24- “I'm truly gonna miss you guys.”

VANSH

“Good afternoon, everyone! My name is Irfan Hussain Ahmed and I'm sitting at the heart of Manhattan- The New York central park, along with my friends, Natasha and Vansh. Today we've gathered here for a picnic and also to bid farewell t—”

Natasha let out a loud groan, rolling her eyes at Irfan. “I'm out!”

Irfan started arguing on cutting off his speech while I convinced Natasha to come back as she started leaving. As Irfan stated, we were at the Central park, one of the most well known parks around the world and New York. Right now, we were at a large green patch of grass with thick trees circling the corners. Pores of sunlight poured between the branches of the tree with its shadow cast upon the grass. It was a warm summer afternoon. We sat in a circle with a mat in the middle, that bore various delicacies kept in lunch boxes and wraps.

After riding the carousal and exploring the Belvedere castle, we gathered for a late afternoon snack, or to put it precisely— My farewell party.  Initially, I decided to give a treat in my apartment, but then Irfan insisted on a second visit to New York. This time, with proper planning, money and enough time in our hands.

Irfan continued where he left off, talking about how glad he was to chance upon me, work with me and be part in some of my pranks. That he would miss the times when we hung out on Friday nights, along with the man- to- man time we spent together. He then surprised me with a rectangular shaped gift, of the size of my palm. “It's an insightful book on modern architecture. Hopefully this will help you in the future.”

“Thanks for being a lame ass spoilsport.”

“No problem, bro,” Irfan said, unfazed by my sarcasm. He surprised us again by drawing out another gift box of the exact same size from his bag, and gave it to Natasha. “Yeah, I know you still have two more months here but I couldn't help it. Probably because it will be the last week with the three of us together.”

“Oh,” Her mouth formed an o. “Thanks, I guess.”

Irfan smiled at her before reverting back to the glass of drink he was holding. There was a pin drop silence between us. Not because we had nothing to say but Irfan had something to say. He cleared his throat for the third time.

“Should we close our eyes in case you're embarrassed?” I intervened.

“Bet he's mustering up the courage to confess to you, naked. The moment has arrived at last.” Natasha raised a fist and hit Irfan on the back.

“Shut up! I do have something to confess but not to him,” he turned to Natasha, “to you.”

I whistled, “A twist in the story.”

“Actually I —”

“If you say you're in love with me, I'll kill you.”

“I love you, Nata— Ow, ow, I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Let me have this meal atleast,” Irfan pleaded, stopping Natasha from twisting his arm. “And why the hell are you hitting me too, bro?!”

“Couldn't help it,” I grinned. I was enjoying this moment way too much right now.

The back and forth nonsensical batter went on until Irfan blurted out. “But I accept you the way you are. You are my friend regardless.”

That made our heads turn.

Irfan rubbed the back of his head, avoiding Natasha's gaze. “Uh, well, the thing is I... I didn't live in a diverse environment, like in a metropolitan city. My childhood days were spent in a small town. When I first settled down in Boston, I felt as if I was pushed into this huge round box with the kind of people and environment I never witnessed before. Naturally, I didn't take this very nicely. I judged many. I'm not going to lie— I even found homos weird. Like very weird. It took me a load amount of time to fit into this mix. To accept and to realize that despite some of the differences, we feel the same. You were one of them, Natasha. I misinterpreted you at first, befriended you later but even then, there was a small part of me who couldn't accept your bluntness because you are a woman. But right now, I can proudly say that you are my friend and I like you the way you are... even though you embarrass me sometimes. Well, that's what I wanted to say and yeah, I'm sorry for the little fight we had earlier on. I guess I was just being short sighted.”

The response to his confession was followed by silence. The I- don't- know- what- to- say kind of silence from Natasha who had her eyes wide open. For a split moment, she glanced towards me, questioning with her eyes but I shrugged in response. I was just as surprised as her. Guess my fabulous lecture had hit him on his head. I just did humanity a tiny favor, peeps.

Knowing that it was hopeless to expect a reply, Irfan turned to me, “I also thought you were too kiddish at first. Especially when you played the Gangnam style song during my presentation. Only for a short while though. But the truth is, I enjoyed my time with you two. Its not everyday when you meet colleagues who become your close friends.  Office won't be same without you guys.”

“Yaar, ab toh tu emotional atyachaar kar raha hai,” I said, pulling a face and draped my arm around his shoulder in a friendly gesture. “I stayed in Delhi for a year before coming to Boston but I couldn't bond with Pradeep there, the way I bonded with you two over these months. I thought I would be all alone here but you two made it easier for me. Honestly, you remind me of my two old best friends. I'm truly gonna miss you guys.”

At that, Irfan hugged me in a brotherly way before turning to the silent spectator among us, “You honestly have nothing to say after the heartfelt speeches we gave. Or is your intelligent mouth only meant for adult jokes?”

