Manik stood there observing the duo's childish purity when Mukti and Cabir's faint voice started to adulterate the laughter. A sudden jerk propelled him forward into the woods and a sudden pull seemed to catch him  yet unbalance him further. 

"Bhai! Itna utavala kha kud raha hi! We'll get you back with Nandini after we find her, we promise! Ruk ja suicide se pehle!" Cabir laughed off and Manik cringed at his analogies. He should have felt blessed to have him and the thought of getting back should have swelled his heart but nothing of that sort happened. Was he also over her? 

"Dhundana nahi pardega, Cabs! Look there she is with..." He voice trailed as she saw Nandini playfully laughing with Abhimanyu. Though she didn't feel any particular prick, not as much as Manik, a bit of heart hurt inside. A bit of her felt betrayed. But he wasn't him, she answered herself back in mind-- what bullshit! She shook her head slightly dismissing her insane, wild connections and focused on Manik. Right now, he mattered the most! 

It wasn't long when Aryaman came running from behind and caught hold of Nandini's glimpse. Understanding that Manik, Cabir and Mukti had traced them down, he childishly raced down through the trees high-fying them on his way as a recognition and pounced on Abhimanyu's back. Fab 5 had gathered far behind near the trees, diffident to intervene in this new-bond. 

"Aiyoo! Aryaman, how much do you weigh! Nandu, iske pancakes kam kar yaar!" Abhimanyu complained as he and Aryaman rolled in the snow after Aryaman's tackle. 

"No way! This is for you being so ignorant to me!"

"Oh toh tujhe attention na mile to tera weight-gain hota hi!"

"Yup, I'm special!" Aryaman said proudly and got up while rolling a snow ball in his hands. 

"Sure, bilkul ek piece- namuna!" Nandini teased and winked at Abhimanyu helping him up. 

Slightly offended by her remark, Aryaman playfully threw a bulky snowball towards covering her face with snow. Taken a back by the sudden attack, Nandini froze on her place with snow smothered on her. Abhimanyu laughed at her bewilderment, 

"You earned it, kid!" he caressed her face with his warm gloved hands and gently wiped the snow off her. 

"Earned it?", Nandini pouted and narrowed her eyes on him. Abhimanyu's eyes gleamed with tease and he gave her pressed cheesy smile. His playful response with Aryaman's tease woke the childish Nandini and she slightly bent down to grab some snow and dumped it on Abhi's face. The fight was officially on and the trio's carefree-ness took them into a race of snow ball fights, all observed by an aloof Fab 5 who stood confused at their tight bond. Their childishness was a reflection, a mirror to their gaps and their emptiness. Their friendship was a function of darkness, but the one that stood in front of them was a function of joy and purity. Fab 5 was built on the roots of bullying and weakness that gathered together to create a home, but the friendship in front of them, it seemed to have sprouted from much more love and innocence. This friendship pinched Manik since the time he came here. He wanted to accept it as it was and rationally, he should have accepted it on any given day but, a part of him always dismissed it, very irrationally and illogically. 

----------

 It was night when all of them had checked into the hotel. It wasn't fancy, it wasn't even run-down. Just the right taste, just the style that made Nandini comfortable. She was happy in her bubble- a bubble she had created with Abhimanyu during their ride here. Her pondering had done it's job and his presence had made her habituated to him. Abhimanyu always said that it was always we who chose the people who matter, even though all of them had mass and volume. She had chosen her bubble and it only contained significant three people- Abhi, Aryaman and her and as they always said, it should always her, who should be of upmost priority. 

Abhimanyu and Aryaman were happy to see her content and though she didn't shout it out or laughed about it all tipsy but, her almost being herself and not getting lost to nightmares and daydreams was a big confirmation. Though Manik didn't realize any of this due to his convulsions, he had observed her intently while still figuring his views and balancing them with her words. They both contradicted and as much as he tried to clear the air between them, she seemed to be too clear and busy in herself to care for him. It irked him and as his ego would have it, she was a story gone. 

Fab 5 were coping along reasonably well. They understood Nandini's indifference to them, after all they had done blunder but, before they stood up for Manik, which they wanted to do as soon as possible, they wanted the love-birds to try it out themselves. And so, they stood their observing the depths of these disturbed waters and sometime threw a pebble to strike a resolving conversation. Their attempts till now deemed to be ineffective, but they weren't letting this go so easily and thus, they decided to solve this the Fab 5. 

"Is it all my fault?" Dhruv muttered observing Nandini's happiness.

Aliya turned towards him and cupped his face delicately, "not only yours, Dhruv! You were just the little crackle before the firework. Where we stand today, is due to our mistakes. We are as much responsible for not being with her as you!"

"Sorry to interrupt you Aliya and may be tum thik ho, tum logo ki galti thi, but use bhi samjhna chaiye! She shouldn't just cut off from everyone and ignore the troubles Manik has suffered!"

"Navya, may be from an outsider you are correct but, sorry to burst you bubble as her friend, you should consider her doubts too. Why are you turning to a blind eye that as much as Manik has suffered, very truthfully because of us and his own decisions, Nandini has suffered too!" Aliya argued back.

Reasoning layered on reasoning, Fab 5 and Navya  took stances on how they went wrong, but, it all went unheard by Manik. He listened to talks but his eyes remained glued on Nandini's carefree laughter, a laugh he had never seen, a childishness that he missed and the playfulness that somewhere irked him as it wasn't his. 

------

"I am so full!" Aryaman yawned and lazily stretched while plopping himself on the sofa in the living room. 

"True that! It was so delicious dude!" Cabir joined in the team of foodies as he rolled his eyes in delight after the dinner.

