OUT OF THE WINDOW

Ranbir entered the hall, frowning as he take a look at the empty house. No one was here, Aryan had promised him last night that he will arrange for him and Prachi to talk alone. But it's been late afternoon and he had not even given him slightest hint yet. What the hell was he up to? Ranbir trusted Aryan with his life. He know that when he promised him something, he'll do everything in order to fulfill his promise. It's just the waiting he hates. And where do this man goes when he is needed the most.

It was the perfect day to talk to her. Thanking God, for the millionth time that day, that Rhea wasn't there. She had left for a trip to another town, along with her Buji. Aliya for a business meeting and Rhea for her friends marriage. And she won't be back till tomorrow evening, just about in time for the Puja. It isn't everyday that he is Rheafree.

He was about to call Aryan when he heard laughing from the poolside. He followed the direction of the voice and saw the entire family gathered there.

Elders were scattered around the pool, taking about random topics. Laughing, teasing and sharing old stories. While the youngsters' were almost an amusing sight. Seeing the sight in front of him, Ranbir almost laughed out loud.

There sat Shahana and Piyush, matching annoyed pouts on their faces, while Aryan and Prachi were having a head message from Pragya and Sarita ji respectively. Looking at the sullen Shahana, Piyush and a brightly grinning Aryan, it took him a minute to register that it wasn't normal head massage but an oil Champi. And the reason the two were annoyed was clear by their sticky hairs. He couldn't hold himself anymore and burst out laughing.

"Well isn't this after-party so.. relaxing?" Ranbir guffowed.

"Ranbir, don't make us feel more bad." Shahana said pouting.

"Or else what? You won't wash you hair?" teased Aarav.

"Come on Ranbir. You too get a message. It'll relax you too." Pallavi called him.

"Wha--- Why? No thanks I'm relaxed as it is." Ranbir tried to get out of the trouble he had just gotten himself into. He tried his best pouting face and used every excuse he could cook up, same or insane alike, but to no avail.

And hence you have a now pouting Ranbir who was also having a Champi and sniggering Arhana.

"Here Prachi," said Saritaji, who had been assured to be dropped home only in the evening, gathering the girl's hair in a messy high bun.

Prachi smiled at her gratefully and joined Shahana and Piyush on their table.

"Aarav, come child, everyone had had a massage. You join too." Saritaji offered politely and Ranbir mentally smirked.

Now the charm would go down the drain. Let's see how he'll be able to pull off a greacy look. Ranbir thought, trying to cover his chuckle with a fake cough.

Aarav just passed a small smile to the elder lady and seated himself in front of her on the ground, cross legged.

"Prachi?" Piyush called staring at her and the girl hummed in response.

"Why don't you take us to meet your friends?" he asked.

"Why? Why do you want to meet our friends?" Shahana asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Just because, let us meet those who made you both forget us, and if you don't like to meet our friends doesn't mean we wouldn't too." Piyush mocked.

"Oh no, You don't have friends, no, Aarav have friends. You have a gang that do nothing but flirt." Shahana countered.

"We don't flirt, we just give genuine compliments, that just are a bit cheeasy sometimes." Piyush defended himself. "And tell me, who from my friend group ever gave the two of you any cheeasy compliment, except from me of course."

"That is because you and Aarav made us tie them Rakhi." Prachi laughed.

"So? Your safety is our responsibility." Piyush explained while the girls just scoffed.

"Then you two's safety are also our responsibility. And believe me, most girls of our college are too clingy. Ask Ranbir and Aryan, they are literally flocked around." Shahana gritted the last line narrowing her eyes at Aryan, and pressing her lips in a straight line. The elder three men suppressed their laughter and Pranbir raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well are you going to take us or--"

"No" Shahana cut in, making Piyush frown and Aryan grin ear to ear.

"Aarav you two spent the last weak home, right?" Prachi mused. Some people frowned as per why she was addressing Hoshiarpur as 'home'.

"Yeah we did." Aarav replied, smiling at the just over bickering, his eyes closed as he relished the massageing.

"Did you met our friends?" Prachi asked, eyes bright.

"Yeah, they all miss you both a lot." Aarav replied, eyes still shut.

"You met everyone?" Prachi enquired, and Aarav hummed in response, unaware where this is going.

"Did you met Ruchi?" Prachi asked hopefully, but her expression changed when she saw Aarav's smile defused, his eyes opened and Piyush head snapped in her direction. Everyone's attention were grasped by them, as they now intently listened to the new girls mention.

"Umm... Why are you asking me?" Aarav counter questioned.

"Actually I have not contacted her since a long time after I came here, and when I tried her number went unattended." Prachi explained.

"No I.... we.. didn't met her." Aarav replied, and Prachi's features showed a mixture of hurt, confusion and something else.

