-Dehradun-

"Bro, would do you hurry up? You'll miss you flight God admit!" Aryaman banged the bathroom door from outside.

"I am almost done bro. Calm down." Abhi came out semi naked, wrapped in a towel around and dripping hair. 

"Dude, would you mind to move it! We have a lot to do. Shift karna hi, tujhe airport chordna hi, Nandini ko drop karna hi.. Oh and by the way, for Lord's graciousness- Murthy has shut herself in the room and madam ain't going to open the door." Aryaman compendiously stated.

"Really.." Abhimanyu meekly replied and worry dampened his face. He slipped on his clothes and made his way to Nandini's room. 

 "Nandu" he called out to her. "Kid! It's me- your Abhi. Please open the door."

His reply wasn't a movement or vocal, but just a mere sniffle. He sighed deeply understanding her and continued in the sweetest and calmest voice he could-

"Nandu, baba! Please," he sighed in a longing voice. "Look, if you want I'll not go okay. I just want you to be fine. Please remember it's us- we are there." he paused for long in the hope to receive a response. " Adhoori mulaqatein ke phir se milne ka vaada hota hi. Please open up. I promise I am there.."

He heard faint, hesitant footsteps reach to him behind the door and a soft click was heard. He knew it worked, for now at least. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the worst and slightly turned the doorknob. The room wasn't a mess. There was nothing broken or shattered. Okay, may be wrong on that part- but physically no damage, he noted. The lights were closed which was still okay if the top two weren't there. The big question- where is she? He roamed his eyes around the room scanning for a small figure. There- he found a quivering petite girl wrapped in a ball, staring into oblivion. He took quiet, steady steps towards her and softly called her-

"Love!" he craned his neck down and squatted to reach her. He held her hands that lied on her knees, softly but comfortingly. She slightly peeped up and he bent further to peek through her long, brown locks. 

"I am there. Let it go. I'll be there to catch you."

With the little but sufficient confirmation she got, Nandini snuggled into his chest and held him tight as if he would vanish any moment. Abhimanyu took it all in- her tight  hold, her soft mumbling complaints that he couldn't hear, her never-ending tears wetting his fresh shirt. He lightly patted her head and held his lips tight attempting not to fall weak in front of her. "I'll be there" and "I love you" he ended each of her complaint with. 

"Why do you have to go?" 

"I don't have to."

"Can't you stay, at least?"

"I will." "But whose gonna be your spy, then- that idiot?"

She nodded her head in disagreement. 

"Will everyone go?"

"Not me."

"Why?" 

"Love, remember always- Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken. But if there's no breaking, there's no healing. And if there's no healing, then there's no learning. And if there's no learning, there's no struggle. But the struggle is the part of the life."

"So does that mean all hearts must be broken?"

"May be. Till now it's all true." he said wandering into his own world for split seconds. "You're stronger than you believe." he kissed her forehead and gently wiped her tears off her plump, red cheeks. 

They had just got up after a long promising hug, when Aryman barged in with tumbling suitcases. 

"Tum logon ka ho gaya toh chalein. It's time to start a new phase, people." 
Abhi wiped the lone tear on Nandini's face and gave a her tight, promising hug leading her and himself out. Aryaman stood there dumbstruck at their indifference about the luggage they left behind for him to carry. He huffed and started to drag himself with precisely a dozen bags falling into each other. Soon, he found himself in front of a car with a chauffeur waiting outside. He handed him the bags and narrowed his eyes at the window. There- the two utmost lost in their world-Nandini and Abhimanyu giggled themselves inside. He sophisticated-ly knocked on the window and drew their attention towards him- "Mohtarma aur Saheb, aapka saaman saman aapke samane khadre es durbhagya kintu kushal nokar ne rakh diya hi. Mein aapko aur  kya seva kar sakta hoon?" He sarcastically taunted them.

"Dhanya ho, aap aab tashrif jaamai ge ki nahi?" Abhi answered him in his tone.

"Nahi!" Aryman stated a definite look. "You guys fucking sit in a Lamborghini, I am gonna go on a bike ride for the next two hours. Jab ghar set hogaya and everything is done then, I 'll come back to you kaamchor people. I call this alliance off!" He dramatically threatened. He pulls himself out of the window in which he had leaned into while demanding his "freedom"  and swirled the bike keys around his finger and walked off in attitude.

Nandini and Abhimanyu looked at each other with wide eyes when something struck Abhimanyu and he propped himself half out through the car's window- "Haan, ja, ja, nobody needs you! Ja, Simaran, ji apni zindagi and we'll be in a better situation while choosing our rooms and decor!"

Hearing Abhi's come back, Aryaman swirled on his feet looking at Abhi leaning. He showed his tongue to him and a "tathastu" while walking backward towards his bike.

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-Mumbai: Space College-.

Cabir propped himself on the bean bag and played with the samosa in his plate. Dhruv randomly tugged on the guitar strings with his finger Aliya stared out of the window. Mum to sat lazily on the chair and swirled in half circles-right to left to right to left. Navya analyzed all their faces. The last time they all had such a sulk on their face was when their frequencies failed to match a few days before. It would be aloe to say they weren't strained. They had been through a lot and luckily, had braved through it together. They now wanted to take a break and relax like the old days but, things would just get convulsed. It reminder her so much of the great math question she detested as a child-"there is monkey trying to climb the stairs. He takes 2 steps ahead but then jumps 3 steps behind. And yada yada yada..." She found it stupid for someone to do so but, now when she had tasted the savory flavors of life, she saw more parallels rather than interjections-just more realistic. Someone had to start the train to come back on track and so, she decided to take the lead and start pulling on the easiest thread she could find in the tangled ball of complicated, coincidental situations. And luckily enough for her, Harshad wasn't far off from where they sat in the canteen. She went up to him mustering all the courage and patience and declared authoritatively yet blandly.

"Hum NH4 chorde rahe hi. Tumhe tumhara band aur Talent Hunt ki jeet ki bhadhau ho. Bohot acha khelte ho tum, Harshad."

Harshad stared at her for a few seconds not expecting her upfront. Fab 5 looked over from their random thoughts and quietly witnessed Navya's verbatim.

"Achi baat hi. Thank you for the acknowledgments,  Navya. I thought we were done bohot pehle but, well good morning to you. And a friendly advice, so baar Fab 5 ke saath gana gane se tum Fab 5 ka hissa nahi bano gi. I learnt it the hard way, I hope tumhara but yeh bubble burst ho gaya ho."

" Hum koi shok nahi hi, Harshad. Na hi yeh jaane mein ki tumne kya, kab aur kese sikha kyonki tum abhi bohot kuch sikhana hi. Aur na hi humme koi interest hi Fab 5 ka hissa bane mein. Hum jahan hi gese big hi- khush hi. Aur yeh kafi hi." She said monotonously with strength in her command and came back towards Fab 5.

Cabir opened his mouth to question her but, she cut him first and explained- " Nandini nahi hi aur hum thak chuke hi usse. There's not of much use, here. Chalo- get up, ek aur masale ko suljhate hi! Bring it on!" She pumped them in the end and pulled them by their hands and room them to the rehearsal hall.

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Hey, 

I am working on it. Thought it would be unfair to you guys to be hanging in there when I'm sorting things out. It's suppose to be a process and responsibility, I guess.

Happy Reading!

Love,

HF