• ADVIKA •

20 DAYS LATER...

Dear Diary...

It has been two weeks since Ishaan, err... Aadya had invited me to Amalfi Coast for her friend's wedding, which is a huge "honour" to me. I have chosen to make this stuff private because she had trusted me with her stuff. Hence, I am telling this only to you and Aarvi. Nobody else. Especially not Harsh: he's a blabbermouth.

But, this invitation to Italy has raised a question inside me.

Why would a famous person like Aadya would invite a mere student like me?

I mean, I'm sure she has a lot of fans who spam her in every way possible. She would have come across fans who are more ardent than me and who are capable of showing support more than I do. If not before, then at least, after You Belong With Me happened. But then, why me?

I did nothing to that account except assume it to be Ishaan and rant about my everyday. Is there anything else significant in this? I did that only under the assumption that I wouldn't receive any reply from that "invalid account".

I did a simple stuff. Why would she trust me and INVITE me to her friend's wedding?

And above all, why did she come forward and take care of my travel expenses?

Either she finds me relatable to her, or she isn't Aadya. I highly believe that it is the first one.

But what if it was the second one?

Advika B...

***

THE NEXT DAY...

"I'm going to Milan, lady!" I rubbed Aarvi's nose with my index finger, vibing to I Can Do It With A Broken Heart and packing for my trip to Milan to meet Ishaan, err... Aadya.

Aarvi, who was in her regular crazy mode until then, glared at me as if I said I was going to Eras Tour.

"Oye! What happened?" My eyebrows met each other as I noticed her forehead crinkle and her cheeks go purple.

"Look at this." With then, I was facing her mobile screen which was flashing an Instagram post from... Aadya.

It was a picture of two trolley bags, the backdrop adorned with her messy, beige bed, books, and casuals.

aadya-chatterjee ✓ Dear Home, I'm coming.

And, her home is Kolkata, not Amalfi Coast.

The solemnity in my mind reflected better than it did before as I looked back at Aarvi.

"Do you know Hriday? My schoolmate? His cousin sister works with Aadya. And, she is very sure that Aadya is going to Kolkata, not Italy. Aadya has no friends to get married in Italy. Trust me, Advika, I have confirmed." Her eyes bulged with genuineness as I realised that she called me by my name: something she does only when she does serious talk.

Maybe, the second option was right.

It's not Aadya.

"But then, who would call me to Italy? And, book tickets?" I looked into her eyes, searching for answers, while emotions dived in the sea of my tears at the realisation that I lived in delusion.

"Scam," she whispered as if she was talking about peace in the presence of terrorists. "What if it was a part of a human trafficking chain, trying to lure you to 'your favourite place'? Today's world can't be trusted."

If she said the same a few hours ago, I would have mocked her and named her as Mom. But, considering it can be helpful for me and my safety.

"But, is that possible? Do such things happen?" My eyes popped out at the thought of such things happening to me.

"Who knows? This could be the next big thing in the crime industry," she warned in a tone like the ones from horror movies: the ones who warn about the ghosts to the main characters.

"But, what am I supposed to do?" I shrugged and shook my head, landing on my bed like a crashed rocket. Tears overwhelmed my eyes at the thought of being cheated by the Universe.

First, it gave me a "red flag" boyfriend. Then, it sucked all the courage out of me. Now, it proved to me that what I believed to be true was a mirage.

Then, I heard my mobile ping twice. I reluctantly carried it and read the message I received from Deepti, my colleague, followed by a YouTube link.

Deepti: Is this series good?

I know it was something I wasn't supposed to do during my depressed mode. Yet, I clicked on the link as my heart wanted it.

Come on, I need some outlet!

That was a clip from W: Two Worlds, a Korean drama about a protagonist of a hit comic series and the cartoonist's daughter, falling in love with each other despite being from two different universes.