Aarav closed his eyes once again, glad that the topic ended when it wasn't brought up for a few minutes, and started enjoying the massage again. That was until he heard a loud gasp.

"She DID NOT ran away with Prateek, did she?" Shahana had gasped, and everyone's eyes almost fall out of their sockets.

"She did not." Prachi chestised.

"She can never do this, Right?" Prachi looked at the boy, her eyes expecting any form of denial for her bestfriend's implication. Her eyes went wide when she didn't get any response at all. "SHE DID NOT...." She all but screamed.

"How could she? Didn't they even thought about their parents?" She was almost hyperventilating by now.

"Where are they?" Shahana piped in.

"How are her parents now? How did she even thought of doing so to them? They must be devastated. They must be so heartbroken." Prachi continued.

"Oh come on Prachi stop about fussing over their parents." Piyush scoffed.

"Are you out of your mind?" Prachi bellowed.

"Calm down Prachi, Calm down." Aarav tried to pacify her, but she was far from it.

"CALM DOWN? How Can I Calm Down?" Prachi said.

"Prachi at least listen to him." Pragya softly said.

"Listen to what maa? How can she be so utterly stupid? They loved each other a great deal? I know. They were head over heels for each other? Everyone could see. But Running Away? That is moronic. She can not do that to her parents. She was their life. How can they be so selfish and stupid. How can they break their heart?"

"Prachi calm down." Came a voice she could never get out of her her head, or heart for that matter. How could she refuse that voice? And she didn't. She tried. To calm her breathing down. To pacify her heart. But how could she? When he spoke to her with so much right over her, making her heart jump from joy and drop at the same time.

Everyone turned to look at Ranbir, with a mixture of expressions, who had managed to stop her fuss, with a single sentence.

They really are good friends, that's why she listened to only him. Abhi thought to himself.

Aarav threw Ranbir a grateful look and turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. She indeed had calmed down sans for the deep breadths she was still taking.

"She did not ran away." Aarav said in a soft tone, placing his hands on her shoulders, making a certain someone lose his calm though.

"What? Why didn't you told that earlier?" Shahana demanded.

"Thank god. It would have been so awful...." Prachi sighed, "and yes why didn't you said that earlier?"

"Arey, cause you didn't let them even open their mouths before jumping on conclusions." Abhi laughed.

Piyush just scoffed, "But it would have been way better if they had eloped."

"Huh?" The girls shared a befuddled look.

"Okay, sit down please." Aarav said and they did as asked. Everyone, who had stood up seeing Prachi's little fit, too took their respective seats.

He took a long deep breadth, glancing momentary at everyone, his eyes lingering on Ranbir for just a second longer, who in turn was looking straight at Prachi. He finally looked at the girl and took another deep breadth.

"Look I really didn't wanted to tell you guys everything like this, or at least so early but...." Aarav started in a small voice, but still everyone were able to hear every syllable that left his lips.

"Cut the crap out, will you?" Prachi snapped and the elder's raised an eyebrow at this side of her. The youngsters, well they know how fiery she can be. But the elder's had not seen her angry colour, yet.

"Umm so you know that Ruchi's parents liked Prateek, right?" The boy started.

"Yeah, he was like their own family." Shahana said.

"There is a huge difference between like and being a family, it seems." Piyush butted in.

"So, Ruchi thought that she can, 'openheartedly' tell her parents about her feelings, thinking that they will be jolly to have him in the family. But things didn't went as planned. They, Ruchi's parents, refused, referring to how ashamed they were of her being with him, an orphan. Chaos happened. She started fighting with her family. They seemed to have distances. After some weeks of weeping and crying, God knows why, Prateek broke up with her, and left the town, and you know how fast word travels around the society. So her parents fixed her marriage, to make her forget him and move on. She wasn't happy with the marriage, for sure. She even refused, for a long time, but they were being persistent. And...." Aarav hesitated.

"And" Prachi's voice a mere whisper. Something stirred inside her and she found herself looking past Aarav's head, at a lone person that came to her mind. Ranbir was already looking at her, his Chocolatey eyes watching her every move. His brown eyes screaming at her, something her mind could not register but her heart seemed to get every little whisper his eyes told her. He was looking at her with a raging fire in his eyes and strangely, it sent a chill down her spine. What Aarav said next made his eyes widen and she looked around to see everyone mirroring the same expression. She however, had been so lost in the chocolate pools, that she hadn't quite captured the new piece of information.

"Can you repeat that?" She asked Aarav who was closely looking at her face with? Sympathy, Hurt, and Calculation?

"She is no more." Aarav repeated and her mind seemed to refuse to let the information to sink in.

She shook her head vigorously, "Come again?" she bolted up.

"Ruchi, she, committed suicide. An year ago." Piyush said feeling bad for his friends.

