Mera to bad luck hi kharab hai!

(My bad luck is bad)

The famous dialogue abruptly clouded Arvika's agitated cognisance; she gulped loudly and looked at the stains of her sins on her senior's opulent apparel. She anticipated punches, slaps from Risha as yesterday's ink-stained shirt was not a very distant memory for her.

For the ink-thing, Risha created such a big drama; for this vomiting session, would the matter reach the parliament? Arvika could only hope against hope for the most antagonistic things that she could have to sustain in the next few minutes.

Kavya too mirrored her friend's horrifying expressions.

Risha looked no less than the Kilauea volcano of Hawaii ─ the world's most active volcano. A crimson lava-like hue was spread over her face, her small nose was disseminated over an acre just like her futuristic exaggerated reaction that the crowd was anticipating out of her.

"How dare yo.." before Risha's hand would have encountered Arvika's chubby cheek, Rohan came out of nowhere like a superhero and held Risha's hand in the mid-air.

Rohan chuckled at Risha's destroyed-in-seconds look and said, "Risha, Dev was asking for you. Over there." Rohan was quick to understand the whole commotion from a distance and he knew that only Dev could save Arvika. That's why he made his best friend the scapegoat for Arvika ─ his best friend's lady love.

On the other hand, Dev didn't have a care for this world and was soundly sleeping on his acquired seat with his head reclining on the cushioned headrest.

"What, Dev? For what?" Risha forgot every incident and turned her whole attention towards Rohan at the mention of her dreamboi.

All the anticipating eyes got back to their usual work as the much-awaited Dangal was withdrawn.

"I don't know. He was saying and I quote, 'I have not seen Risha today, I wonder whether she has come or not.' You should really go and meet him after cleaning all this mess, ASAP." Rohan piqued in a solemn tone but from inside, he was chortling at Risha's state. She looked repugnant with all those stains on her dress.

Arvika was noticing all these things and she was really thankful to Rohan who saved her from Risha's wrath. The commotion had stopped her abdomen to ooze out any more waste material. Risha's angered eyes were extremely scary, Arvika deduced.

"I will see you later," with her index finger pointed at Arvika, Risha warned Arvika and turned her heels towards the washroom.

Arvika couldn't actually believe that Dev saved her for the second time, although indirectly from the vengeance of that madwoman. She thanked Rohan and after cleaning her face and dress where there were stains of some waste with a wet wipe, she sat across Kavya and huffed a sigh of breath.

She was so close to being butchered by the bare hands of Risha.

"Are you feeling better now?" Kavya asked Arvika as soon as the latter sat across from her.

Arvika nodded her head and whispered, "Rohan sir saved me," at which Kavya gave her a tantalising smile and nudged at her stomach. Arvika eyed her dubiously and asked, "What?".

"Dev Bhaiya is great". Kavya announced in a sing-song manner and Arvika could only smack her head against the headrest.

The same slogan again for the Dev-Gaan or Dev Anthem, whatever suits.

"Rohan gave me these pills. Consume it, Babes, before you spill your Palak Paneer on Risha again," Kavya snickered and handed the pills to Arvika which she swallowed in the twinkling of an eye. Kavya knew her friend was a tough nut to crack but she was desperate to be the cupid of her best friend's love story.

"So?" Kavya nudged her best friend again earning a glare from Arvika. She asked 'What' for the second time and sipped a few drops of water to dampen her parched throat.

"Risha likes Dev Bhaiya. It's very evident. Don't you feel jealous, Aru? Look, she has already joined him on his seat," Kavya declared when she noticed that Risha was already beside Dev. The seniors were sitting ahead of the juniors, that's how Kavya caught the glimpse of Dev's head and Risha's nest. She psychologically imagined herself pulling Risha's tresses for perpetrating the crime of flirting with her future Jiju.

(Sister's husband is called Jiju. Female friends call their co-friend's boyfriend as Jiju to tease them)

Arvika made a face when she noticed them sitting close to each other and turned her attention towards her best friend, "Why should I feel jealous, Kavya? He can sit beside any woman he wants or whatever. Why should I be concerned?" Arvika concluded her sentence matter-of-factly. She kept her head on the headrest and closed her eyes: it meant the end of the discussion.