That clip was the scene where the cartoonist's daughter slips into the comic universe and saves the male protagonist, breaking what her father had written. My lips broke into a smile as I reminisced the time when I was so obsessed with that series, fervently shipping the leads, and losing my sleep cycle like I still do.

And, that's when a tiny thought struck my mind as a raindrop, soon turning into a huge flood by the time I completed watching the video.

"Aarvi!" I placed my mobile on my bed with a thump and banged it on and on, trying to gain the girl cooking Yippee noodles's attention. "Aarvi, come fast!"

"What happened? I can't come right now. The noodles are boiling. You rather come here."

I marched to the kitchen before she could reach the middle of the sentence.

Feeling my presence at her back, she complained, "Why are you screaming like a siren? Tell me what it is."

"Aarvi. I know that I am being extremely Delulu, but still, hear me out for once." I cleared my throat as if I was seconds away from singing songs, and added, "What if everything happening right now is out of the universe?"

"I thought you were dumb, not that you were mad." She rolled her eyes and continued stirring the soupy noodles. "Get it straight, bitch. I can't handle suspense."

"Okay." I suppressed my grin and added, "What if the emails from Aadya were actually from Ishaan?" As I sensed a, "Huh?" from Aarvi, I continued, "I mean, what if there was a parallel universe, where the book You Belong With Me is real events? What if Ishaan, Maahi, Enzo, and others existed there? What if the emails I'm receiving are not from Aadya, but from Ishaan? What if he assumed that I am from his universe, just like how we did?"

"Good theory. But, this ain't some Korean drama, girl!" She shrugged while switching off the gas stove and sitting on the kitchen countertop.

I sat on the countertop, opposite her, and replied, "Okay. But, even in those dramas, the characters won't believe that there was a parallel universe until there was a clear explanation of—"

"Exactly! They won't believe it until there is a clear explanation of it. What's that explanation you have?" She asked the mind-bending question, handing me a plate of noodles topped with tomato sauce to me.

"Idea!" I snapped my fingers and strolled to my bedroom. Leaning on the bed with Aarvi, my laptop, and my plate of noodles, I switched on my laptop and opened G-Mail.

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]

Subject: Who weds who?

Exhaling deeply through my mouth, I mouthed an, "I can do it," and typed the message.

I know it's inappropriate to ask, but may I know who are the bride and the groom?

Advika B...

Closing the laptop, I looked up at the rotating fan, trying its best to satisfy us despite the scorching hot climate.

"Advika." Aarvi patted my shoulder. "Give me your laptop."

I pushed my laptop and continued entering my reverie full of doubts and delusions.

"Advika." Aarvi patted my shoulder again and pulled my hand while I clicked my tongue for her being a total clingy person.

"What the hell is it..."

I stopped midway through my sentence as she showed me my laptop screen.

It was a Google search, the bar above bearing the words Swiftlee and the results below. It showed websites of a blog page, a recruitment and payroll processing company, an employment provider, and multiple apps on Apple.

Wait! Why does that name sound awfully similar to me?

Swiftlee... Where did I see this?

Where?

When?

How?

Where?

When?

How?

Where—

Ah, yes! Ishaan's mail. His mail is: [email protected]

Swiftlee is his email company. But, there is no email company here with such a name.

"So, Swiftlee is an email company from the parallel universe. This was why his mail was invalid to us," I spoke up after spending seconds in absolute shock, only to return to the same slump.

As if on cue, I received a notification from G-Mail via Chrome.

You got an email from Ishaan Ahuja.

Good timing, man!

I clicked on the notification pop-up and read the mail.

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]

Subject: He weds Her

Groom's name: Ved Singh
Bride's name: Mehak Trivedi

And no, this question isn't inappropriate. Glad that you asked!

I

"Ved and Mehak are getting married!" I exclaimed, my mouth covered by my hands.

