Meet the new characters

Myra Manik Malhotra

Daughter of Manik and Nandini Malhotra. Currently doing MBBS (medical) 3rd year. Just entered her early twenties. Twin of Aarav. In contact with Ishaan the most, considers him her best friend.

Aarav Manik Malhotra

Myra's Twin. Was studying in a boarding school since past ten years in London with Abeer and Ishaan, his best friends; from where he also did his masters in business. Same age as Myra. Was in a serious relationship in London that broke off, so never dated more girls.

Ruhaana Aryamman Khurrana

Daughter of Aryamman and Pihu Khurrana. One year younger to Myra and Abeer, but academically just one year behind. Is doing Medical Second year with Myra. Was Aarav's best friend when they were thirteen but eventually lost touch as he shifted to London.

Abeer Cabir Dhawan

Son of Cabir and Navya Dhawan. One year elder to Aarav and Myra but studies with Aarav since they both went to boarding school together and then did their masters in business. Best friend of Kaira. Personality of a typical playboy.

Kaira Zubin Singhania

Daughter of Zubin and Mukti. Two years younger to Myra and Aarav, has got her degree in engineering, and now practising interior designing. Abeer's childhood best friend.

Ishaan Dhruv Vedant

Son of Dhruv and Aliya, received is masters in business with Aarav and Abeer. Secretly in love with Ruhaana when he was a child, but that faded away once he shifted to London. The only one amongst the three who's close to Myra, has been her best friend since chilhood.

M Y R A

I yawned as I closed the book in front of me and pulled my hair up in a lose bun, leaning behind as I glanced at the clock. It was almost evening and I wondered why maa hadn't called me out for breakfast yet.

"Mamma?" I called as I stepped out of my room and was greeted with workers of my house running here and there instead, with my father shouting at them in his monster mode.

I giggled as I tip toed to him, covering his eyes from behind. "Princess?" He identified keeping his hand on mine as I stepped ahead with a pout.

"Dad! How do you always identify me correctly? It could have been mamma also!" I pouted.

"Well your mamma can never reach my height so easily. She's short!" Dad said and I laughed.

"Did someone just call me short?" We heard mamma behind us and Dad but his tongue, squeezing his face together. I laughed as I walked her and gave her a side hug. It was amazing how years down their marriage also Dad was so scared of Mum.

"How's your studies baby?" Mamma asked and I gave a small cry. "Boring," I shrugged. Medical could never be interesting.

She smiled, kissing my cheek. "And you're still doing to well. Proud mother here!" She beamed and I smiled. I study so much just to see that pride in their eyes and it made me happy whenever they said this to me. Did I ever tell you I have the world's most amazing parents?

"What's happening, Mum?" I asked, looking at the preparations.

"We have a small party at home in the evening," she informed and I nodded. "Who's coming?"

"Paapaa's friends. Fab5!" She said and I beamed. I loved my dad's friends and my uncles and aunts. They were the coolest people— from Cabir Uncle's jokes to Alya Aunt's fashion talks. It was so amazing being with them, and also... if they're coming, also meant my best friends were.

I smiled. "Wear a nice dress and be on time, okay?" Mum said and i nodded. "Now can I get back to studies?" I asked and she nodded.

"Not before you eat, okay?" Dad shouted from behind while scolding a worker and I laughed as I picked up the food from the table. Poor worker had to face the monster.

As I walked back to the room, I pinged Ruhaana And Kaira And they were immediately out with replies. Ruhaana was shy and an introvert while Kaira was totally opposite, a bold extrovert and I was middle them, keeping both of them sane.

Ruhaana:
Damn, mum didn't tell me we've to come. I'll complete my studies and be there as soon as I can.

Kaira:
She didn't tell you cause you're studying all the time. I'm in my office, all free. Whenever you guys done, let me know.. I'll leave. I've brought my change already, will get dressed with you Myra.

Ruhaana:
Cool then I'll get ready with you as well. Should I come over to study? I can't understand the myocardial infarction's last part.. function of coronary artery part.

Me:
Damn that's easy, it's just the blockage during ventricular contraction. We've been studying about it since twelfth grade. But come over, I'll explain you and we can study together. I'm super bored anyway.

Kaira:
You nerds, y'all are freaking me. Remind me why I'm friends with you again?

Ruhaana:
Cause you have no other choice :P

Me:
And also, no other friends :P

Kaira:
Maybe I could come over and we can have Netflix and chill? Keep your textbooks away for a while.

