Chapter dedicated to the most amazing person out there who has always been there for me and helped me writing this book. Happy Birthday :)

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Just the presence of people you've gradually started enjoying the company of, the ones you regard close enough to reveal your deepest fears and darkest secrets, also known as 'friends', ensures an instant skyrocketing of happiness.

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3rd Person's POV

The guys were in the hotel lobby, waiting for the girls to arrive. Their restlessness was increasing by each passing moment, with the constant urge to check upon them. While the others were trying to contact the girls, a certain Mr. Kapoor was awaiting the presence of his 'new friend.'
Safe to say, he was going berserk over her state.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected the night to end that way, with Aarushi leaving abruptly. A lot of emotions had bubbled up inside him. Anger, sadness, confusion, concern, guilt even.
Was he responsible for this state of hers? Was it due to his actions that she feared being near him?
He had spent a good amount of time on the shore, which seemed to be the perfect place to think of the answers, but all in vain. He couldn't think straight when it came to her.

Aarushi Malhotra had turned a mystery for him, a mystery he desperately wanted to solve.

It had been almost a day since he had last seen her. They hadn't met after last night's incident, and now it was already past dinner time. She was in her room the whole day, and the urge to see her; to make sure that she was alright, was steadily increasing.
He paced the lobby, alternatively looking between the main entrance and the elevators. When would she arrive?

"Woah," Siddhant suddenly whistled looking at the ladies coming his way.

Ayaan turned around and felt as if air had been knocked out of his system. He stood agape, taking in the sight before him. The remaining four members of their group were coming towards them, talking among themselves and each one of them looking more beautiful than the other. However, Ayaan's eyes sought only one, his Aashi. And when he finally saw her, a swore escaped his mouth. Dressed in a deep blue dress with an alluring smile on her face, she looked damn hot.

As Kavya and Ruhika stepped towards their respective partners, Shanaya and Aarushi came to the remaining trio. "Oho!" Siddhant complimented," Kya khoob lagti ho, badi sundar dikhti ho."

"Phir se kaho," Aarushi sang and Shanaya joined in," Kehte raho."
"Accha lagta hai.....Jeevan ka har sapna, ab saccha lagta hai..."

Ending the lines, the trio of Aarushi, Shanaya and Siddhant burst into peals of laughter.

"Oh my God! That was amazing," Shanaya exclaimed.

"On a serious note, tell me if I've to keep guys away from the two of you. You know, I do a pretty good job at it," he said, acting like the protective guy he was.

All Aarushi did was nod her head in return, like a kid.

"Aha. People are gonna be so jealous of me tonight," Nikhil said, holding the girls by their waist," Ask me why?"

"Why?" Siddhant drawled out.

"Look at me man!" Nikhil exclaimed triumphantly. "I have two sexy ladies with me. Who wouldn't be jealous?" He said raising his eyebrows.

"Pervert," Shanaya said, nudging him.

'Yeah right! Always hanging around Aarushi, moron.' Ayaan snorted inwardly. 

"Looking good for a change," Aarushi whispered, rendering him speechless.

"Thanks," Ayaan said, flustered, not able to vocalize his thoughts.

Siddhant looked over to the two pairs of lovebirds, who seemed to be going gaga over each other. "Oh hello," he called out, "Aapka hogaya ho to chale?" Not realising that there was a budding pair just beside him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After a significant period of time at the disco, all of them had consumed drinks, with a couple of them slightly more intoxicated than the others. Their energy hadn't degraded a bit, even after constantly dancing for a long time.

And after a while, the group split into small pairs, enjoying among themselves.

Tanay and Kavya were lost in their own bubble, dancing together in a corner. Arnav and Ruhika had sneaked off to enjoy some alone time, wanting to make the most of their courtship. And while Ayaan and Siddhant were perched atop bar stools, with Shanaya nearby; Aarushi and Nikhil were madly grooving along the beats played by the DJ.

They seemed to be in their own world, dancing their hearts out. Anyone who didn't know them might surely mistake them as a couple. They complemented each other while dancing, after all they were the best dancers of their college, having won many inter-college dance fests.

The amount of jealousy Ayaan had started experiencing, began to increase manifold.
He ordered a drink for himself. Seeing his Aashi with Nikhil made him boil with anger. But wait, was she even his ?

'That doesn't matter,' he thought.

Gulping his drink in one go, he proceeded towards the dance floor, where the two were dancing. Standing behind Nikhil, he tapped his shoulder and politely asked," Mind if I step in ?"

Noticing the twinkle in Aarushi's eyes, Nikhil stepped aside hesitantly, as Ayaan came in place of him.
Ayaan was happy as he placed his hands on Aarushi's waist, while her hands were on his shoulders. They commenced their dancing and gradually caught the beat. Their bodies were in sync with each other, swaying to the tunes of a latest Bollywood song. Both of them were staring into each others' eyes, reminiscing the good times they spent with the other.

On the other hand, Nikhil stood by the bar, gripping his glass tightly, looking at the two dance so closely. It was no secret that Nikhil was the only hostile one with Ayaan. But why was it that way, no one knew. They could see the slight fierce look in his eyes; or the tinge of distaste accompanied while saying his name, but no one really pushed the topic. Terming it as protectiveness for Aarushi, they brushed it off. But there was one person who had his doubts, and was determined to find out the truth.

