For those of you wondering for how long you will have to undergo this torture,Presenting before you,the last chapter!

'Distance makes the heart grow fonder'

Haven't we all heard this at least once in our lives?

Rishab has heard this quite a few times too, but not until today, had he spent some time to ponder over the truth behind the statement.

The holidays were coming to an end the following week and for now,Rishab was still at home, with his parents. It had been a week since his friends had gone back to Mumbai. He had started missing their daily interactions, more so, his routine of meeting his best friend Naina,every single day during college and spending the whole day with her.

Phone calls did help to some extent but somehow, the calls seemed shorter and the way she spoke conveyed something else, something that he could not quite point out right away and say,"Aha! This is it! Now I know why you sound different." He decided to ask her about it the next time they met face to face. He missed seeing her in person.He took his phone from his bed and started glancing through the 'Gallery' folder to relive old memories.

Rishab's parents had not stopped talking about his friends and how well-mannered they were. They were very happy that their Rishab who had always preferred to keep to himself,was now willing to initiate conversations and be more open with his views.They loved that change.It made their son look his age and not like someone who wanted to carry the world's burden upon his shoulders. He seemed happier and relaxed. And they knew,that the reason behind Rishab 2.0, was none other than Naina. His mother, like most mothers,had even started wishing for a future together for Rishab and Naina.

According to her,they were two people who understood each other completely and even looked very good together. She also had a feeling that they liked each other but had not realised that yet.Somewhere deep down,she knew that a mother's intuition can never go wrong. She ignored her mindvoice which told her,that this was a result of watching a lot of TV shows.

Rishab's mother,walked into the hall ,to locate her son and saw Rishab smiling at his phone's display. At that moment,she could only hope that it was some evidence to support her thought process from moments ago.She slowly tiptoed behind him and couldn't contain her smile when she saw that he was looking at a picture of Naina and Rishab,probably taken after some event in college,as they looked all dressed up.And,the picture looked very good.

She cleared her throat to let him know that she was there.

"You like her,don't you?"she asked. She could clearly see his eyes twinkling while seeing that picture and she doubted if that was only because she was his best friend. Oh her dumb son, probably the smartest in quests related to his mind ..but when it came to his heart..well she had no comments to offer there.

Rishab quickly locked his phone and looked at her.

"Uh? What ?"

"That was a very nice picture actually. And I asked if you like her..No..strike that. I am telling you,that I can see that you like her"

Rishab was dumb founded. What was his mother telling him? He liked Naina? And also,when did she even come there? Was he so lost in the memories from their culturals and the timing of this picture that he hadn't noticed her coming?

"Ofcourse I like her ma.She is my best friend. Someone who is the reason behind my learning to adjust in that big city and the people there,"he started but was interrupted by his mother with a "You know I am not talking about the 'friendly like' here."

"Ma. How did you arrive at this theory about my liking Naina,please elaborate?"Rishab asked,after looking at her for a good two minutes. What did he do to make her think so?

"I noticed the way your eyes searched for her when she was not around and that look of relief on your face the moment you spotted her. I noticed how easily you both could communicate with each other,even while sitting in the opposite ends of the dining table during dinner,the first day they were here. It seemed like your minds were in sync and you were attuned to each other's response. I also saw how you could not take your gaze off her,when you saw her in the saree. I don't think I am wrong,"she stated and patted his shoulders before leaving,as she heard the whistle from the milk boiler in the kitchen.

Rishab didn't know how to react. The first response his mouth could come up with was a "WHAT?" but that was more a question to himself,as his mother was no longer sitting beside him.

The rest of the day was spent,with his replaying his mother's response and wondering how even he had no idea that he did all that.He had to agree with his mother about the last part though . She did look really beautiful in that saree and he couldn't take his eyes off her. But did all this really mean that he liked Naina?

If the heroine has sleepless nights thinking about the "Am I in love with my best friend?" question,it is only fair that the hero undergoes the same, don't you think? So that's exactly what happened the next few days,till it was time to get back to college.

As always,Rishab was sitting in their usual bench at the back,while Naina came late.This will be the first time that she will be meeting him after her realisation and she was nervous and excited at the same time.There he was,in all his glory,in a light grey button down shirt and a black pant. He caught her eye and waved at her with a broad smile on his face and she passed him a small smile and started walking towards him,thinking of how their equation was going to be henceforth and if she will be able to handle a heartbreak,if it came to that.

