FanFic- Just Friends (Chapter 1-Updated)

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aimin

@aimin

Senior Member

Posted: 12 years ago

Hello there fellow YIH members!😃 I'm here with my 1st Fan Fiction called Just Friends. Truthfully, if I manage to maintain it, it will be the 1st long story I've ever written. I'm putting a lot of heart into this so I hope that you guys will like it. All comments are welcome, of course; I would like to know how you feel about the story & my writing; whether you think the turns I bring to the story are good or bad. No writing can survive without the input of readers after all. I'll try my best not to disappoint. ^^

As people who read my 'Frustrated' post would know, I've only been watching YIH for 3 months max now. So, I'm not that familiar with the earlier characters, though I'm catching up on the previous episodes somewhat at the moment. Will try to incoorporate them as well. As for the story, I don't want to write exactly what has happened & is happening right now in Yeh Ishq Haaye but at the same time I don't want to completely deviate from the basic concept. Manjari & Akshay will surely be the same people we know. I hope you don't mind if I add a new character or two because I think I'm going to feel like I want to do so at some point.

I guess that the USP of this show is the youthful approach & story about love. I am a firm believer in love, but not just romantic love. I believe in all relationships & their beauty, so that will be my inspiration here.

A very special thank you to Farhin, officially my first friend on I-F, who suggested to me to write an FF. Ever since she talked to me regarding this, I couldn't stop thinking about it! O_O Today, I was literally BOMBARDED with ideas while I was ironing my sisters' uniforms. So I knew I had to put my thoughts on paper (or any white sheet for that matter!) & immediately rushed here. Farhin, I know you told me to not say thank you but I believe that credit is due where it's necessary, so thanks. I think you're awesome.😊

Enough of my rambling now!

Happy reading!😆

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Prologue - Page 1

Chapter 1 - Page 2
Edited by aimin - 12 years ago

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aimin

@aimin

Senior Member

Posted: 12 years ago

PROLOGUE ~

Late September 1994...

I watched the buildings pass by in a blur as the car drove by to our new house. This was Agra... The home of Mumtaz & Shah Jahan. Normally, I would feel excited with such a trip but right now... everything feels surreal.

How did we end up here? I was happy living in Mumbai, Maa, Papa & me, just the three of us... Until... Papa died in a car accident. The last few months were the hardest days of my life. Maa tried to put up a brave front whenever she was with me, to be there for me, but I knew that deep inside she was hurting a lot; her sad eyes always gave away the truth. Everywhere we went, Papa's memories followed us. Our home had become a house with 4 walls made of bricks & stones. We would never hear Papa laugh again, his arms will never be able to hold us in his warm embrace now... In the end, Maa decided that it was time for a new start.

So, here we are. In a place where we have no friends, no relatives, not to mention snoopy neighbours. The sympathetic looks we had been getting from them were all the more a reminder of our situation & only added to our misery. Everyday, people would come to our house with food and instead of holding our hands and trying to give us strength, they would exchange looks with each other and whisper about what would happen to us now that there's no one to support us. I wanted to shout at them to leave but Maa's sweet smile always prevented me from doing so. At night when all the people left and silence fell on the house, she would hold me & comfort me. I decided then that I will grow up to be someone strong like her, who would be able to support her.

"Son! Look outside!", Maa exclaimed, shaking me from my reverie. There it was. The Taj Mahal. It was truly beautiful but I was too tired to appreciate it at the moment. I asked her when we'll be able to reach the house and she surprised me with her response.

"We're already there, son."

I was surprised. The Taj Mahal was just minutes away. While the taxi driver unloaded our baggage, I held onto Maa's hand. The sun had started to set and the orange sky made me feel even more sleepy. Neighbours were looking on outside from their balconies and chatting on their doorsteps. Everybody seemed so carefree.

'GIVE THAT BACK TO ME RIGHT NOW! OR I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU UP!', a little girl screamed out of nowhere. She whizzed by so fast with her long braided hair whipping the winds, almost knocking me down; I could barely see her face. A man rushed after her, stopping just a fraction of a second to smile apologetically at us. He caught the girl who was still shouting, apparently at another boy who was grinning cheekily at her, a bright red balloon held tight in his hands.

"Hai Bhagwan! Leave it. Are you going to bring the whole city down just for a little balloon? I can get you another one!" The man said, his face reddened almost to the balloon's colour.

