looked at him.

“Tu Rey bolega na toh thappad khayega!” Sid sneered.

“Do you think Swayam should feel some type of way as Sharon and Ayush are back on good terms?” Armaan asked, disregarding Sid’s glare on him.

“She is friends with that d*ckhead?” Sid widened his eyes.

“Yes and as per your logic Swayam should be seething right now.”

“All I know is that Ty is always with his best friend Joe and they have had a long past together. They had broken up and gotten back together multiple times in the past. Why is it so impossible for that to happen again? Why are you forcing me to believe in his words when his actions say otherwise? The other day he was taunting me for not being over my past when he was on his way to have lunch with his so-called ex! Why am I being labelled as the irrational one? Just because he told you that he loves me, his words mean more to you than mine? Why is it so hard for you to believe that I could be right?”

“I’m not weighing one’s words over the other. I’m just asking you to stop the assumption.”

“And what, wait till he actually cheats on me? I’m sure that would hurt less.” Sid sneered.

“Teko kaise samjhau main?” Armaan sighed.

“Kya samjhaana hai? Mujhe uske saath koi rishta nahi rakhna hai. Why are you forcing him on me?”

“Because you love him! Don’t let your prejudice overpower the love you have for him.”

“Pyaar kaafi nahi hota Armaan.” Sid looked away.

“I don’t know what to say..”

“Then don’t!” Sid pouted. “And go to sleep it’s pretty late.” Sid got up to leave.

“Tu yahin ruk ja aaj.” Armaan held his hand and stopped him.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Sid squeezed his hand and smiled warmly at him.

…

“Hi maasi!” Sid entered the house.

“Sid? Tum kab aaye?” Tanya was surprised to see him.

“Bas abhi.” He smiled as he took a seat next to her at the dining table.

“Toh kal tera bhoot mila tha mujhe bahar?” Shivam taunted as he took a seat opposite to him.

“Coffee?” Tanya asked Sid.

“No, I’m good.” Sid smiled.

“Waise where did you go last night? I was surprised to see you leave.” Shivam asked him.

“Mumma, sorry breakfast ka bilkul time nahi hai. Ek meeting hai aaj subah and I’m running late.” Taani rushed out of her room.

“Oye, hi toh bolti ja!” Sid sneered at her.

“Bye Sid!” Taani left.

“Yeh kabhi nahi sudharne wali.” Tanya shook her head.

“Arre maasi relax. She’ll be fine.” Sid let out a chuckle.

“Sure.” Shivam scoffed under his breath.

“Sorry?” Sid looked at him.

“If you two need anything, help yourself. Main thodi der jaake soti hoon.” Tanya got up.

“All good?” Sid asked her.

“I couldn’t sleep well last night toh abh bas thodi neend aa rahi hai.” She replied and went to her room.

“Take care.” Sid smiled.

“Tum bhi ja rahe ho sone?” Shivam asked.

“Kyun?” Sid furrowed his brows.

“Not jet lagged? Waise bhi you were out last night.” Shivam shrugged his shoulders.

“Ghoom nahi raha tha. Armaan se milne gaya tha.” Sid shook his head.

“Kyun?” Shivam looked at him.

“Kyun ka kya matlab? With all that has happened, he needed someone.”

“I can’t believe you chose him over your sister. Have you even tried to talk to her? No wait, you were too busy hanging out with the person who made your sister miserable!” Shivam shot daggers at Sid.

“Done? Or do you have anything of more value to add?” Sid clenched his jaw. “And FYI, my sister is not the only person who is affected because of what happened. My best friend is miserable too. He needs me and I will in a heartbeat go to help him. Also, I didn’t neglect her last night..”

“You did!” Shivam interrupted him. “Tum ek baar milne bhi nahi aaye. If I had not seen you in the lobby, I wouldn’t even know that you were back.”

“What are you trying to prove?” Sid got up frustrated.

“My point is already proven.” Shivam got up and left.

“What?” Sid scrunched his nose and furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Sid!” Tanya called for him.

“Haan maasi?” Sid entered her room.

“You might have already seen, but Purvi and Juno are living next door.” She informed him.

“Haan maasi, I met them.” Sid smiled at her.

“Kitne dino ke liye aaye ho?” She sat up straight on her bed.