Kavya got that and said, "Oh," after making an O-shape with her lips and resumed the chatting session with Rohan who was sitting parallel to the seat of Dev and Risha.

Speaking of which, Dev's siesta was long annihilated by Risha and he was coerced to hear all the gibberish whatever she was lecturing to him. He so earnestly wanted to go to Arvika and ask about her whereabouts but Risha was glued to him, giving tough competition to the prominent Chipku adhesive companies of India.

"Dev...did you want to say something to me?" Risha was dressed in a new, fresh fabric on which scintilla of lavender was evidently sprayed to nullify the putrid odour of body waste.

Prior to Risha's arrival, Rohan was expeditious enough to wake his friend up and splutter out all the scandal that took place in his absence from the conscious world. Dev got anxious when he heard about Arvika's state; he immediately wanted to go and comfort her but Risha's mundane arrival put a stop to his horses. He sighed and after glimpsing towards Arvika who was quite far from him, he slanted deeper into his seat and smiled towards Risha.

"Yeah. I wanted to..." Dev said and noticed his chuckling friend. He mentally swore and continued, "Whatever happened yesterday was not right. I mean we are good friends. But Risha..".

Dev's sudden hiatus got Risha's attention and she looked at him in anticipation. She bit her lips and waited for Dev.

'Was he going to say the three magical words? Really?' Risha thought inwardly and did a mental dance.

She was finally going to be Dev Kapoor's girlfr...

Her horses were abruptly impelled to surrender when he said, "You shouldn't have insulted Arvika. She is my sister's best friend. Even before knowing you, I have known her. She is new in this college and it's my responsibility to take care of her as she is still too naive and puerile."

Even though Dev was asked by Rohan to frame an instantaneous lie to feed Risha, his lie too consisted of the love and concern he had for Arvika.

Risha seethed in anger. It was never about her but that wallflower, wasn't it?

'Arvika, Arvika, Arvika! To hell with Arvika!' Risha mentally uttered profanities for Arvika. Her face was red in jealousy. She loved Dev but he was already smitten by someone else. How couldn't she notice?

On the very first day of the arrival of the first year batch, she had seen how charmingly Dev was catering towards that particular wallflower. And then on that freshers' night, he even danced with Arvika on such romantic songs. How could she not notice all that!

Dev too discerned her impromptu envious features and mentally rolled his eyes. He knew the attraction that the girl beside him possessed for him but he was also cognizant of the fact that his heart was already taken over by someone else.

Someone so pulchritudinous, and so pure.

Controlling her volcano-like temper, Risha stood up from the seat and uttered, "Oh yeah. I will take care of it, Dev. I didn't know that she was your acquaintance, otherwise, I would've treated her better. Never mind. I will catch up with you later". Risha dispersed from there and reached her seat which was just four rows behind Dev's seat. He could only nod his head in acknowledgement and he too stood up from his seat.

Risha vowed that she wouldn't let that girl go so easily out of her grasp. She would make sure that the wallflower suffered.

Dev made his way towards Arvika, meanwhile, the girls kept gawking at him as his attractive enchantment started from his hearty loving soul and radiated from there to create his final form. But he was accustomed to such stares: he was a man of high morals, a man who prized genuineness and thoughtful conversation above lipstick and high-heels. And, most importantly, he desired for only one girl, and he knew that a lot of Papad was to be rolled to make her his.

He smiled from a distance when his eyes belatedly caught her sleeping figure. She was napping so peacefully with her mouth open ajar resembling a tiny baby and her head was resting against the window's pane.

She looked divine even in such a position.

Dev smiled in adoration and turned his attention towards Kavya who was busy typing texts as fast as light to his best friend, Rohan. Kavya didn't even notice him as she was extremely engrossed with her Babu Shona.

"Kavya," he whispered in a low voice, trying not to wake his feisty girl up.