Ruhaana:
I'm already reaching Malhotra house. We're studying!!

Me:
We're medical students, duh. There's no word called chill in our dictionary, and I can cry over it.

Kaira:
Nerds. Why did I ever stay in India? I would have preferred being in London with Abeer!

Ruhaana:
...And Ishaan. And Aarav.

Kaira:
Yeah, but ya know I'm closest to Abeer. I FaceTimed him last week and he couldn't stop talking about his new girlfriend, so we still share Shit about life.
And I'm not that close to Aarav and Ishaan though. Ishaan loves annoying me and damn, Aarav's hot.

Me:
He's my brother shush.

Kaira:
Doesn't change the fact he's hot. You're hot too. You both get your looks from your father, my mum told me he was the hottest hunk back in college.
But I love your mum more. She sent me food yesterday.

Ruhaana:
I've reached, coming upstairs and damn, I fell in the stairs :P

Kaira:
Did someone catch you?

Ruhaana:
Yes, a worker.

Kaira:
-_-
I'm going to now, have to FaceTime Abeer. He's probably gonna introduce me to his girlfriend.
Should I take screenshots? Y'all wanna see her?

Me:
Not interested.

I shut my phone and kept it aside, with a long sigh as my door opened and Ruhaana stood there with a total smile on her face and medical books in her hand.

I greeted her and she gave me a toothy smile, settling on the bed.

"Myra, can I ask you something?" She asked and I nodded.

"Don't take me wrong, I was just wondering this while coming here and reading the chats....," her voice faded and I gulped. I think I knew what she'd want to ask me.

"You liked Abeer na?" She asked and I sigh smiled.

"I was twelve" I reasoned. "It was mere infatuation," I told her.

"Yes. So you feel nothing now when Kaira keeps talking about him?" She asked.

I do. My heart beat gets faster and I hate how we haven't even spoken since years. It's been around eight years and all I have seen him is once when I had facetimed Aarav on our birthday. All I keep hearing about him is from Ishaan and Kaira.

"No" I lied. It still hurts to hear about his girlfriends and about how he left.

"We were thirteen. It was stupid!" I took my mind off.

"But you waited for him," she pointed.

"And he didn't," I pointed back.

"Forget it, useless talks. Let's study, we have to complete it an hour, orelse Kaira will hide my medical books and never give them back to me" I laughed, changing the topic and she dry laughed but her eyes were still at mine, trying to understand everything I was hiding since years.

But it wasn't easy. I kept reminding myself how we were just thirteen and how he was just playing when we promised each other shit but it was never so easy, not even the fact that it had been eight years made anything easy.

I buried myself in the medical book again, forgetting all of him and letting science occupy me and my mind, forgetting him totally, just the way I've been doing since so many years.

✿

"Do you think I look okay?" Kaira twirled around, showing her dress. She hated dressing girly and hated it even more when I forced her to wear one of my dresses like I had done now.

"It suits you. You look pretty, so shut up!" Ruhaana scolded and I smiled.

"Damn, I wish I had your figure Myra. I can die for it," she said, being a total drama queen and I And Ruhaana rolled my eyes at her. She was as thin as me, infact, a little taller than me as well.

"No more words!" I scolded and she sighed as Ruhaana picked the liner from my dressing table.

"No! There's no way in seven hells that I'm letting that touch my eyes!" I shouted and Kaira smirked. "My chance!" She teased as she forcefully applied the eye liner the way I had forcefully made her wear my dress.

That was us. None of us were similar to each other so we completed the things that were incomplete in us. Kaira added the spunk. I added the fashion and the sanity. While Ruhaana added the nerdness and the decency.

Kaira

Ruhaana

Myra

"Chalein?" Ruhaana called me of my thoughts and I smiled walking down where our parents were waiting. They could meet every week and still talk as if they were meeting after years.

"Look ya my girls looking beautiful," Cabir Uncle said as we walked down.

"I know right. Aisa lagta hai just yesterday they were born. In a few years, we'll be getting them married, it's so unbelievable. Itni badi ho gayi jaldhi se!" Mum said as I stood by her and put my arms around her, she kissed my temple.

"And then there are our boys. Pata nahi London se kaunsi goriyaan laayenge!" Cabir Uncle laughed and Dad shook his head.