“Hamesha ke liye.” He replied.

“Aise achanak? Kuch bataya bhi nahi?” She was surprised.

“Course khatam hogaya mera, so I came back.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Haan par aarahe ho yeh bata toh sakte the?” She scolded him.

“I heard what happened and..” He looked at her with a loss of words.

“It has been gloomy but I’m certain that the sun will shine. Who knows you could be the ray of sunshine?” She smiled warmly.

“Rey..” Sid rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Tujhe pata hai maine aur uske parents ne unn dono ko bola tha ki apni khushi se saath raho dusron ki khushi ke liye nahi. Do you think it is fair to be mad at him for following that advice?”

“Maasi main.. Kaise..”

“Chod. Tu jaake rest kar le.” She smiled at him.

“Aap bhi.” He turned to leave and stopped. “Also, don’t worry about Taani. She will get through this.” He left.

…

“Why did you ask me to come to the office?” Taani asked, pointing at her phone.

“The meeting got cancelled and..” Ayushman paused and shut his eyes close and scrunched his nose. “You know what, I’m not going to lie to you.” He shook his head and opened his eyes.

“What?” Taani furrowed her brows. “Main kuch samjhi nahi.”

“My meeting is at SRS with Rann sir and Armaan bhai.” He informed her.

“Haan toh.. oh!” Taani stared at him with a blank face as the information sunk in.

“I would completely understand if you would want to sit this out.”

Taani stared at Ayushman’s face not knowing how to react. She was grateful for the understanding that he had shown towards her throughout this whole time. She had been lacking at work, but he never complained about it. In fact, he was very supportive and she felt ungrateful towards him.

“We should leave. Else we’ll be late for the meeting.” She put forth a strong face.

“I don’t know how you’re doing this. But hey, I’m not complaining. I hate going alone to a meeting.” He let out a soft chuckle and motioned her to move towards his car.

Throughout the entire ride Taani sat quietly staring out of the window. She was breathing in deep breaths to calm her pulsating heart. She dreaded meeting Rannvijay and hoped that Adah had not asked her for this favor. She wanted to run away but she couldn’t do it to the person sitting next to her in the car. This was her work and his name on the line. She needed to find that backbone of professionalism within herself. She couldn’t let her emotions run her life anymore.

“We’re here!” Ayushman squeezed her hand and got out of the car.

“Let’s go.” Taani curved her lips to resemble a smile and got out.

Taani and Ayushman were escorted to the waiting area as Rannvijay was busy in another meeting. They both sat themselves across the meeting room. Taani looked around the area to avoid eye contact with Ayushman. She was struggling to keep herself together. A thought crossed her mind to get up and run, but she buried it deep within her. She looked at the partially closed blinds of the meeting room and saw Rannvijay standing tall behind the desk and a man with a feeble stature standing across him. Rannvijay picked up a file in front of him and threw it at him.

“What is all this rubbish? Did I not ask you to correct it?” Rannvijay yelled.

Taani was startled to hear the roar outside. Even though faint, she could hear him clearly. She looked through the blinds and saw Rannvijay seething in anger. She felt uneasy in the pit of her stomach but tried her best to not show it on her face.

“He sounds mad.” Ayushman mumbled, gaining Taani’s attention.

Taani turned to face him and saw the nervous look on his face. She just nodded at him and turned her attention back to the meeting room.

“Why are you still here? Leave!” Rannvijay pointed at the door.

Taani recognized Naveen as he turned around. He quickly grabbed the file and walked out of the room. He marched past them with his head low. She looked back into the room and saw Rannvijay sitting holding his head. Armaan sat next to him with an amused smile on his face. He passed a glass of water to him. Taani was oddly fascinated seeing their composure. Through her internship at SRS and Purvi’s ramblings about work, she had never heard of Rannvijay raging at anyone in the office. It was always Armaan who had that department covered. Seeing them switch roles made her feel restless. She feared to walk into the room and face Rannvijay.

“Rannvijay sir is ready to meet you.” Zenia informed them and left.

“Sure, thank you.” Ayushman smiled and got up. “Taani?” He placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Haan?” She was startled.

“Chale?” He asked her.

“Is it wise to go in right now? I mean..” Taani looked away.

“You wait here. I’ll handle this.” He passed her a smile and adjusted himself as he walked into the room.

