Author's POV:

It was the evening before the boutique's opening. Neha, Ayesha, and Sofia were in the studio finishing up the last-minute details for the morning event, while Priya, Ashish, and the other half of the event management team were in the banquet hall setting up for the evening event.

"Let us play the presentation and check the projector to make sure everything is set off." Ayesha turned towards Neha, to which she nodded and Sofia switched on her laptop and played the presentation while Ayesha was checking all the technicalities.

"As everything ended smoothly, let us call it a day and get ready for tomorrow," Ayesha exhaled after making sure everything was in order.

"Yeah, you are right. Thank you for the setup, Sofia and Ayesha. Let us all meet tomorrow," Neha said, bidding everyone farewell as she gathered up all of the plates and cups of leftover snacks from their earlier meal.

After packing her things and saying her goodbyes, Sofia left the studio, leaving only Ayesha and Neha.

"So all set," Ayesha looked over Neha and asked.

"Hope so; just some last moment nervousness."

"Relax; everything will work out just fine." Ayesha patted Neha

"By the way, your dress is ready. Take a look and see if any changes are needed." Neha suddenly remembered about the outfits for the event.

"Oh Wow, perks of designer friend cum sister—having as many clothes as you wish", Ayesha dreamily sighed her face.

Royally ignoring Ayesha's comment, Neha walked to the room.

"Hey, wait for me," Ayesha ran behind Neha.

The first thing they noticed when they entered the room was the mess that formed—everything from thin fabrics to large rolls were splattered all over the place, giving the impression of a godown rather than a boutique studio.

Ayesha pushed a few items from the bed aside to create room to sit, and she sat on it facing Neha, who was searching through the room's wardrobe for a specific packet.

Finally, after a long time, Neha found the packet she was looking for. She carried it over to the bed where Ayesha was sitting, laid it over the pile of clothes, and unzipped it.

The packet had a variety of outfits that she had designed for this inaugural. Ayesha came up with the idea and instructed her to create a few outfits, and some of the people in the team or family can voluntarily act as models so that she could show off her designer dresses to the public. 

Of course, how come Ayesha can leave the chance? She was the first person who gave her measurements for her outfit.

"This is your outfit; wear it and let me know how it looks. If you don't like it, you can look for other options in this packet as well. I have already given the outfits to others." Neha took out a teal blue dress with an asymmetrical top with long sleeves adorned with white threaded embroidery and white lace and wide-legged palazzo pants, creating a traditional ensemble with a modern twist.

 Ayesha's eyes sparkled seeing the dress that was designed. 

"There is no doubt that it can be disliked; instead, I was thinking to grab other outfit for the morning event as well. Let me check what I can wear.

"Seriously," ignoring Neha's rolled eyes, Ayesha placed the previous outfit aside and started to look for another outfit for the morning.

"MashaAllah, this outfit is so beautiful but it won't fit me; the measurements are too apt as if you had tailored for someone. By the way, whose outfit is it?"

It was a deep blue dress with a long sleeves peplum top embroidered with intricate beads and sequins and a lehenga (a long flared skirt) featuring vertical silver embellished designs, giving a perfect fusion of traditional and modern styles.

(Second dress 👆 Imagine this dress in long sleeves)

As Ayesha removed the dress and began to examine it, Neha took the dress back quickly from Ayesha's hand—"It is for no one; I just made it as a backup, and this will not fit you. Wait, let me find you an outfit."

"Look, this will look good on you for the morning event; wear this with a cream or beige t-shirt," Neha said, handing out a new outfit after folding the previous deep blue one and putting it back in the packet.

"Yes, perfect, thanks."  Ayesha grabbed the pantsuit and began studying the fabric materials and patterns of the outfit, ignorant of Neha's moment of melancholy.

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At Night

The enigmatic atmosphere of night was filled with drifting, soft grey clouds, and very few stars were visible. The moon's crescent was partially visible, and there were faint echoes of insects and the faint rustle of tree branches swaying in the light breeze. All of this created a sense of anticipation for the mystery to be revealed in a serene setting.

Unaware of her surroundings, Neha had been in another zone, holding the heart-shaped gold metal clip that she had found in her old bags a few days back, as if she was missing someone, probably the person who gifted the clip.

