Taara smiled waving as she caught sight of him walking towards her direction. He was looking at her with that evergreen smile. She felt butterflies in her stomach. What was even happening to her? 

"Hey!" She greeted him as he came closer. His hands in his pockets. His grey-blue shirt's sleeves rolled up till the elbow. Charming!

"Let's walk today?" He suggested. Taara thought for a moment and answered with a positive nod. Turning around she began walking ahead with him beside her.

"So, how was your day?" He started the conversation.

"Nice."

"Now that's some good news." He spoke giving her a teasing look.

"Please. It's not that I rant every day about my day at work."

"Taara, that's what you do."

Taara turned to him narrowing her eyes at him. 

"Maybe you woke up with a nice mood." He grinned looking down at the road. Taara ate up her smile. "I wake up every day with a nice mood."

"Really? Maybe the sweet dreams made your morning better. By the way, where did you bury the dead body?" He enquired amusement evident in his tone. 

Taara laughed. "In the backyard of my neighbor's house."

Aayush chuckled. 

"How did you know it was me?" Taara asked looking at him. 

"I don't know many abnormal people you see." He threw a grinning glance her way. Taara rolled her eyes, "Please." 

"I am not kidding. The moment I read the message I knew it should be you."

"Whatever. I am hungry. Wanna grab a bite?" 

"Where?"

"Mc Donald's?" She asked excitedly.

"Are you serious?" 

"It's been a while I haven't eaten a burger. Feels like ages, almost. Now dare you say, you don't like Mc Donald's. "

"Umm, I don't like burgers,  mostly fast food."

"You're missing out on so much." She shook her head in pity.

"Have you ever eaten Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad? Or Avocado Chicken Salad? Or Vegetable salad with roasted chickpeas? "

"And you call me abnormal! I haven't even heard of them." She mocked him.

"Taara, you're the one missing out on a lot!" He folded his hand stopping in track, turning to her.

"Okay, let's make peace. Drop it here. I am really hungry I had a mini lunch today."

Aayush smiled extending his hand forward  "After you".

* * *

Taara hungrily ate her burger while Aayush sipped his coffee. 

"What did you think about your bucket list?"

"I really don't care, whether I do it or not," Taara answered before taking another bite of her cheesy burger. He pushed the bunch of tissues her way. She looked at him thankfully taking the tissue. 

"You must do it." He spoke looking around sipping his coffee. 

"Aayush?" He heard a voice and turned to his right. There stood a woman in her late twenties, dressed in high waist jeans and yellow crop top. Taara was busy checking out the girl. She looked like a model out of a magazine. 

"Hey, Hiya!" Aayush smiled courteously standing up. He extended his hand but the girl preferred hugging him. Taara noted every detail while quickly wiping her mouth. 

"Surprising to see you here." Hiya cooed. Aayush flashed her a smile. "Same here." He replied. Taara momentarily felt she had turned invisible.

"Oh, I came here for a friend's birthday. He loves the stuff they make. You?" She asked still holding Aayush's hand. To Taara she seemed like a really good friend. Taara couldn't help but notice their hands.

"Oh, I came here with my friend." He spoke looking at Taara. Taara flashed a smile at the mention of her name. "Hiya, that's Taara. Taara this is Hiya, my.."

"Aayush's friend from college." Hiya completed for him extending her hand towards Taara. Taara smiled shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you. " Taara gave her best fake smile. "You too." The girl said quickly turning to Aayush. Her palm now traveled all the way up from his wrist to his elbow and still up to his bicep. "I will see you soon. Gotta hurry." Saying that she pressed her cheek against Aayush's blowing a kiss. Taara maintained her smile. Why did it bother her? He wasn't her boyfriend or something like that! 

Once she left, Taara looked at Aayush. He watched her intently. "Shall we leave?" She asked keeping her irritation in check.

"Yeah. Let's leave." He smiled walking out behind her.

"Seems to be a close friend of yours," Taara commented casually. 

"Well, you can say so. Have known her since college." That made Taara's mind conjecture images of the two together. Had they ever had a scene? Hiya was bestowed with great curves and a figure that would make men want her and women envy her. 

"Taara." His voice made her come out of her thoughts. She realized she had been walking absentmindedly. "Yeah."

He stared at her. "Oh, my bike is down there." She pointed to the street going down. "Okay then." Taara smiled while he shook is head observing her.

"Yeah. Bye." He spoke wondering what she was thinking.

"Bye." Saying that she marched in the opposite direction.  Aayush smiled as a thought crossed his mind. Did he just witness a jealous Taara Mittal Jaisingh? Smiling he walked down the street. 

Taara sighed sitting on her two-wheeler. "So what Taara, if they have something going on. It's not that you are dating him. He is just, just a friend of sorts. So what. Urgh!" She spoke to herself wearing her helmet.

It's funny how there are times when we get possessive about the person we could almost kill. 

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Have you ever been jealous of your friend's friend?