Hey guys,

I know, I know. Y'all pissed. Like, freakishly-weirdly-infuriatingly-alarmingly pissed. But I had my own reasons. STUDIES. I'm in third year. And the third year and fourth year are the most crucial time of a University student's life. At least in my case. I apologize!

Also, I've started to feel some sort of distance from this book. I can feel the same coming from you too. Like you're getting bored. Don't you? I don't know. Maybe, I need to get done with this book sooner than expected to be! 

Anyhow, enjoy the chapter. That is, if it's still worth reading!

~Solving it was hard, or maybe, life threatening. And that wasn't any puzzle, but his heart~

-Affu-

In India

MruNi's Home

"You mean you threatened to kill him?" Shravan widened his eyes at Cadbury, who had his hands on his forehead, heaving distressed sighs through his mouth.

"How did you do that?" Shravan was on the ground by now, pulling at Cadbury's hands which were burying his face until now. "Did you go all manly on him? Like, you bulged your muscles out, stared at him dead in eyes, and then say 'Yo! Run before I kill you for trying to propose to my daughter-like girl Mru.' Did you? You did, right? Oh my God! I feel so fanboy-ish." Shravan was all toothy grin by now, and all Cadbury did was to stare at him, helplessly.

"I don't understand how I tolerated you for the past month." Cadbury stated, and others let out chuckles. It was a routine now. Shravan gushing over whatever said by Cadbury, and others listening to it while laughing at the latter's expense. 

It's been two months since Mrunal and Nandini are in India, and one month, since they met Cadbury. It's a new feeling. Still, new!

"No! He acted like a five-year-old school girl that he ended up squealing when the guy proposed to Mruno, and threatened only when the guy did not want to date Cad too. You see, he was straight." Nandini said sarcastically, before sitting beside Manik, on the couch, and then placing the tray on the tea-poi. 

"Oh, I don't even remember that part, though. Cad, you changed your sexuality?" Mrunal chimed in, before sitting beside Abhimanyu, who smiled at her as a greeting. However, Arijit frowned at this scene.

"Oh shut up, will you?" Cadbury glared at the girls, who faked giggles, before grinning mischievously. "Yeah, obviously. You wouldn't." He added, nodding at himself, and they nodded along.

"Now, let's talk about something important." Nandini clapped her hands, and everyone straightened in their seats, except for Shravan, who was still on the ground. "Shravan!" she squinted her eyes at him, and he grinned. "I'm gonna go all Googly eyes and even ears, when it comes to you, Bhabi." he said, before getting hold of one glass of juice, from the tray on the tea-poi.

"And yet you call her Bhabi, when you clearly don't mean it." Manik pointed out, narrowing his gaze at Shravan. "Yeah, I wouldn't, if not for your Dracula Daadu. No offence to you, Bhabi. Your grandfather needs to chill out." Shravan grinned at the duo, and in return, he only got a glare from Manik, and a dismissal wave from Nandini.

"I don't mind when people spit facts. So yeah, moving on..." Nandini started, and Manik just shook his head at her. "We have news." she grinned, and Mrunal too sat excited. "Yep! Spice to drama is coming up. Oh my God! Oh my God!" Mrunal started to bounce in her seat, and Abhimanyu held onto her right arm to stop her from falling flat on her face.

"Alright! What's this news? Someone should start telling before she decides to date the floor and start kissing it." Abhimanyu looked around frantically, and Mrunal just waved him off, while Arijit's gaze was fixed at Abhimanyu's hold on her arm.

"Appa and Ma are coming back to India." Nandini screamed delightedly, and people around, stared at her aghast. Mrunal looked around, assessing each faces, expectantly, with a stupid grin on her face. Nandini had the similar expression on her face.

"Well?" Nandini piped up, but met with silence. "Well, yeah. I expected a surprised expression." Mrunal said, and then sighed, before leaning back in her seat. "Just not people getting paralyzed, though." she added, and Nandini let out a sigh.

"I mean, oh for sure, it's a bomb news. But that doesn't mean, you guys go all more-weird-than-usual selves."Nandini exclaimed, when Manik started to regain his consciousness. "Tell me!" Manik said, turning Nandini to face him. "Why the hell are you so calm about it, when your Appa is about to come here and get to know all the stuffs that we've been doing here, and then maybe, drag you back to London?" he asked, eerily calm.

