I rubbed my orbs in annoyance due to the noise that wasn't allowing me to grab some hours of sleep. I opened my orbs to find Siddhi struggling to search something in her luggage.

"What are you doing at such an hour?" Annoyance was quite visible in my voice. I had hardly gotten some hour of sleep.

"We are going on a city-tour..." Siddhi sounded excited, "I really want to see Meerut."

"That's cool! But why so early in the morning?" I rubbed my orbs, closing my orbs in need of more sleep.

"We don't want others to join us," she added. "So, I want to disappear before the house wake up." That grabbed my attention, I opened my orbs staring straight at her.

"Are you trying to keep me away from Faizal?" She ignored my question. "Siddhi, that will be rude. He won't admire us disappearing without letting him know about our plans."

"I won't mind upsetting him," Siddhi muttered. "I won't be able to see you heartbroken, if I do... I will end up hating bhai, and I don't want to do it." She sighed at the last statement, raising her head to glance at me. "You're aware about your importance in my life. Earlier everyone of you had being equal but later you grabbed much importance. You were always there for me, Nivi. I do treat you as a family, I won't ever be able to see you heartbroken. And if bhai will be reason behind it, I won't be able to stop myself for hating him because he provided you with that pain."

"And then you have the audacity to claim I am the most caring one," I rolled my orbs at her confession.

"Are you getting up or will I have to pull you out of the bed?" She faked a glare in my direction.

"I need some hours of sleep to function well for the day. I hardly slept last night." I pleaded as I closed my orbs in defeat. She didn't argue on the matter as she was aware about my love for sleep.

°°°

Due to my request for some extra sleep, we had ended up late according to Siddhi's plan. The entire house had wake up. Relatives were roaming at every corner preparing for the upcoming function. Siddhi had grabbed my hands in hers, we had planned to walk out of the house without coming into anyone's notice, by now we had succeeded in walking out of the first floor. By the time we reached the living area a voice called us up, halting us in our track.

"Hey, where are you two going at such an hour?" We turned to find Zain walking towards us with his friendly-smile.

"We just want to see around," Siddhi shrugged her shoulder.

"See around?" He sounded doubtful, "on your own?" He scanned for anyone accompanying us. "Had you ever been to Meerut, before?" He stared between us in suspiciousness.

"I am from Banaras," Siddhi attempted to defend herself. "It won't be that big of a deal."

"It is!" Zain rolled his orbs, "you can't trust a guide. Only locals know about the place and can help you with the tour than any tourist guide."

"We thought why to disturb anyone of you," I mumbled quietly. "None of you are free for it," at the exact moment someone called Zain's name.

"Zain! Had you ordered those flowers!"

"Yeah, just doing it!" Zain shouted in response.

"You have so much on your plates," Siddhi jumped in. "We don't want to trouble you. We can manage on our own..." Siddhi rushed and grabbed my hand. "Thank you, we do appreciate your concern regarding us."

The minute we turned we came face to face to Faizal. He was staring at three of us with a frown shaping on his face.

"Should I add any more dishes?" An older figure accompanying him asked him.

"No that will do," he moved his gaze from us for a second before smiling at him and gesturing him to leave.

"Bhai, they want to go on a city-tour..." Faizal face was expressionless until Zain added the last word, "alone..."

"Alone?" Faizal orbs harden on us, especially on me.

"How can it be alone if two of us are going?" Siddhi almost cried seeing her plan backfiring. "Bhai, don't act like my mom. We are allowed to enjoy ourselves."

"Not on the cost of your safety," Faizal muttered, I opted to stare at the floor. I couldn't lie to him! "Zain will be accompanying you," Zain agreed in approval but Siddhi argued.

"We can't take him! We have planned a secret meeting," Siddhi muttered.

"Secret-meeting?" Faizal was getting more suspicious on us.

"Yes," Siddhi nodded. She glanced at Zain for a minute, "I can't reveal it."

"I am not coming in your tricks, Siddhi." Faizal was glaring at her. "I had enough of your lies..." his gaze was fixed on me. "You can go, wherever you want. Nivi, isn't coming along with you."

I jerked my eyes at him upon mention of my name. "This secret-meeting is about her. What I will do going alone? It's about a guy she had a crush on, she had been waiting from so long to meet him."

What on the earth! I was on the verge of grabbing Siddhi and dragging her along with me for much related questions but Faizal's questioning voice halted me.

"Crush?" His gaze moved to Siddhi. The face wrapped back into an emotionless layer yet I could feel shock underlying his question.

