Pia relaxed at the first sip and slumped her shoulders to the broken chair head rest of the stall.

Lucky was amazed at her duality. But nevertheless, he loved her - be with flaws or without them.

"Ok?!" Pia nodded at her bestie's concern.

"Mm...Now tell me what is really bothering you!" Lucky caught hold of her hands.

He put one of his legs on top of the other and clutched her shoulders with his right hand and played with her bracelets with the other. While she sipped on her hot tea, relishing it bit by bit.

A stranger seeing from afar would tell that they were lovers and not besties, so comfortable in their skin.

After a minute or two, Pia huffed and spoke

"I am getting married!"

Lucky stopped his actions and smiled with a tsk.

"I didn't know you were so eager to marry me so soon?!Ok, tell me the date and time. I will reach there!"

He removed the stray baby hairs from her chubby cheeks admiring her beauty up close.

"Lucky! I am serious! Mom has given an ultimatum!" saying so she dictated all that had happened in the Barve house the previous night.

Lucky just smiled at her and kissed her forehead saying

"Kaki is just frustrated with something, so she must have said all those things. Otherwise, I don't think there is any other reason for her to make such a rash decision,"

Pia looked down thinking about what he said. She bit her lower lip and thought that maybe Lucky was right.

She looked at him smilingly and patted his cheeks thanking him.

"You are right! I just need to ask her the reason. She would definitely tell me. She knows I would understand. Right!?"

"Of course! You are my smartest little Pia! And She loves you, too!" Lucky assured her getting a tight hug from her.

She backed a little amazed and asked feeling his biceps. She asked mockingly

"Someone has been going to the gym?! Is all this for someone new, hm...?" Pia wiggled her eyebrows to which Lucky just got up and eyed her making a sad face.

Pia saw his sad expression and asked him the reason.

"I don't know! I am going to the gym almost every day, but nobody seems to notice it!" Lucky gathered his bag and tried to move from the table.

Pia tsked and grabbed his hands caressing "Don't worry, Lucky. Somebody will soon notice you. And he will the luckiest person in the world. ask me why?"

Lucky asked her nodding.

"Coz, he has got you! Lucky!" Lucky looked at her with a blank face and caught his hip saying

"No wonder, you didn't understand the basic law terms. I wonder how you are going to complete your MBA in healthcare management!?"

Pia pointed her index finger charging at him. Lucky made a run to his next class giggling, before he could get clobbered by his bestie.

Paramparik Pvt. Ltd.

Prakash's cabin

Prakash was signing the documents given by his secretary to release some consignments.

The secretary took the documents and moved out of the cabin.

"Yeah...Ok...send them in," Prakash kept the intercom and got up from his chair to welcome his friends.

"Prakash, How are you buddy?" Hardik went for a handshake to get a tight hug from his childhood buddy.

Prakash looked in the front to see his long-lost soulmate whom he missed the most.

Unknown tears flowed from his tears seeing him after a gruesome 10 years. He didn't hold back and went for another hug moving sideways.

"Dude! Missed you!" Harish teared up hearing his words.

Prakash was aware of the hardship that Harish faced in Canada. He used to frequently call him and inquire about his health which he saw had deteriorated over the time.

He and Hardik were the only people who knew about the health issue that Harish had faced in Toronto.

They told him many a times to come back but in vain. They visited him to his apartment which was always in a bad condition.

After his MBA, Harish use to toll the time with sole travel or frequent visit to discothèque and befriend random people for a one-night stand.

He used to always get up at unknown places with a new girl having no memory of the previous night.

Once it worsened when he was suddenly taken to the emergency room because of overdose. That time, Hardik and Prakash understood the actuality of his health and mental issue. They rushed to help their soulmate and get him back to life.

They told him to take medical help but he denied under the pretext of ego and ignorance.

But, after a long tail of irritated nagging, Harish agreed to take the medical advice from a professional appointed by Prakash himself. Only with the promise of hiding the same from both the families, especially his love.

It was Prakash who convinced him to come back to his home for he knew that long time stay in a foreign land will only worsen his current situation.

"Dude! Welcome back!"

"Save it, buddy. I am not going to stay for long. I have planned a trip with Jack to New York for a month. We will leave next week. So...consider this as a detour," saying so, he slumped on the couch.

Prakash looked at Hardik who shaked his head knowing his brother.

Prakash went to him and spoke "What!! Hey, we didn't bring you back, just so that you can leave like this? I mean Bro! please stay for us!"

Harish tsked at his words and took out his vape to puff.

Hardik came up to him and snatched the vile bottle from his brother earning a scorned face from him.

"Hasn't the doc told you to stop using this! huh? Bro, please!"

Harish got up putting his hands in his pocket and walked to the cabin's window looking at the beautiful stretch of the city at its full glory.

"Shri, what is it?" Prakash held his shoulders and asked making him turn his head towards him.

Harish puffed a sigh and shaked his head.

Hardik made him sit on the couch and the trio sat to talk.

