"Well played Manik, my boy!" Harshad stopped Manik before he went back into Nyonika's office.

"Thanks! But, it's not only her, you know, har kutte ka din aata!" Manik said sarcastically, of course, meaning the opposite of the original phrase meant. "Bye bro!"

He had just made it to Nyonika's office door when his phone beeped, "SOS: Come to the Jam Room, RIGHT NOW!"

He didn't think twice and turned his feet towards the Jam Room on the fifth floor.

"Manik promised me!" Dhruv said with a bit of aggression in his voice.

"You have lost it Dhruv! How could you do that! What has happened to you?" Aliya shouted back on him. Her talk with Mukti yesterday had brought her back to her senses but, may be Dhruv hadn't realized.

"Aliya, This is for your betterment and for all us. You can get back to him and everything would be back to normal. That's what you wanted and what we all need." Dhruv explained

"But, I don't need that! I don't need him back. I am fine without him and over with him. He was right yesterday, our relation was frivolous, not emotional. And who are you to decide for me, Dhruv? Who are you, tum hote kon ho, haan? Kya lagte ho mere ki itna haq jata rahe ho? Say it na Dhruv, say it! " Aliya pushed him towards the wall.

Everything made sense to Manik, Cabir, Mukti and Navya till now, but they lost Aliya's train of thoughts at the end of the last two sentences. But, no one dared to question- A fuming Aliya was never to be questioned if she was in her senses.

Dhruv lowered his gaze hunting for answers in his reflection on the Jam room's floor tiles. He couldn't frame an answer to Aliya- they were close friends, he cared for her but was that enough to make decisions for her? He didn't know but still muttered, "Friends! Fab.."

"Don't ... You aren't the friend I fell for Dhruv. You aren't the Dhruv I kissed.. ", Aliya said low enough that only Dhruv could hear. But, voices aren't always necessary to know that the coffee is brewing. The others had already seen where the knots in the thread of this relationship were and knew they were in deep shit- Dhruv and Aliya had already fallen for each other and not realizing this was making matters worse.

Aliya got conscious of their position and released her hold on Dhruv. "Dhruv, you have changed, you aren't seeing the problem was never her. The problem is you! Look into yourself."

"Aliya, listen to me, you are blinded. We were on the same page, right, then what happened?" Dhruv questioned back hopelessly.

"You know what! I am done- done with you, done with Manik, done with this constant fight, done with Harshad's evilness against us, done with everything. Do you hear it, Dhruv. I am done- and I am done with music!" Aliya shouted on top of her voice and her eyes brimmed up. It wasn't just yesterday's matter that was pent up in her so much. She was tired and fed up of this glamorous world. She had to stand up against her only family- Harshad, fight with Manik's break-up, deal with her insecurities regarding Nandini all alone, started to like Dhruv but kept it to herself, deal with Mukti's depression and help her to move on from what Harshad, her own brother, did and then, manage to put up an "i-don't-care" face with a glamorous persona all day. She felt more frivolous than a real girl. She wanted to give up being brave. Fab 5 was there with her always, but they never were there for her. Consumed by all this, she ran away and ignored Mukti's shouts from behind.

"Dhruv, you better think through stuff before you do things, for heaven's sake! God, grow-up and deal with it like a man, dude. Think through it, before its too late for everybody!" Cabir spoke frustratingly. He had had enough of this boy- he had to sort himself before it ruined Fab 5 more.

"Buddy, we talked through this yesterday. Then, what's the matter? I am just trying to get back to normal." Dhruv put it out. He was still innocent, Manik understood. Confused with what Nyonika had done, Dhruv couldn't decipher what was right and wrong.

"I'll talk to her buddy! This is going to take time", Manik assured him. But, his assurance caught Cabir, Mukti and Navya off-guard. They couldn't believe Manik could agree to Dhruv's childishness.

"What are you saying Manik? What are you up to?" Mukti hesitantly asked. She couldn't understand Manik's wavelength, he was very direct especially with Dhruv.

"Nothing much, Mukti. Just trust me everything is going to fall in place."Manik said.

"No, nothing will fall place in place just by you saying it loud and clear. That's not how Fab 5 works. Secrets, break us, Manik! This is going to be a disaster. You can do without us and Fab 5 but, we all- me! Manik, I can't live without Fab 5- it's my family you two are playing with, God damit!" Mukti lashed out and walked away without hearing another word.

"Think what you are playing with Manik. I know you are trying hard. I won't make life worse for you. But, remember, it's Fab 5, not Band of...." Cabir was about to complete when Manik cut him through angrily, "I know it! I know it! Just get out, okay. Out, I said, everybody." Seeing him so angry, the three made their way out but the show wasn't over yet.

"Manik!" Nyonika's shrill voice hit his ears.

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Going tough, are we? The next update awaits you!

Happy Reading!

Love,

HF