That same evening, Rishi made his way to Ruhaan and Adi's room. He knew he had to make some small talk with Mitali's friends if he wanted to make things easier for Mitali.

He knocked on the door twice. A while later, Ruhaan opened the door. His eyes slightly widened with surprise.

Rishi: Uh.....can I come in?

Ruhaan: Yeah...sure.

He stepped aside to let Rishi in and closed the door behind him. Rishi glanced at Adi, who was standing near the window, his eyes gazing at the sight outside.

He cleared his throat which broke Adi's trance. Adi turned and looked at him questioningly.

Rishi: Since there is not much to do around here with all the preparations going on, I was wondering if you guys....wanted to..... go outside. I mean, I'm sure you guys have never been here before.....so I thought maybe we could.....go to a cafe or something. You know, just to hangout....for a bit.

Ruhaan glanced at Adi , terrified of what he would blurt out. But Adi's face remained calm as he said,

Adi: Yeah, sure, why not. We don't really have anything to do anyways.

Rishi was surprised. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. He was almost convinced that Adi was going to pounce on him any moment.

Rishi: Okay....great! I'll tell Mitali. We can go out at around 7. What say?

Adi replied curtly,

Adi: Sure.

Rishi nodded and smiled at him.

Rishi: Great!  I'll see you guys then!

Saying that, he traced his way out of their room. Once he was gone, Ruhaan turned to Adi and asked,

Ruhaan: Why are you doing this, Adi?

Adi: Doing what? You asked me to be civil and I was being civil.

Ruhaan: Yeah....but you didn't have to agree to that. Why are you deliberately setting up yourself to get hurt?

Adi sighed and said,

Adi: Ru, I understand your concern. But the guy probably doesn't know about me and Mitali. That's why he's being so nice. Otherwise who would actually be inviting their fiance's ex boyfriend to hangout with them?

Ruhaan: And what? You want to tell him about you and Mitali?

Adi: Well he deserves to know the truth , doesn't he?

Ruhaan: Yes, but that's not your intention. You are doing this out of spite. Not concern.

Adi: What are you talking about Ruhaan?

Ruhaan: You know exactly what I'm talking about, Adi. You are doing this to ruin things between him and Mitali.

Adi: Well, what do you expect me to do?! Just sit here and watch them be all lovey dovey?

Ruhaan: No, Adi. I didn't mean that-

Adi: If I remember correctly, our main reason behind coming here was because we wanted to stop this engagement. Not go along with it.

Ruhaan: No , Adi. We're here to clear the misunderstandings between you and Mitali. That's our top priority for now.

Adi sighed softly.

Ruhaan: Adi, you should focus on how you're going to talk it out with Mitali. Not embarrass Mitali in front of Rishi.

Adi: I know...I know.... it's just.... I can't watch her like this. With someone else. It stinks everytime I see them together.

Ruhaan breathed a sigh and said,

Ruhaan: Well now you know how Mitali felt watching you and Trisha.

Adi looked at his best friend as realisation dawned on him. He had hurt Mitali so much without even knowing. He felt guilty to the deepest core of his heart. How could he hurt the person who he loved so much?

Adi: How could I do this to her? How could I have been such an idiot?

He sat down at the edge of the bed. Ruhaan went and sat next to him.
 
Ruhaan: It's okay, Adi. You've realised your mistake. And that is all that matters.

Adi nodded and sighed softly.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the gang along with Rishi and Mitali entered Rico's , Rishi remarked,

Rishi: Guys, this is Rico's. I and Mitali used to come here everyday when we were young. Back then the cafe was not like it is now, but it's manager, Ravi uncle used to give us coffee and scones whenever we came.

The gang passed him a tight lipped smile as he took them to a booth. They sat down and ordered for their respective meals.

Once the waiter was gone, Rishi turned to the gang and asked,

Rishi: So guys, tell me how you guys met Mitali?

Glancing at Adi once, Shanu responded,

Shanu: We actually met the very first day of college. She was looking for her dorm room and I helped her. We became friends quickly since she was sharing her dorm with my best friend, Ananya.

Mitali smiled slightly reminiscing about her first meet with her two best friends.

Ananya: We were roomates so it was hard not to bond with her. I didn't really have to work hard to know her cause she used to talk to me so much.

Shanu chuckled softly.

Rishi: Yeah , she doesn't know how to shut up once she starts.

Mitali smacked his arm playfully. Adi's breath hitched in his throat. He looked at the duo and pursed his lips.

Rishi: What about you, Ruhaan? How did you meet Mitali?

Ruhaan and Mitali looked at each other and smilingly Ruhaan said,

Ruhaan: That's a really fun story. I actually met her for the first time during a fight between her and my girlfriend right here.

He side hugged Tapasya while she smiled sheepishly.

Rishi: Wait you fought with her on the very first day? Why?

Tapasya giggled and said,

Tapasya: I was angry because she was wearing the same colour as me.

Mitali chuckled softly and said,

Mitali: That was a crazy day!

The gang smiled reminiscing the iconic food fight in the cafeteria.

Rishi: Wow that must've been fun. Say Adi, how did you meet Mitali?

There was an awkward silence following that. Rishi bit his lip in realisation, instantly regretting his question. Adi and Mitali glanced at each other before Adi said,

Adi: I was... actually.... the first person she met in college.

