That evening, the four of them were having a stroll along a sandy beach in Goa.

As Jo spotted an ice cream vendor, she turns to the others with a grin. "Ice cream! I'm gonna get one! Do you guys want?"

Abhay raised his eyebrow at Jo, trying to suppress a laugh. This girl and her craving for ice cream!

"Sure," Vishal agreed before turning to Shreya who didn't seem to have heard Jo as she was lost in her thoughts. "Would you like to have an ice cream too, Shreya?"

Before Vishal could even finish asking his question, Jo interrupted him. "Let's get ice creams for all of us! Shreya, if you don't want an ice cream, I'll help you! I won't mind having double!"

Vishal laughed. "Come; let's go get the ice creams together."

"Nah, I can go and get the ice creams for all of us in a jiffy!"

As Jo skipped away, Vishal watched her, amused. He glanced at Abhay and Shreya who seemed to have decided to wait for Jo to get the ice creams.

"I'll go help her get the ice creams. I doubt she'll be able to manage four melting ice creams in her hands."

Abhay frowned a bit as Vishal left to join Jo.

Shreya just stared out at the sea in silence. It's obvious already. I'm losing him. And he doesn't seem to feel like he ever loved his darling. That means he never loved her. So when he knows the truth that I'm his darling, I will surely lose him forever.

As Shreya walked along the beach while the waves lapped around her feet, Abhay joined her and walked by her side in silence.

"I don't know why but I'm starting to feel like I've lost Jo." Shreya turned to face Abhay upon hearing his gloomy voice.

"I don't know about that but I've lost Vi for sure."

"Do you think they might end up together?"

"I don't know."

"They said they're gonna get ice creams. But they just stopped a metre away from the ice cream vendor and they're talking."

"Yeah."

"You seem like you've already given up on him."

"Yea, I have actually."

"Why? You know you love him then don't lose hope, he will realize your love someday."

"Someday, maybe. I've been waiting for that someday for days, months and almost a year now. And before we left Bangalore, I thought he might realize my love over this trip. But now, I've lost all hope. He hasn't realized it yet and I think he never will."

"We are practically in the same state. I'm starting to feel like I've lost Jo and you feel like you've lost Vishal."

"I think I was always meant to lose him. Lost him once because I ran away from my wedding just to know if I could trust him and his reason to marry me. Lost him the second time because I was just a wrong number. And this will be the third time. I deserve it. But you don't deserve to lose Jo."

"Hey, chill." Abhay placed his arm around Shreya's shoulder, intending to make her feel better.

However, the two of them felt awkward and pulled away from each other as Shreya said, "No worries, I'm okay."

Shreya and Abhay shared a smile before they continued walking together along the shoreline, in silence. They could understand each other; they were friends and nothing more than friends.

***

As Vishal caught up with Jo, she was standing a metre away from the ice cream vendor with an annoyed frown.

"What happened?" asked Vishal.

"Look at that, all of them wants to buy their ice cream now." Jo gestured towards the group of people who were surrounding the ice cream vendor at that instant.

"Aww, it's okay. Let's go join the queue."

"Nah, let's wait here and get the ice creams when they're gone!"

"Sure." Vishal turned and glanced at Shreya, who was strolling along the beach with Abhay.

"I'm bored! I'm only waiting here because I want MY ice cream!"

Vishal chuckled. "You seem to have no qualms in speaking your mind anytime anywhere. Are you always like this, Jo?"

"Yeah, that's how I am! Why?"

"It's nice. If only all girls were like you."

Jo raised her eyebrow at him, with a lopsided smile.

Vishal remained silent as he glanced at Shreya again.

"What are your views on marriage now, Vish? Are you still an 'arranged marriage' freak?"

Vishal burst into a laugh. "Nay, not anymore! How did you know about that though?"

"Your grandma told me!"

"Oh, you've met Granz?"

"Yup, she came to meet me a long time ago! Definitely more than a year back! According to her, she had met 20 girls before me! But all of them turned her down because of your 'arranged marriage without meeting' policy. Even I was no different either."

"Oh wow, so you already knew me before the interview for the award."

"Yup! When your Grandma met me and my family, my parents were not sure about you. Anyways, they allowed me to take the final decision. But you know, I've always wanted a love marriage. So even after your Grandma showed me your photo and told me everything about you, I said a firm no. I didn't think twice then."

Vishal remained silent as he listened to Jo intently.

"But a few months later, when I met you at the interview, I regretted my decision! I liked everything about you all at once! I just felt like you're the right guy for me! Never once have I hesitated before speaking my decision and that day before the interview, I told you outright, I'm head over heels in love with you! And I really meant it, Vish."

Vishal just stared at Jo, shaken by her words. He had not expected that from her. How frankly she had spoken her mind and confessed that she loved me. I've been waiting for Shreya to talk to me frankly and here is a girl who could have easily won my love if Shreya had not been in my life already.