“Irfan is right, Nat. We'll honestly think that you took us for granted if you don't have anything to say at this point.” I backed him up.

“It's not like that, okay. I just don't know what to say because, honestly, I wasn't expecting this. I'm genuinely surprised at Irfan is what I can say. Unlike you guys, my decision to come here was spontaneous. And damn fuck, did I think good. I think it was necessary for me.” Her hands began to fumble with the wrappers of the sandwiches. Her voice was especially small when she spoke again, “I- I didn't have many friends to begin with. You know, the friend circle kind or the kind of friendship that stays. A few exceptions are there, of course. I know that the three of us get along, though I'm not sure what our equation will be, in the future. But when I leave, I won't regret. I won't regret one bit 'cause I'll be taking my memories of Kyle, you and you along with me,” she pointed out to the two of us, smiling slightly.

Now it was our turn to be shell shocked. What in the world was happening today? My friends were confessing in a way I never anticipated. Did the sun rose from the west or what?

“Natasha,” Irfan and I addressed her together.

“What? Why are you two giving me that rape face look? What, ahh— Get the fuck off me, you bloody scoundrels! This isn't the place— Oompf, GET OFF OTHERWISE I'M SCREAMING RAPE!” she yelled as we lunged at her for a hug (though by the way we fell on her, it hardly seemed like one) while we laughed shamelessly.

As I said, I was hella loving this day.

After some more laughs, shouts and cries, we uncovered the packed food I bought and began feasting on it. In addition, Natasha bought along a box of fried rice that she made herself and surprise, surprise, it was delicious. At one point of our conversation between bites, the spotlight fell on me, or to be more precise, my colorful antics.

“You know nothing, Irfan,” Natasha interrupted at one such instance. “Okay, tell me, how do you think he is when it comes to girls and flirting? Make a wild guess.”

“Uh, bland, I suppose? Judging from his puppy like face, he doesn't seem like the kind to make a lasting impact.”

“From which angle do I—”

“That's where you're wrong,” Natasha corrected and I shot a warning look at her, almost panicking. “Strip that innocent, puppy persona of his and you'll find a man, who will play dirty or may I say, a very frustrating teasing game, to get what he wants. I can't believe I'm saying this but he's kinda goo—mmph.”

I clamped my hand on her mouth before she revealed the kind of details that wasn't to be disclosed in front of Irfan. Irfan, who was already regarding us with suspicious brows was about to question when I beat him to it.

“Guess I'll have to confess the truth. You remember the grand success party when I told you I had somewhere to go to, yeah? I actually played a nasty prank on her...” I began, gradually removing my palm from her mouth while she exhaled. Thus, I recited the incident as it happened while omitting the shenanigans that happened in her apartment, days after. I was thankful for Irfan buying my incomplete story and more thankful to Natasha for not opening her fat, wild mouth.

It was late evening when we finally exited out of the Central park. We explored a few nearby places at Manhattan, before calling it a day. We returned back to the hotel.

~

Irfan and I shared one room while Natasha was in a separate room, next to ours. Irfan crashed to bed as soon as we reached the hotel room. I too, laid down on the opposite side of the bed and prepared myself for a much needed rest. Although I was resting, I wasn't sleeping.

Five minutes later, there was a ping on my phone. It was Natasha. She asked what Irfan and I were doing, in her filthy words while I gave honest answers. As it was useless messaging someone who was literally on the other side of the wall of my room, we decided to talk outside.

A moment later though, I realized that I was far better in the confinement of my room, than outside. Natasha was leaning against the door frame, with her arms crossed, wearing a bloody smile on her face while I stood flabbergasted.

“You little minx!” When she hinted what, I reached her waist and got hold of the blue fabric of her dress. “This.”

“What?” She feigned offense. “It's my usual night dress I wear on usual nights.” It was nowhere near usual to me.

She started complaining about mosquitoes biting her skin while my eyes traced her fingers running through the length of her bare arm. My eyes did a once over of her in a one piece night dress that hugged her curves, and the blue color that made a striking contrast with her skin.

“You know I think I'm gonna crash as well.”

I tried to meet her eye. “What happened to your loneliness?”

“Don't you worry. Sleep is there to back me up.” She shrugged indifferently.

“Well, I had a perfect solution but if sleep's gonna back you up, then good for you. Goodnight.” I stretched my arms before bidding goodbye to her. I started my way towards my room, counting internally. One, two, three, four...

“Come back right this second!”

A wide grin blew up my face. I craned my neck behind, still refusing to turn back. “Wasn't 'sleep backing you up'?”

“No, you scared it away. Do you want to come or shall I shut the door?” She warned, her hand grabbing a fistful of my shirt from behind.