Taani just nodded at him and cowered into the couch. She couldn’t get past her inner turmoil to walk in with him. She wanted to run away but was struggling to stand. She pulled her legs up closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She put her head on her knees and dreaded as the time passed slowly. She closed her eyes shut and tried to replace Rannvijay’s angry face with his calm and loving one which she adored. She wanted to delete this memory.

Taani felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and raised her head. Her vision was blurry as she opened her eyes. She was surprised to see Rannvijay sitting next to her with a warm smile adorning his face. She leaned on his shoulder and shut her eyes. He engulfed her into a hug and placed a kiss on her head. She hugged him back feeling peaceful in his embrace.

“Thank you.” She opened her eyes after a while.

“Kaisi ho?” He asked her.

Taani looked at Armaan standing in front of them. He had a look of familiarity. For the first time she saw her pain reflect in someone else’s eyes. Feeling overwhelmed, she looked away.

“Come with me.” Rannvijay made her stand up with him.

“Uncle, I’ll take your leave.” Ayushman announced.

“Ayush..”

“Taani tum ruko yahan. Hum kal office mein milte hai.” Ayushman interjected her. Taani nodded in response.

“Mamoo main ghar ja raha hoon. Call me if you need anything.” Armaan informed him and left.

Rannvijay walked Taani to his cabin and made her sit on a chair. He took a seat next to her.

“Ro kyun rahi ho?” He wiped the tear off the corner of her eye.

“Paa main..” She stopped and looked at his face.

“Haan?” He asked her to continue.

“Voh main.. voh.. uncle..” She looked away and fumbled with her words.

“Uncle?” He was surprised. “Jo bhi hua uss se hum dono ki equation change nahi huyi hai. You’re still my daughter.”

“I missed you.” She closed her eyes and sniffled.

“I did not expect you to walk away like he did.”

“Paa please.” She hurriedly opened her eyes and saw him smiling at her. “Yeh bohot ganda mazak tha.” She pouted at him.

“Haan par uske peeche jo emotion tha voh genuine hai. Tum yahan office tak aayi aur mujhse mile bina jaane wali thi. Ayush ne bataya isiliye mujhe pata chala. Aur yeh kya halath bana ke rakhi hai apni? Khana peena chod diya hai?” He scolded her.

“I’m sorry Paa.” Taani held her ears.

“I’m sorry for Rey’s actions as well. Kabhi nahi socha tha ki voh aisa karega.” He apologized on Rey’s behalf.

“Aap kyun sorry bol rahe ho? Ismein aapki thodi kuch galati hai. Jo bhi Rey..” She paused as she said his name aloud. “Usne jo bhi kiya voh apni marzi se kiya. You don’t have to apologize for it.”
“I know I don’t, but I still want you to know that.” He placed his hand on her head.

“Paa, I wanted to reach out to you, talk to you, par mujhe darr tha ki..” She looked at him and trembled to get the words out.

“Ki tumne voh haq kho diya?” He completed her sentence. She nodded. “Taani, tum meri life mein utni hi important ho jitna Rey, Armaan, Muskaan, Sharon, Swayam and all the rest who look up to me. Tum mujhe jab chahe call kar sakti ho and for whatever reason. I will make sure to answer that call. I didn’t call you my daughter just because you were marrying my son, I did that because I truly consider you to be my daughter, my family.”

Taani sobbed uncontrollably and Rannvijay just let her pour her pain out. She needed to grieve before she could mend her broken heart. She knew the pain of loss but the betrayal that came with it was hard to let go.

“I can’t do this anymore.” She shook her head.

“Then don’t! Take a break. Challenge yourself to something new. Explore some places. Treat yourself. This is not the end of the road. You are just stuck in a labyrinth because you took a wrong turn. Backup a little and you will find a new route.”

“Paa I want to hate him par koi mujhe voh karne hi nahi deta. There is always a reason which is given to me.”

“Did the reason come from him?” He asked. She shook her head in negation. “Then why are you listening to what others have to say? Everyone around you wants good for you. But you know what’s best for you. Don’t ever suppress your emotion just because you didn’t want to hurt others, you’ll be doing injustice to the both of you.”

…

“You came back early.” Sid knocked on Taani’s door and walked in.

