PART 5
"Neha! Hello?" Shewta was waving her hand in front of Neha trying to get her attention, while Neha continued to stare on the newspaper in hand.
"Huh?" Neha looked up at Shewta but she was still thinking about something and was in a daze.
"Neha were you even listening to what I was saying?" Shewta asked, snatching the newspaper out Neha's hands.
"Stop bugging Neha di, didi."
Shewta and Neha both turned to look at Naina who had just entered the room. Naina walked up to Neha and gave her a kiss on the cheek and stuck her tongue out at Shewta. Naina was the youngest of the three sisters, therefore, she was the most spoilt. While Shewta was the smart one, Neha the caring one, Naina was the pretty one. However, Shewta always said, that anyone who spent as much time as Naina did in front of the mirror, applying make-up, would look pretty. In this respect Neha was opposite to Naina, as she would spend just a second in front of the mirror when getting ready. She did not even know how to apply make up correctly. Neha, however didn't need to either, since she had natural beauty that Shewta always complimented and Naina envied.
Naina was very outspoken and always spoke her mind, this was one quality that Neha admired about Naina. Neha herself was always too concerned about others feelings to ever even disagree about something, let alone tell them what her opinion was. Due to this Neha had always been a very quiet person. She only spoke a lot with people who she was very close to, whom she trusted.
"Oh, come on didi, give my Neha di a break from your long lectures." Naina wrapped her arm around Neha and squeezed her tightly.
"Naina, do you even comprehend what Shiv Khanna coming back means? And that too, he will be joining our college, Neha might have to see him everyday."
"What? He is going to be joining our college?" Neha asked, leaving Naina's embrace and sitting back down on her desk chair placing her hand on her forehead.
"Ya, he is joining our college, but you guys are not in the same program. He is in the MBA program. You might still see him around though." Shewta's voice was more soft now.
Neha was quiet again. She did not know what to think. Naina slowly walked up to Neha and placed her hand on Neha's shoulder. "Why do you worry di? Shewta didi is there, and then I am joining college this year too. And for all we know, Shiv probably doesn't even remember anything."
"What do you mean Shiv does not remember anything?" Shewta was sounding like herself again, strict and stern. "How can he forget her? While he was enjoying there in London, my sister was stuck here answering all sort of weird phone calls from overly curious reporters."
"What you are saying is right didi, but how is reminding Neha di of all this going to help her?"
Naina and Shewta started to argue. Both of them loved to voice their opinion and because of that often got into arguments.
"Will you both please stop it!" Neha yelled standing up from her desk and going and standing between Naina and Shewta. Both Naina and Shewta became quiet, looked at each other and then at Neha, their eyes full of guilt for arguing again when they knew very well that they had promised Neha not to argue in front of her.
"What is the point of all this, whatever has happened has happened. I don't care for that Shiv Khanna, I never did. I have moved on, it is time you both do too." Neha looked at both her sisters and started to smile, "Yes! I get mad too, you both look so funny, looks like you have seen a ghost. Can I have a smile from you both now"
Shewta was about to speak when they heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Neha asked, looking over her shoulder towards the door. No one replied but the door opened and in came a young lady. She wore a blue denim skirt, a red turtle neck sweater, and a black scarf around her neck. Her hair were neatly pulled back in a pony tail, and as she smiled at the three occupants of the room, her eyes twinkled displaying a hint of naughtiness.
"Oh, my gosh! Natasha!" Shewta shrieked and ran towards the girl almost pushing her to the ground as she hugged her tightly. Both Naina and Neha followed, all four girls stood in the middle of Neha's room embracing each other.
***
"Do you guys realize it is one in the morning and tomorrow is the first day of college for three of us. Don't you guys think we should sleep." Neha picked up the pillow from Shewta's lap indicating that they should all leave her room and go sleep.
"Oh come on, Neha, it is not everyday your best friend returns from London after four years." Shewta wrapped her arms around Natasha and gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I missed you so much Nattasha."
"And Neha it is not three of you going to college tomorrow, it is my first day there tomorrow too." Nattasha said smiling at Neha.
"What!" Shewta yelled, "and you tell this to me now?" Shewta picked up a pillow and hit Natasha with it.
"This is great." Naina said turning to Neha, "Di, now you not only have me and Shewta di with you but also Natasha di."
"What does she need us for?" Natasha asked, with a frown on her face, she was confused.
"A lot has happened since you left Natasha di. Will tell you some other time." Neha said with a small smile on her face placing her hand on top of Natasha's hand.
"No tell me now, I want to know?" Natasha leaned on her pillow placing her hands under her chin as though a five year child was getting ready to hear a bedtime story.
"What will she tell you Natasha, that she almost had an arranged marriage to a complete stranger and then got ditched on her wedding day." Shewta replied, sounding hurt and angry.
"What? When? How? Who?" Natasha sat back up, she could not believe her ears.
"Well, my dadiji had made a promise with his best friend that their grandchildren would marry. Mom and Dad had forgotten everything about it but three years ago when, my grandfather's best friend was dying he wished his promise be fulfilled so his son Rakesh Khanna, you know the industrialist brought his son Shiv's rishta to us and..."
"Wait a minute you don't mean...Shiv Khanna?" Natasha placed her hand over her mouth, she was in utter disbelief.
"You know him?" Neha asked, confused.
"Know him? I dated him for two years! He was a complete jerk, after two years I realized he was dating other girls at the same time. I should have known it would be him, only he could ditch someone on their wedding day." Natasha along with everyone else was quiet now, everyone trying to relish what they had all just heard from each other.
"We have to get him back." Shewta almost jumped out of bed. "He has broken my best friend and my sister's heart we should break his heart too."
"No way! Don't even think about it Shweta, I don't want to have anything to have to do with Shiv Khanna and that is that. End of discussion. Good night!" Neha put her head down on her pillow and shut her eyes.
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