Ved Singh is Ishaan's best friend and Mehak Trivedi is their senior. She is three years older than Ved, and their romance is the subplot of the book. The book never showed much of their romance, though Aadya promised that a standalone about them will be released in 2027 and the writing process will start after You Belong With Me's sequel gets published.

And, they are getting married. An HEA trope, just like how Aadya promised.

"You are right, Advika. There is a parallel universe." Aarvi emphasised the word "is", leaned back on the bed, and gobbled down the noodles.

Ten minutes passed in solitary silence, us munching all of the noodles, and dozing off to sleep earlier than we did when all of a sudden, we heard a guitar playing in the background, making my gaze wander and I wonder whether Harsh was up with another surprise. Never overestimate him, his surprises sucks.

You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset
She's going off about something that you said
'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do

"Shit! Was it Alexa?" Aarvi sighed to life and placed her hand on her chest. "I thought you switched it off long ago."

"I thought I switched it off long ago." I emphasised the second "I" and wrapped myself under my reputation-themed bedspread. "Don't switch it off, Aarvi. Let it play."

"Okay," she sighed and turned to the other side of the bed while I, who initially had plans to vibe to the song, drifted off to sleep as if someone was sprinkling stardust on me to make me sleep.

***

The bed, which was smooth as if I was lying on a heap of feathers, woke me up from sleep. I tried to find my coffee mug in my chest drawer, but I couldn't find it. , there was no coffee mug there, which made me suspect Aarvi's activities. She would usually give me bed coffee and start cooking.

But, where is my bed coffee?

"Aarvi, what is this behaviour?" I groaned and got off my bed, only to face the awful figure of myself. Yikes, I looked like an illegal immigrant, with those frizzy hair, faint dark circles under my eyes, and eye bags that had started to grow. But... Something is different, right?

Something is.

I don't know what, but something is—

This isn't where my mirror is supposed to be.

I looked down to remember where would my mirror be and noticed my bedspread. It wasn't reputation-themed, but a chocolate brown one.

The whole room was in shades of brown and white. The bedspread, the bed, the makeup table opposite the bed, the walls, the tiles, and the couch near the entrance of the room. I thought my room had shades of pink as their walls. And, where did that couch and makeup table come from?

And, the realisation dawned on me like flowers springing from autumn to spring.

This isn't my room at all.

Shit, someone had kidnapped me.

No way. Maybe, Aarvi had renovated it overnight. I know it's impossible, but still, let me just live in Delulu until the truth strikes me hard.

Ignorance is bliss, guys.

"Aarvi!" I screamed her name at the top of my voice, despite sleepiness engulfing me and bringing my voice low. "Aarvi, where are you?"

A silhouette and sounds of footsteps approached me, making me celebrate the success of my attempt.

Come on, Aarvi. I know it's you. Come on—

But it wasn't Aarvi. It was a guy.

He had messy hair, a beard that was long enough to be considered, dusky skin, and... Dark green eyes. He looked like an insurance agent in his crisp black shirt, matched with a brown belt, grey pants and tie, and black shoes that shone as if it was diamonds. The structure of his face made him look like a South Asian. I don't know where exactly he is from, but he must be either from India or Sri Lanka.

His dark green eyes and his South Asian features contrasted like hell because I had never seen or heard of South Asians with dark green eyes except Ishaan.

The mention of Ishaan had the realisation hit me like a rumble of thunder, giving me light on the theory I discussed with Aarvi.

What if that theory came into existence?

"Ummm... Who are—"

Before I doubted whether he could answer me, he did.

"Advika?" He tilted his head to his left and shot a surprised glance. "Sorry, I know you don't know me. I'm Ishaan."

Dang! I guessed it right.

***

Dang, the moment is here, peeps! *cue the confetti*

And... How was the chapter, guys? The Universe is a smart guy, isn't it? Who knows? The Universe can get sadistic at times *devil smirking*.

But, now is not the time for the universe to show its "sadistic" side. Let the lovers enjoy, Universe!