It was seven in the morning. The sun rays peeped in cozily and giggled Nandini until she woke up. She stretched out of the bed and bundled her hazel strands loosely while making her way to freshen up. 

They had reached back home and snuggled into their beds by 5 AM. Ms. Gonasalvez, being the kind soul she was, had made a light snack ready for them to gouger on and the beds were ready for Fab 5 and the three super tired friends to crash on.

Nandini soon tipped down quietly all ready to go to school. It had a been a long, lovely trip though with a hits and misses but, that's life and now, she was ready to freshen up to look at those lovely innocent faces that reflected an old version of her, the long forgotten her. She reached the hallway and grabbed a soft plump slice of bread when Ms. Gonsalvez hummed from behind and wished her a lovely morning. The greeting went brief and soon, Nandini departed off to school. 

As the door shut and her jolly voice faded away, Aryaman sneaked out of  his room and casually greeted Ms. Gonsalvez. While everyone had slept off lazily, sleep was far away from Aryaman's eyes. He wanted to be up, he awaited their attention, a moment when Nandini would go.

The clock ticked away, the sun rose up and up. Slowly, Abhimanyu gathered himself together for the day when Fab 5 collected on the kitchen table for breakfast. Ms. Gonsalvez had gone to run her errands, Fab 5 catered themselves while Aryaman, he hawked over them with a deadly stare. They were conscious but chose not to speak.  

"What do you have to do with her?" his voice rumbled in the empty house. Fab 5 shivered at the suddenness and Abhimanyu peeked out of the room. 

"Speak up! I'm done with this silence!"

"Aryaman, relax. We can talk this through, rationally!" Abhimanyu barged on him and held him back as Aryaman unintentionally  walked up threateningly close to Manik. Something in him made Aryman sniff out the problems bloomed out from him. 

"No, Abhi. I'm done with them and their secrets. I am done seeing her gloomy.  They all fail to see it. They all fail to see, Abhi. Fail to see that she hurts for them and because of them!" 

Abhimanyu's hold let loose the beast. Somewhere he had the same questions, he too was tired of seeing her crying herself to sleep, he too wanted to know the reason behind the paining cltuch that night. And if she held back the truth, it didn't mean that she held him back  from digging it out too. 

"Hum. We were old friends, Aryaman." Dhruv let mystery unfold and looked at the floor as if it had their history written in stone. It was time for their full introduction,and to spell the reason why they have hung around longer than intended. Aryaman's eyes didn't tear away from Manik, he knew somewhere, it would end at him. 

"Back in Space, Mumbai" Dhruv completed. "We all bumped into her and Navya one day, mid-summer, mid-semester. We bullied them long and hard. It so happened that Navya messed more with us while Manik and Nandini's paths crossed eachother more. We were on opposite sides, it was the new- thing in our college- Fab 5 vs. Nandini and Navya. It wasn't that we hated them because they were weaklings or anything,  their honesty pricked us. They were too good and may be, we were too vulnerable to goodness. This fight and bullying was as a cliche as any other college ganging, but things got murky when Nyonika and Harshad came in. Not the villains of the story, not the destroyers but, as Nandini would describe them: the-ones-who-held-a-different-perspective-for-life." Dhruv laughed at the memory and Fab 5 too giggled slightly only to be soon pinned by Aryaman's strong gaze. They settled down and Aliya continued on the saga. 

"Nandini and Navya were the purest souls but also the most-daring to stand up against us. But, this made them vulnerable, vulnerable to the convulsed, devious mind-games of Nyonika and Harshad. These two were two easy targets through which they could target us. And that is where, we had to break through the walls that we had created against them for them. Manik  and Cabir had early on caught on to the underlying plotting of Harshad and Nyonika and the two had promised themselves to protect Nandini and Navya from their glitches. Cabir had set forth for Navya since the two talked on the same wavelength and had secretly found a friend in eachother, while Manik, he and Nandini were.."

"Are nothing!" Nandini's stern voice cracked in Aliya's warm, sorrow bathed words.

They turned towards the dark door that stood wide open with Nandini holding herself at the doorstep. Her eyes cold, crystal clear, cheeks profusely red glistening with the past,  jaw tightened and knuckles pure white like the rarest rose.