Kavya was surprised when she noticed her Dev Bhaiya. After flashing him a smile and doing a minute chit-chat, Dev handed her a Tetra Pak of orange-flavoured ORS and briefed, "Give this ORS to Arvika once she wakes up as her body needs water as she might be dehydrated. Also, I have a few more ORS, you can have them too if you want. Here". He gave two extra ORS Tetra Paks to Kavya.

Kavya felt extremely giddy for her best friend. How great of a lover was her best friend abstaining from who cared so much for her! She mentally noted all these to tell Arvika as the latter needed to know about the lover boy's efforts.

"She has taken the pills, right?" Dev asked after glancing towards Arvika. He apprehended the bumps her delicate head would get on road-stoppers as her head was undeviatingly against the windowpane.

"Yes, bhaiya. She has taken the pills," Kavya smiled and she was caught by surprise when Dev promptly put his hand against the windowpane after which a jerk vibrated across the bus.

He somehow balanced himself but managed to safeguard his lifeline.

"Kavya, please take care of her. If possible, let her use your shoulder for rest otherwise, she'd get hurt," he mumbled and after he confirmed that Arvika was in the right position with her head on Kavya's shoulder, he left them and went to his seat.

Kavya inwardly expressed, 'Tu janti nahi Arvika tu kitni lucky hai ki tujhe Dev jaisa aashiq mila hai jo tujhe pagalon ki tarah beintehaah pyaar karta hai. Don't ever lose him, girl'.

(You don't know how lucky you are Arvika that you have got a lover like Dev who loves you so madly')

∘◦❁◦∘

Mountains are the beginning and end of all natural scenery.

A famous quote by John Ruskin was very apt for the picturesque landscape that was in front of all the students of IIET, Delhi.

The magnanimous Himalaya looked ethereal with white snow-covered mountains which were contemporarily sparkling under the golden radiance of the sun.

It was in the afternoon when the troop finally reached their destination. A total of two hundred students were there in total who have joined for the trip as many of the students and their groups chose some other resort and destination to spend their weekend right after their examinations.

Dev and Rohan purposely came to Mussoorie along with their troop as it was one of the natural beauties of India that attracted millions of tourists towards it, also, mountains have the charm and romance mixed in their atmosphere.

Arvika was in complete awe when she looked at the surroundings. Everything felt so serene and calming. She felt so complete...she felt so lively; it was as if she suddenly got the purest form of O2 which pumped her heart and her body, harmonically.

Almost all of the students were already inside their allotted chambers of the big and beautiful resort as they were completely drained out because of the seven-hour long journey, but Arvika and Kavya remained outside, gazing at the panoramic mountains.

"It feels so good to be in the lap of these mighty mountains, Kavya. Hai na?" Arvika smiled coyly and put her arms around herself. It was raining fireballs in Delhi but the weather of Mussoorie was completely contradictory to it even in the shines and sparkles of the midday sun. It was so peaceful and relaxing.

"Yes, Aru. I am glad you are liking it here. Come, take a rest for some time as at night, we won't be able to sleep," Kavya bit her tongue when she unknowingly unveiled all the plans to her best friend. Arvika eyed her suspiciously and Kavya was compelled to spill the beans.

"So, you mean we are going to play Truth-Dare and all those Bonfire things?" Arvika queried with a tough posture as she was aware of the scandals that followed the game of Truth & Dare.

"Yes". Kavya nodded her head.

"What if I don't want to come?" Arvika just wanted to be away from scandals but time and again she was pulled towards the phrase called 'S.C.A.N.D.A.L'.

"Please dude, you have to come. It will be fun, yaar. Don't be a spoilsport, please," Kavya pleaded but Arvika was adamant on her decision.

"OK, then I will also not join them. Let Rohan miss me. You will be responsible for separating two lovers". And there started the melodrama which Arvika was quite experienced with.

She eventually agreed and voyaged towards her room with her trolly bag in her hands. Kavya followed her while dancing like a typical Indian Baraati. She didn't even care about the people who were amusedly noticing her antics.