Shahana, who had heard just fine in the first time, finally registered the meaning. As the implication of words dawned upon her, her knees gave out and she didn't even registered the fact that the gravity was pulling her down till a strong pair of arms were wrapped around her figure. She, almost in trance, looked up to see Aryan clutching on her strongly, yet softly. He pulled her up to stand straight, looking only in her eyes and she felt like his gaze was looking through her very soul. The intensity of his gaze refused to let her eyes drift elsewhere and a soft tear left her eye, followed by a heart wrecking sob. She could not register anything, or anyone for that matter, around her and buried her face in his shoulder. Her arms making their way around him on their own accord.

Aryan seemed to move on reflex as he saw Shahana loosing her balance. He caught her just in time to stop her from falling with a thud. She didn't even seemed to know that she was falling. Just as he catched her, she got to get her senses back. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with an emotion that never seemed to cross her bubbly face. A lone tear escaped her eyes and he felt that tiny drop of salt water to be crushing his heart with enormous weight. She looked at him with those big dark brown eyes of her and a wind-whirl of strange emotions swirled in the pit of his stomach. His heart felt like it's been clutched in a stone grip. And as she buried her head in his shoulder, her hands griped him, and her sobs shook him. Something from the back of his mind made him engulf her in his arms. He did not hesitate to wrap his strong arms around her tiny frame and support her. It was a side of her that he, or anyone he guessed, had never seen.

Everyone either had tears rolling down their cheeks or their eyes moist. Pragya, who had met the deceased girl a few times had her cheeks wet, while Abhi consoled her. Purab was looking at Arhana with an understanding look. Vikram patted his shoulder and gave him a small smile. Even Mitali seemed to be at loss of words. Dida and Dasi were praying for the demised soul. The remaining were looking keenly at Prachi for any reaction.

Ranbir, Aarav and Piyush, even Pallavi were looking at the girl who seemed to be frozen. Not even blinking, not moving, no nothing. Her mind was trying to come up with a rational excuse as per why her friend's step was wrong. But she couldn't comprehend anything sane. Hasn't she herself thought to give up living without that one person. Though she hadn't acted on it but she, as shocking as it might seem, surely had thought of giving up many a nights when Rhea had purposely pushed her to the brink of breaking.

Wasn't her not eating anything for three freaking days just because of the kitchen incident she had witnessed between Rhea and Ranbir. Though it was not intentional and she had skipped meals just because of her lost appetite, but wasn't she expecting an end in the long run?

She stood there, looking like a stone sculpture, and Ranbir's heart shredded. It was worst than it would have been with her trashing around and screaming. How, first time in his life, he wished that she cried. Anything, just anything to break her seemingly never ending trance. Hell, her wailing and breaking down to pieces would be way better than this silent form. He could hear Shahana sobbing in the background but he could not comprehend anything besides the stiff girl in front of his sight. One could burn him to ashes and he wouldn't even notice. Even Pallavi seemed to be feeling bad for the girl despite her hatred towards her. She was even more worried about Ranbir.

"How could he leave? Prateek, why did he? He loved her so much, I myself have seen it." Pragya stuttered.

"He did not left her." Piyush stated. "He never could. He was one of my best friends and she was his life."

"Then why did he broke up with her?" Pallavi could not help herself from asking.

"Because he was threatened, that if he did not, Ruchi, along with him will be killed." Piyush gritted. "One day, about eight-nine months ago, he called me, drunk, and told me himself."

"Yeah right, one can never leave someone they truly love that easily for anything." Pallavi stated, taking in the blank look on her son's face.

"One surely can. Not for anything but for that one person." Abhi replied.

It seemed to break Prachi's trance and she looked around, alarmed. That was until her eyes landed on their quest. As she saw him looking at her, eyes broken. She felt like he was watching her bare soul and she looked away. A tear left her eyes followed by other, then another and another. Great, another wound on her bruised heart. She felt like....... breaking down, again. No she could not break in front of her family for she knew that this time she won't be able to pick herself up in mere minutes. And losing a friend, that she hadn't seen in literal years, as close as they might be, can't get as sad as she will mourn. And knowing her breakdowns in past months, she knew that she won't be able to stop. She'll have to get out of here.

She turned around and left before anyone can stop her in her tracks.

Prachi rushed into her room and was glad that no one had followed her. Blessing Aarav for stopping someone who had tried to come after her. Some of her hair had escaped the bun and she was sure that she must be looking like someone who had been hit by a hurricane. To be honest she felt like that too, only the hurricane was not physical. She had came to her room to break down and cry, away from the eyes of her family. But now that she was in the solitude of her room, her tears refused to come.

Had her lifetime quota of tears ran out in the last months?