A cloud of silence settled in the room. No one moved an inch. No one said a word in defense or attack. The land was clear, barren with guilty already announced  with no victors of this fight.

Abhimanyu and Aryaman knew her anger notched and that saying nothing was the best. Without an examination even, they knew their intentions were justified but how things would shape out for the other side had no telling. They crept out of the room not as cowardly escapists, but to let the rattling rage demystify things between old friends. The rusty pages had been touched upon openly, the anger was at its apogee, their attempt was suffice, indicative they wanted her to move on. The stage was set and the curtains were drawn, it was her to call it quits either with them or forever with herself.

"No body gave you the right to step ahead from the line of decency, Fab 5!" She roared still stuck in the door step.

"We didn't start it, Nandini. Aryaman began!" Mukti tried to justify the incidence.

"Oh no! You don't turn it back on him, not in front of me. Even if he did, and I'll take your word for that who gave you the right to spit it out. There's a line, Fab 5. A line for all strangers!" 

" It's not their fault, Nandini! Aur tum kis haad ki baat kar rahi ho! The line of decency and comman sense jo tum abhi tak kai baar paar par chuki ho? The line of self acceptance jahan tum abhi tak pohanch nahi payi ho!" Navya countered back.

"Yes. The line that is between strangers, Navya. Agar mujhe unhe kuch batane hota, agar unhe kuch janana zaroori hota, toh mein baatati unhe aapni kahani!"

"And they aren't crossing any line. It was a question and they were just answering. Doing what they were asked- telling the saga, Nandini Murthy, putting their point of view out. Telling the story that you left in the middle- without a word, without an explanation. You left one fine day, without thinking about anybody, dangling everybody in there for what? Hence, kuch ghalt nahi kara hi unhone, Nandini, agar for once they spoke up for acceptance! Tumhein pata bhi nahi hua kya tha, then how can you blame them!" 

"That's exactly what I'm saying, just in different words. Jab tumhein pata hi nahi hua kya tha, jab bat humari hi- then who gives you the god damn right to weave the words on your own! Sach ya galat- who gives you the right to share stuff, that I myself have chosen not to pull along in future, and not with the ones who utterly care for me!"

"Nandini, humari intentions galat nahi thi! Please clam down. Tum bhi Navya. It was just.." Cabir tried to cease the fire that the two-best friends spit at each other. 

"Just what, Cabir! Kab samajho ge tum log! I'm tired of this. I'm tired of y'all. I'm just tired." Nandini huffed. " I'm not saying that tum log unko sab jhoot batate. You are taking it worng. It was nevrr about the lies, or the let gos. But, Fab 5 learn how to say a "no". Learn how to accept that it isn't only your place to say or do things that also involve others too. Please, for heaven's sake learn to believe before it ruins more. Just let go and let be, please." 

Nandini ended her outburst with a simple request, clutched her books that she left on the table before leaving in the morning and ran out into the gardens. Fab 5 stood stumped at her words, she had clearly shown them their mistake and everything fell in place even better. Her anger against them, her decision to estranged Manik- it all fell in place. One simple learning, one simple thought. A fact that parents imbibe in their children at a very young age, a trait that defines friends, a flaw that lovers overcome together. A simple realization that takes years to appreciate, years to understand the power of,  years to strengthen relation's depths on- trust and togetherness.  

Manik's sanity hit him on the head. Her words were crystal, her retraction was self-explanatory now. Her voice jolted him unnervingly. She was right, she was still right there, she was still his guiding star, she was still her- it was him, who changed. Him, who had become her Nyonika. He ran behind her, trying to catch her before she disappeared into the hustle-bustle of Dehradun. 

"Nandini!" he called out, halting her steps before the gate. 

"Not right now, please." she uttered without turning back. 

"Don't do this! Please, it's been long," he gasped lowly and closed the distance between them, pressing his forehead against her petite frame, his fingers loosely holding on to her soft milky skin. 

"It was between us then keep it right there" she stepped back from his enchanting enamor. 

"Please, Nandu!", he breathed. Nandini closed her eyes and a tear puddled on her eyelashes. A heart-filling presence engulfed her and his soft touch caressed her eyes, his light lips pressed against her temple. 