“Haan, aaj bas ek meeting thi.” Taani continued with cleaning the shelves.

“How has work been?” He enquired.

“Good.” She removed a few books and cleaned the dust off the shelf.

“Aur baaki kaise chal raha hai sab?” He handed her the books and she began placing them.

“Good.” She replied curtly and kept her focus on the cleaning.

“Taani?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you mad at me?” He questioned.

“Why would I be mad at you?” She raised her shoulders and faced him.

“Subah you left without even saying hi..”

“I was in a hurry Sid.”

“Sid?” He held her gaze but she quickly looked away.

“So, course khatam? Mumma bata rahi thi.”

“Yup, sab khatam.” He put his hands in his pockets.

“That’s great. Now you can stay with us and not miss out on anything.” She passed him a smile.

“Yeah.” He nodded in response.

“Oh good tum dono mujhe yahin mil gaye!” Shivam entered her room and shut the door.

“Kya hua?” Sid squinted at him.

“Tum dono ke liye invitation cards aaye hai.” Shivam rolled his eyes and handed it to them.

Sid smiled as he opened the card and read Armaan’s message at the back of it.

“What’s the other one?” Shivam questioned.

“Academy launch..” Sid opened the other card. “Yup!” He nodded and chuckled reading the message behind the card.

“Tumne open nahi kiye.” Shivam pointed at Taani’s cards.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not going.” Taani shrugged her shoulders.

“That’s good!” Shivam agreed. “I mean after all that has transpired, it is wise to distance ourselves from them.”

“Hmm.” Taani responded as she went back to cleaning her shelves.

“Hmm kya? I saw who you came home with, Taani.” Shivam folded his arms across his chest.

“Paa insisted on driving me home.” Taani answered.

“Paa?” Shivam was amused. “Taani, I understand it’s hard but you have to move on. You can’t dwell on your past.” He made her face him.

“Bhai, I..”

“I know you need time. But I’m here to help you through it. Okay?” He placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Thanks bhai.” She hugged him.

“I’ll be next door. Let me know when you’re done with this.” Sid pointed to her shelves.

Taani nodded at Sid and he left.

“Isse kya hua?” Shivam was confused.

“I think he had come to talk.” She replied.

“Good.” Shivam responded curtly and left as well.

“I’m asking you for the last time.” Sid crossed his arms.

“My answer is still the same. I’m not coming.” Taani replied and settled in her bed.

“Taani, teko invitation bheja..” Sid tried to reason but was interrupted.

“Sid, she doesn’t want to come. Stop forcing her.” Shivam cut him off. “And honestly you shouldn’t be going either.”

“Make me!” Sid challenged him.

“You’re impossible!” Shivam shook his head and left Taani’s room.

“I’ll be waiting in the car for the next fifteen minutes. In case you decide to change your mind.” Sid left as well.

Taani glanced at the invitation cards placed on the side table. She stretched her hands towards them and stopped midway. She picked up her phone instead and called Rannvijay.

“Hi Taani.” Rannvijay answered the call. “Are you here already?” He asked.

“Paa, I’m sorry. I won’t be coming.” Taani replied softly.

“I sort of already knew that. Don’t worry mujhe bilkul bhi bura nahi laga.” He smiled.

“Thank you.” She sniffed.

“Taani.” He reprimanded her.

“Sorry.” She sniffed again.

“Sir aapko Juhi ma’am bula rahi hai.” Taani heard over the phone.

“Paa, main rakhti hoon.” She immediately disconnected the call.

Taani’s phone beeped again and she opened the text message from Sid.

“I take the answer is still a no. Here is the link of the event which you can watch online. If you wish to.”

Taani locked her phone and kept it aside.

…

“That was Dil Dosti Dance Academy. Give them a huge round of applause!” The emcee announced.

“Thank you!” Swayam took the mic while the rest of the team stood behind him.

“Please can we have a few words about the academy from you.” The emcee asked as the applause faded.

“Dil Dosti Dance Academy or like we all lovingly call D3 Academy is a place where each one of us has their heart and soul connected to dance. Through D3 we want to help everyone discover their love for dance!” Swayam smiled at the crowd and they erupted in a roar of cheer and applause.

They all walked off the stage and were surrounded by press. Dodging the multitude of questions thrown at them, they made their way to the green room to change.