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Mumbai

Flashback Starts - five years back

It was a fine evening of the Sunday with a serene calm atmosphere but totally opposite of it, Neha was in hush and chaotic checking the threads, fabrics, beads, sequins, etc which she bought today to make a dress

Sana, who has been watching Neha, finally took her and forced her to sit on the living room couch. "Neha, calm down yaar. Why are you so tensed? Just relax and take a break; you have been busy since morning and barely ate anything."

"My lead, who is currently my temporary manager, will not acknowledge how much I do. I am tired, yaar; I am not sure what issue she has with me." Ultimately, Neha broke down and opened up about her inner turmoil. She was anxious and determined to meticulously work on the outfit, which caused her to overwork even on the weekends, in an attempt to regain her confidence and at least get recognition for her work.

Sana, who was sitting next to Neha on the couch, gave her a quick hug as she began to express her emotions. 

The resemblance was evident in Sana's eyes; this kind of partiality and distaste was not new in the modelling field; she was well aware of what it was like to see someone less competent than you get acknowledged and promoted while you continue to fumble for minor recognition and advancement.

"InshaAllah, you will receive the fruitful reward one day, and that day you will not be remembering all these small obstacles." Sana broke the embrace, held Neha's hands, and attempted to comfort her.

"And I will be right beside you, patting your back and cheering you on," Sana said with a smile, which caused Neha to smile back.

Taking the sandwich plate placed on the table, Sana handed it over to Neha. "Now, eat this sandwich and get relaxed and do the work later."

Giving up, Neha said, "Ok ma'am, as you say," and then she picked up the plate and began to eat, which reduced her anxiety and made her realise that she had been hungry for a long time.

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Next Day

As the sun cascaded over the sky with a soft golden light that stretches down the long and thin shadows over the commuters on the bustling roads who are buzzing to go to there offices and work. 

Neha remained in her room, dressed in a multicoloured floral kurta, black trousers, and a green hijab. She was searching everywhere for everything she needed and putting it in her black tote bag to make sure she did not miss anything today. Wearing pearl-embedded flats, she hurried to work without paying attention to the surroundings.

He, on the other hand, was on his way back from jogging when he spotted Neha, He went towards her side, but unaware of him, she simply passed by him and left to find a cab or an auto.

"What happened to her?" Startled, he went to the girl's flat to ask Sana, why Neha was so hurried.

As he entered, he saw the main door was widely opened and the things were splattered in living room, Fear ran over him he quickly dashed towards Sana's room

As he walked in, he saw Sana curled up on her bed, completely unaware of anything else, and he felt at ease in her presence. He approached her and attempted to wake her, and fortunately, she woke up at the first call.

"What are you doing here?" 

"Neha was running frantically and did not even look at me, so I thought I would check in with you. What happened to her?"

"She went off already. What's the time?" She glanced towards the clock to see it was only 8:00 am.

"Her office starts at 9:30 am; why did she leave early?"

"That is why," he said, "I was surprised, and she was in a hurry too." He then relaxed, sat on the bed, and rested his head on the headrest.

"Eww, get out of my bed. You just jogged and are now lounging on the bed. Get up." Sana pulled his hand in an attempt to get him to get out.

"Fine, I will get up. Don't pull my hand," he reluctantly too got up from the bed and went out of their flat to get freshened up.

In the meantime, Sana looked at her phone to see her schedule and was relieved to see that she had today off and that her next photo shoot was tomorrow. She then put on a basic beige maxi dress and accessorised it with gold hoops after having a relaxing bath.

"This girl is really disturbed this time; I hope she will not get rejected today or else she will be shattered." She was worried seeing the things cluttered in the living room.

Sana cleaned the living area, organised it, and made her breakfast, which consisted of a bowl of overnight-soaked oats with freshly chopped fruits and a green tea.

"Let's do something for Neha," she got an idea, and she quickly ate her breakfast and took her purse to go to the market.

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At Evening

He went into the girls' flat after returning from his office and saw Sana sitting at a chair on the dining table with her phone running a video in front of her while she was cutting onions, looking intently towards her phone.

"Hey, What are you doing?" he was unable to resist himself and sat on the chair beside hers

She turned to him and paused the video. "I am making biryani for Neha so her mood brightens up," she said excitedly before going back to work.

"Woah, you are making biryani, am I dreaming?" he pinched himself in shock

"Very funny," she said, rolling her eyes at him, and went back to work.

"Well I doubt about brightening Neha's mood but I am damn sure her stomach would be upset"

"Oh, really, then I will make sure to test on you first," she mocked him back.