"Naina! I missed you!"he said the first thing that came to his mind and which was nothing but the truth. She looked pretty in a purple Kurta and a black Jeans, with absolutely no makeup on her face, other than kohl lining her eyes. And this,he realised,was the first time he was observing her so keenly. She flashed her million dollar smile that sent his heart racing,which was another first.

"I missed you too Rishu,"she gave him a side hug and pulled away quite quickly. He stilled for a moment,when she placed her arms on his shoulder,her touch sending shivers down his spine. He had never reacted this way earlier and he couldn't help but note the slight blush that adorned her cheeks. Was she as affected by him as he was by her ? How did their relationship change to something else all of a sudden ?

Throughout the day, they kept stealing glances at each other,when they thought that the other was not noticing. Unfortunately ,or fortunately rather, both of them could sense the other's eyes on them. The number of words that were exchanged ,were comparatively lesser than their usual,rather her usual non stop chatter. When they were with the gang,they were their usual selves but when they were alone,they knew that it was not the same anymore. What surprised Naina was that Rishab seemed to be nervous too.

The next couple of days went by,with each trying to figure out how to proceed in the relationship. Rishab kept getting reminded of his mother's words very often and he agreed with what she said about his eyes searching for her,even if she wasn't with him for a little while.Slowly,he had also come to realise that he was attracted to Naina and there was no ignoring that fact. Thinking about Naina constantly, he understood that her presence in his life was something he couldn't afford to miss. It was just a given. Inevitable.He couldn't imagine not being able to share every single victory (so that they could celebrate together)or failure (so that she would be there for him and console him) with her,at all stages of his life. And that led to the admission,that he had actually fallen in love with his best friend.

However, neither Rishab nor Naina were aware that it was no longer a one sided love story.One thing that was holding them back from confessing,was the fear about what would happen to their friendship,if the other rejected them. With this thought at the back of their mind,they tried to talk normally to each other,trying to judge the other person's reaction, to see if there was even a tiny possibility that the other might like them.

The gang noticed that something was not fine between Naina and Rishab and the usual little arguments and fun seemed to be missing. That's when Deepali came up with the idea that they should all go out so that Naina and Rishab would feel better and also might have a chance to sort out their differences with a better mood.

It was decided that they would go to 'Essel World', a famous theme park in Mumbai. Everyone, including Naina and Rishab agreed to the plan and they left the next morning, it being a Saturday.

As expected,the atmosphere did lighten their mood to a large extent and the two were back to bickering like always. Deepali patted her back for the brilliant plan and was happy to see that her friends were okay.

It was around lunch time and they were waiting in the queue for one last ride, before they could break for lunch. Naina was feeling extremely thirsty and their water bottles were all empty by now. So she asked the others to stay back in the queue while she would go and fetch a water bottle from some stall nearby. Rishab didn't want her to go alone but Naina protested saying she would be fine and be back soon and asked him not to leave the queue as their turn was approaching. Rishab reluctantly agreed and Naina sprinted off in search of a shop.

Five minutes turned to ten and ten to fifteen and there was still no sign of Naina. Rishab started getting restless , as Naina's phone was with him and there was no other way he could reach her.

"Guys, I am going to look for her,"he simply stated before walking away from the queue and towards the exit of the ride. The others decided to follow too as their friend's safety was obviously more important than the ride.

They looked for her in different directions but no one was lucky enough to spot her.

Rishab was in panic mode now.

"Damn it. What was the need to go alone?! I told her I will accompany her! Where the hell are you Naina?"he spoke to himself while walking towards some water ride. After few more minutes of fruitless search,Rishab sat down in a bench with his head resting on his palm.

"I can't lose you Naina. Where are you?"his voice was now a whisper and he was almost in tears.

"Rishu,is that you?"he heard her voice all of a sudden and jerked his head up to find her picking up pace and running towards him. He spread his arms wide and embraced her in a hug,which almost lifted her feet off the ground. After what should have been a minute,Rishab released a shaky breath,which he didn't know he was holding,till then. His Naina was safe. She was here, in his arms. He was extremely relieved, to say the least. But the panic he underwent moments earlier at not finding her,came back in a jiffy and his mood instantly changed from relief to anger.He quickly pulled away from the hug and ignored the surprise that he felt, at what had just happened.

"Naina! Where were you?! I told you I will come along with you, but you just HAD to go by yourself! Speak up,damn it! What would I have done if something had happened to you? You didn't even take your phone along and there was no damn way to reach you! We have been looking for you for almost half an hour now! Do you have any idea what I was going through when I couldn't find you?"Rishab's voice softened at the last part,his eyes so tender and brimming with untold emotions.