She was far from shutting the door, alright. With a grin still plastered to my face, I finally turned around, meeting a pair of fiery eyes. Taking advantage of the lack of people at the corridor, I gripped her hand that almost left my T shirt and pressed my lips against hers. Our feets moved towards the direction of her room. When I sensed my foot stepping into her room, I paused to close the door behind me and resumed to where we left off.

~

Four days later, I was dragging my luggage towards the Boston international airport. Funny, how I arrived here all by myself nine months ago and today, there were two people accompanying me. I wrapped my arm around the two of them and hugged them together. They stopped walking, embracing me back. No words were shared. Our smiles said it all.

Irfan extended his invitation to both of us to visit his home country sometime. We talked about something, joked here and there until he excused himself to buy something to eat. When he cast a glance towards me for a longer time, I sent a silent message, hoping he would understand my weird telepathy. Soon after, he left.

“Natasha, I, uh... I have something to give.” By the time I said this, I was already digging my hand inside the side pocket of my bag.

“Now what does the great prankster, Vansh Baweja, has to offer?” She cocked her head to one side, curious. When I brought a rope like bracelet to her attention, she added, “This doesn't look new though.”

“Because it isn't,” I answered, a slow smile building up my face. “It's my oldest possession— My lucky charm Charlie.”

This stupid woman still stared at me like I was speaking an alien language. “Yeah, you did talk about a stupid charm you kept since school. Looks neat despite being several years old... Now where's my gift?”

“The one you're holding in your hand.”

“This?” She held my lucky charm between her fingers like an insect. Her brows furrowed after I nodded. “Are you for real? Who gifts a bracelet that's a generation year old, that too a male one? Oops, sorry, I forgot that I was talking to a weirdo. Of course you would gift me this.”

I let out a sigh. “It's not that. If I wanted to gift a new bracelet, I would have done that easily.”

“But you didn't, right? That alone shows how much of a miser you are. Here, take it. I don't need this sorry excuse for a gift,” Natasha said, dropping it. Fortunately, I caught it before it fell to the ground.

That actually stung me a little, “But...”

“But, what? It's the thought that counts? Oh, please! It would have been better if you gifted me some money instead. I would have bought my own fucking bracelet or better, no gift at all.”

“You're not getting it...”

“Look at its ropes, man. Some of its threads are coming out. You think I'm going to wear this worn out shit. No way...” she rejected, totally losing my point. She went on that ranting spree as always, while I tried to pry but my words went unheard. As always. An obvious reaction to this would be that of frustration but for some funny reason, I wasn't annoyed. Far from it, actually. I was smiling. I recalled that drunk episode where we laughed madly in the car, after getting away from the strangers who chased her. She had always been like this— fierce, bold, witty, a little crazy in the head and a little childish at heart. Maybe that's why I wasn't angry at her. Maybe that's why I was getting emotional.

Overloaded by my thoughts, I didn't realize she had stopped talking until she nudged my shoulder. “What happened? You look like you are watching an imaginary movie. Don't tell me there's a porn going inside your head? See, you are smiling. Eek, that's creep—”

One of my hands gently gripped her wrist, cutting off her rambling mid- way. Everything seemed like a blur as my body moved out of its own accord, pulling her into my personal space. Time slowed down as I closed my eyes and felt my own lips press the middle of her forehead. The kiss was far from sexual. It was a magical touch, filled with affection.

The sound of an airplane's roar, taking off was heard at a distance. It cut through the stillness of the moment, bringing everything into motion again. I'd like to think she was in that void too, since I managed to silence her. She was hardly making an expression but if observed closely, one would notice that she was taken aback as she blinked.

“Listen to me carefully. If you believe I gifted this old, worn out bracelet because I wanted to save a few dollars, then you don't know me yet. I don't mind giving you money to buy a new one. This Charlie— Do you know how precious it is to me? It's one of my most priced possessions. You can keep it, modify it or throw it away, I don't fucking care but this belongs to you.” I opened her fist deliberately, dropping the bracelet in there.

“Why?” came a small, curious voice, “Why would you want to give something like that to someone else? Why me?”

“I don't know. Maybe Charlie will like you since she doesn't work on me anymore. If she does then, maybe...” Slowly, I interlaced my fingers with her hand holding the bracelet and lowered my voice, “Maybe, she will transfer some of my good luck to you and that is my gift to you.”

My words affected her for real this time as she raised her head at me and muttered my name. That alone encouraged me to go on. I lowered my gaze to our calloused hands. “Someday you might come across a man who will want to understand you; who will want to love you like no other. If in future, you meet someone like that, then don't give up on him. Don't close yourself like you often do. Share your troubles, be free. Believe me, you'll feel great. I wish I was there to support you as a friend but most likely, I won't be able to so accept this instead.”

It was hard to guess how Natasha felt since she had her head downcast. She still hasn't said anything and honestly, it was starting to become embarrassing. “Come on, say something.”