He grabbed the piece of onion and began eating it while laughing. "By the way, what happened to Neha? Why she is upset?" he was now worried 

"Ahh, her lead cum manager is bothering her again, and this time she is very demotivated." Sana tried to explain about Neha's situation to him.

"Aww, girl, I feel sorry for her. She once talked about how her manager taunted her of not having knowledge. I still don't understand why she is tolerating she should leave the  company", he remembered the time when she was upset and dull .   (A/N: For reference - this scene is in Chapter -11)

"I told her, but she does not want to leave because there is not a bigger fashion house than this," Sana explained, and he nodded before joining her in the chair.

As the night fell, the sun had completely stopped providing warmth, and a slow, cool breeze had begun to envelope. Neha tiredly came inside to find him and Sana seated in the living room, arguing over the TV remote.

"These both", shaking her head, she went towards them and snatched the remote.

"Why you both are fighting for the remote?"

Sana grumbled, "Look at him, Neha, tell him to go watch his match downstairs; I want to play songs."

He also began to gripe, saying, "Tell her to stop her nonsense and play songs on her phone; the important cricket match is going on, and she here is just not allowing me to watch it."

"I even did that, but it was you who yelled at me to stop."

"Yes, who turns up the music during an intense match?" They both began fighting once more.

"Stop it!" Neha, who was already exhausted, yelled at them both and turned off the television. "And this TV will not be switched on again," she declared and left the room to freshen up, shocking them both.

"Oh no!" they cried when they realised that they had forgotten their initial plan to lift Neha's mood and instead they made her more agitated.

He told Sana, "You take care of the food, I will organise the things here," and after they both agreed, they began setting up for dinner.

Following her shower, when Neha walked into the living room, she was surprised to see the dining area which was softly lit by candles, three plates were arranged to create the impression of a fine dining experience with fresh lilies in the middle of the table.

"How is it? Did you like it?" Sana enquired, and he followed, emerging from the kitchen holding a few dishes. This arrangement did improve Neha's mood; she felt special.

"This is amazing. "Thank you so much for this," she said, her eyes welling up with tears, and she could not help but give Sana a hug.

Having finally made Neha happy, Sana made her sit on the chair and began serving the biryani she had prepared, saying, "Try this biryani and let me know how it tastes. I made it ?" 

"Look, Neha, do not overindulge in the biryani; instead, just take a spoonful. Later, you can enjoy this chicken karai with naan, which I got from outside. I doubt we can make it to the hospital in time with this traffic outside," he made fun of Sana.

"Shut up and enjoy your alleged Naan and Chicken Karai. I have already tried my biryani, and it tastes good." Sana became enraged and responded.

Seeing them, Neha felt fortunate to have friends like them in her life. Determined to maintain their friendship, she began to eat dinner.

"Yum, the biryani is so tasty," Neha said after dinner was finished, and even he agreed and praised her as well.

Later, as a punishment, he cleaned the plates and went to his flat, where as the girls just sat on the couch and relaxed.

Sana remembered something and went to her room, saying, "Wait, I will be back."

"I bought this for you", Sana handed the packet to Neha and sat beside her and excitedly signed her to open it.

Neha exclaimed, "Wow, it is beautiful," upon seeing the gold metal clip in the shape of a heart.

"You can attach it anywhere in your purse or as a keychain." Sana took the clip and gave her the instructions. 

Flashback Ends

Seeing the metal clip, she was overwhelmed, reminding her of the promise and Sana's manifestation of four years—"And I will be right beside you, patting your back and cheering you on." 

"I still remember you, Sana, and as you mentioned, my first boutique is being launched tomorrow, and I am missing you," Neha finally expressed her desire to see her best friend.

"You can call me egoistic or selfish, but I lack the strength to call you and invite you to the inauguration." Neha let out her tears and hugged the pillow.

"I just wish that wherever you are, I want you to be happy." She put the metal clip on the nightstand and turned off the lights to go to sleep.

Friends are the family that we create on our own, and they are the ones who provide the warmth and love connection. However, when a crack starts to form, it not only weakens the bond but also fades out the warmth and attachment of it, leaving only the broken thread of the friendship to be remembered.

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This chapter is dedicated to the friendship. Friends are that missing piece which makes your life relaxed and enjoyable by just being present in our lives, and similar to it broken friendships are that delicate component which breaks all your faith and patience in the life.

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