"I know right. I want my son to marry an Indian girl. This was one reason I didn't want to send them to London!" Dad shook his head.

"Ab aa rahein hai na. Aaram se samjha lena," Alya smiled and everyone agreed but my heart kept beating faster.

"Aa rahe hai matlab?" The smile on my face vanished.

"Aaj aa rahe Hai!" Dad informed.

"Mujhe— Mujhe bataya nahi kisi ne!" I freaked out. I didn't know they were coming today. They meant all three. I wasn't prepared to see Abeer, not suddenly. I needed time to make myself understand that whatever happened was just a silly promise as children and he's moved away from it and so should I.

"Your twin is coming! It's a surprise baby!" Mum said, surprised at how the colours of my face faded away, and then there was a door bell ring. Mum's eyes beamed with the fact that her son was coming home after two years.

So great, I was even out of minutes as I saw the three appearing by the door together, laughing in shirts and sweat pants, as if taking entry in the middle of a fucking movie.

And my eyes set on him. Black sweats, white tee shirt, gelled hair, arranging the watch in his hand.

"Myra? Atleast say hi!" Ishaan said and all attention focused on me. I pull on a smile as I walked towards him to give him a hug.

He was taller to me, and he embraced me easily, as if I was giving my teddy bear a hug. "I've missed you, drama queen," He whispered.

"I missed you too," I whisper back, and I wonder if he would ever be able to look back into my eyes and see how much I had changed. From an innocent child he knew... to this, what I was today.

"Myra!" Aarav said after he came from meeting mom and dad and he quickly embraced me, almost twirling me around. Everyone else laughed.

"Damn, seeing you after years. Facetime pe toh you look thin, let me tell you, in real you're fatter!" He teased. And I thought he loved me.

When we were here, we always kept fighting, teasing, like any ordinary siblings; but now that we were seeing each other after two years, some love kept creeping in.

Had he been in India all these years and someone would have asked me to give him such a hug.... never.

"Hi Ruhaana!" Aarav said slowly as he left me and I turned behind, letting the two talk but came face to face with the boy I dreaded to see.

Nothing happened in the past and yet something unknown kept creeping in me.

Maybe because it was because he was my first love.

"Hi Abeer," I tried smiling, but my eyes were expressionless, as his brown eyes looked into mine and I stayed frozen, as something came running back to me.

"Aarav, don't leave, please!" I cried. He was my Prince Charming since a little kid and the fact that he was going to London leaving me alone sucked. It was my first heart break although I didn't even understand the meaning of crush then.

"I like you so much," I sobbed.

"I like you too, princess!" He wiped my tears slowly and I nodded negatively.

"Aarav says you will get a new princess in London!" I was stupid and innocent.

"You will always be my princess," he argued.

"Promise?" I asked, a ray of hope within me.

"Promise, I will only like you, always!" He smiled. "But you have to promise you'd wait for me to come back too?" He proposed and I nodded.

"I will wait for you" I had said, giving him a last hug.

"Then I will wait for you too, Promise!" He said and I smiled.

Promises. And that too childhood promises.

I was stupid to keep the promise for a few years until I realised that meant nothing and how naive I was but I could never fall for anyone, or even develop a liking towards anyone like I did to him.

I spent years drowning myself in books and trying to forget him, went away in camps whenever he visited India, did everything I could to hide away.

I don't know why. Maybe I was running away from the fact that we were naive and childish and it was nothing to him but I really kept my promises while he kept playing with girls.

Maybe I was just trying to avoid the embarrassment or the awkwardness we'd face. Maybe he didn't remember how I liked him crazily but I did and I could never forget that, it was a big part of my childhood. I fangirled over him, partly because he was amazing at sports and already famous in school, and partly because he was the only boy I grew up talking to except Aarav. Ishaan came into the picture much later, since he was in a different school than the three of us.

I know it meant nothing but I could never stop my heart from falling for him, or for the rising heart beat in the mere mention of his name.

But I had to forget him. It was too long I was holding onto nothing.

I had to show that like he did not care, I did not too.

"Hi Princess!" He whispered and all the courage went flying away as the warm blood I had locked in my heart years ago rushed back into my veins and I blushed, again.

~•~

Let me just hope this didn't bore the hell out of you guys. Let me know if you're interested in reading the bonus chapters this way and I'd write ahead.

What do you think will the pairs be?

Let me know if you're interested to read their stories and I'd love to write it for you.

Lots of love,
Heer.