Naina was stunned.First the hug,which was completely not like their usual hugs and it felt almost.. intimate. More like he was making sure that she wouldn't disappear into thin air. Yes she went missing for a while but why was he reacting like THIS? Did he have feelings for her too? If his eyes are to be believed, then she was pretty confident that her assumption was right.

Wow ! Rishab was in love with her ?.. But before she could let her mind wander,she realised that she owed him an explanation. She moved closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder,sensing him freeze for a second, with her touch.

"Rishab,relax. I am fine and I am very sorry. I went to get the water bottle,yes, but there was so much crowd there and there were a lot of people moving in all directions that I got confused and lost my way. Our ride was a bit far from where I was and unfortunately,I started walking in another direction and it was a while before I realised that I had walked too far and still not met you guys. I finally looked for sign boards and asked a couple of people and walked back all the way now. I didn't have my phone,like you know , so I thought I will explain in person. I am extremely sorry. Please don't be mad," she explained,feeling bad that she had made him undergo so much pressure.

He stared at her for some time and realised that he had lost his cool and screamed at her.

"Naina.. look I am sorry.I didn't mean to shout at you. I was just so worried.I love you Naina and I cannot stand anything happening to you ! Promise me that you will not leave me alone ever again and I will accompany you."

Naina's jaw dropped at his confession. I mean,okay she thought that he might be in love with her but a confession the next minute, was probably the last thing she was expecting. She slowly recovered from her shock and found her voice to ask him, "You..what?What did you say?"

Rishab,who was already shocked at how easily he had gone with the flow and confessed to her, was now not sure of what he should gather from her reaction. Was she angry? Was she going to reject him? Trying to be brave and giving himself a little pep talk to be a man and face the consequences , he repeated , "I love you,Naina. I don't know how and when I fell for you but somehow,I just did. It was Ma who made me realise that I might have feelings for you,Can you believe that? I didn't want to confess all these days because I wasn't sure what impact it would have on our friendship but honestly, I cannot imagine a life without you in it,holding my hand and walking with me till the end of my life. I don't know if you feel the same way about me .."

"I do".. Naina interrupted him. Her eyes teared up at his beautiful confession and she couldn't hold back her reply any longer.

"I can't believe we both have been in love but had not confessed for the same reason. It seems like a dream right now because the only thing I have been thinking about,from the moment I realised that I had fallen in love with you, was how to manage a heartbreak and face you again,if it came to that. I .. ,"she couldn't continue any further as she choked on her words . She simply covered the distance between them and hugged him,as if her life depended on it. Rishab, her best friend cum lover. What more could she have asked for?

Rishab kissed the top of her forehead, elated with her confession. Hedefinitely hadn't expected this to turn out so smoothly and made a mental noteto call his mother and thank her,for initiating the thought process.Motherssure did know their sons well.

Their friends had reached there by then and were surprised to witness the hug that the two shared. It definitely didn't seem like a friendly hug and they looked at each other,their shock slowly giving way to a small smile and then a full-fledged naughty grin.Sana was quick to capture that moment on her phone. A picture perfect Kodak moment.

After what seemed like ages, Naina and Rishab pulled away from the hug to see their friends looking at them with a naughty smirk on their faces. They looked at each other, embarrassed at being caught and finally realizing that they were in the middle of a public place. Thankfully, this place had very less people around who were busy in their own world. That didn't stop the friends from pulling their leg and it was not long before Naina turned beet red and Rishab grinned sheepishly.

Hugs and congratulations followed and by the time they decided to go for lunch,it was four PM. Naina and Rishab couldn't thank Deepali enough for bringing them here or the confession would have never happened in the near future. She ordered them to make up for it by giving her a treat in one of the most famous restaurants in the city and they readily agreed.They continued chatting for a long time,making the couple tell them their versions of the love story.

Rishab thanked his lucky stars, for sending such a wonderful person inhis life. Someone, who had only made his life better with every moment she spent with him. Naina on the other hand, felt extremely happy to have fallen in love with such an understanding and responsible person. She knew one thing for sure. They would be there for each other in all their highs and lows,always.She also knew that convincing their parents wouldn't be an issue, as bothparents had already met the two of them and had a very good impression too.Everything seemed perfect. Life was beautiful indeed.

A/N

And it's done! Hope you liked this short story and thanks a lot for even giving it a chance :)