"I like her very much."

🌀

Not talking to his best friend was unusual for even a guy as quiet as Ritesh. Siddharth knew something was up but couldn't put his finger on it.

The kiss kept playing on loops in Ritesh's mind. It won't just stop. No amount of force or willpower could make it go away. He wanted to scream and cry but he did neither. He sat silently at his desk and avoided talking with anyone. He tried to conceal himself as much as possible so that he didn't have to talk much.

But sitting at the front wasn't exactly paying for his plan to stay subtle. The teachers were bound to notice him. Which meant he had to answer the questions asked. It seemed as if the teachers had taken a sudden liking to him and all the questions were directed towards him. It felt unbearable for him.

Every time he looked at the clock, he felt like the clock was going slower and slower until it froze. Time dragged on. It felt like forever until the final bell rang.

He immediately sat up, ready to dash out of the classroom, and the school and be in the safety of his house. But the teacher, Mr. Dixit had other plans. He looked at his watch, then back at the book and continued reading Hamlet. Ritesh didn't know what fun Mr. Dixit had reading Shakespeare and asking them questions from that story. He especially hated those classes where they were asked to explain the story and it's inner meanings. It was quite written, what was there to explain?

He wanted to stand up and snap at Mr. Dixit but restrained himself from doing so. It was quite rare for him to feel so much aggression towards someone.

Siddarth saw the expression on his friend's face and he knew from one look that he was mad. Really, really mad. He was shocked to see him like this. He had never been this angry since six years back when he came to know that his parents had hidden the fact that his grandmother had cancer. She passed away that year.

Ritesh grew irritated with every passing second. As soon as the teacher announced the class was over, he shot up from his desk and bolted out of the door. Everyone, including the teacher, was shocked. They had never seen Ritesh behave like this. He was always the timid, calm and shy one. He would leave the class at the last with his best friend to stay as unnoticed by his classmates as possible and partly to avoid being pushed into a frenzy.

Mr. Dixit looked pointedly at Siddarth. "Did you two have a fight?"

"No, sir," answered Siddharth. "He has been acting weird since after the lunch break."

The teacher nodded and left the class. Soon after, the students left the class.

Siddarth was walking lost in his thoughts about the weird behaviour of his friend. He seemed extremely off after the kiss.

And that's when something clicked in his mind. Ritesh must have feelings for someone else and he was probably saving his first kiss for them when Ruhi kissed him. But then again, he seemed okay with it. He needed to talk with him.

He sped past people and came to a screeching halt in front of the gate. Where was his friend?

That's when he says Ritesh. Ritesh was sitting under the huge golden shower tree in the park by the school. Siddharth could see him over the wall dividing the park and the school area. No one was in Ritesh's near vicinity and neither did no one notice him.

Siddharth was shoved to the side by someone. He turned around to give them a piece of his mind when he noticed that the person was Ruhi. She looked furious and was striding out angrily of the school. He was shoved again by Suhana who looked equally angry. He peered inside the school, expecting to see Arav or Vivaan or both. But to his immense surprise, none of them was there.

That was weird.

He never had seen Ruhi and Suhana this angry with each other. It seemed like all his friends were acting weird and angry except him. Should he also start acting weird and angry?

He sighed and made his way to the park. The park was quiet and calm. It wasn't exactly an ideal hour for kids to play or for pets to roam around with their owners.

The swing was gently swaying. The leaves rustled as a jovial wind passed through them. The huge trees covered the boundaries of the park. The humongous shadows of the trees fell on the green, luscious grass beneath. Small bushes and shrubs added to the aura of calm and serenity in the area.

He sighed and approached his friend. Ritesh didn't notice him. He had his eyes closed, his head leaned back against the bark of the tree. The shadow of the golden shower fell on him, presenting him as a catastrophic soul.

Siddharth approached him cautiously. Ritesh's school bag lay beside him. Siddarth halted once he noticed them. A deadly sense of dread sipped in him and gripped his heart. Fresh, salty tears ran down Ritesh's cheeks. His face was unmoving and serene, only tears cascaded down his face, constantly.

Siddharth kneeled down in front of his friend and dropped his backpack on the ground. His tensed face softened seeing his friend's state. He laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. Ritesh's eyes shot open. He looked at Siddarth in utter shock. His tears seized almost immediately and he tried to compose himself. It was a futile attempt since Siddharth could see right past his façade.

"What's wrong?" Siddarth askes. His voice came out soft and gentle as if he were afraid that a wrong word could push his friend off of the edge.

That was enough to break the weak barrier Ritesh had built. His eyes welled up with fresh tears as they started cascading down his cheeks. His lips curled down and his forehead crinkled. This time his face didn't look serene and calm, it was disturbed and unsettled. This time he wasn't crying but sobbing. He let out a small whimper. He shot up from his position and wrapped his arms around Siddharth's neck. Siddharth staggered back and nearly collapsed but balanced himself. Siddharth wrapped an arm around his friend's back. He held him tightly to his chest as Ritesh sobbed on his shoulder, soaking his shirt. Ritesh cried and cried, letting all his sorrows and pent-up emotions out. Slowly, his sobbing subsides into cries and eventually hiccups. Siddharth gently rocked him. Eventually, Ritesh calmed down. They stayed there holding each other tightly for some time. Ritesh pulled apart. Siddharth wiped his eyes and handed Ritesh his water bottle. Ritesh gulped down all the water left in the bottle. He sat back down in the shadow. He didn't say anything for a while. His eyes were fixed on the leaves of the golden shower. His eyes noticed how the leaves swayed to the breeze, the sun peeking through the leaves. He felt an odd sense of solace looking at it, string under its shadow and bathing in its serenity.