Mitali breathed heavily reminiscing about her first ever meet with Adi.

Rishi turned to Mitali and asked,

Rishi: Really?

Mitali looked at him and nodded slightly.

Adi: I was actually running away from someone and.....she saved me from them.

Rishi: What, like a bully or something?

Mitali suddenly spoke,

Mitali: No. Adi was actually running from a girl. A girl that he wanted to get rid of cause he was bored of her.

Adi's heart stung hearing her venom filled words. He couldn't bear the fact that she was hating on him and he could do nothing about it.

The gang silently dreaded the exchange between the duo. Rishi looked back and forth between the two of them.

Mitali: Cause that's what he always does. When he gets bored of something..... or.... someone.....he runs away from them.

'How could I ever get bored of you?' Adi mentally screamed. She was his everything. He loved her! He loved her! He loved her! Then how could he get bored of her?

But he stayed silent. He knew he deserved it. He deserved her wrath. He deserved her venom filled words. He deserved it all.

Suddenly, the song on the speaker changed to a familiar song.

' Kahin to hogi voh duniya jaha tu mere sath hai,'

Rishi took this as an opportunity to ease the tension, and said,

Rishi: Hey...this song is one of my favourites! Um....if you guys don't mind.... can I steal Mitali for a bit?

The gang looked at each other and Adi before Sahil responded,

Sahil: Sure.

Rishi smiled and extended his hand towards Mitali.

Rishi: Care to dance,  mademoiselle?

Mitali glanced at Adi and responded smilingly,

Mitali: Why not?

She took his hand and, together, they walked up to the small platform at the centre of the cafe where all the other couples were dancing.

Ruhaan turned to Adi and said,

Ruhaan: Bro.... you don't have to be here if you don't want to. We can tell Mitali and just....

Adi: No.

Tapasya and Ruhaan exchanged anxious glances before Tapasya asked,

Tapasya: No?

Adi: I want to see how long she can keep up the facade.

The gang exchanged anxious glances.

Rishi took Mitali's hand and started dancing to the soft romantic ballad.

Rishi: I'm sorry if you're uncomfortable right now. It's just.....there was so much tension back there and this just felt the easiest way to control the situation.

Mitali: It's okay,Rishi. I'm glad you did.

Rishi gave her a slight smile and inched closer to her.

'Jaha mai , jaha tu, aur jaha bas tere mere jazbaat hai'

Crack. Adi could almost feel his heart crack, harder than ever. He could feel the gang's eyes on him. He wanted to focus but he couldn't. He couldn't stop looking at Mitali, his home and feeling so uneasy. Why couldn't he breathe easy? Why did it feel like his life was slipping away like grains of sand?

Or was it just him?

'Hogi jaha subah teri palko ki kirno mein,'

Even though Mitali felt calm being away from the table, she couldn't help but look at Adi. His gaze was fixed on her even as she moved in someone else's arms, making her concerned.

'Lori jaha chand ki sune teri baahon mein....'

She knew he deserved it, but even then she had instantly regretted her words right after she said them. His silent response to her venom filled words just added more to her guilt.

'Jaane na kaha vo duniya hai, jaane na vo hai bhi ya nahi,'

Adi wondered whether she knew what he was feeling? Of course she did. Who else would? Who else could?

Or was it just him?

'Jaha meri zindagi mujhse itni khafa nahi,'

Without following her line of sight, Rishi knew what Mitali's gaze were fixated on. He could feel her concern for him. Her eyes reflected that so strongly , even when she tried to deny it.
Physically, she was there in his arms but mentally, she was with him.

'Oh how cruel could love be,' he pondered.

The song slowly and gradually faded away as they stayed in their position. Rishi looked at Mitali , her gaze still fixated on Adi, and whispered,

Rishi: The song's over.

His soft honeyed voice broke her chain of thoughts and she looked at him , almost guiltily.

Mitali: I'm sorry I wasn't more attentive.

Rishi: It's okay, Mitali. I understand.

Mitali's eyes glistened with tears. Why couldn't she just love Rishi instead? He loved her unconditionally, despite everything. Why couldn't she focus on him instead of someone who clearly did not care enough about her feelings?

She leaned in and slightly touched her forehead with his. Rishi looked at her, surprised.

Mitali: I don't deserve you.

Rishi: I know. But that's not gonna make me stop loving you, ever.

Mitali smiled a genuine smile and said,

Mitali: Why are you so good?

Rishi smiled and said,

Rishi: Default hai bachpan se. Change nahi kar sakta!

They giggled slightly.

Adi's heart stunk. He stood up, stunned. How could he sit here and watch the one he loved immensely, be happy in someone else's arms? How could he just let her slip away that easily? How could he have been so dumb as to let go of her so easily?

Perhaps she was now really too far gone. It was too late, wasn't it?

Or was it just...him?

                 ~~~~~~~~~~~

6 down! 4 more to go!

This chapter was so fun to write cause I had planned this chapter for soooooo long! And when I finally got to write it, I almost balled my eyes out.

The song, the whole situation, and the tangled feelings of these three are what makes the chapter so astheticaly pleasing.

Tbh Rishi is too pure for this world. Just saying!

Anyways, make sure you vote and comment down your views! I'd be reading each and every comment on this one, particularly because this is one of my favourite YBTM chapters!

Love you loads,
Bosedisha