No it can't be. She won't be able to live everyday without crying. Wasn't it crying her heart out to sleep every-night, that kept her sane? Has her heart finally became the stone she wished for a long time now? She sat down. Her knees tightly wrapped by her arms and she buried her head in her knees and prayed for reaction. Any bloody reaction to get her emotions out. She knew that if she kept them in, it'll hurt more. She had personal, first-hand experience after all. Her attempt to keep the tears at bay, for the first week after the Tanu case had been awfully hell like.

Sadness kept within heart was like a splinter in skin. The longer it isn't removed, the more it hurt.

But why wasn't she crying now? Why is it refusing to come out? It wasn't like she isn't sad for her friend's untimely death.

Maybe her heart refused to cry because it knew that there won't be anyone to wipe her tears away. So why shatter when the one who picked up the pieces of her heart was pushed away herself. God, do something to get it out.

Her wish was answered shortly as she felt two arms wrap around her. She froze. They weren't just any two arms. They were awfully familiar, and torturously warm and welcoming. There, it was all it took for her tear glands to start functioning again. And even more profoundly. She was tired of pushing him away and needed a much wanted break.

Her refusal screaming brain was drowned by the crying and humming of her heart. Her body too detached itself from the enslavement of the logical dictator and was working according to the new emotional overtaker. It was the only reason acceptable as per why, even after a long cons list her brain had up it's sleeve, her arms wrapped themselves around the visitor on their own accord. Deal out of the window, her heart was greedily accepting the consoling. Hungry for the familiar, forbidden warmth and comfort. It was like an recovering addict had been put into a room full of their addiction.

She will push him away tomorrow, for now she can not refuse the already overtaking intoxicating feeling of belongingness. And so she relaxed in his arms and cried her heart out. Not keeping anything in. She cried and cried until she drifted in a deep slumber. Tired because of the emotional turmoil that she was for the last few months and relaxed by the presence of the other half of her heart near her.

After Prachi left, Piyush had tried to follow her but was stopped by his brother.

"Leave her be for some time." he said aloud for everyone to hear clearly, "She needs to get her pain out. And this was just the blow to break her wall." He added discreetly glancing at Ranbir.

Ranbir's eyes never left Prachi till she was out of sight. He turned around to look at the other girl who's sobs had now slipped into low sniffs, though Aryan was still holding her, but by his side now. She looked up with tear strained face at him and hinted him slightly to go behind Prachi. He blinked once and glanced at Aryan who nodded lightly. He then looked around to see that no one was paying any attention to him and inconspicuously left , following the path that his broken angel had retreated to.

He reached her room and raised his hand to knock on the door. But he stopped, his hand mid-air, trying to make out any sound from behind the door. When he did not hear anything, he decided against knocking and turned the door knob slowly, opening the door. He peeked in to see the silhouette of the girl sitting on the floor. Her head bend in her knees and her back against the bed. She didn't seemed to be sobbing or anything. Her shoulders moved up and down in strained breathing. He let himself in the room, closing the door behind him and walked softly to her. Careful not to make any noise and startle her. He kneeled beside her and she didn't react, maybe she hadn't noticed him. He looked at her form and all plans he had of making her confess leaped out of the window, for right now, he just wanted to gather her in his arms and console her. And that's what he did.

He wrapped his arms around her. His breath hitched when she turned stiff under his touch. Not moving. He prayed silently that she don't push him away. This time it was her who needed him more than he did. A small part of her heart said that she won't, this time.

But his mind was panicking as why she did not respond. Has she forgot his touch? his feeling? The anticipation of her reaction was torturing him.

He didn't had to go through the torture for long as he felt her relax against him. Her relaxing into him, and not pushing him away again was good enough for him that his heart melted. And when he felt her arms going around him and hugging herself to him, his heart wanted to do backflips. Do hell with questions, this was enough for him to get a response out of her.

He just sat there with her crying out to him. He was carefree that Aryan and Shahana will surely make sure that no one disturb them. And no one did. She cried for hours. And by the time she fall asleep in the circle of his arms, it was dark outside. He just wanted to stay there with her but his mind knew better. So, he picked her up in his arms from the cold, hard floor and lay her down softly on the bed. He pulled the cover over her and sat beside her.

I'll have to go now, I really don't want to leave you, ever. And I promise, there will be a time when I'll be by your side with full right. That time will come soon. Ranbir thought to himself, brushing her hair away from her face.

He placed a lingering kiss on her temple and left from the door making sure that no-one was looking.

A/N:- Hey beautiful peoples, Firstly I would like to present you all a heart felt apology for the delay in update. No excuses, the first half just did not wanted to be written.

Here I present you lovely, patient folks with some Pranbir time. Really hope the chapter to be good enough to make it up to you for the waiting. :)

If you liked the chapter, please vote and comment on your favourite part. Inline comments are welcome. Shower your love as much as you can as it encourages to put more efforts in writing. Feel free to point out any mistake you came across while you read. Toodles.

Lots of Love,

Simran