Awkward smiles are exchanged when Armaan spots us inside Kawfee and Koolphi. The Cafe has been closed for service today, since they were kind enough to let us shoot the second session of Dil Janna Chahega.

"Armaan ka aana zaruri thha?" Karan stood beside me, his hands folded. Arnav was adjusting the camera and lighting to get it ready for the shoot, while Ritwik, Vansh and Ishita proceeded towards the plush teal couches to get seated. 

I shrugged, "Haan, kaafi questions aye uske liye. And you should be thankful to him. He volunteered to do the asking." I walked towards Armaan, he looked nervous. "Dude, everything okay?"

"Yep," Armaan cracked his knuckles. "It's just, you know... Never thought that I'd be interviewing the guys who once bullied me." 

I chuckled, turning my head to look at the boys, "You can still back out, you know, if you want."

"And let go of the opportunity of getting those idiots tongue-tied? No way! It's just my first time on camera. But I want to do it. Always wanted to have a talk show, you know?"

"Now I do," I nodded. Arnav signalled us to get seated. Unlike last time, we have designated seats. Two sets of couches, one heightened behind another. On the lower one, Ishita, Ritwik and I take our seats while Vansh, Karan and Ritwik sit on the one behind. The camera and lighting manager hands Armaan the tab which contains screen shots of all the questions sent for us.

"I'm getting serious Koffee with Karan vibes here," Ritwik jokes when Karan grabs his mug of coffee. Another person hands us all a microphone to clip onto our outfits as we laugh at the lame joke. It's just our nerves talking. 

The lights dim, and we hear the Director. "Roll Sound-" 

And we feel it when our background theme starts playing. Even though it's dark, I can see Ritwik look back at the boys, biting the inside of his cheeks in excitement. Ishita's lips are rolled in, and she is squeezing the life out of my hands. I take in a deep breath, unable to stop the smile. 

"Roll Camera-"

The lights increase in intensity, and Armaan seems a completely different person now. Confident, and has a control over his skin. 

"...and ACTION!"

"Woohoo!" It's a collective sound from our side, we're unable to comprehend this right now.

"Namoshtaii Dil Jaanta Hai family. I hope you missed us-"

"-because we miss you guys mahn!" Ishita squeals, looking at the camera. "I missed not being with you guys every Friday. Even though I've been hated on, I still love everyone."

"Because you're invested into everything but your brain," Karan retorts, bumping fists with Arnav.

"Ooh, burn! Can you guys feel the excitement? Their emotions are all over the place today." Armaan says to the camera, "I can feel it."

"Of course," Vansh says, "You're not numb."

"Lets see if you can be though," Armaan shrugs, unaffected. "Because Ishita se zyada hate toh tumhe naseeb hua hai."

"I knew this was coming," Vansh nods, shrugging. Ishita and I laugh, glancing back at Vansh.

"Well then. Lets start Dil Janna Chahega, kyooki kaafi intezaar kara liya humne sabko. Pehela question, from cuteasducks. Arnav has set off, he did what he always wanted to do. Tera kya hoga kalia? You were the one to say that he couldn't talk to his father about pursuing his dream job. Now, how about you be the good boy, by withdrawing from this STUPID merger that the Guptas and Mehras have set up? " 

Arnav, unable to control his laughter, pats Vansh on the back. "This is off to a great start."

Passing Arnav a deadly look, Vansh answers. "Ducks are cute, I agree on that."

"But that's not what she asked though," Karan nudges. 

Vansh lets out a breath. "Okay, well. I'm really glad that Arnav gathered enough guts to actually do what he wanted. Photography and journalism uska passion hai, and mera business. I know most people aren't really interested in what their parents plan for them, but that's not what it is for me. I always wanted to get into our industry, and coincidentally my dream job is what my parents have planned for me too. Ab yeh jo merger is just one of the... the-"

"-sacrifices?" Ishita frowns.

"Haan, sacrifices. It's just one of the things I have learned to accept."

"So are you going to take charge of your life now? This is a question from khushisarwa  ."

"Uh," he scratches the back of his neck. "Haven't I already though?"