“That was..” Simmi’s eyes twinkled as she soaked in the moment.

“Exhilarating!” Sharon giggled lightly as they all huddled up for a hug.

“It still feels unreal!” Nil shook his head.

“Congratulations guys!” Sara barged in and joined the hug. “You all were so f*cking good! Everyone in the crowd was mesmerized!”

“Okay now enough with all this. We have to head out for uncle’s announcement.” Swayam got everyone to separate the huddle.

Everyone quickly left to change. Swayam started undoing the buttons on his shirt as he leaned against the wall for support. Sharon approached him and locked her hands behind his neck.

“I..” He opened his eyes and looked at her.

“Shoo!” She shook her head at him and placed her lips on his. Swayam immediately responded back.

“I’m scared.” He lowered his head as he parted from her.

“I know.” She lifted his head up. “I heard. But I know you’ll be fine.” She pecked his lips and left to change.

Sharon walked out after changing to find the green room empty. She rolled her eyes and huffed as no one waited for her. She made her way to the door and bumped into Armaan.

“F*ck!” Armaan instantly turned around to face the door.

“AB?” Sharon stopped him from walking out. “What’s the matter?”

“Tu yahan kya kar rahi hai?” He asked, still facing away from her.

“Aap yahan kyun ho? You should be outside.” She made him turn to face her.

Armaan had worry lines on his forehead. His eyes were constantly moving in search of something. He was taking rapid breaths whilst trying to maintain a calm composure.

“Come here.” She pulled him in and made him sit on the couch. “What’s wrong?” She sat next to him.

“I’m terrified of all those people staring at me and.. forget it!” He sighed heavily.

“I have ears too, you know.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“It’s all too jarring. Mujhe laga tha sab theek hai par abh fatt rahi hai.” He clenched his jaw shut as his eyes started pooling.

“AB, just remember, you deserve all this more than any other person in this world. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise. Also, wherever that idiot is, he is going to have a huge smile seeing you up there.” Sharon pulled him closer and kissed his forehead.

“He better!” Armaan let out a small chuckle and pulled Sharon into a hug.

…

“RS Group of Industries was the original name of this small company. It was mainly managing my father’s old company and creating a branch of my own alongside Gautam and my beloved Juhi. I don’t think I would be standing here without your constant support. Back when we started, it was only a dream to see it become successful. Then Rishi joined in and the dream slowly started becoming a reality. Which today is well-known as SRS Creations. I always thought that we the founders gave our hundred percent to the company, until I came across this insane young man. He has, from his day one working as my assistant to now managing the entire overseas branch, worked twice as harder if not more than all of us combined. I can sleep peacefully at night knowing he is in charge. I feel honored to pass this torch to him. Mr. Armaan Mallik, the new CEO of SRS Creations!” Rannvijay ended his speech as Armaan walked up on the stage.

“That was a long speech. Kitne mahine lage likhne mein?” Armaan chuckled as he stood beside Rannvijay.

Rannvijay narrowed his eyes and curved his lips to form a smile. He swiftly held Armaan’s ear and twisted it, making him wince in pain.

“Mamoo!” Armaan cried, making everyone laugh.

“You were saying?” Rannvijay left his ear and smirked at him.

“Thank you!” Armaan smiled. “Thank you to everyone who has placed their belief in me. I feel honored!”

“Congratulations!”

“Thanks Naveen.”

“I’m certain that a lot of people have questions for you. Would you mind answering a couple?” Naveen asked Armaan and Rannvijay.

“All you son!” Rannvijay raised his hands and walked off the stage.

“Sure.. We can.” Armaan shook his head at Rannvijay and walked to the seating arrangement set up in the middle of the stage.

“I’m not going to set myself on an absolute failure and ask the most redundant question.” Naveen chuckled.

“Good!” Armaan joined him.

“When did you learn that you were going to be the next CEO and what was your reaction to that?” Naveen asked.

“You found a way to ask the redundant question.” Armaan shook his head and continued, “I’m not sure to be completely honest. I was never told this but it was almost a given for a long time now. And as for my reaction, well, it’s not like I wasn’t performing any of these duties anyway for something to change.”

“So you were the acting CEO?”

“Don’t you think so?”

“You weren’t here, so I can’t say much about it.”