"I loved you, Manik!" she let her walls fall down and withered. 

The past tense pinched him, even though his heart bloomed at his name in her voice. Melody. 

"But you broke up!", he said disheartened. 

"I wish you read past the headline" she purred.

"And I wish you had just held to the last letter", he muttered forlorn.  

"When the first one was jagged?", Nandini scoffed smugly. "Don't justify you love to me, Manik. Not at least when you know it's wrong in all sorts."

Her words jumbled him again- she was crystal yet tinted, she was clam yet surreal. 

"There is a saying, some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue- Manik, I have been the later ever since." she muttered and took slow steps out. 

The one who breaks your heart, cannot be the same one who pieces it back together, she canoed herself and head out into the amusements of the city.

--------

The broken hearts were shattered alone, but, they were unsettled alone. Aryaman was fearful of the shatter's aftermath. Fearful that this well-built, chiseled jawed, brown eyed man had a stone heart, that he was the prince who had turned this princess into gold- shiny yet, brittle. The tactiturn, convoluted words, her tears that flowed down her cheeks- it pinched him, made him question himself. Was he right to brush the dust off the tear-stain pages of words that held many muffled, locked-up pains? 

Manik returned back into the living-room with teary eyes. He was a defeated lover- who lost his own game against himself. Fab 5 looked up to his reddened face as his steps dragged against the wooden floor. 

Ripped and injured. 

Aryaman set foot behind Manik and turned him with a jostle. 

"I don't know." he browbeat, "I don't know what murky past you hold with her. What, why and how you messed with her or continuing to run on those same lines now, I don't know and I don't care! But, let me tell you this very upfront buddy, you are messing here with my people- not one, but two. And sorry to burst your royal bubble- but, this is my kingdom and no one messes with people I love and care."

"Threat?" a defeated Manik sniggered. 

"Indeed! To each is its own. Abhi might slack off or not bug in between your heated conversations, but let me tell you, darling- I'm not him for you and he's not you for her." Aryaman jarred.

"It was the past, Aryaman! And we see it, we are here to fix things!" Dhruv rationalized in a calm voice. 

"And you, ought to know that out of all people, he can not fix her!" Aryaman bursted in reply. His voice brought Abhimanyu out of his room. He stood there wide-eyed but didn't say a word. He had seen this Aryaman before- the Aryaman who would stand up, who would save but also, promise to hurt if need be. He was the untamable wreck who once peaked would only domino itself till extinguished.  

"Look Aryaman. We know we were wrong, but we can work towards a better right!" Dhruv again commenced with determination. 

"It reckon that only you regret it, boy. But, still stay away, we have managed it well and I reckon we will further. Y'll need to fix yourselves first! She's right, understand it well!" his voice deepened in guttural. 

"I'll.." Manik tried to squeak in. But in front of a furious friend no monster could enthrall.  

"Huh, bakri! My boy, Fab 5 kal kahega ki kud ja, kude ga?" Aryaman amused. 

"Tab shayad, par ab- may be not!" Manik knew where the one beguile question had steered the talk- a directionless, shapeless cloud of thoughts he, himself, hadn't pondered on.

His answer didn't push Fab 5 into anguish, this is where she had pointed countless times, they knew, only if they had caught it early on. Navya was still incoherent with the entrainment of thoughts and words, but some would learn slow and steady when the fog would settle. 

--------

The night descended very quietly. The house was grim. No one knew what to speak and how to explain. Abhimanyu and Aryaman supported Nandini. They visited her school during lunch break, mingled with her jolly students and later on, talked to her to diffuse her through. They didn't want things to get murkier and she going down through the spiral all over- would be dire. They weren't sure like other times if they would be able to get her out this time. They were fretful of this drift and she was soulfully adrift.

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

Hey, 

A number of catches out there! Fish them out!

Who let the dogs out? Who let the dogs out? 

Love, 

HF

(P.S. the last line was so random! But, still who let the dogs out!

Oh someone save me, online school is so cumbersome! I so want to finish this story, in all good sense, but can't make myself free by the end of the day.. I'll try, I promise)