"I think," I interrupt, "he has. Now, hum sabki alag alag priorities hai. And unn priorities ka order bhi person to person vary karta hai. Each one of us has already set off on what we wish to do with our lives. Right now, sabko kisi na kisi ke methods me khaamiya dikhengi, because there are gonna be drawbacks, set backs, et cetera.  But that's exactly what will make these steps and decisions a learning experience, so yeah."

"Interesting," Armaan sighs, swiping the screen on the tab. "That's a nice way of putting it. But all this hate talk is spiking a general question, somewhat unrelated. You've seen the comments, and basically the progress of the story from the first session of Dil Janna Chahega. Ritwik, how does it finally feel to be wanted, how does it feel to be loved more than Vansh? I think I read somewhere in the comment section that some girls want your Amazon link."

"Oh my god, what?" Ishita's eyes pop out. "Ye kya ho raha hai?"

"Sach bolu toh, I'm feeling so much better than I did last time." Ritwik sits straighter. "Matlab, I don't know, I'm loving the attention, and I goddamn deserve it. I am the whole package- looks, body, intelligence-"

"Shut up!" We say together.

"What?!" He frowns. "Sach bol raha hoon yaar."

Arnav shakes his head, "Ishita is the dumbest in our squad, and even she feels that Ritwik is dumber."

Ishita turns to hit Arnav's arm. "I'm not the dumb one. Ritwik is!"

We laugh, as Arnav circles his hand at the two of them. "See? Exactly my point."

"Let them say what they want to," Ritwik tells Armaan. "Sabse zyada demand meri hi hai. Inki kaun sunne wala hai."

"cuteasducks sunne wali hai," Armaan switches to the next question. "And woh Arnav ki hi baat sunne wali hai. And her question to Ritwik is: Who the hell gave you an idea, that teenage girls like it when they see a picture of a shirtless guy, hugging a giant teddy bear? Seriously? Thoda desperate nahi lagega?"

"Whaaaat? Karan leans towards Ritwik. "Bro you did what?"

"I didn't!" Ritwik defends himself.

"But you did show me that picture when we were in Udaipur," I point out.

"Mera matlab, idea Ishita ka thha!"

"He's lying guys!" Ishita objects. "He called me that day and said that he bought this huge teddy, which was absolutely adorable by the way, and a box of chocolates, and he wanted to surprise that girl from Easton High-"

"But then Ishita said that teddy bears and chocolates har koi karta hai, it's too basic, and to take an advanced step-"

"-but shirtless hone ko toh nahi kaha thha na-"

Armaan puts up both his hands, "You know what guys? It's okay. You guys don't need to fight over it, we get it."

"Duhh," Vansh shrugs. "Put two dumb people in a room, this was inevitable."

Another round of laughter makes me thirsty and I grab a water bottle. 

"Moving on, the next question is from hogwartsalumini0503-"

"-I REMEMBER HER! SHE'S MY HOGWARTS GIRL!" Ritwik shouts out.

"Yeah?" Armaan sounds disinterested. "Well , her question for Arvika is: I am so happy for your brother. You may miss him and also be somewhat angry with him, but in the end you will realise that what he did was needed. So my question is what is one last thing you would have done/ talked about with Arnav if you knew he was going? "

"You know," Karan interrupts, "Last time some one asked a question about the distance between them, and now there's a question that is somewhat about their close bonding."

I look back at Karan before looking at the camera. "Ironic, I know, I know. I can't comprehend this sudden change in our dynamic either," I look back at Arnav once. "But in context of the story, to answer your question, well... Agar mujhe pata hota ki Arnav bhagne wala hai, then of course mai usko bhaagne mein madad karti. I tried convincing our father once, and we both know how that turned out-"

"-it was scary as fu-" Ishita shakes her head, remembering the conversation.

"-yeah. And we know there might be other ways too, but our families are more shrewd than we let on."

"Well, that seemed honest," Armaan takes over. "The next question if for Ishita from Sanya_Goel. How would have you reacted if you were in Vika's place?"

"Reacted to what? Arnav running away or the deal-merger thing?"

"You're smarter than your buddies think. The deal, Sanya and I'm supposing, most of the readers, are curious about the deal."