"Because, I may have asked Pops to trick him to visit India to surprise me on my birthday." she grinned. "He would never miss my birthday." she had that stupid grin on her face, that everyone relaxed for a second.

"Wait, did you just say birthday?" Cabir questioned, gathering everyone's attention, and she rolled her eyes. "Well, duh! She should have been born one day, to sit and talk to you guys now." Mrunal commented, and it was the next round of gasping.

So damn weird!

***

"Yeah, come on, Ma. Everything will be fine." Nandini spoke for the nth time, on phone. "Shona! I'm going crazy over here. Your Appa will come to know about everything we hid from him." Shamishti gasped, and Nandini let out a sigh. "What if he gets so mad that he'll end up...hurt?" her voice went softer, and Nandini smiled at it.

"Oh! So it's the heart speaking now. Is it??" Nandini questioned, and Shamishti sighed out loud. "I'm scared. Whatever we've been doing was for his own good, Shona. I wanted him to get back with his family. The family that he lost...because of me." her mother spoke quietly. "But now when he'll finally know, though I don't know if he'll come to know after his Papa forgives him or before that, he'll be upset that we hid something from him." she completed in the same tone.

"Ma!" Nandini called out softly. "Firstly, Appa didn't lose anything because of you. You should know that you mean the most to him." She said, her voice stern. "Secondly, yes, Appa will be mad at us. I mean, we hid something from him, when we never did that in our lives. But he'll be fine, Ma. He'll know that we've been doing everything because we love him. I mean, I at least love him the most, because, I'm trying to get him back together with someone I don't approve of. How about you? You still love him, lover girl?" Nandini ended with a cheerful tone in her voice.

"Shona!" Shamishti warned, but Nandini could hear the smile in her mother's voice. "See! There it is. My Ma is back. Come on, don't stop scolding me now. I just missed my Ma for 2 minutes back there." she whined, which led Shamishti to let out a laugh.

Soon enough, they were bidding their goodbyes, with a promise to see each other. In 2 days.

"When women get so much into love." Nandini smiled at her mobile, before opening her closet to get changed into her nightwear. Shuffling through her dresses, she came across a ring.

That small star shaped ring.

And she smiled at it.

"What is it for?" I asked holding the little blinding thing. Why is it so shiny? "It's a ring." he shrugged, smilingly, and I looked up at him to stare. "Really? You know what, I thought it was a chain. My bad, I'm wrong. So what do you do with this thing called ring? Wear it on your nose?" and I slid it up on my nose, which stayed till the tip of it.

He shook his head, before sliding it off, and then took hold of my hand. "I know you like everything sarcastic." and he slid the ring onto my second finger. You know, the finger that comes after my pinky finger? That one. "It's for you." he said, and I stared at his smiling face.

"I know that. Why else would you put it on me?!" I shrugged, and he sighed. "But why?" I asked, and he took my other hand and put another ring on my palm. A simple black ring. "Put it on my finger." he forwarded his hand to me, and I shrugged while doing what he asked me to.

"Cool! So I know friends do these weird stuffs, but I don't like it." I said, honestly while staring at the ring in distaste. "Of course, I know that. But what if I don't want you to forget me once I leave?" I looked up at him rolling his eyes. "You're leaving?" I asked, and I felt sad. Mruno did not even get to see him. Why did her grandparents chose Bangkok to be their home?!

"Yeah!" and he stared at me with a sad face. "Will you come back again? I wanted you to meet my best friend." I said, and he smiled slightly. "I'll come back for you." he said, and I grinned. "But don't forget me." he pointed at the ring, and I grinned.

"I'll keep it." I promised, even though I hated having stuffs like these in the name of friendship. "I'll keep it too, my little friend." and he showed me his ring, and I stared at it. "You better. Because yours look better than this." I said, and he laughed out.

"Shona!" I turned around to see my Ma waving her hand at me, with Mruno beside her. I widened my eyes in happiness on seeing my best friend skipping towards where he and I stood. "Oh my God! That's Mruno. Come, Mano." I pulled at his hand. "Mano!" he pulled it back, and looked back at his friend, nodding at him. I stared at him, with my lips pressed together.

"You won't even meet my best friend?" I tapped my feet on the ground, angrily, and he pulled me to himself, taking me in a hug. Like how Appa hugs me. Close to where I could hear a thumping sound. Appa calls it 'heart'.

