"I love you" she said being little nervous.

Vansh stopped the car, and looked at Riddhima who was peeking keeping one of her eyes open, and closed again as she saw him staring at her.

"Are you serious Ridz? Is it a dare of something?" Vansh asked Riddhima, who opened her eyes and huffed.

"Noo. It's not a dare. It's my feeling for you. I had fell for you long ago." Riddhima said, she was waiting for his answer.

"Well then, but I don't." Vansh said directly, and Riddhima looked out of the window for a while.

"Ridz, please don't do anything stupid for it." Vansh said looking at her face from the rear mirror.

"No it's not like that. I just wanted to tell you that I love you. No matter you love me or not." Riddhima said blankly, while Vansh scrunched his brows.

"We can be the same friends right?" Vansh said.

"Yeah for sure. But for me, you are still my love." Riddhima said looking at him.

"Ohk Ridz stop looking at me like that." Vansh said and started the car again.

It was a silent way to Riddhima's home. Riddhima was just controlling her tears to stop while her eyes were fully filled.

"We are here." Vansh said and Riddhima immediately got down the car, and rushed towards her home whose door was opened by some servants.

Vansh felt sad, she always bid him a cute little bye along with a list of safety measures while driving. He felt sad for hurting her like that, but for him she was just a good friend!

Driving his way to home he drove way to slowly, why would he like to go there after what happened previous night?

Reaching home he saw Siya sitting in the living room which was rare for him. He moved towards the stairs directly not even paying heed to what she was doing.

"Came back early today, brother" Siya said.

"None of your business." Vansh replied moving ahead.

"Vansh. Is this the way to talk to your sister?" Vian said in a little scolding way.

"Like she is a really good person to tell feelings to." Vansh said.

"Look. That's why I never try to talk to him Bhai. He and me both hate each other don't tie us up together for God's sake." Siya started shouting.

"Mind your voice Siya! Look whom you are talking to. And what's bad if he wants something good?" Vansh scolded and went away, not wanting to argue anymore.

Closing the door of his room with a thud, he jumped on his bed. Still something was left to know about. Firstly, who was the fake manager and secondly, how did the task message come.

Here, Riddhima entered the house and started looking for Aryan calling him out.

"Where is he?" She asked with her sniffling voice.

"He has went for a shoot all of a sudden. He will be back till evening." The servant told her.

Riddhima nodded wiping her tears and left for her room in a hurry calling Prisha.

"Tell me a good news Ridz.." Prisha said from the other side.

"He doesn't like me" Riddhima sobbed.

Riddhima could feel Prisha's hopeful smile getting vanished, and a sigh from her side.

"I am sorry Ridz..I shouldn't have forced you." Prisha said, she felt knowing Riddhima's heart has broken badly as her only fear has come true.

"No...*sighs* it's fine. I will be fine till tomorrow." Riddhima said wiping her tears and declined the call, not even giving her a chance to speak up.

Riddhima lied on her bed, and decided to watch something funny which could change her mind. Opening YouTube she searched for 'Wild N Out' and clicked on one of the compilation.

The video started, but she had a blank face, soon she started laughing like a maniac, really loud. Tears escaped her eyes as she laughed more, and her laugh turned into sobs not any late.

He splashed water on his face again. Was he really someone that anyone would ever love? Was all that really true?

Wiping his face Vansh looked at himself on the mirror. He knew what he had did. He knows he can never understand her feelings, but he can understand what pain he had actually given to her. But he wanted to, make things clear at first. If he doesn't love her he doesn't. It's better to say the truth than faking your feelings all over.

"Riddhima mam your friend is here." A servant came and knocked the door. Riddhima immediately wiped her tears and informed she would be coming in 2 minutes.

Her nose was red, eyes were red, and she didn't wanted to look like that. Taking wipes she patted it on the messed makeup of hers, and she changed into a shirt and a pair of leggings.

"Why are you here..!" Riddhima said looking at Prisha who had clear guilty on her face. Prisha hugged her tightly, and Riddhima reciprocated.

"I am sorry buddy, I didn't wa-"

"It's fine Prish! No worries, but now if you are here let's go out for lunch?" Riddhima replied cutting her words.

"For sure if you want to. Your favourite one?" Prisha asked and Riddhima nodded.

Both reached the restaurant and ordered their desired stuff, and were talking to each other.

"Well this is a nice holiday. But what do you think about Meghna Mam's case?" Prisha said and Riddhima's eyes widened but she came back to normal.

"I don't know yaar. Maybe something personal happened and she ran away." Riddhima said shrugging off.

"No! Idiot where are you lost? You don't know someone found her office ID card in the tree near highway. And that too burnt. See these updates." Prisha said passing the phone to Riddhima, and she read it trying not to react madly.

This case is going more and more complicated, first she went missing. Secondly her burnt ID card is found near a tree along with Ashes on both sides of the highway. Police has found something else, maybe which is not being revealed to the media. But it is, for sure, a clear cut murder.

Riddhima wanted to bury herself somewhere after reading it. Not one or two, they did many mistakes. It was easy for anyone to know about it easily. Sharing the link to her phone, she returned it back to Prisha.

"A murder, that's quite.. horrific maybe." Prisha said scrolling her phone.

Finding the moment, Riddhima took a screenshot of the same from her phone and passed it to Vansh. She switched off her phone as their food came and Prisha stopped her taking some pictures of the food and then both of them, and uploaded it on social media.

"If you are done let's eat." Riddhima scoffed as she saw Prisha grinning.