Siddharth didn't ask his friend anything. He waited patiently for him to open up. He sat there giving Ritesh the coveted and required company and a presence which said 'I will always be there for you'.

Ritesh closed his eyes and composed himself. Opening his eyes, he looked at his friend. He knew he had to answer him. If not for Siddarth, then, for himself.

"You saw Ruhi kissing me, right?" He started. Siddharth only nodded.

"I..." He stopped. The words felt heavy in his throat. It felt stuck there. He couldn't say anything, didn't feel like it. But he knew, he needed to get this off his chest.

"I like her," he said in a breath. "I like her very much."

Siddharth's face morphed into that of shock, followed by realisation. Now, he knew what happened. How could he be so oblivious? He felt like an utter, stupid idiot.

"When she kisses me, I had so many emotions going on. So many thoughts. I thought..." Ritesh's voice broke but he willed himself to continue. "I thought or more like hoped against hope that she might... she might have some feelings for me. I knew I was giving myself false hopes but I just couldn't help hoping, wishing that the person I like likes me back.

When she pulled away and laughed, that's when I realised that she doesn't feel anything for me- of course, she loves me as a friend but I wanted it to be more, deeper. I just felt my heart drop to my stomach, my mouth felt dry and reality came crashing back. She didn't like me, she just kissed me as a part of a dare. I felt like someone had pulled my heart out and crushed it under their feet, my emotions and sentiments were maimed and stabbed. I felt betrayed, hurt, sad but mostly, loathing. Loathing towards myself. The fault was mine, not hers. I let her kiss me in order to break my own heart." Ritesh stopped and took a deep breath. Siddharth felt absolutely terrible for his friend. He was not a good friend or else he would have seen. No one saw. Or maybe someone did...

"Suhana," Siddharth said, startling Ritesh who had grown accustomed to the quiet. "Suhana knew it. She followed you."

Ritesh nodded, slowly. "I heard her calling me but I was too busy hiding my tear-streaked face that I didn't even bother to turn around and quite, literally ran in the bathroom."

Ritesh laughed. It was a dry, humourless, monotonous sound that had reverberated out of pain clasped broken heart.

Siddharth felt sad and heartbroken for his friend. He didn't deserve this. A thought crossed his mind. Did Ruhi know about Ritesh's feelings towards her? Did Suhana tell her that? Was that why they looked furious at each other?

He wanted to tell this to Ritesh but decided against it. He knew his friend well, he would probably take their quarrel on himself and blame himself which would lead to more heartbreak and loathing towards himself. After all, it wasn't in his hand who he would fall for.

Siddharth picked up both their backpack and stood up. He extended his left hand towards Ritesh, who gave him a confused look. All Siddharth offered in response was a cheeky grin. Ritesh warily wrapped her fingers around his friend's palm. Siddharth pulled him up.

"Come. Let's go." And with that, he dragged his friend out of the park. The school was empty as expected. Not a soul in sight. They ran down the empty street. Siddharth led them to the marketplace.

The streets were bustling with people. Cars were honking, hawkers were yelling to attract customers, and customers were bargaining with shopkeepers and sellers. All this together made up an Indian marketplace. No one could ever feel lonely here. Despite his efforts, Ritesh couldn't stop the smile growing on his face. The place was mostly filled with people who were coming back from their work and were buying their groceries and other necessities before going home.

"What are we doing here?" Ritesh asked as he looked around with a smile on his face.

"Oh, just doing the typical 'breakup shopping'." Siddharth shrugged.

"Breakup shopping?" Ritesh couldn't help but laugh; a genuine one. "What's that thing? Besides, I didn't have a partner to start with, let alone break up."

Siddharth waved his hand dismissively. "It's all same. Breakup leads to heartbreak, you are heartbroken by a girl. So, we are doing the breakup shopping."

He pulled Ritesh towards an ice cream parlour. Ritesh spotted a few of their classmates hanging out there and eating ice-creams with their friends or partners. The ice cream parlour always bustled with an energy of happiness which was contagious. They went up to the counter and ordered a black forest sundae for Ritesh and a Hot Chocolate Fudge for Siddharth. They took their orders and were at a table, enjoying their fudge and sundae while looking at the setting sun out the glass wall.

Ritesh felt that he had no worries in the world. All the sadness and sorrow had evaporated. He was thankful to his best friend for that.

Siddharth was happy to see his friend happy and cheerful again.

"Mission accomplished," he murmured under his breath as Ritesh laughed at one of his jokes.

A/N- Whew! At last, done with this chapter. If my best friend soy_genio read this chapter, I can bet she would be saying 'They are cute. They need to get together.' So, this one is for her.

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