"Yai Daadu is waiting in the car. And you know that he will not like it." he whispered in my ears, and we pulled away. "Yeah. He doesn't like girls." I nodded, frowning at him. "It's not like that, Shona. He doesn't like boys and girls together. I don't know why he says that." he shrugged, and I did the same. "Maybe its because he is an old man. Appa did say once that old people do not like certain stuffs that we like." I remembered the exact words Appa used to say.

"Maybe!" he said, and we heard his name being called again, and I turned to see Mruno trying to smack a boy who was in her way to me. "I'll come back, Shona." I turned towards Mano, who smiled sadly at me. I nodded, feeling sadness welling up in me.

"Take good care of yourself." I repeated the same words Appa taught me to say when I bid aduie to people, and leaned forward to kiss Mano's cheek. I pulled away, only to see his eyes all big. "What? You won't give it back to me?" I asked, pointing at my cheeks. This is how we bid goodbyes. Isn't it?

"Uh..." and suddenly his cheeks were turning pink. Does he have some allergy, now?" Mano? What happ-" but before I could complete, his friend was here, pulling at his hand towards the car. "Dude! Your Yai Daadu is complaining so much." I stared at the boy, who was dragging Mano away. I nodded at Mano, sad that he didn't return my kiss. 

"Fluffy!" I was about to turn around to acknowledge to Mruno screaming, when I felt someone smacking my cheeks, but with something soft. "Goodbye, Shona!" and that's when I smiled, because he returned my kiss.

"Still crushing over that kid?" Nandini looked up at Mruno, to see her staring at the ring in her hand. "You know what! I wish that kid shows up in front of your stupid coffee wala guy. Maybe, he'll understand that you would never look at him the way you looked at that kid." she scoffed out, and Nandini let out a groan.

"You lost your brain? I mean, for sure, you should know that I don't do crushes, dating, marriage, and so on." Nandini stood up to keep the ring safely, in her closet. "But you fell for your coffee wala." Mrunal narrowed her gaze at her best friend.

"I'm over with it." Nandini waved her hands in dismissal. "Sure!" Mrunal snorted. "That's exactly why you still are bothered when someone mentions his so-called-airpuff-girlfriend." She added, and Nandini sighed, before walking inside the bathroom.

"Yeah. Because love is easy to die, but not jealousy, for I'm aware that I'm pretty, but not as pretty as his girl whom he chose over me." and she slammed the door shut, letting Mrunal know that she's still not over with Grumpy coffee.

"I wish his airpuff-girlfriend is taken already, and have kids by now." Mrunal muttered to herself, before looking up. "I know it's selfish and horrible to think like that, but I love my best friend more than morals. Your fault that you kept morals to be valuable in the society." she spoke to the God, walking out angrily. "I still won't give up on grumpy coffee-Lilliput." she muttered one last time, to herself.

***

Next day

"Favorite color?" Manik asked, while twisting his sister's stuff toy in his hands. "Don't have one." she replied. "Oh come on, Lilliput!" Manik groaned, before slumping on the couch, with his mobile clung to his ears, speaking to his dear Lilliput. "Don't have favorite food, name, place and now even a color. That's not so humane." he grumbled, and Nandini nodded, while walking towards her car, to start to work.

"Because I don't like to keep favorites. It's not good. I mean, you have a chance to love everything, so why do you have to choose one to be your favorite. Love everything around. People nowadays are so kanjoos that they love only specific things and people. I don't get people's mentality." Nandini explained, while igniting the engine, and zooming off to roads.

Manik smiled hearing her.

"So your Mruno is not your favorite? You did mention something about people too." he pointed out, and Nandini shrugged. "Nope." she said, and Manik's ears perked up. He has some serious issues with Nandini's obsession towards Mrunal. "She's my best friend, not favorite friend. There's a difference. Everyone is favorite to me. She's my best friend because, she knows me the best, and I know her the best. None can come in between us. But that's not the case when you have a favorite friend. Anyone can come in between you and your favorite person, because you may not be their favorite person." Nandini answered, and Manik sat up.

"So who am I to you?" he asked, with his hear pounding. Nandini kept silent for a while, her heart screaming to claim his heart hers already. "My...family?" Nandini replied, more like a question. "Family?" he questioned, and she nodded, as if he could see her.