“Right! I had Rey, Sharon and Swayam acting on my behalf here for a while.” Armaan chuckled.

“Speaking of them, what would you like to say on the launch of D3?”

“Much awaited! They’ve worked so hard for it and I’m so happy for them. They built their dream into a reality.”

“Unfortunately we don’t have Rey here to..”

“That is very unfortunate.” Armaan nodded.

“There is a lot of speculation regarding his absence. Is any of it true?” Naveen asked, straightening himself.

Everyone went silent. Armaan took his time to answer the question and looked around in the crowd. He scanned all the faces and finally found the one he was looking for. Sharon looked back at him and blinked slowly, nodding her head. Armaan took a deep breath and brought his attention back at Naveen, who looked extremely uncomfortable in his seat. Armaan smiled at him.

“True?” Armaan scoffed. “From all that I’ve heard, it’s just a mockery if not slandering Rey. It just riles me up hearing all the baseless accusations on the poor thing. Like you’ve known him for so long, does he come across as petty who left because he wasn’t lineaged into this position?” He rolled his eyes at the end.

“Rey was never really interested in the position. So when I heard that I laughed so hard, I can’t explain.” Naveen shook his head. “His passion and his dream has always been D3. And for him to not be here for the launch, it has to be something very big.”

“It is! And as unfortunate as it sounds, I am at no liberty to disclose it to anyone. It will be announced when the time comes.” Armaan smiled.

Armaan looked back at Sharon in the crowd. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at the blatant lie that Armaan and Naveen were cooking on the stage. Swayam stood next to her with his brows furrowed deep in confusion. Naveen quickly wrapped up the remaining questions and concluded the interview. Armaan walked into the green room followed by the entire team.

“What was that?” Swayam questioned once they all were in.

“You exactly know why.” Armaan sat on the couch and held his head.

“When did you plan all this?” Sharon sat next to him.

“Bahar jo faltu ki bakwas chal rahi thi usko band karne ke liye kuch toh karna hi tha!” Armaan huffed and rubbed his forehead.

“Kya bakwas?” Vicky asked unaware.

“Are you serious?” Sharon scoffed at him.

“Genuinely puch raha hoon yaar.” Vicky looked at everyone.

“There is a rumor going around that Rey ran away with Riri to get back at bhai. Bhai became the CEO and Rey didn’t like that decision. So he decided to run away with Riri.” Swayam explained with gritted teeth.

“That makes zero sense!” Simmi made a disgusted face.

“But it makes for some great gossip.” Sara rolled her eyes.

“Why are you cleaning his dirty laundry? It’s not like he cared about you while leaving.” Sid scoffed from the door.

“What are you doing here?” Armaan looked at him.

“You invited me! Hello?” Sid widened his eyes at Armaan.

“Akela aaya?” Armaan looked behind him.

“Oh don’t get me started!” Sid huffed and walked in.

“So what is the big announcement?” Swayam asked.

“I don’t know. Make something up later. Who cares?” Armaan rolled his eyes.

“AB, you okay?” Sharon placed her hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Also, we should be outside. I don’t want any more nonsense spewed up!” Armaan got up and left.

“He worries me!” Sid stated.

…

“Taani?” Juno knocked on her door and opened it.

Taani was startled and her phone fell out of her hand. She scrambled to pick it up and quickly locked it.

“Tu theek hai?” He asked, worried by her actions. “Did I walk in at an unfortunate time? You should lock your door!” He chuckled.

“Disgusting!” Taani scoffed at him.

“Abh tu behave hi waise kar rahi thi toh..”

“Shut up!” She pouted at him.

“Tu gayi nahi?” He sat next to her.

“Kahan?” She squinted at him.

“Purvi bata rahi thi ki koi retirement party hai. Voh aur Sid ja rahe the.”

“I.. was not invited.”

“Sure!” He glanced at the cards on her side table and looked back at her.

“I feel like bhai is right.” She said after a moment of silence.

“About?” He asked.

“I should create distance from them. They act like he did nothing wrong. Usse defend kar rahe hai sab aur excuses bana rahe hai voh alag.” She rolled her eyes.

“Did you talk to someone?” He was confused.

“I was watching the event. Armaan bhai was acting like nothing had happened. I don’t understand.” She sighed.