There was a long silence between them as Jo waited to hear Vishal's response.

"I wish I'd met you before, Jo. Today, I myself am in a daze. The perfect girl stands by my side, yet things between us are uncertain. On the other hand is you, a girl who could've easily won my love. Despite hearing you tell me that you are truly head over heels in love with me, I feel like the world is playing with me. If that's not enough, you may have found the right man in me but perhaps you may not have noticed the guy waiting for you to notice him."

Jo frowned in confusion.

"Abhay, your best friend. When he could have been doing whatever he wants wherever he wants, why is here accompanying you whenever you may need him? Do you think a best friend would help you to this extent? He has his own life to live; he should be looking for his own life partner. Instead of that, all he does is about you and for you. Haven't you noticed that?"

"Err... I'm not so sure about Abhay. I never thought along those lines. But may I know who the perfect girl you mentioned is?"

"Shreya... but I don't know why there's something wrong between us. Had she been as open and cheerful as you, life would have been literally perfect."

"Oh! Then, what are you waiting for? Open your heart out to her! You never know, she just might do the same back!"

"Not yet. Shreya was the first girl I met with marriage on my mind. It didn't matter to me whether she was beautiful or wealthy or not. All that mattered was that she's Granz's choice. Even after I left her that day assuming she wasn't interested in our marriage, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget her."

This time, Jo remained silent.

"When I met her again after that, I felt this couldn't be true. The perfect girl was before me... but I didn't feel the same anymore. Yes, she's beautiful. Nice character, smart yet modest, and there's so many more characteristics about her that would make any guy desire for a girl like her. And she's Granz's choice, what more do I want? But suddenly, I felt like something was wrong. Though she's Granz's choice, though she's the one I couldn't forget all these years, though everything's falling into place perfectly, my heart still felt empty... like as though I've lost something."

Jo frowned a bit.

"I came to Goa to clear the incomplete feeling between us but I still feel there's something she's trying to conceal from me. Sometimes I wonder, why couldn't she be so simple and easy to understand like you, Jo? Maybe then I wouldn't have felt this awkwardness when I'm with her. Spending this weekend with you, I really wish you were the first girl I had met. Perhaps then my life would not have been this confusing. But then again, there's Abhay and I really wouldn't want to hurt him."

Before Jo could speak, Vishal suggested, "Come, Shreya and Abhay have been waiting for us long enough. Let's get the ice creams; there's no one at the vendor now."

Vishal bought ice creams for the four of them and handed Jo two ice cream cones before they walked back towards Abhay and Shreya.

"Here," said Jo as she passed Abhay his ice cream. Abhay took the ice cream wondering why Jo had suddenly become a little serious than usual.

"Shreya, ice cream?" asked Vishal, extending an ice cream cone towards her.

"I'm sorry. I can't have it; I'm not feeling so well." Vishal noticed that Shreya was appearing pale.

"I'll have it for you then! No probs!" squealed Jo, as she grabbed the ice cream cone from Vishal's hand.

"What happened? You're not feeling well?" asked Vishal in concern, as he watched Shreya.

"Yea, I'm heading back to the hotel," answered Shreya.

"Oh, I'll accompany you."

"Please don't bother. It's your last evening in Goa for this trip. Enjoy it with Jo and Abhay." Shreya gestured towards Jo and Abhay before leaving curtly.

Vishal had his ice cream in silence as thoughts of Shreya lingered in his mind. He strolled around the beach for a few more minutes with Jo and Abhay, before saying goodnight to them and returning to the hotel.

Back in the privacy of his room, Vishal sank onto his bed and dropped his head onto his fists. Why is Shreya being so aloof to me? I seriously can't understand her! I tried to show a little care for her but she just shoved it off. Is she jealous of Jo or has she decided to call it quits? I haven't even been able to talk to her properly since we landed in Goa. After a long while, Vishal drifted off to sleep, still worrying about Shreya.

More than an hour later, Vishal blinked, half-awake, as his mobile rang somewhere close by. He felt like his head was splitting in two. Vishal pulled a pillow over his head to muffle the shrill ringing of his mobile phone on the bedside table next to his head.

He lay in bed for a few seconds, willing the noise to stop, before he reluctantly rolled over and slapped the bedside table with his outstretched hand. Groping around, Vishal found the flat shape of his mobile and grabbed it, still lying in bed half-asleep.

He swiped his finger across the screen to answer the call and placed his mobile on his left ear as he lay on his right side, without even opening his eyes to check who was calling.

"Hello?" Vishal heard a familiar voice after a moment of silence.

"Hey, Darling. What is it?" The words Vishal uttered slurred as he fell asleep again.

To be continued...

A/N: Please don't forget to vote and comment.. How's the last evening of their time in Goa?

Who do you think might have called Vishal at the end? What could she have had to say?

Who do you think might or might not end up together now?

Hope you like this chapter and the story so far.. :)