"Yep, she had being dying to meet him." I stared at Siddhi in horror. What was she driving at? What was she even uttering? "Do you still want to stop us?"

"No," his voice lacked emotions. "It's her life she can do anything she wants." I could feel the hurt, the hurt he was trying too hard to hide.

"Thank you, bhai." Siddhi giggled. "You're the best!" She jumped in excitement as she pulled me along with her. My orbs were fixed on Faizal but not for a minute he glanced in my direction, his face lacked the excitement it carried. I wanted to stay behind and assure him that there was none yet I allowed Siddhi to drag me out of the house.

The minute we were out of the building I groaned, "why you did that?"

"Did what?" She acted clueless.

"Lied about my crush?" I glared at her for faking her innocence.

"I didn't lie I just twisted the words. You were here to see your crush and there is no lie in it."

"Stop defending your stunts, Siddhi. That's isn't an approval behavior. I never adored when Faizal twisted his words neither I would tolerate it when you do it. Lie is lie! You can't defend it!"

"I had to lie or they won't have allowed us."

"I didn't want to walk out after upsetting Faizal. It won't allow me with peace," I grumbled at the thought of his gloomy mood. "I need to go and check on him."

"His mood wasn't gloomy," Siddhi argued. "He allowed us with a smile playing on his lips."

"It wasn't a genuine one, his orbs lacked the excitement. If he was happy, wouldn't he tease me? He had teased you even for the smallest crushes you had, can't you notice the difference? It wasn't him, Siddhi."

"Even if he wasn't excited. There isn't anything to be worried about," Siddhi shook her head. "You need to concentrate on your life. If you want to move on from him, you need to stop caring about him."

"Who told you that I want to move on from him?" I yelled, loudly. "You're the one trying to force me to move on... And I don't understand why?"

"Because he will break your heart into numerous pieces!" She yelled back at me. "His choice is different, Nivi. His type is different," Siddhi was urging me, requesting me to listen to her. "He won't fall for an introvert, innocent girl."

"He likes bold, extrovert, bubbly girls." I completed it for her. "I am aware about it! I know about his choices, Siddhi. And never had I said that I imagine my future with him. It's a feeling, an emotion that I feel for a guy I met online. I care about him. I can't see him sad, in pain or upset, it kills me from inside. I want to be there for him whenever he needs me because I feel that he is in need of love. It just that! The minute I realize he had found someone who genuinely cares about him. I would walk away from his life without leaving a hint of my footprints in it."

"This was the reason, I was scared." Siddhi sighed in disappointment. "You have already given yourself to him."

"That's so beautiful to love someone like that," we were interrupted by a feminine voice. Aahana walked towards us; her orbs were sparkling in curiosity. "Love is such a beautiful feeling, why are you sounding so displeased with it?" Her question was directed towards Siddhi.

"I am not displeased with word. But I am highly against allowing her to break her heart."

"You might have never loved someone..." her smile was a sad-one. "It's always an honor to love, always! I would claim a gift from Allah." Her orbs were shinning in excitement.

The Aahana I met last night was so different from the person standing before us. Her face described that she connected with me at the moment.

"Yep, I am the mad one here!" Siddhi grumbled as she walked off without waiting for me. I wanted to rush behind her but allowing her with some time would be better. I wasn't adoring her dominance over the matter. She cared about me and it was her way of assuring her heart that I would be safe yet I was against it.

"I didn't mean to hurt her." Aahana muttered; I gave a node in assurance.

"She just needs time to grab hold of the information. She wasn't prepared for it!" I muttered much to myself but she heard it.

"Prepared for what?"

"For the revelation!" I sighed, there was silence surrounding us for a minute longer until she broke it.

"That was the reason you travelled so far, just to meet him?" Her voice was filled with curiosity, I gave a slight nod. "Do he know about your feeling?"

"No! And he never has to know..." my heart ached at those words.

"But why? Do he have someone in his life?"

"I don't know! I knew it from the time I developed feelings, he won't ever reciprocate it. I am not his types," My heart was turning heavy. I was trying hard to hold back my tears. "I wanted to meet him because maybe it would be last time."

"Oh my god!" Aahna pulled me into a hug. "I know that feeling...I fully understand you..." her voice was getting heavy. "I know the pain; I know it all!"

"I had love someone for years..." she choked at her words, "for years..." My heart shattered at those words; my guts knew whom she was talking about yet I didn't force her to name the person as my heart won't be able to bear it.