"But Papa, he took mine away from me & that's wrong!!!!", cried the girl angrily.

I watched in amusement as the girl and her father kept bickering while the balloon-thief evaporated into the background quietly. By the time they stopped arguing, the boy was nowhere to be seen. As the old man's eyes scanned everywhere for the boy, his eyes fell on us and he came up to speak with Maa.

"I'm so sorry about my girl. She could be quite boisterous sometimes. Are you new here?', he asked.

My mother replied, "Yes, we just came. It's a lovely neighbourhood. No need to be sorry."

At this, he wanted us to come over to his house for dinner. The girl was still pouting and I knew I didn't want to spend time with Miss Grumpy so I looked at Maa and shook my head vigorously even though I knew her answer. She wouldn't be rude to turn down the invitation so in a few minutes we were in their house.

It was a quaint little house with old & antique furniture. I looked around a little and then got bored when the elders got immersed in their conversation. I ask Maa and went out to the garden, settling on the grass when Miss Grumpy plopped herself next to me and just started talking. Seriously, I couldn't even get a word in. She went on and on about the balloon-thief who was apparently her classmate, who she hates and who hates her, blah blah blah.

Man, what a chatterbox she is.

"So, why are you here?", she asked in the end.

I was in no mood to share with her. But somehow I knew that she wouldn't let this one go & then it would be a whole new troublesome situation.

"My dad died and we decided to move", I shrugged.

Her eyes flashed sympathy as she said a small "Oh...". Surprisingly, she didn't press any further and just smiled at me.

"Don't worry. Things will be okay... You will like it here. Will you be my friend?"

I couldn't help but smile inwardly at her sweetness. She was smaller but as an equal to me she was holding out her hand in an invitation to friendship, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Sure. Whatever. My name is Akshay", I told her, shaking her hand pretending to be nonchalant.

She beamed at me.

"I'm Manjari".

...

Edited by aimin - 12 years ago

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frenz4u

@frenz4u

IF-Sizzlerz

+ 8

Posted: 12 years ago

Hey dear...🤗

Thanks from me too...u know for what...

Great start of the FF 👏...Loved it !! 😃

Waiting for the next part...😳

Edited by frenz4u - 12 years ago

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mishti_17

@mishti_17

IF-Stunnerz

+ 7

Posted: 12 years ago

Aimin.. I loved it...

I loved the way you described it.. Akshay's state of mind to the type of a person Manjari is.. Their first meeting...😍 Awww, sparks gonna fly... I really like ur writing.. Its fantastic...😃

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aimin

@aimin

Senior Member

Posted: 12 years ago

@Farhin & Kalindi: Hey both of you.😊 Thanks for the compliments!😃 (& welcome to Farhin😉). Also, Kalindi, thank you so much for the lovely remarks.😊 I wanted readers to notice that Akshay was still the strong person he is now & Manjari the ever talkative but caring chatterbox! So, both of you totally made my day with your comments.😆

Even though it seems like you guys & Aarthi are the only people who read my FF, who cares?😆 I was surprised to know how much I'm loving writing an FF for YIH. I could make the characters come alive, the story more sensible, even make things happen that don't happen in the serial (but that we desperately want to happen).😆

A little tip: Since I'm not doing much these days, I might update the next part soon. At first, I always have writer's block but after a couple of lines later, I'm like a machine that never stops. & I love that feeling. Glad to know that something I enjoy so much is entertaining you guys..😊

P.S. I hope you don't mind me changing the ending just slightly. I realised in retrospect that the conversation should end in as childlike, informal a manner as the 2 of them. & in my imagination, such sweet, innocent tots they are! 😆
Edited by aimin - 12 years ago

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aarthi

@aarsow

IF-Sizzlerz

+ 2

Posted: 12 years ago

you are doing a gr8 job by writing this ff dear, i find my self present in the situation you mentioned,

gud job con,

Aarthi

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aimin

@aimin

Senior Member

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: aarsow
you are doing a gr8 job by writing this ff dear, i find my self present in the situation you mentioned,

gud job con,

Aarthi

Thanks for the encouragement, Aarthi!😃

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aimin

@aimin

Senior Member

Posted: 12 years ago

So, I'm back with the 1st chapter of Just Friends.^^ Hope you like it!