"Mai nahi janti ye kaun hai!" Arvika clarified to the chuckling Rohan who reached near her to lend his hand for carrying her luggage but she politely denied his help.

(I don't know who she is!)

Kavya immediately stopped her dance movements when Rohan came into her view. She sheepishly smiled at him and Rohan laughed more at her adorable frolics.

"You can continue your dance, madam, as Rohan-the great is at your service," he declared like a classic aristocrat and bowed his head a little which made Kavya more reddened. He took her luggage in one hand and her hand in another, walking hand-in-hand to wherever destiny would lead them to.

Kavya envisaged and beamed dreamily. She was in wonder about the kind of person Rohan was. She always coveted a funny life partner as 'Strict to parents bhi hain and rulane ke liye life to hai hi".

(For strictness, parents are there, and for making us cry, there is life.)

Arvika turned a little to glance at her friend who was already imagining herself in some Lala land along with her prince charming.

Arvika sighed and increased her pace. She knew her best was smitten by Rohan but Arvika wanted her to be cautious too because she never wanted her best friend to cry over heartbreak or usual stuff like that which was a part of any romantic relationship. She mentally noted this and resolved to talk about this thing with Kavya.

The duo best friends had something to tell each other; one wanted to alert her friend of love and relationships and the other wanted to make her friend fall in love.

∘◦❁◦∘

Being at the bonfire was a real-life storybook adventure, the kind you wish you were living in.

Flames were fuming out the bonfire as if they were the golden sparkling wind-kissed rays of euphoria and jubilation.

Around a hundred students were sitting close to each other on the chilly night around the bonfire as many others were busy in their own world of liquor and other sources of college-life fun and entertainment.

The surface on which they were resting was a big yard surrounded by dark green verdant hills that rose as if to blow kisses to the sky. Many lush trees stood as cheerleaders to each exciting spirit of the divine wintry night.

The romance was in the air and playfulness was within the exalted spirits of the youngsters.

The velvety night was chilled and Arvika made sure her woollen shawl covered every part of her body. She sat alongside Kavya. She noticed Dev and Rohan too who were busy discussing something with some other students.

"I am so excited for this, yaar," a fresher cheered and told her friend. Arvika noticed them. They were from her class only. She nodded at them in acknowledgement and passed a smile towards them.

Vinay too was sitting with his friends and every now and then he was glancing towards Arvika. No doubt she was beautiful, but the full moon night was having another radiance on her pale features. She looked enchanting.

On the other hand, Risha was using every profanity she could use for that particular wallflower. 'How could Dev like a low-standard like her'. She mumbled to herself and was every now and then glaring at Arvika.

But the beautiful night was so generous that all the negativities were nullified under the dim-lit atmosphere.

It was the night of love and passion, not lust & envy.

"Hey guys, silence please," Pranav, the spectacular cultural head cheered and took everyone's attention towards him. Hooting and boisterous cheers from the audience encouraged his voice frequency to modulate a tad more.

"We warmly welcome you all to our first adventure trip. I hope this night creates the best of memories for you guys; over to our college's music band, Mayank, over to you bud," Pranav handed the little elevated stage to the music band and the miniature fest began to create the most transcendent and joyful reminiscences of the freshers.

Many all-time-favourite songs were sung by the music troop and everyone enjoyed their beats with their 100 percent enthusiasm and energy.

From 'Ye dosti hum nahi todenge' to 'Yaar mod do', from 'Ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga' to 'Rock On', from 'Koi mil gaya' to 'Pal yaad aayenge ye pal'; every song was hummed which was dedicated to college-time friendship and of course, college love stories.

The audience's voices were echoing in the background cheering the performers with torch lights flashing.

Arvika never knew Bonfire night could be this fascinating. She was relishing the best time of her life. Her eyes suddenly met Dev when the song 'Ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga' was playing in the background and from nowhere a tint of red hue coated her cheeks. She lowered her gaze and blushed, unknowingly. Dev felt his feet slipping underneath the ground. What just happened. Did she really blush? He too turned pink and looked towards the sky, thanking the real stars.