“He could have been acting that way because of the media there. Abh personal jo bhi feeling ho iss sab ko leke, duniya ke saamne toh he will need to defend the name of the company. Especially jab voh just CEO bana hai.” He pointed out.

“I don’t know. I think it’s better to distance myself from them.” She looked away from him.

“Kiske saath touch mein hai pehle voh bata?” He cocked his brow at her.

“Are you here to grill me?” She huffed at him.

“Mujhe bore ho raha tha akele toh yahan aaya.” He slid down on her bed.

“Toh kya karna hai?” She asked.

“Talk?” He answered unsure. “Waise bhi tu itne dino baad aise free mili hai.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Kaam tha yaar bohot.” She sighed and slid next to him.

“Toh bata..”

“Kya?”

“How are you?” He looked at her closely.

“Busy hoon aur..”

“Kaam ke peeche chupna band karegi?” He glared at her.

“What..?” She looked everywhere around the room but him.

“Main tere baare mein puch raha hoon ki tu kaisi hai? Jabse voh gaya hai dhang se kisise baat nahi ki hai tune. Kuch bhi pucho toh bas kaam hai! So now that you are free, tell me. How are YOU?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed. “I feel mad, but I’m also sad. I even feel a little bit bad.”

“Wah! Breakup ke baad toh tu rapper ban gayi!” He joked.

“Juno I honestly don’t know what I’m doing in life. Kaam ke jitne excuses bana rahi hoon utna kaam toh karti bhi nahi hoon. If my boss wasn’t Ayush, I would have been fired already. He is being so patient and understanding with me ki mujhe guilty feel ho raha hai for acting like this. Main choti bachchi nahi hoon but I’m definitely acting like one. I feel awful when I talk to him. Why is he being such a nice friend to me?” She felt helpless.

“Probably because, like us, he doesn’t want to see you sad.”

“Yeah but he is my boss. He should be scolding me for being inefficient at work!”

“I’ll ask Purvi to pass on the message to him.”

“Purvi bhi Siddo ke saath gayi thi?” Taani asked him.

“Sid akele gaya. Purvi Arjun ke saath gayi.” Juno informed her.

“Arjun Mumbai mein hai? On a weekday?” Taani furrowed her brows.

“Haan even I was surprised. Purvi said ki office ke kaam se Mumbai mein hai voh.”

“Do you think I should hate him for leaving?” She asked after a minute of silence.

“He didn’t just leave you. He left you for someone else.”

“What difference does it make?”

“See when you left for Mumbai, I’m not gonna lie, I was sad. But I knew why you wanted to leave. You always dreamt of going to that college and I liked that you were achieving it. I got over that initial sadness knowing that you were doing what makes you happy. And honestly I was no one to stop you.”

“Aise mat bol yaar.”

“Agar main bolta ki mat ja toh tu rukti?”

“But why would you ask that of me?”

He sighed and shook his head.

“Bata na.”

“Hypothetical question tha.”

“I don’t like playing with hypotheticals.”

“Anyway your case is different. So I don’t know what to say.”

“Just tell me that I’m a stupid immature idiot who still has a tiny hope that this all isn’t true!” She knocked her knuckles on her head.

“And why do you feel that way?”

“Have you not seen everyone around me? Kabhi kabhi toh lagta hai ki bas bhai ko padi hai meri. Baaki sab toh koi na koi justification dhund rahe hai.”

“Maine kya..”

“Tu mera friend hai. You should be telling me how bad of a person he was and that I deserve better!”

“You deserve the best Taani. The person who you decide to love will be the best person in this world.”

“I love him. I still do!” She broke down.

“Hey.. come here.” He slid his arm below her neck and pulled her onto him by her shoulders.

Taani wept, hugging Juno and eventually fell asleep.

“You’re late!” He tilted his head towards the door as he heard it open.

“I haven’t even stepped a foot inside. You want me to go back?” She asked sternly with her hands on her hips.

“You’re never late. I’m allowed to complain once in a while.” He pouted.

“Stop doing that. I can’t stay mad at that face.” She shook her head and walked to the kitchen to unload the groceries.

“You could have texted me. Main yeh sab laake rakhta.” He complained as he helped her.

“I know.” She nodded in response.

