It was almost midnight, we had roamed around as Arnav took us to many places and it was all fun, we all had fun and even though he was a bit awkward around my friends, I could say he had fun too. I missed this, him and me going out and having fun like this. In the past few years, no matter how many friends I made, no one was ever able to make me feel like Arnav did, and I wasn't talking about love or romance, I was talking about the connection we had, and how beautiful our friendship was, I missed that about him.

I guess it was the whole growing up together thing that made it so easy with him, everything with him just fell in place and I guess that was why I ended up falling in love with him, I know, such a cliché, falling in love with your best friend, but it wasn't so cliché because we didn't end up together.

The entire time we roamed around, Arnav and I somehow managed to talk to each other normally, without making it awkward, and it just made me miss our friendship so much.

The car came to a stop outside our hotel, we all stepped out turn by turn followed my Arnav who also stepped out to bid everyone a goodbye, everyone headed inside leaving me behind with him, I stayed behind on purpose if I was being honest, I just felt like I had to talk to him.

"So... you'll be okay going back alone?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm used to this place, don't worry." He smiled.

"So... how had life been? Have you made any new friends? Do you have such a crazy gang to hang out with?

"Not really, I've just been travelling from one place to the other since I got this job, and you know it's always been hard for me to make new friends..." He sighed.

"So no one? Not even one person?"

"There was this colleague of mine back in Hyderabad, we had gotten pretty close, but then I moved here and we haven't really been in contact so much."

"You should make new friends Arnav, it's good to have friends."

"I know, but I never felt the need of any friend when you were there, and now I guess I just don't know how to make friends." He laughed nervously.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get there... anyways I'll get going... I'll see you tomorrow? Ved said he asked you to come along, he wanted to go someplace and you were taking us?"

"Yeah... are you okay with it though? I hope I'm not intruding or anything." He looked at me nervously.

"No... it's fine. Besides you'll also get to have fun with us, everyone benefits from it."

"Yeah... anyway I'll see you tomorrow then." He smiled as we both waved goodbye at each other, I turned around and headed inside just thinking about our encounter and how destiny just bumped us into each other.

It was crazy, how there were seven billion people in the world and I had to bump into him again, seeing him just made me feel so different, and I don't think it was different in the way Ved meant or my other friends thought, I don't think I still loved Arnav.

I mean of course I missed him every day, I thought about him so often but most of it was because just like he only had me, I also only had him, we grew up together and no matter what happened between us, we would always miss each other.

Ved was right about one thing though... Arnav seemed different right now, at least the much I had seen of him today, he seemed calm, he seemed like he had finally come to terms with the terrible things that had happened to him in the past and that was good, it made his life way better, I was happy for him.

"So?" Ved jumped in front of me out of nowhere scaring the hell out of me.

"You scared me! Were you spying on me or something?" I asked.

"Nope, just shipping you two, I mean you two standing there looked so perfect together, it was like you were made for each other." Ved said looking so dreamy, this guy was crazy.

"Looking good together doesn't make relationships work ved, it's trust and efforts that matter." I sighed as I walked into my room and Ved followed me.

"So put a little effort then, I'm sure Arnav will too."

"And where will the trust come from? It's gone Ved, it's not coming back, no matter how much he has changed okay? So yeah, I'm okay with him hanging around with us and everything but please stop playing cupid, him and me, it's not happening."

"Why?"

"Because you weren't there Ved. You weren't there when my heart broke, you weren't there when I begged for his love, I am sorry but nothing can convince me to be with him ever again so let's just drop this topic." I looked at him angrily, he was now getting on my nerves.

"But... I'm your friend Khushi, I just want to see you happy, and I saw you so happy around him today."

"Of course I was happy, he was my best friend for the longest time, he was my first love, so yes we might have gone separate ways but it doesn't change what that time meant to me, of course I'll be happy around him, but it's all because of the friendship we had, the love is long gone and I don't want it back. So please let this stay the way it is."

"If the love is long gone, why haven't you been with someone else?"

"Because it's hard to build that trust Ved! I don't have the courage to give someone else my heart because I'm always going to be scared they will break it like Arnav did, I haven't been with anyone else because I am scared, not because I still love Arnav.

I am happy in being alone, I have you guys and I don't really need a lover, so please let's end this conversation here and enjoy our trip, we were supposed to have fun here, not argue like this.

"Okay, if you say so... I won't say anything about it."

"Thank you... I get it you just want what's best for me and trust me, this is best for me."

"Okay... is it okay if he comes along with us though? I already invited him I can't just refuse like that..."

"It's okay, I don't mind it as long as no one brings up the topic of me and him getting back together."

"Okay... you should sleep now, I've eaten your head enough for today." He laughed as he walked out of my room, I locked the door and turned to look at Sheena who was snoring on the bed despite mine and Ved's argument. She must really be tired.

*****

We all met outside the next morning, yesterday we forgot to ask Arnav for his number so we couldn't even call him and ask him when he would be reaching or anything so we were just standing there like idiots hoping for him to show up, gladly we had already decided the timings with him otherwise I don't know how we would have communicated.

We had to wait for almost half an hour until he finally showed up, he looked so perfect dressed in all black, it was as if that color was meant for him.

"Hey..." He greeted everyone as he joined us.

"We've been waiting for you for so long, we even forgot to exchange numbers." Ved said.

"I'm sorry I even got late, I had some work to finish up."

"It's okay, no problem, we are on a holiday you aren't so of course you'll have to work." Ved smiled.

We all finally settled in the car, Arnav instructed the driver on where to take us and them came to the back to sit beside me, we just smiled at each other and then sat silently listening to everyone else talking.

"This is where you wanted to come?" I asked Ved as the car stopped at the louvre museum.

"Yeah."

"Even the tour guide could bring us here, you didn't need Arnav for that." I whispered to him after we stepped out so no one else could hear us.

"I know, it was just an excuse so he could come along because I was trying to play cupid until you told me not to." He whispered back, I just rolled my eyes at him.

We walked around the museum enjoying the sight, everything here was so beautiful, if it were up to me I'd just come live in Paris, Arnav was lucky he got to live here, even if for an year at least.

"You must be feeling so lucky, getting to live in such a beautiful city, it's like a dream come true." I smiled at him.

"Yeah, it had been good and peaceful. It's a nice life, maybe someday I can get permanent transfer here, we can only hope." He smiled.

We continued walking around silently for the next few minutes until he spoke up again.

"Have you been to the Disneyland? Or do you have plans to visit?"

"Not really, we hadn't thought of going there."

"You should, I'm sure you'll like it... it's your kind of a place. You can book the tickets today, you'll get it in a day or two at least and then you can go."

"I'll see, I'll talk to everyone and see if they want to come, in case we decide to go and you're free you can join us too, they all seem to like you very much anyway" I laughed, to which he just smiled in return.

"It's good to know you still don't hate me." He said.

"I never hated you Arnav, things between us were just messy, beside this is a trip, I'm here to enjoy and have fun, not to cry over the past. What's done is done, I'm happy where it's brought me in life, I'm sure so are you. I can't hate you forever for it.

"Thanks." He smiled. We didn't talk much after that, we just continue with our tour, once we were done with the museum, the tour guide took us for lunch at a nearby restaurant.