"So, what do you say?" Saira smirked as she grabbed him by the shirt.

"I can't believe this." Arnav said as he grabbed his hands and pulled them off his shirt slowly as he stepped backwards.

"Suman was so right about you, I was the blind one... I thought you were just alone and you needed a friend, I was just being friendly with you Saira, I never gave you any such hints, why would you even think of something like this?"

"Because I like you, okay? I have since the day I saw you, I've been trying so hard to get you to notice me Arnav but you just seem so stuck on that girlfriend of yours. Look at me Arnav, what do I lack? Why can't I be the one that you love?" she pouted and looked at him with a baby face.

"You knew since day one that I had a girlfriend Saira!"

"Yes, but I also knew I was way better than her, I'm prettier than her, richer than her, I have everything she has, even more. I thought you were starting to like me also? We've been spending so much time together, and I was hoping you will forget about her and break up with her or something after we got to know each other."

Arnav just stared at her in shock, maybe he should have listened to Suman, she had warned him continuously, but he never saw the red flags, he never listened to her and now look where that had brought him.

"I am sorry Saira, I really don't know what I did or even said that gave you the idea that I would ever leave Khushi. I was just being a friend to you, that was it, I never had any other intentions with you.

You might be what you said, richer than her, prettier than her or whatever you think of yourself, but to me, she's always going to be the most beautiful girl ever. Look, I apologize if I ever gave you any sort of wrong hints Saira, but I love Khushi, I have only loved her, I don't care if you are prettier than or you are better than her, I really don't okay?

You have no idea what that has gone through for me, the battles she has fought to keep me in her life and just because you're here now claiming to like me doesn't mean I would forget that. This, doesn't change a thing, it doesn't change the fact that I love her okay? I should get going." Arnav shrugged as he turned around to walk away but Saira ran towards him and hugged him from the back.

"Stop doing this." Arnav said as he pushed her away.

"I know you're just lying to yourself Arnav, I know deep down you want me but you think you owe Khushi something because of the things you're saying she's done for you. I mean why else would you come along with me to my bedroom, obviously you were expecting something to happen between us right?"

"Saira! Are you listening to yourself? You are the one that told me I could wait here, I thought it was just a normal thing, I've never had a friend that's a girl so I dint know things like this mean something, to me you were just like my friends that I had back in my old town, you were just a friend like Ronit and Krrish. You have been in my room too, many times and never have I ever even tried to touch you. I was just too tired today, I dint think properly, I should have and when you asked me to come to your room, I should have refused but I didn't and maybe I gave you a wrong impression, but here I am, telling you I don't want anything like that so take the hint and let this go."

"Arnav please, don't break my heart like this... okay I get it you love Khushi and whatever and you can't leave her, fine I wont force you to leave her, but we can make a deal right? You can be with the both of us, I won't tell her anything I swear. Just be with me please." Saira fell down on her knees literally begging him.

As soon as she did that, Arnav rushed out of the room, she was doing these stupid things and just trying to make him angry while he was trying not to be rude to her because he felt like it was his fault, he should have listened to Suman and stayed away from Saira, only if he knew that she had all these crazy thoughts going on in her mind.

*****

Arnav kept on pacing around his room, still trying to call Khushi, trying to text her but she wasn't replying, he had no idea why she was avoiding him all over a sudden.

He just wanted to talk to her, to tell her about what had happened tonight so it wouldn't create a misunderstanding in the future, but she was just avoiding him and he didn't even know why.

"Khushi, please talk to me, please." He said as he typed another text and sent it.

By now he had called her over ten times, left so many messages but to no reply, he was just feeling so uncomfortable about this situation he had put himself into and he just wanted to talk to her about it.

He didn't want to do anything that would take her away from him, he loved her so much and he just wanted to tell her that he was going to love her, always.

"Jeez Arnav, if you don't want to sleep, let others sleep." Shaina said as she walked into his room.

"I am sorry, did I wake you up?" Arnav asked.

"You are walking around your room continuously, with those shoes of your making that annoying noise." She groaned angrily.

"I am so sorry, I will take them off." He apologized as he sat down on the bed, took off his shoes and started pacing around once again.

"Is everything okay? Are you okay?" Shaina asked.

"I am trying to call Khushi but she isn't picking up, I texted her a million times but no replies, I'm starting to get worried."

"Oh God! Look at the time Arnav, it's eleven thirty, it must be around 4 o'clock or something there, I am sure she's just asleep."

"I know, but she's been ignoring me for a couple days now, I don't know what I did wrong Shaina, I am scared." Arnav said as he literally trembled out of fear, Shaina walked towards him, grabbed him by the shoulders and made him sit down.

"Look, she must be busy or something, don't be so worried. Get to sleep, and try to call her tomorrow morning, or I'm sure she would have replied to your text by the time she wakes up. Everything is going to be okay, you just need to relax."

"I can't Shaina, I hate that she is so far away from me that I can't even talk to her face to face. I just want her to come back, I want her to be here so I know I won't ever lose her."

"I am sure she doesn't want to lose you either. Long distance is tough but it doesn't mean you'll break up or something."

"I just want to talk to her, listen to her voice and make sure we are fine. That's all I want." Arnav said sadly.

"Then talk to her in the morning, she must be asleep right now and you need to sleep too Arnav, just relax okay, take a rest, then call her in the morning, if she still doesn't reply or you don't hear from her, we'll to see her brothers and see what's wrong okay?"

"This doesn't feel right Shaina."

"It does, now go to sleep or I'll tell mom." She blackmailed.

"Fine." Arnav rolled his eyes as he lied down on the bed and covered himself with a blanket, Shaina walked away once he pretended to sleep. After she was gone, he got up, changed into his pajamas and kept on staring at his phone hoping for a reply.

He lied down and every few seconds he would look at his screen hoping for something but he ended up disappointed.

*****

After her usual morning routing, Khushi headed out of her room, to the hall to have breakfast with Rudra who was already waiting for her at the table.

She joined him as they both ate together in silence and once they were done with breakfast they headed out to the car so Rudra could drop her to college.

She stepped out of the car and started walking towards the direction of her classroom as she was already a bit late when Rudra called her.

"Khushi, your phone." He shouted from the car, so she walked back to get it.

"Is it done?" she asked.

"Yeah I got it back yesterday, I forgot it in the car and forgot to give it to you, but it's all good now I think. If it gets spoilt again, just buy a new one." Rudra said.

"I hate changing phones, the whole process of shifting data is not my thing." She frowned as she waved goodbye to him and headed to her class while she check the notifications, she had so many missed calls and texts from Arnav, she opened a few and they were just random texts of him asking her to reply so she just decided to call him. Her phone had stopped working suddenly out of nowhere so she had sent it for repair, she dint know it would take long otherwise she would have informed him.

"Hey." He said as he picked up the phone.

"I saw your missed calls and texts, is everything okay?" She asked as she walked to her desk and sat down.

"I just wanted to talk to you, you haven't been returning my calls, I was worried."

"I am sorry, my phone got spoilt, I had sent it for repair, I didn't know you would get this worried. I am okay Arnav, don't worry. I should have called you with Rudra's phone and informed you at least."

"It's okay, I just needed to hear your voice. Are you free? Can we talk?"

"I am in class right now, the lecturer might walk in anytime, can we talk later? I'll text you once my classes are over."

"Please do, I really need to talk to you."

"Okay, I will I promise. Now go take a shower and head to college, I'm sure you were asleep." She giggled.

"Okay, don't forget to call me or text me."

"I won't." She smiled as she disconnected the call wondering what it was that he wanted to talk to her about so urgently.

She just hoped everything was okay.