"Kaki, I can't stay in that house! I mean she is everywhere! I go in the living room she is there! In the kitchen she is there! In my freaking gym, I can't take this shit anymore! I need a break from this! I am going! I am not gonna listen to you guys this time! See you maybe in another 10 years perhaps, hm...?"

"Pia is getting married,"

Harish stopped in his tracks and looked back in astonishment scrunching his eyebrows.

"Mom is adamant. She is planning to get her married within 6 months," Prakash said making Harish look back at him with a worried face.

He breathed a sigh and looked down gathering his thoughts. He chuckled saying "Good for her. I mean she is what 21 - 22 sorts, right? The right marriageable age for a girl. Hm...?"

His friends looked at him perplexed. As they didn't expect him to be so calm about Pia - his love getting married.

Both the families have seen Pia and Harish in love with each other from the time they were kids.

Their love and care has only grown through time.

So, when Harish said those words, both his friends were in shock.

Harish laughed and went outside the cabin.

After reaching his car, he gritted his teeth and banged the steering wheel. He was angry, sad, and above all betrayed by her.

Why did she not inform him?

How can she think that she can be someone else's?

She is his, only his.

He drove to her university to ask her all the questions that were whirling over his head the minute he heard the news.

Joshi Residence

Nithya was making kheer in the kitchen clutching her phone bluetooth in her right ears.

"Mhm, I know. I was sure that my plan would work. Considering the fact that Radhika is so dumb! I just had to send her some pics of my 'son' with her daughter and also some other pics. She was convinced that..."

Nithya turned to sense some movement outside the kitchen.

"I will keep the call now. Mhm...tomorrow," saying she kept the call and continued to make the kheer for her 'son' with her special dose of love.

Nithya smiled at her little effort to separate the love birds who would interfere in her plan.

At the university

Pia was coming out of the university with Lucky to leave for her home.

"So, tomorrow it is? We will go to the workshop together with Riya and Rajiv, ok?" Lucky nodded his head and took out his bike to drop Pia home.

As he was taking out his bike, they heard a car brake on their side.

Harish came out of the car and strode towards her.

He clenched his jaw witnessing the sight in front of him.

He took Pia's hand and walked towards his car. He ignored her plea to leave her.

He put her inside the car and sat beside her.

"What is the meaning of this, Shri?!! Why did you do that, huh? Tell me, Shri!" Pia low screamed at him who just gritted his teeth.

He looked at her and scanned her face for a while. Before,

He cupped her face in his grip and spoke near her lips

"You are mine! And I will not let anyone take you away from me! Ever! Do you get that?!"

Pia was shocked at their closeness and felt warm tears fall on her cheeks, which were not hers.

She saw the same love, care and worry for her that she had witnessed 10 years back.

She missed this part of her Shri. The one where he was hers and she - his.

She caressed his cheeks and wiped the tears. She smiled at him and hugged him knowing the only way to calm him.

He snuggled in her hairs and took her vanilla scent to calm his tensed self.

After a minute or so, they separated and looked at each other smilingly.

They attached their foreheads together and huffed a sigh.

Harish suddenly realised the promise that he had given himself and his eyes shaked. He looked at their closeness and suddenly separated himself from her.

He gulped and started breathing heavily. He then came out of the car to breath the air that he was missing. He suddenly felt suffocating. He loosened his shirt buttons and breathed more heavily.

He suddenly felt the world spin and saw blackness.

At the hospital

Pia was getting tensed with the seconds. As she has never seen her Shri in such a weak state ever.

Lucky was standing clutching her shoulders to calm her. He wanted her to stop crying for someone like him who would force her.

"What happened? Where is he? Pia, I am asking you?!" Hardik came running towards her grabbing her arms.

Pia slumped on his shoulders and started crying badly. He understood that she would have got scared seeing her Shri so vulnerable for the first time.

He made her sit on the waiting chair and caressed her hairs, trying to calm her.

After an hour or so, the doctor came out and spoke

Both of them rushed to the doctor asking the wellbeing for their beloved Shri.

"He is ok as of now. But don't give any kind of tensive environment for him. He needs to relax. I hope you understand," The doctor gave a worried look and moved past them.

Pia looked at Hardik for answers. Hardik went inside the ward and looked at the sleeping Harish.

He clutched Harish's hand and caressed it. Pia was not understanding the sequence of the events that had happened in front of her eyes.

Hardik looked at her and called her towards them.

Pia went near Harish and looked at Hardik. To which he told her to call her Shri.

"Shri?"

She saw his eyelids move and smiled trying again.

"Shri,"

Harish slowly opened his eyes to see his brown almond eyes. He lightly smiled and tilted his head.

Lucky saw their interaction and gritted his teeth. He was not liking the closeness between his Pia and her Shri.

He never thought that Shri would be back.

He thought he would not take her away from him.

He thought to make her realise the fake love that her Shri showered on her.

Thinking positively, he moved away from the ward doorway and left the hospital.

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