She averted her face to the side, taking a breath. A couple of seconds later, she placed her other free hand on top of our joined hands with the bracelet sandwiched in between. “Fine, I'll keep this. I don't believe in luck and shit but you know what they say— it's the thought that counts. So I'll hold onto your words and try. Thank you. I still don't understand why you did this, but yeah, thank you.”

I just want you to be truly happy, that's all. I didn't voice it out aloud though. Just then, she neared me and lifted herself to place a tentative kiss on my cheek. “You're an awesome guy, Baweja. I wish you get all you want, wherever you are and remain a dickhead always.”

A laugh escaped me. She just had to throw that word, didn't she? I felt that loss of contact when her fingers slipped away from mine, taking away my gift with her. As I glanced at her face, I remembered something I never said.

“Oh, I almost forgot to say this,” I brought my mouth close to her ear. “Your smile— it's beautiful. Show it to the world.”

I thought I noticed Irfan from the corner of my eye, heading towards us. Perhaps he even said something on the way, but I was too distracted by those grey eyes staring intently at me, questioning me with various unnamed things. I didn't tear my eyes off her. Not until she did, turning her head to a side and giving me a glimpse of that beautiful smile as she widened her lips. I was oddly contented now.

“I'm heading off to that cafe over there while you two can share a goodbye kiss or whatever. Happy journey.”

“Yeah, thanks. Take care.” I watched her retreating back as she walked away. She raised a hand, waving goodbye at me without facing me. I turned my attention to the third party that was almost ignored for a while. Maybe he sensed that, as his brow raised skeptically.

“I feel like I would never know what goes on between you two.”

“Don't think too much. We were just bidding goodbyes and giving gifts,” I gave a plausible answer. I caught sight of the clock to my far left and sighed. “Guess it's time. Take care, bro. I seriously pray that I see a sumo man in you when we meet again,” I joked while patting his back.

“Sure, I'll meet you in prison. Most probably when you'll get arrested for pulling out a serious prank,” he threw back and we shared a laugh. “Do visit my hometown sometime.”

“Sure when you'll marry your Ziara.”

“Tere muh me ghee, shakar.” He spoke, clinging on to that hope. He wished the same for me with Ahana. I didn't tell him how my hope was waning unlike him, nor told him how scared I was of the future regarding Ahana. Instead, I focused on the present and wished him luck for everything. We stepped forward for a bro hug, when I stole a quick glance at the surroundings. Natasha was nowhere to be seen. Another smile escaped my lips. Maybe she wasn't a fan of goodbyes.

Soon, I entered inside the airport, leaving Irfan behind. Forty minutes later, I left, thus closing the chapter of Boston and opening another one. The chapter that awaited me in India.

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A u t h o r s    N o t e

*Tere muh mein ghee shakkar – (Ghee and sugar in your mouth) If someone gives you a good news, which you wish would come true, you say “tere muh mein ghee shakkar” to indicate that you hope that the news comes true.

*Yaar, ab toh tu emotional atyachaar kar raha hai- You're doing emotional injustice to me now.

Vote 🌟 and comment 💬.

Thoughts about this chapter. About the bonding between Natasha, Irfan and Vansh. Also do share ur views about Natasha and Irfan as a person (Natasha and non Natasha readers, both). I wanna know what you make of her from this story. And also the scene at the end between Vansh and Natasha. I never told you this but ok, don't throw tomatoes at me... I love Vansh and Ahana ❤. I really do but I kind of shipped Vansh and Natasha too (though I know none of you wanted to ship them. It doesn't matter).

You must be thinking why Vansh said those things to Natasha (about finding a good man and all). Well, those things will be answered in her story. Look forward to it. 😊😊

With the Boston phase over, we'll be moving on to more exciting things. I'll tell you one thing though— Most of the chapters from now onwards will be in Ahana's point of view. I know many of you like Ahana's pov more so thought I should tell you this to pump you up.

Are you excited?! Comment HELL YES if you are. 🙌

There are going to be few surprises in the next chapter. With that, LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!

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Additional note:
Now that the Boston part is over, I want your advice on something. Infact I've been wanting to ask you, especially Natasha readers for a while now but I waited till this chapter—

Shall I start updating Natasha?
Don't worry. I would update Serious in Love as I usually do. So two choices-

a- Yes update Natasha side by side. (Though updates for Natasha will be slower bcos SeIL is still my first priority).

b- No, finish Serious in Love first. This way we would also get a break from Natasha and after finishing Serious in Love, you'll have ample of time to update Natasha regularly.

Plz comment 'a' or 'b'.

To those who haven't read Natasha- If you're more interested in her character and her back story, plz take a look at the spin off story: Natasha, which you'll find in my profile. So far I've received fabulous responses to the story so it certainly won't disappoint you.