"I just felt really bad for throwing sarcasm at you when you are having a social dilemma."

🌀

"What's wrong with you?" Ruhi hissed at Suhana, gesturing between them. The last bell has rung and students were pooling out of the classroom. "Why are you being like this? All uptight?"

"Oh! So now you care," snapped Suhana, eyeing Ruhi disdainfully. "Where was your concern when it was needed?"

"When was it needed?" Ruhi felt like hurling herself out the window. What had she done?

"Don't act like you don't know." Suhana glowered at her. "I never thought you were so selfish and self-concerned. The world doesn't revolve around you. You need to care for others' feelings too."

Ruhi felt furious at her friend-best friend, who she supposed to understand her, like her but it turned out she didn't. Her eyes burned as water started pooling in her eyes. She grabbed her backpack, swung it over her left shoulder and hurried out of the class. She blinked her eyes furiously, preventing herself from crying. The events played in loops inside her head. She failed to see Siddharth in front of her. She shoved him and walked straight out of the school gate. She started walking down the familiar path to her home.

She missed her best friend, the one who held her hands when she returned from school. Suddenly, she had lost her most trusted friend. She didn't know what she had done and her best friend was furious at her. She didn't even have the slightest clue what was wrong. Suhana could have said what's wrong but no, she won't say and be all discreet and shady and accusing. Was Ruhi at fault? No. Not that she knew of any wrongs she had done, not at least consciously. She huffed at the thought of Suhana's scrunched-up disdainful face. She should have yelled or said something in return for all those mockeries and harsh words Suhana threw her way. A lone tear escaped her eye and she immediately wiped it away. She was so engrossed in her mind that she crashed straight into a human made of hard muscle and a broad chest.

"Ow." She rubbed her head. Looking up she came face to face with the one and only Vivaan Mishra, the devil's spawn.

"Look at you being all sad and lonely," Vivaan cooed at her to spite her.

Ruhi glared at him and tried to swerve past him but being the obnoxious person he was, he blocked the way.

"Move!" Ruhi grabbed his arm and tried to move him but his hands clasped tightly on her shoulders.

"Sorry." Vivaan looked at her apologetically. Ruhi felt the biggest shock in her life. She must be dreaming! The Vivaan Mishra was apologising to her, his nemesis!

Ruhi checked his body temperature by pressing the back of her hand to his forehead. "You seem fine."

She peered at him, closely. "Are you doing drugs? Are you high?"

Vivaan laughed. His laughter boomed in the now empty street. "I don't do drugs and no, I am not high."

"Then, what's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You are all lonely and sulking and by the looks of it, you were contemplating, having an existential crisis."

"I am fine." Ruhi averted her eyes from his for a moment and then, again looked back at his eyes. "You just said 'sorry' to me. Vivaan Mishra said sorry to Ruhi Malhotra. The world's about to end." She whistled, lowly.

"I just felt really bad for throwing sarcasm at you when you are having a social dilemma."

Ruhi looked at him, astonished at his behaviour. He was being suspicious. "I am fine."

"I know you better than that, Ruhi." He grabbed her chin and made her look into his eyes. "Tell me."

Something inside Ruhi told her it was okay for her to say the truth to Vivaan. Before her brain could kick into action, her mouth uttered, "Suhana is behaving weird."

Vivaan's eyebrows drew closer to each other. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "She is being weird and cryptic."

Vivaan looked at her, sympathetically. "Let's go and sit in a café and talk."

"Your girlfriend would be after my head if she comes to know that her dear boyfriend is taking another girl for coffee. She might think it's a date."

"She knows I hate you." Vivaan pinched her cheek and she chuckled in response.

Ruhi looped her arm through his and walked towards the Pixie Café.

~

Suhana felt like screaming and breaking down publicly but restrained her from doing so. She picked up her backpack, swung it over her left shoulder and walked out of the classroom door. She didn't know what she should do.

She was furious at Ruhi for doing what she did and it was obvious that Ritesh liked her. Obviously, Ruhi knew that and despite of that she kissed him. To achieve what? Did she feel a sense of odd superiority or self-satisfaction? She hated this Ruhi. Was she always like this? Did Suhana fail to see the real Ruhi?

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she failed to see Siddharth in front of her and shoved him, for the second time that day. She walked out of the school gate, dazed and engrossed in her thoughts. She walked out of the school gate and took the other--the long road to her house to avoid Ruhi. She didn't feel like seeing her right now, let alone interacting. She started walking down the deserted path.

Suhana felt terrible thinking about Ritesh. She hadn't seen him since after that incident and she knew he cried. Even if he said that he was fine, she could still hear the tears in his voice. If he were fine, he would have opened the door and come out. But she knew, he wasn't. Ritesh was soft and vulnerable. It must have crushed him when Ruhi's lip landed on his. Thinking about Ritesh's condition made her anger ignite more. Ruhi shouldn't have done what she did.

She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Her head throbbed and there was a slight pain in the back of her throat. She sat down on the curb. The road was deserted and she was positive that no one would come this way. She let out a low groan. She hated herself for crying over this. Her life had turned into a typical teen drama. She thought maybe she would escape it but well, it looked like it had followed her. She hid her face in her knees and clutched her head with her hands. Tears dribbled down her cheeks. Her silent sobs soon turned into loud cries. She hated crying but she needed to. She needed to lighten up a little.

A hand fell on her shoulder. Her head shot up in shock. To her horror, Arav Bhardwaj was sitting next to her. His school back rested beside him on the curb. He was looking at her with concern. She wiped her cheeks furiously but the tears kept falling more.

Arav didn't say a word and instead pulled her in a hug. Her head rested on his chest. He rubbed her back gently. She cried in his chest, clutching his shirt in one hand and the other firm on his shoulder. He let her cry in his chest until she calmed down.

"Sorry about your shirt," Suhana said, pulling away.

Arav chuckled. "It's fine. Are you feeling okay now?"

"Better." Suhana nodded. "Thanks for holding me and letting me cry and ruin your uniform."

He laughed. "You are cute." He pinched her cheek. Suhana laughed.

"It's the whole not-talking-with-Ruhi thing, isn't it?"

"Were you stalking me?"

"I have eyes and I could see the ideal best friends being not talkative at all and being angry at each other. It is kind of hard to not notice when the two of you are not being talkative, especially you."

"I am not talkative." Suhana playfully glared at him.

"You are like those toy monkeys who make noise. Non-stop." Arav raised his brows as if to say 'you can't disagree'.

Suhana huffed. "Okay, I give up."

"Did the Suhana Sharma just give up in an argument?"

"Yes and that's only because I am feeling down."

Arav's face turned serious. "I don't think this is an ideal place to talk about your feelings here sitting on the curb. Let's go to a food court."

"Are you suggesting we go to Legion Plaza?" Suhana raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe." Arav shrugged as a mischievous grin formed on his face.

"Oh, you are a trouble." Suhana shook her head as a smile crept on her lips.

"The trouble on whom you have taken quite a liking." Arav winked at her.

A/N- Here's a new chapter. I am currently vacationing and all the travelling gave me some ideas for this chapter so here we are. Don't forget to vote and comment!

Sara07lucifer I think I fulfilled your wish...