"Yeah. We're not just friends, Grumpy coffee. And you cannot be my best friend. I have only one best friend and I would like to keep it like that. But you're family, because you mean...important to me. Maybe, its because of our parents' friendship. Maybe its because I'm family to your family. Or maybe it's because you understand me like I'm family to you." she replied, vaguely, and he nodded, as if her reply bothered him.

"I think yeah." he replied. "Oh, I'm getting an important call." he added, and she nodded, gratefully. "Bu-bye. Miss me." and she hung up on the call, leaving him to stare at his mobile, in dilemma.

"Just...family?" he mumbled to himself.

"What?" Dhruv questions, while plopping down on the couch, beside Manik. "Nothing, Dhruv." Manik smiled at his brother, before looking down in his mobile. "I was just...thinking...about what to gift Lilliput on her birthday." Manik covered up the mumbling he just made.

"Birthday?" Mukti shrieked, and Manik palmed his face, knowing very well about his sister's obsession with birthday planning. Especially if the birthday person is someone close to her.

***

In Ruhi's Care Hospital

"Nandini! I'm really done lecturing about it." Dr. Mathur slumped on his seat, and faced a blank faced Nandini, who was sitting beside a jittery Mrunal. "You have any improvements in your decision that would make me happy?" he continued, with a question this time, and Nandini leaned forward in her seat.

"Tell me, Doctor. When did I ever make changes to my decision? Oh! I don't find them calling improvements will make me rethink about something I've already thought about, for more than 1000 times, in the past 1 year." Nandini shrugged, while staring at the Doctor, who turned to face Mrunal.

"I can't force her to change her decisions. It's like pouring hot water on a wound when you know that it's only gonna bite you with it more than required." Mrunal explained, with a blank face on, and the Doctor just shook his head.

"I can't!" he muttered to himself, throwing his hands in air, and then sighing out loud.

"Just tell me the time, Doctor." Nandini said, grabbing Dr. Mathur's attention. "Time that is left before I'm supposed to get inside an operation theatre. I'm here only for that." she added, and Dr. Mathur stared on.

"Nobody can say that, Nandini. You being a doctor should have known that." he said, sighing and Nandini nodded. "I know. But you just got done with my tests. So me getting in Stage 3 now, or still in Stage 2?" she questioned, and Mathur leaned back in his seat, while Mrunal just stared at him with her heart literally beating to it's highest.

"I freaking hate suspense. So, you better spill, Doctor." Mrunal hissed, and Mathur only nodded, not even feeling disrespected with Mrunal's comment. "Still in stage 2." he replied, and Nandini nodded, while Mrunal breathed a sigh of relief. "But once you get in stage 3, you would get only a week left with you before you could get into an operation theatre, Nandini." Mathur leaned forward in his seat. "Heart transplantation is no joke, Nandini." He added, and Nandini smiled.

"I know, Doctor. I wouldn't have been here, if I thought of it as a joke. I need time. Time till I get everything safe. You see, heart transplantation is no joke. What if I don't make it? I don't wanna keep any regrets." Nandini had a casual expression on her face, and Mrunal glared at the side of her head.

"Shut it!" And that's all it took for Nandini to realize how much scared her best friend is. "You scared the hell out of her, with all those tests and lecturing." Nandini squinted her eyes at the doctor, before pulling Mrunal up, from her seat. "No, I don't get scared. Period." and Mrunal turned to face the Doctor. "Anything more to keep in mind?" she asked, and Mathur smiled at her.

"You're already taking good care of her, Mrunal." he said, and she nodded. "I know. I just like to be a perfectionist. Au Revoir!" Mrunal replied, and Nandini held her best friend's hand to walk out.

"Nandini!" Dr. Mathur called out, halting the girls in their steps. "You're still young, Nandini." he said, and Nandini frowned at him. "Whatever you're doing now, by delaying your transplantation...just ask yourself if it's worth it." he added, and Mrunal just started to walk out, knowing there's no turning back in it, while all Nandini knew was that her parents won't be able to see her in an operation theatre if they're alone.

"More than you could imagine, Doctor." she replied, before walking out, and Dr. Mathur just prayed for his patient's well-being.

***

So...here's the twist in the story that I've been planning to write for a while now.

How was it? Do lemme know!

With Love,

Affu.