No strings attached- Taarey FF - Page 92

"Ugh!!!" Taani groans catching her head in her palms as she goes through the torture of a hangover. Squinting her eyes closed, she massages her head in an effort to get some relief.

"Take this.." She hears a deep male voice and opens her eyes. This is the voice she knows. A rough hand with medicines remain offered and as she moved her eyes trailing the muscles, she finally catches the face too familiar.

"Rajeev?! What are you doing here?"

"These are painkillers. Take them." He says a little sternly ignoring her question. She follows obediently may be for the first time.

"Now..my question. What are you doing here?!" She asks once finished with medicines.

"Last night, you got drunk, throw up twice and then peacefully lost all your consciouness. I brought you here and get you on bed. And yeah, I was on couch the entire night in case you needed anything." She creases her brows as flashback of the night before takes inside her brain and slowly her eyes widen as realisation hit her hard. Shit! Shit!! Shit!!! SHIT!!!!

"I gotta go!!" She jumps off her bed, hairs messy, face disaster and dress all creased. Her mission to find her sandals started forgetting her horrible condition.

"Wow!! Wow!!! Wait taani!" Rajeev almost shouted as she threw a pillow in his direction hitting him indirectly. He gets her temporary attention.

"I think you remember well, what you did last night.."

"Listen! I'll have your lecture some other good day. For now, I gotta amend my mistake." She grabs a sandal from beneath the bed and starts to strap it on her foot.

"Mistake?! What mistake?"

"Telling my best friend that I love him. Blaming him for something he's not at fault. Leaving him miserable and alone. Dude!! There's plenty!!" She quickly finds another sandal and strap it as well, hurridly running out of the room.

"Wait taani!!" She feels a strong tug on her arm and soon she was pulles back on the messy bed. "Just wait you grasshopper!!!" He warns with wide eyes and once he felt sure that she was no more running on her toes, he takes a deep breath. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"Waiting for your crap to get over so I can finish up some 'Important Work'."

"No!! I mean..with your life!! You said you love the boy. Yes or No?!"

She goes into deep thought as if doubting her own words last night. "Yes..." Her eyes refuses to face his.

"Then why are you calling it a mistake?"

"Because it destroyed everything." She gets on her feet gaining back her confidence as she looks in his eyes.

"It doesn't!! But what you are going to do will definitely destroy everything!!!!" She looks at him confused.

"Listen taani! You can't deny your feelings. They are there and this is it. You should be honest about what you feel about him as that will be the best thing for your friendship."

She chuckles. "Are you serious?! Like...I should seriously tell my best friend that I love him and its okk and we can still be friends with me LOVING him!!! This is the FLOPEST advice ever!!" She shouts at the end.

"And saying sorry for falling in love is the most amazing plan!!! Isn't it?!" He matches her tone. Note the sarcasm.

Taani leaves a breath she has been keeping inside. Her head pounded with too much info and the probability of consequences scared the hell out of her body. Unknowingly, she shuddered with bad thoughts forming in her brain.

"Taani listen! Just confess to him honestly. Leave everything else on God..All is going to be fine..." Rajeev catches her shoulder trying to bring some relief to the girl. Her face tensed and confused, she could hardly think further. Finding it impossible to make any decision, she took a deep breath rather a sigh as she looked straight at him, "Fine."

Rey groans getting his head up from what felt like a cold hard marble. He squints his eyes closed after a vain attempt to open them. Once his throbbing head gave a signal that it is not going to leave him soon, he once again open his eyes, irritation written on his face in bold capitals. He looks around only to found himself sitting at the bar with swayam right away on another bar stool. Sharon sleeps a little far away on a bed mattress near the pool.

He catches his head, groaning loudly and slowly the lights...the vibrant atmosphere...the mistakes...the feelings...the flashback of last night came to him. He closes his eyes tightly in a vain attempt to remove the pictures from his brain. As he struggles with his memory, a voice interrupted his work sending a shock down his spine.

"Rey!" She calls and though he heard, he so wanted to pretend that he doesn't. The last thing he wanted now to face her...face taani.

"Kahi aur chalke baat kare?" She asks impassively and all he could respond was a small nod.

The waves hit the sand leaving a wet impression as it moves back. The beach was as usual full with loads of crazy people having fun, not like the two people sitting at far corner watching the entire scene as if feeling jealous. It could have been them, only if things were not like they are. There was just a moment of silence as one expected the other to talk.

Rey gulps as he looks for courage inside, "Listen taani, lets just forget..."

"I can't." She interrupted. He looked at her confused. "I can't lie, Rey."

"About what?!!"

"About my feelings. I am trying but I can't lie to you. Its true. Whatever I said last night...it was all truth." She pauses ti gauge his reaction. He remains mum until he founds his voice again..though with quite difficulty.

"So you mean...you really think I used you?!" He looks extremely nervous.

"No!!! Not that part! The part where I said that I love you...its true." Her voice dies down in the end. His eyes bulges more as he feels a lump in his throat.

"Taani I..."

"I know." She interrupts again feeling more confident to speak now. "I know you don't feel the same way."

"Really?!...I..I mean you seriously..." He found himself losing the words.

"Yes, I mean seriously." She cleared loudly. "And honestly...its not Ok." She pauses to look at him again. He looks extremely anxious as if on the verge of getting hit by a train.

"You are not Ok?! I am really sorry..."

"Let me speak. Please." She heaves a sigh. "So...yes, I am not Ok. How can I be. I fall in love with a guy and he doesn't love me back. Its like somebody is punching me straight in the stomach and all I wanna do is puke all over the place and on his face." Rey shifts a little from his place. "Look, I am just being honest."

"Ya, I know. Go on." He half smiles trying to sound cool but his face looks washed with fear.

"So, as I was saying I am not Ok but whatever it is, I can't blame you for anything. Can I?!" He just listens unable to find some reaction or atleast act mature. All he could feel was that in front if this completely insane and mature girl he is looking just so...dumb.

"Rey!!" She calls him from his thought. He frantically shrug his head getting back to concentrate on her.

"I am sorry...what were you saying?!"

"That I can't blame you since its my individual feelings and its your choice if you feel to reciprocate or not."

"Ya..ya..exactly." Rey nod his head not even getting meaning out of her words. For a known and obvious reason, she suddenly felt gloomy. She pulls out of darkness before it can take her in and bring back the courage to say it all.

"So it'll be better if we don't compromise our friendship for the feelings that have to die down one day. Are you ok with it?!"

"Ya, I think so.." He says half mindedly.

"So, here's what I think. Leave my feelings to me. They are my problem. I'll deal with them. We'll continue to live the way we used to before shit happens and everything is going to be fine." She looks hopefully at him as her heart doubts the last word. Fine?!

"You mean..everything is going to turn like before?! Everything??" His eyes burn bright with hope.

"Yes but MINUS sex!!"

"Oh..."

"You ok with it?"

"Yea! All ok." Relief wash through their faces instantly.

"Ok then..friendly hug?!" She asks though doubting her choice. He quickly embraced her as a content feeling reached his mind. Taani tries to smile but alas! All efforts in vain. Her smile was lost.

"Thank God!!" He murmurs as he hugged her tighter. "I thought I lost you."

"Me too."

"Looks like this Goa trip was hell of a choice. I won't come here again. Ever."

"Me neither."

"Are we staying here for long?"

"No." She gets out of hug to face him again. A fake small smile already made up. "Rajeev wants me to join from tomorrow. We need to leave by afternoon."

"Ok. I guess then I'll tell sharon and swayam that vacation is over." He smiles leaving her alone as he goes into the search of his friends.

"Yep. The vacation is over."