Ishita pulls a leg over the other before replying. "It's... It's not like I haven't tried thinking the way Vickey does, or pictured about the converse scenario. Agar hum Vansh ko context me lekar chal rahe hai, then I'll say that it was expected because Arvika and Vansh did like each other, and I don't harbour any feelings for him. But hum agar dusre hi scenario ki baat kare, where in she does what I did, and sets up a deal with a boy I like and am quite frank about harbouring feelings, then mai seriously toot jaati. And I have never said that jo maine kiya hai Arvika ke sath sahi hai, but it was just too complicated back then. And abbhi, I am really really sorry Arvika, even though that sums up to nothing."

"We're over that whole phase now," I sigh. 

"Then it's better we get finished with the questions related to this issue. Rapid fire with subjected answers, yeah? cuteasducks ka question, Dude, I don't hate you, at all because you did not break any unsaid rule of the girl code. Meaning, you did not kiss or do the deed with Vansh, and it's all fine and dandy. All of us know that it's an act. My question right now, is, why not carry out the whole 'Guptas don't have the money' thing by not putting a merger in the middle? I am sure Vansh's family could lend money to the Guptas, and STILL be in the advantage for the future, when they'd get the shares if the Guptas' business skyrockets. They could still be benefitted in the financial department, without letting you two act like a couple. Why did you not refocus the situation, to the part where the Guptas need the Mehras' money? Why not put a big, large full stop at that? Why not think, and turn down the offer of acting like a fake couple and take JUST the money? The initial idea was that. That way, you could still have helped you family, right?"

"I'll start by saying that the whole thing was a chain reaction. Pehele Arvika broke off the deal with the Mehra's, so of course, that was not taken well by either families initially. I hope this doesn't flame into a controversy, though it already is, but agar hum iske root cause ko dekhe, then it is badle ki aag. Sorry Vansh."

"No, you're right Ishita," Vansh replies. "My Dad took the whole ordeal in a manner worse than I did, because Binoy Uncle had been our friend for a long time."

"I really wish I could apologise for the whole thing," I pipe in, "But I'm not sorry."

"No one is really the exact one to blame here," Arnav adds. 

Armaan shrugs. "Next question from khushisarwa. Behen, what happened to sis code?"

"It got reevaluated and slapped me hard," Ishita smiles, genuinely.

"hogwartsalumini0503 ka question hai, to both Ishita and Vansh. So according to the deal you will have to marry Ishita, but dude do youeven have such feelings for her?"

"If I'm being honest here, I'm glad it's with Ishita instead of a stranger," Vansh says. "The thing is, we both know each other, and we know what has happened that led to this thing. We know the rules, we know the background. So the extent of faking is reduced. Behind the doors, we're friends and allies. Dosti mein sukoon hai."

"manikasingla30 asks Vansh, How did you feel when Arvika refused to be a part of Bandhan 2.0?"

"I refused to think that she wouldn't agree to it!" He laughs.

"Next one from Ashwath1204. Dude, u and every oder soul here , who has read the book, knows for a fact that u are head over heals in love with arvika. When are you gonna confess it to her? Tu itna fatuu toh nahi lagta ki rejection se darr raha hai. Laughing emoji."

"Confess karne ki zarurat thi nahi," Vansh hesitates. "We were frank that we're attracted to each other."

"Exactly," I point out. "And it seriously wasn't about love. Hum bachhe hai, the only thing we love is..." I try coming up with something all of us love. "See? We don't really love at this stage. Hormones kaam kar rahe thhe humare, and haan thoda dil-wil bhi mil gaya thha, but that's that."

"This insaan is scary," Ritwik points at me. "Bohot hee zyada level headed bani fir rahi hai aajkal. Shimla camp is some horror story, I'm telling you."

"We do have a few camp related questions here though," Armaan informs us. "Post camp Arvika Deewan is revamped Arvika, no doubt in that. So khushisarwa is curious to know about your meditation process. Meditation kaise kar leti ho yaar neend nahi aati?"

"I know right?" Ishita jumps in, excited now. "Like I wake up in the morning because the room is too bright because the balcony door is open because Arvika is sitting outside meditating? Arvika and meditating?"