Notes: Wuthering Heights is a novel published by Emily Bronte in 1847 and is a book I really like. It has some hard-to-understand characters and a very sad ending though. VERY sad.

Nicholas Sparks is a contemporary author of romance who wrote The Notebook and A Walk to Remember among a handful of other books. I'm sure a lot of people would have seen the movies even if they haven't read the novels.

P.S. Comment, please! 😆

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aimin

@aimin

Senior Member

Posted: 12 years ago

CHAPTER 1~

12 years later...

I closed the book in my hands and sighed deeply. As I put it back on the vast bookshelf on my wall, I blinked back tears and thought back on what I'd read.

Why do romantic stories have to have such sad endings? Romeo & Juliet, Prince Salim & Anarkali... to top it off, even today's authors are not sparing us. A Walk to Remember & the Notebook make me cry every single time I read them. I'll give some credit to Nicholas Sparks though. His characters either suffer from a disease or die after being united with their love. What I can't relate with is Romeo & Juliet. If I had been there, I would have given them a piece of my mind and made them talk and let them live together happily ever after!!

However, Wuthering Heights even beats Romeo and Juliet as the most tragic novel ever. Cathy & Heathcliff are two people I just can't understand. She loves him madly but is intent on marrying someone else. Just how much she loved him is evident in what she says.

~If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem part of it.~

I felt fresh tears threatening to fall down and I shook my head, sniffling a little, to keep my mind off it for the time being. Just then, someone rapped hard on my room's door.

"God, are you crying again??"

I smiled to hear that familiar voice. Immediately spinning on the spot, I ran towards Akshay and threw my arms around him.

"Manjariii!! I told you not to do that! We're not kids anymore!", he exclaimed, adjusting his glasses and shrinking from my embrace.

"Oh please. Stop trying to act like you're all grown up now that you've finished college. Anyway, I'm angry with you. Where have you been? I've tried to call you a million times!!"

"I've been getting ready for the graduation, dumbo," he replied, ruffling my hair.

"And how many time have I told you not to do that?" I rushed towards the mirror and tried to fix the damage. Seeing his reflection, grinning from cheek-to-cheek at me made me smile back at him albeit reluctantly. He always has this effect on me. Honestly, he could cheer me up just by saying the dumbest thing in the world. I knew how protective he is about me and he knows I feel the same way. I thought back on the 1st day we met and it made me smile to myself.

"Don't tell me you're thinking about another soppy story of yours," Akshay said, rolling his eyes to my flaking old ceiling.

"I'm not! And don't call them soppy okay? You've never read one so how would you know how good they are?"

He surveyed my bookshelf thoughtfully as I ranted some more in defence of my beloved books which take up one whole wall of my room. Reading has been my passion for as long as I can remember, especially those of the romantic genre. And why wouldn't I love romance and everything romantic? I practically live right next to the very epitome of love!

With these thoughts, I looked at the Taj Mahal from my room's window, feeling at peace. Even so, my heart still aches to feel love... To know what it's like... for someone to care so much about me that he would do anything for me. Even sacrifice his life.

"You're a bit young, not to mention small, to think of those things you know," Akshay came over to me with a knowing but reassuring smile.

I felt slightly indignant and offended at what he said. How would he know the right age and right time to fall in love? He's never been in love himself. Heck, he practically ignores girls!

"Yeah, yeah, I've never been in love. No interest even. But I'm older. Hence, wiser." He nodded solemnly.

...I have no idea how he does it, but sometimes it feels like he can read my thoughts.

He pulled at my hands gently then, gesturing to leave as it was getting late for his graduation. It felt like I actually saw him properly at that moment and I was surprised. He looked really good in the formal attire. My jaws must have dropped because he chuckled and closed them shut. Then, with a message to give his love to Maa and Papa who weren't at home, he took his leave.

At his departure, my mood swung the other way abruptly. The 5 year difference between us is really annoying sometimes. Even now, when I'm free, he's busy and vice versa. And ever since his exams started I barely see him. I bet that In a few days, being the boring Akshay he is, he's going to start working and probably not going to have any time for me. This thought was depressing me beyond anything.

When will this darned age gap between us close?

...

Edited by aimin - 12 years ago

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frenz4u

@frenz4u

IF-Sizzlerz

+ 8

Posted: 12 years ago

I want to read more and more yaar...😆

U know na what i had said when i start reading sumthing...😉

Very Good one...👏

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