Manan FF - Kaisi yeh Yaariyan season 3 Thread 1 - till chapter 63 - Page 98

Navya looked at Mukti and they both chuckled as soon as they heard the frantic banging on their door. THEY were here, finally.

Alya barged in, completely ignoring Navya's presence, followed by Dhruv, the moment she opened the door. "Mukti what happened to you, are you ok?" Her voice, still short of breath, was dripping with concern as she drew Mukti in a panic stricken hug. Even Dhruv was gasping for air.

They were at the other end of Mumbai, Alya was busy with some of her high profile clients at her boutique while Dhruv, was trying his luck at yet another audition when they both received Mukti's SOS message - 'Sick. Emergency Come fast.' Alya had excused herself and rushed to pick Dhruv before taking a U-turn towards Mukti's apartment. She, unlike her sensible self, had driven like a maniac to cover the entire distance in 25 straight minutes, which on other days would take her anywhere between 1 and 1.5 hours. No matter how infrequently they met, no matter how much they had drifted apart , one emergency call from Mukti was enough to send her into frenzy.

"I am ok Alya... see.." Mukti happily stood up on the couch, in a bid to assure both Alya and Dhruv that she was indeed fine. She was happy today. Except for Manik, they were all together today after God knew how long.

"What a plan Navya!!!!" Mukti gestured a mock salute at Navya. Last time when they had organized a get together. Alya and Dhruv had conveniently ditched. Infact, not just last time, this is how it had become now. There were groups within groups, preferences even in friendship. While Navya and Mukti had grown thick as friends, Alya chose to maintain her status quo only with Dhruv. 3 and a half years ago, if someone had shown them this picture or predicted the sordid tale of their decline and fall out, someone from FAB 5 would have surely strangled him to death or pushed him off a building. After all FAB5 was FAB5, the star band of not just SPACE academy but the ruling college band across the length and breadth of Mumbai, and they were as famous for their music, as they were infamous for their attitude. Strangely though, this only added to their zing factor and pushed them higher up the popularity chart. But then that was then, and this was now.

"I can't believe you guys resorted to such cheap thrills!! Mukti what's wrong with you? I can understand Navya's part, but you have class Mukti. Since when have you turned into this melodramatic, hyper emotive, Hindi soap character?" Even though she was shouting at Mukti, her digs were at poor Navya. One of the many reasons behind her drifting away from Mukti was Navya and Mukti's increasing closeness. Alya had always had insecurity issues, both in love and friendship. She was one of the sweetest people ever, always trying to be there for her friends, but she always longed for exclusive commitment.Her friends should remain only her's, she couldn't share them with other people. First it was Manik who chose Nandini over her and then it was Mukti. Only Dhruv, despite their having loved and fought and broken up, chose to stick around because he was equally insecure. "Do you have any clue how we drove here...bloody hell, we could have had an accident!!"

Ranbir, who was hiding inside, waiting to be called out for a grand introduction, was enjoying this scene amongst the friends. And he knew what was to follow.. More anger, more fights, more leg pulling which would eventually turn into a group hug and a party as always. He was so used to listening to their antics from Cabir that despite not having met them, he knew them inside out. He was patiently waiting for the right moment to grace them with his presence and give a little more than cheap thrills to Alya and Dhruv. This was going to be some fun and he was sure, his late brother was enjoying the scene even more from his beach recliner in hell.

"Alya is right Mukti, yeh sab kya hai? Kabhi bhi, kaise bhi bula leti ho aur who plan bhi fail ho jaye to you send false emergency SMSs. Sabke paas itna free time nahi hai waste karne ke liye, every one was not born with a silver spoon like you."

"Guys let me speak to...why are you giving these monologue speeches...I know the idea was a little tacky but we had to get you here and this was the only way you would come. "

"Mukti, we are not in college anymore. Stop doing these kiddish things, stop living inside your bubble and please grow up."

Navya was silently watching the drama unfold from the corner. Had this been between her and Mukti or her and Nandini, by now she would have given her own three page long lecture, but when it came to Alya and Dhruv, she chose not to interfere because they never considered her as a friend. They just abou accepted her presence because of Mukti and Nandini.

"Enough Alya, whats wrong with you guys? Why are you two behaving like psychos? Jab se aye ho, you are only complaining...haan bula liya to kaunsa crime kar liya? Why are u hyper reacting?" When Mukti started shouting, they fell quiet.

Before the situation sipped out of hand, Navya thought it wise to intervene "Actually ek surprise hai jo hum tumhe dena chahte the and trust me is surprise ke baad, tumhara sara gussa gayab ho jayega... Ranbir...aa jao"

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Dhruv felt the ground slip away from under his feet. He stood blank, unable to think and react. There are degrees of shock and this one in particular was beyond what the Richter scale could accommodate. Was this Cabir, or his ghost? Was cabir alive or had they all died? Or was it an imposter, another of Mukti's totally cheap plans? He took one step forward towards Ranbir and pressed a finger into his arm.

"Mummmaaa" He jumped back when he realized this wasn't a dream. Alya, where was she? She had silently retraced back to the door, preparing to flee any moment.

Ranbir was the first one to crack up, followed by Mukti and Navya. Dhruv looked at Alya, (whose half body was now behind the door) in shock and despair, the only one who could understand his agony at the moment.

"I am Ranbir Dhawan" Ranbir extended his arm to Dhruv "Cabir's twin" Oh well another bomb, but thankfully this one was better than the stories cooking up in both of their brains.

"Cabir had a twin? I mean his brother was a twin? He never told us, dumbo" Alya complained.

"Cabir to mar chuka hai, uske bare mein to complain mat karo Alya" When it came to Cabir, Navya often overstepped her boundaries.

"So where did you catch hold of him?" Alya asked Mukti, again ignoring Navya. She was no more scared and no more dangling from the door. She had properly stepped in. Dhruv was still reeling under the shock.

Mukti narrated the incidents from their week long adventure in Delhi. How they had initially thought it was Cabir's ghost, to the emotional encounter, to the back and forth convincing to Navya's victory speech , to finally Ranbir's filmy entry at the airport and their train journey.

They were expecting a loud cheer, some high fives, few emotional hugs and lot of happy tears, instead they heard Dhruv's ice cold voice after a forced silence.

"So this was your surprise Mukti?" He remarked sarcastically. "This is how desperate you have become? Desperate to hold on to the past, the lost glory of FAB5 that you didn't even spare a practical stranger. You dragged cabir's brother so that he could take his place. Awesome!!!"

Even Ranbir was shellshocked at Dhruv's unprecedented reaction. Such was the contrast between the welcome he had got from Mukti and Navya in Delhi and the one he was getting here from Dhruv and Alya, the warm desperation there and the cold indifference here that he found it difficult to accept that they were all part of the same FAB5 , THE FAB5 that he brother couldn't stop gushing about.

"Dhruv is right, we have moved on Mukti. FAB5 WAS, it no more IS and never WILL BE...the sooner you realize the better it is for all of us."

"Let's go Alya" Dhruv dragged Alya out while the rest three stood spellbound, contemplating at what had just happened.