I laugh, "It's really not that tough though. I mean, don't go by my words, but this is how I started: Sit down, close your eyes. Haan neend aati hai, so mai bhi so hi jaati hoon, I am not a professional here. The best part is that no one comes to know whether you're sleeping or doing a mental exercise, so just let people think jo unko sochne ka mann kare. Once you're habituated to waking up early and meditating, then dheere dheere you become used to it. Fir you can YouTube a few guided meditation videos, and meditate in the actual sense."

Karan yawns, "That whole thing sounds so boring."

"Then let's delve into something entertaining, shall we?" Armaan asks him. "Khushi Sarwa has a question for you too, Karan. Kab hoga relationship with Avni?"

Ritwik, Vansh and Arnav snort at his red face. Karan nods in acceptance of his burn-out, and I wiggle my eyebrows at him. "I am really interested in this question now," I tell him truthfully.

"Whatever his answer is," Ishita looks at all of us, "I am not sitting with her. Bandi bohot zyada hi serious hai."

"Of course," I agree, "Chemistry mein we need to doodle."

"She is cool, okay?" Karan defends and then swears under his breath when everyone teases him. "Shut up guys. Relationship ka I don't know Armaan. Just testing the waters, and it seems pleasant right now."

"So abhi ke liye sirf cat memes taq seemit hai tum logo ka interaction? No chumma-chaati?" Ishita asks with mock innocence.

"Stalker tu hai, tu hi bata de kaha taq hai humara interaction," Karan narrows his eyes at her. 

She grabs the mug of coffee from his hands in response and wiggles the almost empty mug in front of the camera. "This very Cafe, last week. Saturday, shaam ke cheh saddhe cheh baje. And then mhunghhhhh-"

Karan's hands muffled whatever she was going to say. "Next question, Armaan. Iski baaton ko dhyaan mat de."

"Baal kyu kharab kar raha hai yaar, haath hata!" Ishita managed to shove Karan's hands from her face before Armaan could continue.

"Sanya_Goel ka sawaal hai Arvika ke liye, and oh, it's about me. What were your best memories with Armaan and what will you miss about him after school?" Before I can reply though, he does. "Oh, I know this one. It's hogging my lunch, Sanya, Arvika Deewan is a big bhukkad when it comes to locally made biscuits and my Ammi's biriyani. Iss ladki mei sharm naam ki haya nai hai."

"See?!" I point at him, "This is why we're friends. Tu samajhta hai mujhe."

"Tu school me Biryani lata hai?" Ritwik assesses, looking between us. "Mujhey kyu nai pata is baremein?"

"Shaanti se khaane bhi nahi doge kya mujhe tum log?" He replies, making Ritwik clear his throat. A touchy topic, that no one was ready to touch upon.

I count the fifteen second silence that stretches between us, until Armaan lets out a chuckle. "Chill, I meant Arvika hi khatm kar deti hai mera poora lunch."

"I do not," I shrug nonchalantly.

"Readers gawah hai, Arvika. Anyways, the next question is for me? Oh okay. Well, khushisarwa ka sawaal mere liye hai, Armaan, apna schedule de na yaar! Uh, mera koi schedule nahi hai-"

"-ye jhooth hai, sarasar jhooth-" Karan cuts in between.

"-but I try this basic thing that everybody skips despite being told not to, and that is revising the topics the same day it has been taught. And oh, I don't waste my time watching Korean shows till two in the morning."

"BURN!" Arnav booes at me, while the rest follow.

"STOP ganging up on me guys!" I defend myself. "They are interesting okay?"

"I'm not even going to let anybody listen to that argument. Arnav, time for your rapid fire with subjective answers. First one is from khushisarwa. Are you going to stay in contact with anyone?"

"I want to because I might be homesick, but I won't because the whole thing needs time."

"From manikasingla30, Why did you not try to contact your twin in the seven years that the two of you were away? And what changed when she came back?"

"We were asked a similar question last time as well. Uhm, it became awkward. Can't exactly explain it to you, and it's not that we fell out of touch..."