There was total silence, just sound of spoons and glasses were heard along with other's slow talks.

"I don't know what is happening, my life is just so .. pointless." Riddhima said all of a sudden.

"Why so? We are having a nice time in our internship, and we will be getting a job soon too." Prisha said.

"It's not about job and all. Of course we have to be independent. But... This course of independence is so weird. We will earn money the whole life, but where to use?" Riddhima said and Prisha hummed chewing her food.

"You know there is something called relationship?" Prisha said and suddenly panicked.

"Damn I didn't wanted to but... You know what I mean right?" Prisha said and Riddhima nodded.

"Ok. Got married and spent money on gifts for your partner. Done?" Riddhima said and Prisha grinned nodding in no.

"You ate the 'luxurious' something." Prisha said and Riddhima patted her shoulder.

"Come back to the point!" Riddhima said.

"What to think, it's your choice you want to save it or spend it." Prisha said.

Riddhima took a breath to say something but stopped looking at her phone which was on. She picked it up being confused and saw 3 missed calls from Aryan.

"Oh no, Bhai called be three times" Riddhima murmured dialling him back.

"Riddhima where are you? I was so worried. You always pick my calls at one go." Aryan started scolding her and she just listened to him nonchalantly.

"I am out for lunch with Prisha and my phone was switched off." Riddhima replied cutting his scolding.

"I am home now. You were asking for me right?" Aryan said and Riddhima nodded.

"Hello?" Aryan said and Riddhima realised she is on call.

"Yes..Yes bhai. I will talk to you when I come home." Riddhima said and Aryan hummed..

"Done?" Prisha asked wiping her mouth with a tissue.

"Yes. Let's split the bill then" Riddhima said but Prisha stopped her.

"Don't. It's a treat from my side." Prisha said and Riddhima whispered a 'why' to her. "Sorry for my idioticness Ridz, so..take it as a token of apology?"

"Apology is asked if you accept your mistake. And I find no mistake of yours..no need to feel guilty Prish, it's ok." Riddhima said and smiled.

Riddhima waved a bye to Prisha who dropped her home and went ahead. Riddhima entered inside slowly and looked st the servants looking at her like she has done a crime, oh wait... She has done.

"Where is Bhai?" She asked one of them who pointed towards his room and ran away as she will kill him.

"Come in" Aryan said as he heard a knock on the door and Riddhima entered inside.

"So...why were you looking for me?" Aryan said spinning on his office chair.

"Actually I was not feeling good at that time, so I didn't want to be alone, so I was looking for you." Riddhima said.

"That's it?" Aryan asked.

"Bhai what happened? Why are you behaving so weird?" Riddhima asked.

"Because I didn't expect this from you Riddhima." Aryan said.

Riddhima was sweating, she fidgeted her fingers looking at Aryan trying to act that she didn't understand.

"Wh..what?" Riddhima asked..

"You have started to hide stuff from me..am I not the one you can share everything with?" Aryan said playing with a magazine in his hand.

"Bhai..I don't get what you are talking about." Riddhima said, she wanted to confirm what he knew..

"This means you are hiding many things from me." Aryan said.

"No it's not like that." Riddhima immediately replied.

"Then?" Aryan asked.. "why were you crying?"

Riddhima released a shaky breath, how can she tell her brother that her love got rejected, or that she witnessed a crime and didn't tell anyone. It isn't that easy, specially with someone elder.

"Bhai.. actually" Riddhima said, but she wasn't able to think of a good excuse.

"I heard police came to your office?" Aryan said, not forcing her to tell..

"Yeah, our Manager missing since last night. So they came for investigation. And then there was no one to handle so all the interns got a day off." Riddhima said.

"They asked to you also?" Aryan asked keenly.

"Umm..yes they did ask me also. Because they said she went the same way as ours." Riddhima said, only she knew why it wasn't hard to amke up something better.

"The police commissioner called me Riddhima." Aryan said, and Riddhima stared at him with a scared expression.

"F..for wh..what?" Riddhima fumbled on her words.

"You are their first suspect, and she is not missing, she is murdered" Aryan said and Riddhima was flabbergasted.

How could she be the first suspect? Doesn't this meant Vansh is a suspect too? Were they really going to be caught?

"M..me? Why?" Riddhima just said it out, forgetting where she is.

"This is what I want to ask. Why?" Aryan said..

Riddhima teared up, she was scared, not only for herself, but she knew it would greatly affect something else too, her brother's career.

"You know something related to it Riddhima? Just..tell me." Aryan said wiping her tears which trickled down her cheeks.

"I didn't." That was all she could say.

"I know..I know you didn't. And you can never do something like this.. you know something about it?" Aryan asked her. And why will a brother want his sister to fall in such problems.

Riddhima fell silent. Will she break her promise? She knows well that Aryan will save him from this blunder, she shouldn't tell to him.

Vansh who was looking at social media stopped at the small video of Riddhima and Prisha which Prisha had shared, she looked happy which made Vansh a little relieved.

He opened the text sent by her and read it fully, and why would he not be stressed? Vansh rushed to Vian with his phone and showed the article to him.

Words- 2165

Precap:-

Riddhima and friends reach college for end semester exams, but are stopped.

And the chaos, has just begun.

🙃 I have absolutely lost interest in this...but sudden urge came into my mind to publish the last draft.

Don't worry!! Next part is coming tomorrow!! Sorry for wasting your time by publishing the same again, but it would be grateful if you share to your friends 😌✨

Tanvi 💫