Excusing himself from his partner, he made his way towards Nikhil. Standing beside him, he casually asked," So, for how long have you been harbouring feelings for her?"

Startled at the new voice, Nikhil responded with a blank "Huh?"

"I asked, since how long have you liked her?" The person asked again.

"Whom are you talking about, Tanay?" Nikhil said, glancing forward, not meeting his eyes. "There's no one." He forced a laugh.

"Really? You think you can fool me? You think I can't see the way you look at her?" Tanay asked rhetorically.

In turn, Nikhil sighed defeatedly. "Yes, I do. Do you have any problem with it?" This was the calm before the storm. One wrong step, and he would just blow up.

"When do you plan on telling her? Or are you even gonna do that?" He asked ignoring his question. 'Just a bit more,' he thought.

"No, I won't," he replied curtly.

"Why, huh? Don't you think she deserves to know?" He mocked. Tanay knew that he was being selfish, but he had to clear the air to save their friendship. Secrets in any relation eventually prove to be toxic. He had to know the truth, and with Nikhil being slightly inebriated, it was the perfect chance.

"No she doesn't!" Nikhil roared. No one seemed to notice his shout amidst the loud music.
" No she doesn't need to know it. Can't you see she's happy with Ayaan? I can't ruin that. I can't ruin her happiness, Tanay."

Tanay would be lying if he said that he wasn't momentarily shocked. Even though he had his suspicions, hearing it out did surprise him. So my suspicions were right. He does like her.

"What do you mean by suspicions ? You knew it before, didn't you?" Nikhil raised an eyebrow, and Tanay realised he had spoken that out loud.

"Not exactly, I mean I had my doubts. Come on dude, till how long would you have hidden it! Besides, the ZNMD trick never fails," he chuckled, trying to lighten up the air.

"You should've never watched it," Nikhil stated. "And one more thing, no one can know about this. Not even Kavya. Get that? "
As if knowing what Tanay's next words would be, he continued," And no, I'm not telling her. She's happy with that asshole. Let it be that way, even though I hate his guts," he muttered under his breath. "Though that bastard is the reason for the change in her, she really loves him. And he does too, I guess. That's all I want - for her to be happy."

"So this is the reason for the hostility and your skepticism about the plan?"

"Aur nahi to kya," Nikhil grumbled. "Nothing would change the fact that I loathe him. But in a way, it's good they met again. I can finally see my -I mean- our Aarushi returning," he said with a small smile, glancing in her direction.
In the end, this is what everything is about. Friendship; always looking out for each other. And Love; letting the person go away, to see if they come back to you.
He knew she would come back to him. Aarushi would always love Nikhil, but only in a platonic way. And now, that was all he wanted. He had eventually accepted the fact that there was only one person she would truly love, and unfortunately, it wasn't him.
Sometimes, selflessness it the best option, he thought looking at the girl he loved and the guy he despised.

Ayaan and Aarushi were having the time of their lives. Laughing, dancing, joking, they were doing it all.

" Incase I missed mentioning it," he whispered, pulling her closer to himself and gazing into her eyes," You look absolutely breath-taking tonight."

Aarushi looked at him, blushing shades of red.
They were lost in each other, the rest of the world forgotten. Involuntarily, her hands found their way around his neck. They were very close to each other. A thousand thoughts were going on in Aarushi's mind. The drinks consumed by her had already started showing their effects. Ayaan leaned closer to her and on instinct, she too, did the same.

"Hmm...You smell weird, Ayu," she giggled, breaking his reverie. " But nevermind, you look so cute up close. I want to kissss you." She slurred.

And that moment was enough for him to come out of his dreams. 'What was I about to do? I was going to take advantage of her situation. No Ayaan, you can't stoop so low.' his subconscious mocked.

Coming into his senses, he placed his hands on Aarushi's shoulders and silently shook his head. "No."

"Huh?" She replied confused, what was happening? One moment she was going to kiss the man of her dreams and in the other he blatantly refused her?

Terming the dance floor as the wrong venue to discuss all this, he took her to a corner of the disc.

"Why did you pull away, Ayu?" She asked with a child-like innocence and a cute pout.

"I-I can't take advantage of you, Aashi. This is wrong!" He calmly said.

With her eyes narrowed, and a stern expression on her face, she jabbed a finger at him. " You! You always do this! You like torturing me, don't you?" She accused. "Hamesha, you just- you just want to leave me hanging right? Leave me pleading, and waiting for you? Six years ago, you left me hanging. I thought- I thought you had changed... That you had become my Ayu once again. That we could be the Ayshi everyone wanted us to be....But no! You just... you just had to ruin it. You're good at just one thing ! Leading me on, making me dream about us, and then ruining those wishes yourself!"

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Hello guys!

Sorry for the massive delay. I had been facing many problems during the July-October phase, hence the long hiatus.

Hope you liked the chapter. Comment your thoughts below :)

~ Manasi ❤️