"I had the inferiority complex, so he was too afraid. Mixed emotions," I complete for him.

"Alrighty," Armaan breathes out. "This one is for both Vansh and Arnav from Sanya_Goel. Give us all the details about Arnav's escape plan."

Vansh shakes his head, "I wish there were actual details, but the truth is that this idiot just messaged me the night before the disaster that he is leaving and that his mother and her husband are going to be paying for his education and that everything is already planned. As you know we were not even in proper talking terms, but we had been best friends for way too long to just leave without a conversation."

"And I was scared," Arnav admits. "Arvika was so goddamn close to finding out everything. Needed someone to confide in."

"Yeah, and that couldn't have been me?" I tilt my head to look at him.

"I did not want to ruin the few moments I had with you guys."

"Real mature," I muttered under my breath.

Armaan nods, looking at the next question. "Speaking of maturity, why the pink denim jacket, Vansh?"

Everyone except me and Vansh burst out in laughter.

"This is a serious question guys," Armaan declares. "From hogwartsalumini0503, Pls tell me where you purchased your pink denim jacket from."

"I didn't purchase it," Vansh says after hitting Karan in the stomach. "Meri maasi layi thhi mere liye. It's from Paris, which if I recall, happens to be the Fashion Capital, so suck it up guys. I'm trendier than you lot."

"Bhaijaan trendy ka toh pata nahi, par chaukanne aap zarur thhe. Arvika, here's a question for you from hogwartsalumini0503 and it is: There are many teens these days who are choosing to do drugs and believe that drugs are the solution to their problems . As someone who almost had gone on that path, what advice would you give to those people?"

I'm pretty sure my face is contorted into a solemn expression. "Woah, uhm... Suddenly this feels like a five marks question." I let their chuckles fade out before continuing. "Unless it has been prescribed to you by a doctor, you don't need them guys. Problems toh har kisiki zindagi mein hai, and kisi ki problem chhoti ya badi nahi. If you're anything like me, you like control and I admit I was stupid when I tried turning to drugs to let go of the very thing I like. There are healthier and less expensive ways to deal with stress. Running, and I mean the physical running, not the running away from problems wala running, kick-boxiing, music- anything that takes your mind off things that stress you."

"Uhuh," Armaan comments. "And since Mickey isn't here, I'll just direct the question to you again. I want to know how did you feel after telling everything to Arvika during the camp?"

"I'm not sure whether he felt safe about revealing his secrets to me, but I think he felt relieved about letting it out. That's all I can say."

"I guess that's enough. Next question is from cuteasducks and wow, this is a serious one. How do you feel about your parents' attitude towards you? You father does not care that he has such a daughter and a son. Everyone suffers due to Karma, and what, according to you, is the best punishment for a self-centred, stiff man like Binoy Deewan, who cares only about the money and his work?"

I take a moment to absorb the question. "I don't have any authority to punish anyone, and neither do I want to. He might appear as a self-centred, stiff, money-minded person, but at the end of the day, all of us mean business. You, me, everyone. I've learned to look at the situation from his point of view. Yes, he was being unfair to both, me and Arnav, but I guess the roots were about our future, stability, and well, profits. So, even if he suffers, it won't be because I inflicted something. Karma? Probably. Me? No. After all, we're just survivors of struggles. Karma might be the next step to another big thing."

"So you don't believe in the yin-yang theory?"

"I believe in the hard work- smart work theory. You gotta work smarter than working harder."

"Touche," he agrees. "Anyways, a lot of people have been asking about the Yatis-Oberoi deal. Your Naani knew about Oberoi's plans, didn't she?"

"Yep," I shrug. "So did my mother."

"Can you please elaborate?"

"Well, when they say love's just a facade, my mother made it her motive. Bandhan deals in our family aren't new. The approach that my mother and Raman Oberoi have regarding this whole issue is probably yielding them dual profits. It's not that I don't love my mother, she's my mother after all. It's just that I know that she is a business woman herself, and knows very well what she's getting herself into."

"So, can we extract that all the manipulation tricks that you are known for, you've learned from your mother?"

