I was seated beside Nina in the class, the both of us were busy copying notes from the board when Khushi walked in, it was funny how she had suddenly started attending classes, before you'd never see her in class.

She sat behind us and nudged on my back so I turned to look at her.

"What?" I asked.

"Can I come your place tonight again?" She pouted like a cute baby.

"Why?"

"Because I liked coming, it's good to have company, you and Anju never let me feel alone." She shrugged.

"Not that I am refusing nor trying to be rude but don't you have company at home too? You father is there, your step mom too or your boyfriend."

"My parents are never home Arnav, and I currently don't have a boyfriend, waiting for my Mr. Right you see." She giggled.

"Okay keep waiting and yeah you can come home, the doors are always open for you, now can I finish writing the notes?"

"Sure, I'll see you later." She smiled and stood up to walk away, as usual she was just skipping her classes, when was this girl ever going to be serious about her studies?

"Such a terrible friend you are, you dint tell me something started between you and Khushi." Nina interrupted my writing.

"Nothing happened Nina, apparently we are just friends." I rolled my eyes, she dint ask anything after that so the both of us completed the notes and soon the lecturer walked in and the classes began.

*****

At lunch I was heading to the canteen where I usually ate with Nina, the period before lunch we both had separate classes so we decided to meet directly at the canteen but before I could reach there, Rish joined me.

"What's up dude?" He asked.

"Nothing much you tell me, I haven't seen you in ages, where were you?" I asked.

"I had gone for a short trip anyway I'm back and I can see now that you've got a new friend you don't need me anymore." He said.

"What nonsense. You were my friend you will always be." I said as I continued walking.

"Sure?" He asked excitedly.

"Of course now stop asking me funny questions."

"If I'm your friend you can do anything for me right?" He asked.

"Depends what category the anything comes in, but what do you want from me?"

"Khushi." He said, I stopped walking and turned to look at him in shock, he was asking for Khushi as if she was my property or I owned her.

"I mean don't get me wrong but you both are getting along quite well and I kind of like her so I thought you could help me with her." He said nervously.

"Why? As far as I remember you thought she's the kind of a girl who changes boyfriends like she changes clothes and all that terrible stuff so why the sudden interest?"

Since Rish and I were friends, I've always heard him talk negative about Khushi, he always had to say something terrible about her and now suddenly he was all changed, of course I doubted something fishy.

"Well yeah but I thought about what you said, who are we to judge the life people live right? And man, she's so hot, I can't keep my eyes away from her."

"Oh so now you suddenly find her hot too, I am sorry Rishabd but I can't help you here, I don't think I can trust you enough. You are my friend but I know you very well, and I don't really think you like Khushi." I said as I walked away from him.

"I do like her Arnav, please believe me. It's not any game I'm trying to play." He shouted.

"Oh yeah? Then prove it to me." I shouted back as I walked away. I was maybe selfless enough to let Khushi find her happiness with another guy, but not so selfless that I would fix her up with Rish, no way!

I walked inside the canteen and found Nina waiting for me, I walked towards her and settled down beside her as we both ate lunch.

*****

When I arrived home in the evening, I found Anju seated in the hall crying, I rushed to her worriedly wondering what had happened.

"Anju, are you okay? What's wrong?" I asked as I cupped her face.

"Dad is home." She sobbed.

"Did he do anything to hurt you?" I asked as I examined her just to make sure she was okay.

"Yeah I am fine, he was just too drunk to even walk properly so he kept on telling me terrible stuff and then headed to his room and locked himself inside.

I don't want to stay here when he's around, it makes me feel terrible, please take me somewhere else bro. He clearly hates me." Anju cried as she hugged me tight.

Since Anju was diagnosed with the heart problem, my father started acting so strange with her, he would tell her stupid things like we were wasting a lot of money on her treatment and that she was becoming a burden and what not.

At times it made me so angry all I wanted to do was punch him and throw him out of the house and tell him never to come back, but at the end of the day he was my father, and I just dint have the strength to do it.

"Anju I am here, you can sleep in my room, I'll make sure you are okay." I said.

"No I don't want to stay in this house." She continued crying.

"But where will we go Anju, we don't have any other place, please try to understand. I am here I will make sure you are fine." I said to her hoping she would agree, I dint even have enough money to rent a hotel, I was clearly studying on scholarship and it was kind of difficult to manage a lot of things with my father being a drunkard and wasting almost all his money on alcohol.

"You can stay at my place." I heard a voice, I turned to look at the entrance and Khushi was standing there.

"No, I don't want to bother you, I'm sure Anju will be okay here." I said.

"It's okay Arnav, she doesn't feel comfortable here she will be comfortable at my place and trust me you won't be bothering me. I also keep on coming here right?" Khushi said.

"Are you sure we can stay at your place?" Anju looked at her hopefully, she smiled and walked towards us and nodded.

"Of course you can." She smiled. I could let Anju go alone at Khushi's place but I dint want to risk it with her being sick, I wanted to be around her and me staying at Khushi's place dint sound like such a great idea, but Anju wanted to stay so I also had to go with her.

"I'll pack our stuff, don't worry we'll just stay for a night, I'm sure by tomorrow morning my father would have disappeared like he always does." I said, Khushi nodded so I headed to my room to pack things.

I don't even remember the last time I saw my father, he was never home it was like he lived in bars or something, he rarely came home and when he did, Anju would get really scared of him, I was really starting to hate that man for making my sister feel like this.

*****

"Your parents won't mind?" I asked as I parked the car outside Khushi's house.

"They come home very late and leaving early in the morning so don't worry they won't even know you are around and in case they know it's not a big deal." She smiled, I nodded as the three of us walked inside.

"Wow, you live in such a huge and beautiful house." Anju said as she looked around the mansion admiring its beauty.

"But it's not home, like yours is." Khushi said, she kind of looked sad, I knew she dint like her step mother much but I always thought her relationship with her father was okay, but the way she was talking it dint sound like it was okay.

It was funny how the both of us came from broken families.

She led me to the guest room upstairs and told Anju to stay in her room with her so they could gossip the entire night which Anju was so happy about.

"I'll go tell the servants to prepare dinner." Khushi said as she excused herself, I settled down on the bed and looked around the room, I still dint know if it was a good idea to come here.

What if things went wrong? Plus with the mood swings Khushi had, she could suddenly start hating me for no reason at all.

I was just lost in my thoughts that I dint even realized when Khushi walked back, I realized it when she held my hand and pressed it between both her palms.

"Don't worry Arnav, life is shit but everything's going to be okay." She smiled at me, I just nodded positively as I kept on staring at my hand.

It was funny how a single touch from her was making me feel a lot of things yet it was something normal for her. I was left surprised when suddenly she hugged me, it was totally unexpected and I was busy staring at my hand I dint even see her going of it, I was just suddenly into her arms and it just felt good, it felt like I was home.

I nervously wrapped my arms around her and held on to her, and this small hug from her made me feel like things were actually going to be good.

"You are a great person Arnav, the way you care about your sister, it's beautiful." She broke the hug and looked at me with a smile on her face, I looked back at her as the both of us stared at each other for so long without saying a thing.

She placed one of her hands on my cheek giving me goosebumps, and she dint even have an idea how it was making me feel, she lightly brushed her thumb on my lips and bit her lower lip, it was as if she wanted to kiss me, but why would she? She clearly told me she would never be interested in me, and the only time she kissed me was when she thought I was someone else. I still hadn't forgotten that kiss though.