This mysterious night was surely going to change his life forever, he concluded and prayed for some magic to happen.

The singing chorus finally came to an end and the most interesting game started.

Truth & Dare!

As there were a lot of students, the hundred students were divided into four groups. Twenty-five heads in each team. Unfortunately, Arvika, Dev, Kavya, and Rohan were in distinct teams much to their dismay.

But one rule was surprisingly impressive. The game will be played at the same time with all four teams. That meant the one on whom the bottle will stop, will be picked up, and in total, four persons would be picked up and then they'd perform their tasks of either truth or dare, one after the other, alphabetically in front of all the teams.

The game began and many beans were spilled when it came to Truth and numerous dares were given which consisted of: proposing some senior/junior, slapping someone, kissing someone on cheeks or some other bizarre stunt as per the demands of the seniors.

Arvika and Kavya were still safe when it was Rohan's turn and he chose to dare.

"Propose any girl on whom you have a crush," Rohan smiled like a Cheshire cat and walked towards Kavya without any further ado.

He held her hand and made her stand. Kavya looked at him bewildered. Was he really going to propose to her?

"Tujhko jo paaya aha...Toh jeena aaya"

Rohan started singing this song while kneeling on the ground in front of Kavya. She stood motionless, gaping at her Prince Charming. The crowd was cheering and hooting for the new lovebirds. They cheered 'Yes' in unison and Kavya nodded her head when Rohan asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?".

The crowd applauded and started twittering 'Pehla Nasha' for the newly matured couple.

The prior proposals were not spoken from the heart as they were performed like normal dares but this particular dare was genuine as Rohan-the great had also brought a ring for his lady love.

Who knew that the cat would be out so soon? Everyone had already guessed the chemistry between the duo but no one had comprehended that the proposal would be this quick like an electric current.

But Rohan indeed hit that Mauke pe Chauka shot.

Arvika was astounded would be an understatement. She was happy yet she was a bit anxious for her friend.

Suddenly, the lush green hills which were concealed under the blanket of velvety night sky appeared extremely vivacious as if they too sensed the arrival of the flowering time.

The game proceeded and it was a junior girl this time who expressed her desire to dance with her real-life crush, the one and only Dev Kapoor.

Dev didn't decline the girl as he knew she would be disheartened and also, another part of his mind wanted to see some genuine reactions of Arvika.

Jealousy brings out the underlying love inside a person, doesn't it?

He started swaying his body with the girl which didn't go unnoticed by Arvika. She felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. She felt as if her heart was kept on the pyre.

Why was it affecting her? Why couldn't she too hoot and clap for the dancing couple like the crowd? Why couldn't she see Dev with another girl?

Was she crushing over him or what?

On the other hand, Dev was enjoying her reaction. He noticed how beautifully her brows were curved into a frown, how cutely her lips were turned into a small pout.

His affinity with other girls affected her, for sure, he concluded and ended his dance with a heartwarming smile and a cherry heart.

Rohan winked at his friend and whistled as he too discerned Arvika's awkward state.

Another round of claps echoed the hills, and it was the next round of the game.

Momentarily, it was Vinay's turn who was in the same team as that of Arvika and Risha; he took the option of dare and he wanted nothing but to touch those luscious arms of Arvika and her curvaceous body.

"Arvika, right? Vinay, your dare is to kiss Arvika on her lips, but make sure she isn't nauseous otherwise, she'd puke on you too," Risha smirked devilishly and the crowd laughed at the morning's incident of puking session, by none other than Arvika.

Risha wanted nothing but vengeance. And, she pledged herself she'd take it anyhow.

Kavya smacked her head and looked in horror at her best friend. 

Arvika and Dev both were motionless to grasp what Risha actually pronounced. 

════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ════

4000 words!

So, what's gonna happen? 

Any guesses?

What more do you want to see in this story? Please add! 

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Updates will be one or two updates a month because this story really takes a lot of time(my whole day, actually). I hope you all understand. :/