“What’s this?” He picked up a box. “Mør, Tender Heart Bakery, rye and buttermilk snap crackers.” He read the label on the box. “That doesn’t sound tender at all.” He scoffed.

“It’s supposedly healthy. I just thought that we could try something new. I’m bored of eating the regular crackers.” She replied.

“At least those are tasty. These don’t even sound tasty.” He made a face and kept the box on the counter.

“What’s for dinner today?” She asked.

“The live stream!” He grinned at her.

“To eat.” She rolled her eyes at him.

“Oh.” He looked around and whistled.

“Oh good, you forgot to cook.” She plastered a fake smile on her lips and shot daggers at him.

“Hei dame, I present to you Raspeball with some juicy sausages.” He lifted the lid to reveal the food.

“What ball?” She asked, eyeing the food hungrily.

“Potato balls. Also called potetball.” He explained.

“That looks so delicious. You’re the best. I love you!”

“I know, I know. Chal now serve. Main YouTube on karta hoon.” He grinned at her.

“Get those crackers as well.” She pointed at the kitchen counter.

“You know, none of them texted me. I mean I agree number nahi hai, but Instagram pe main abhi bhi hoon.” He complained as the video started.

“Oh come on Rey.” She looked at him sternly. “Koi message karta bhi toh you would have been cribbing ki message kyun kiya.”

“Shut up. Let me enjoy the performance.” He pouted, making her giggle.

“Where did you get the recipe from?” She asked.

“YouTube! Where else?”

“You miss it don’t you?” She smiled sadly at him.

“It hurts a little less being here.” He smiled back at her.

“Damn they’re good!” She appreciated the team.

“They are the best!” He replied proudly.

“These not so good.” She made a face while eating the crackers.

“You are going to finish those!”

“Shut up and eat!” She served him.

“Riri!” He yelled.

“It’s healthy!” She giggled.

“Don’t you dare get these again.” He flared his nostrils as he ate the crackers.

“This event was huge!” She stared at the screen.

“Bhai looks so nervous.” He shook his head.

“Why is he acting so weird though?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Mamoo, are you sure about me being the CEO?” He imitated Armaan. “I’m pretty sure he must have asked this even at the event.”

“Don’t mock him now.” She reprimanded him.

“Really Swayam? That was all that you could come up with?” He pressed his lips together as Swayam finished his speech.

“Did you have a speech prepared?” She asked.

“Huh?”

“If you were to be there, did you have a speech prepared?”

“I didn’t as mujhe bohot pehle se pata tha ki main wahan nahi hone wala tha.” He looked away.

“Rey..” She held his hand.

“I’m fine.” He assured her.

“Uncle’s speech.” She pointed at the screen.

“Maa..” Rey had a sad smile as the camera panned on Juhi.

“Who do you miss the most?”

“Her.” He looked away and sighed. “Anyway it doesn’t matter now.”

“Come here.” Riri kept their empty plates aside and snuggled close to Rey.

“I..”

“I know.” She paused the video.

“I was excited to watch the event. But it’s just making me feel guilty. I don’t want to watch ahead.”

“We can continue this any other time. Hmm?” She entwined her fingers securely with his.

“Yeah.” He nodded and kissed the back of her palm.

“Come, let’s go to sleep.” She stood up and pulled him with her.

“Riri.” He pulled on her arm and stopped her. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“A hell lot of times. So much so that I’m tired listening to it now.” She giggled.

“Hey!” He complained. “You’ll miss it terribly when I stop.”

“Well it ain’t today! So get your arse in the bedroom!”

“Ja ja kaptein!”

“Shut up!” She chuckled, making him laugh as well.

 Hello

Where do I begin? I'll start with how I was supposed to update this for new years but my laptop blew up on me, well, the motherboard did. And it took two weeks to get it repaired! Yay Happy New Year!

This chapter is dated for Jan/Feb of 2021. I am legitimately two years late! How and when did this happen? My plan was to update every month but I think life didn't want that to happen!

So here's me with an update with no idea when the next would be. So hang in there and don't worry about me leaving this story incomplete. I have worked too hard and devoted too much time to just leave it hanging. And as someone pointed out to me, this story may end up taking 15 years to complete but it will have a definitive end.

Also, do follow me on Instagram if you aren't already. I have turned bad at checking my PM's but I do check my messages there.

: @taarey1025

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