"Mothers are always manipulative," I smile. "Warna hum abbhi khana na khaney and din bhar TV dekhne ki zidd pe ade rehte."

"Now before all of us here start singing songs and praises for our mother dearests," Armaan places the tab on the table between us, "we have one last question to address, and it's from N-in."

"Bring it on!" Ritwik whoops.

"How long a leap are we looking at?"

"Ooh," Ishita muses. "Sequel ke bareimein question."

"Do we really know the answer though?" Vansh leans forwards.

"I honestly want to fast forward to the part where my mother isn't checking up on my diet every second," Karan envisions.

Ritwik lets out a goofy smile. "I want to skip to the part where I am driving racing cars, and am really famous, and visiting every country savouring cuisines."

"That's called day dreaming," Arnav pats his shoulder, "Not skipping."

"Ab seriously answer karte hai," Vansh tells us. "Arvika? Kitne saalon ka leap le rahe hai?"

"Uhm, Daadi ka TV serial hai nahi yeh jo ek generation ka leap le lenge."

"Toh aakhir Dil kab Dhadakne wala Hai?"

"Eight years," I inform the camera. "Aath saal baad hume pata chalega ki Dil kab, kaise aur kyoo Dhadakta Hai."

"And that wraps it up, fellas," Armaan stands up and we take it as a cue to gather in the centre. "This was fun. I got to get on the nerves of the nerve-wracking people, all thanks to this amazing community that is made up of people like you who read this book, supported each character, votes on the chapters stayed with us for the whole journey."

"From getting consistent Friday updates for ten months straight, we delved into the rocky update schedule season, and yet you were patient and I just cannot thank you guys enough for being so goddamn understanding," I smile.

Vansh nods. "In spite of being the kind of readers who love romance, you guys accepted the way this book ended. You guys just taught us more and more every day."

"We absolutely loved reading the comments," Ishita adds. "Your active nature was such a huge motivator."

"All this senti bullshit reminds me that you guys never accepted any bullshit," Karan points at the camera. "And that is a major reason why you and us made a great team."

"And thanks for supporting my aspiration," Arnav says. "When, in the future, I come face-to-face with my father, I am going to lead him to you people, because you understood me more, and can obviously convince him."

"These people stole my words so now I don't have anything else to say other than that you're the BEST reader fandom ever, and that my Amazon link will be out once I begin my own company. It's gonna be a start-up busi-" Ritwik rattled on, but we didn't pay him anymore attention.

"So this is it," Armaan takes over. "We're getting emotional, and hence before we start crying ugly here, we're going to ask you to stay tuned because the Sequel schedule will be announced in a month time. I hope the bonding between us stays the same, and that you miss us the way we will miss you. Wish you a great life, and hope you loved us the way we loved you."

And then, a resounding GOODBYE.

Before I start rambling, I'll answer the Sequel FAQ's, asked by N-infamous

Does Arnav come back as a professional photographer? Yes, definitely yes.

Can we get different POVs in the next book ( like after Arlington of HSHL)? If you must know, I am a big fan of High School Hit List and its sequel After Arlington. And while I planned on the sequel, I never realised that it was going to be that way, but yes, you're going to get different POVs in the next book.

Are we going to get an Arnav-Ishita relationship or was it just a tease? Well, I never realised that they were being a tease, and I do not wish to go after that best friend's brother cliche, but lets see. You might be in for a surprise.

Does Vansh finally grows back a working brain? Uhm, it's either his brain, or his situation. That's all I can say right now. 

Does Armaan's father make it? The ending of DJH doesn't mention whether he makes it or not, so I am going to think about it as of now. 

Does Mickey come out? It's high time he does, really. 

Do we see Aryan again? Personally, I've had enough of the Oberois, but let's see. 

Do Karan and Avni become official? Well, not all high school relations last that long, and they were never in a relationship to begin with. You might get Avni and Karan, but you might not get Avni & Karan. Did that make sense? 

and the most important question... 

DOES RITWIK GET HIS EASTON GIRL??!! Hahahahaha, yes he does, but for a short while though.

Next up is something interesting. I've got a lot to rant about and a lot to ask. So please continue onto the next chapter :)

~chaashnee