"You ought to be, pura diner khali kara hi tum dono ne buffet ke naam par!" Navya commented at the two sloths. 

The rest of Fab 5, Abhimanyu and Nandini sat around in a circle randomly- willing or not, comfortable or not, for the sake of being there all of them had gathered. 

"Abhi, I'm tired. I'll go." Nandini murmured to him and was about to get up when Aliya brightly chirped in. 

"Are ruko na! If you don't mind, please hang on for a few minutes, kuch kehlte hi and then go nah!" She couldn't Nandini escape the Fab 5 plan. 

Seeing Nandini about to resist the idea, Aliya quickly yet honestly for good, added in her puppy eyes and squeaked a please. Seeing her to be to adamant and not to make a fuss of things, Nandini decided to get things done with with her guests and  sat down back besides Abhimanyu. Aliya's eyes glowed at her and she quickly gleed back, 

"Great! So let's play something!"

"Um.. it's been long. How about truth and dare?" Dhruv suggested with eagerness, crossing his fingers everyone agreed. He knew he had at least three votes on his sides but the remaining, who were either unaware of their plan or were direct victims of it, were dicey. He glanced around for a minute and didn't seem to have a counter reactions from anyone. His hopes grew and he secretively questioned Cabir who took the game in his court. 

"Then it's decided Truth or dare! Bottle ghumao!" he cheered and murmured under his breath "Fab 5 style!"

The bottle was brought in by an over-enthusiastic Aryaman. What had gotten into him that he gelled so well with Fab 5, neither Abhimanyu and Nandini knew, but he surely seemed to enjoy this. Only, if he knew- Nandini thought to herself. If he knew what he was getting into and most importantly what she was getting herself into again. She wasn't stupid enough to not have caught it all. This plan. This game- she saw it coming the moment she saw Aliya stopping her. Out of all people, Aliya stopping her was the biggest fluke Fab 5 did. Was it a dead giveaway to her intentionally or a test of she had become more vigilant or cautious, she didn't knew. But, she knew where these Fab 5 games led. But, they had played it well- straight on, giving her no escape without an out-burst that had to be undercover due to Abhimanyu and Aryaman's presence. 

The bottle was spun and questions stared to pour in. As expected by Nandini, the questions started light-hearted and fun, what a pitch catch to get everyone in the groove!

"Aryaman's gonna prank call his ex!" Fun question 1, check. 

Did you ever forge signatures- next question. Nandini was playing a separate betting game with herself. 

"Dhruv, have you forged your parent's signature?"

Done! Next- do something absurd, 'cause Fab 5 can't live without dares. 

"Hm.. Mukti you're gonna smell Cabir's shoes!" 

Cribbing and crying, absurdness done! Next- eating something absurd!

"Aliya princess, in return for your ugly dare, you have eat 5 chilis and then say katcha papard, pakka parpad!"

A bit crying and loads of aftermath water and ice-cream drinks, game continues, next question? Uh! Easy, Nandini thought to herself- someones kisses someone weird!

"Oh Abhimanyu! You're gonna kiss anyone whose name starts with the letter that I stop at while saying alphabets in my head! And, to be fair, you're gonna stop me!"

Pathetically, ridiculous and interestingly, Abhimanyu pecked Mutki's cheek which left her blushing profusely. Till now, though not in a real game that was going on, Nandini had been winning her self-played betting game with flying colors. And as her experience in Fab 5 games would have it, she guessed the next question- a deep, dark secret between two lov.. Her eyes widened at the realization and her breath hitched when the bottle's cap landed her and the other side pointed him. 

Disaster. 

"Truth or Dare", his voice grumbled deeply. For Manik, the sheep was caught in the lion's den but for her, she stood on slippery grounds with the valley in front of her. The valley- you've got this Nandini, she breathed herself to settle her racing breaths. It was the valley, just the valley- the valley whose vastness she had befriended. It's vastness knew her and she knew it- there was nothing to gain or loose, well she had nothing so it shouldn't be a problem. 

"Truth or Dare", his voice grumbled again a little more emphasize this time. She looked up to him with glassy eyes only to be reflected back with coldness. There's no chance, he's far. 

"Truth"

"Very well! One question, should be crisp enough!" he said in a stealthy voice. "Why?"

The word froze her. Why? she thought.  Why? Why? Why? Why not? Why not, Manik Malhotra! His assumptions, his choices, his decisions were never questioned, then why hers? Why not, if he could always break it then why not her? Why not, Manik Malhotra? Why could he let go of her easily and she couldn't? Why not? Why was the why  always her part to answer? Why did she had to explain? Why couldn't she make her decisions? The voices inside her rose, her hands palpated, her cheeks felt warmer and her breaths shallowed. She bore deep into his eyes failing to get an answer for any of her questions- he's far. 

Of all, her voice broke out shivering and raw,

"Why not?"

The words had croaked but her insides collapsed within. The rush  took over her and the room felt tighter than ever. It's walls seemed to fall upon her. The clock seemed to echo louder than ever as if marking the train she never caught. The car's screeched outside louder. His glassy eyes felt distant. He felt cold and red. His eyes were threatening. He wasn't hers. He was gone. He was gone. He was gone and dead. He was gone that day. The horns honked , the air tightened. A cold hand touched her somewhere. A soft voice called her out, but it was too far to decipher. It was all so gone. Very much gone. The car. The thunder. The silence. His glassy eyes. The shatter. He was gone. 

-------------------------

Hey, 

Okay fine!

Not the better ones and may be what y'll didn't want! But, uh.. I don't know why but unknowingly I'm in full swing to ruin this book that make it worthy enough! Eh, it's 2000 words of crap! Why are y'll still here? 

Happy Reading! 

Love, 

HF