It was past midnight when Nandini climbed back into her room. Her walk to the gardens was what she needed - a moment to clear her head, a moment to internalize that they were here. She didn't knew how this blast from the past would work out, but, she hoped that after this tornado, things would remain as they were- unkindled. Her little home up here was fine, far away from the the city that held brackishness for her, far away from the city that held sweet homely memories. 

She had just wiped off her face and brushed herself ready to sleep when a light, hesitant knock on the door resonated in her silent room. She glanced at the clock and looked back at the closed door. Another knock followed her stare. It was feminine and absurd. On her chart, there was no female in proximity that she had to deal with and least had she expected that one of the present guests would appear at night. A short, abrupt knock came again. She sighed and got up from her bed to open the door. 

A warm smile  with droopy concerned eyes welcomed her and a urgent hands pulled her into a hug. The scent, the touch of a dupatta- "Navya!" Nandini whispered in amazement. She was least expected, and long lost in touch. 

"Kesi ho? Kahan thi? Esa koi karta hi kya!" Navya shot a dramatic array of her eager questions that Nandini wanted to avoid as she herself didn't have any answer to them. 

"Tum yahan kese?" instead she questioned back. Happy to meet her friend, Navya welcomed herself into the room looking around and said in amazement, "Hum bardiya hi! Kamra toh tumhara bohot acha hi! Par tum, voh sab chodro aur apni sunao?"

"Kuch nahi hi sunane ko, Navya!" Nandini sighed dishearteningly.

"Jhoot. Bohot kuch hi, tumhare pass! Us din ki khabar se lekar aaj tak ka safar! Now spit it out!"

"Kuch khas nahi hua. You might have known us din hua kya tha and very conveniently as people put it, I came here. That's the story." she cut short the missing pieces of agony and heartache. She wanted to spend some neutral time with her friend who after so long had thought to reach out of her. She had her set of disagreements and complaints with Navya, but they were also kind of baseless- so she didn't dwell in those. 

"Acha, that's kind of long and boring!" Navya flapped her hands and sulked childishly. "Koi baat nahi, tumhare paas kahani nahi, par hamare paas hi! Hum Talent Hunt jeet gaye, phir humne us mote, idiot Harshad ko bhi sabak sikha diya! And then, Abir bhi aya aur chala gaya and.." 

"Abir?" Nandini questioned to cut Navya's string of incidences. 

"Are! Haan, Abir, humara beta! You know, tumhare jaane ke kuch dino baad woh hua tha and Fab 5, oh god, woh saare rakshas se insaan ban gaye. Tumhare jaane ke baad bohot kuch badal gaya tha and I don't mean it, but from an outsider fayada bhi tha- Fab5 changed for the good!" Her sentence made Nandini scoff at herself while Navya continued, "They loved Abir and so did I, but I felt it would have been better if he had parents. Family toh humare saath bhi hoti, Fab 5 bohot khayal rakhte but then, mom and dad? So, ek family le gai use. It wasn't the best feeling, but then, I had to go on. Acha, phir suno na, ek group aya- Stardust!" Navya's excitement was out of the charts. Though it seemed so difficult to be in all those situations that she went through, but narrating it seemed easier and joyful, especially when it all ended fine.

"Stardust?" Nandnini raised her eyebrows in quizzically. 

"Are haan, Stardust- woh worldwide famous wala and they signed an album with Fab 5 aur haan, Manik's dad is the...." Navya went on and on shuffling the information and hoping from incident to incident. Indeed, she had a lot to say. Her small trip from Mumbai to Patna while Fab 5 went to Mangalore and then, from Patna to Dehradun. Her talks filled in Nandini with all the pieces on her side and by the end of it she felt she had roamed with Navya all along. But, one thing that pricked her was her mentions and accolades for Fab 5. They seemed to have changed for the better, however, that fact didn't change her stance of going back a bit. 

In her self-talk, Nandini didn't realize when Navya had changed the topic to her relation with Manik. 

" He regrets it, Nandu!"she heard her say. The words rang in her head. Regret, her foot. If he did, he wouldn't have said that. In fact, if he understood her, he wouldn't have come at all. 

" Don't call me that!" she spite in bitterness. "You have lost the right!" When did her wrath for Manik disguise into anger for Navya, she didn't knew. But, loneliness and emotions are devils for any sane mind and as they would have it from her, Nandini's disappointment with Navya on failing to be there with her in her bad times and singing Fab 5's happy song took a toll on her sanity.  She didn't hate Fab 5, nor did she hate Navya. At the moment, their sudden appearance and bust of information were the wreckage, even after, they knew they shouldn't be on the outlook for her.

"Par.." Navya looked at Nandini bewildered at her sudden change in tone. Was Manik a bad topic to touch? Did she say something wrong but she said what she saw. 

"It's night! So jao ja kar, I have stuff to do tomorrow!" Nandini brushed past her, shuffling the books on the table she had walked towards to hide herself. It was enough of emotional drama and debates for today, her head felt heavy now. 

The clock ticked away and the hands stopped at 2. It was late. True. She didn't want to talk. True. Navya understood and didn't bug. She made her way out of the room leaving Nandini behind to rest. Standing at the doorstep, she looked for a glance of her. She had changed. 

---------

While the day was called-off in one room, Abhimanyu and Mukti stood silently in front of one another. Their un-conveyed feelings stood face to face. Both were surprised to see each other again, so randomly. The two hearts had felt a connect for each other, but, the tangled emotions hadn't let go their inhibitions. The trip from past faults to present liberation was long. Though, they both had accomplished to overcome it on the friendship aspect, the true matters of the heart remain unsolved. 

The rooms was dim and the blank walls stared at each other with the same intensity with which Mukti and Abhi dwelled in. The only difference was the hurt, dis-appointment and silent heart-break they felt. The warmth with tingling sensations of pain, pricked both the sides.

"So, you and her?" Mukti braved to pull the elephant out of the room and bring it to the center. 

"She's nice. But, we aren't what you are thinking." Abhimanyu replied in all honesty. His hopes were high. After a long time, his heart fluttered at her. It was cute yet heart-breaking to see Mukti being jealous, he thought. They were close but somewhere, in their brief meetings, she also affected him and in this case, his male ego won't kick in to ruin it all. He had seen an innocent soul silently bleeding in the fight of a deserted relation and blinding friendship. The naivety made him fall. The brevity made him fall. The rawness made him fall. The flaws made him fall. But, the indefinite and undying love that would be reciprocated, for once, would be make him rise. 

Mukti wasn't a stranger to damp, searching eyes. She wasn't new to this game of bleeding, abandoned hearts. She was the queen of this priceless, deserted kingdom. It didn't take long for her to see the seek. 

"Someone said that strangers would be more helpful than a strange painkiller."

"Smart person, indeed!" Abhimanyu appreciated with a smirk. 

"Indeed", Mukti smiled back at him and her eyes twinkled with naughtiness, innocence and love. 

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Hey, 

For those still reading and wondering, this story ain't gonna end by the 50th Chapter. I am gonna butcher you and make you regret you read the story and hooked up to it, almost 10 more times!

Happy Reading! 

Love, 
HF