"What happened?" Ishaan caressed her hair as she kept weeping.

"Tell me Amaaya."

"He left me.. he said he don't want to see me again. He has gone.. won't come back." She said in between sobbing.

"Who?" Asked Ishaan, not being able to get the point.

"Faru.."

"What?" Ishaan got shocked and turned to look Eby, waiting for his reaction. Eby nodded, giving more shock to him.

"He left me." Amaaya broke out in tears, holding him so tight as if he was the last breathe for her.

"Don't worry Amaaya.. we can.. ee can call him back." He tried to console her as well as himself.

"No.. he won't.. he won't!" Amaaya kept saying it. But out of a sudden, she released herself from his strong grip. He looked at her, noticing her change of expression.

"I know.. Ainu will also leave me one day. She will choose him over me one day. And she will say I'm a useless. She too will leave me.."

His words echoed in her ears making her more disturbed.

"Amaaya..." Ishaan was about to take hold of her but she shoved him away giving a shock to everyone around.

"What happened?" He took a step closer to her.

"NO!" She stopped him raising her hand. "Stay away from me. Stay away!"

"What?" Ishaan held a clueless face, not being able to digest her sudden change.

"You! It's all because of you he had left. You know how much he have suffered because of you? We were so happy together and you.. you came along the way and everything got messed. It's because of you he said he didn't want to see me. It's because of you.. I.. I lost him.." She palmed her face, controlling herself.

"I didn't do anything... I.." Ishaan found his own voice shaking for the first time and he didn't even know what to say.

"I don't wanna see you anymore." She said without facing him, rubbing away the wetness.

"Amaaya.. I'm.." He begged for words, knowing nothing could calm her at that moment.

"Don't call me thay way. I.. I had enough hearing you. I should not have heard you. I should not have." He looked at her helplessly as she placed her eye down.

"But.." he began.

"Please. Please leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you. I don't even want to see you. It's all because of you." She accused a finger at him before turning back. She stood there for a second and then walked out the beach, lost in her thoughts.

If she had decide to shed tears for the lost, she should keep crying for her entire life. So, she made up her mind to give the rest to the great fate which had given her the best ever day.

Ishaan gulped, cursing himself for all those things that happened because of him but without even his knowledge.

How happy he was the last day. He didn't know how he had managed himself to wait for that day. To see her..

Maybe he didn't deserve much more happiness.

An orphan should be grateful to god as he have blessed with a happy family.

And nothing more could he dreamt of?

Maybe true!

Ishaan stepped away from them, not leaving any words. He have been learning to move on since his childhood.

"Eby? What is this all about?" Aju moved to Eby who was busy preparing something in his mind.

"I know what to do." Eby stromed off leaving all gaped.

                          ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Farhan took a last glimse around and was upto get in the bus with his trucking bag.

"You didn't go yet?" He stopped to see Eby leaning on the bus, folding his arms over chest.

"Why you here?" Asked Farhan, avoiding his sarcastic question.

"Not ofcourse to stop you. You should go." Farhan kept silent, passing a skeptical look.

"But you will not do this if you have tried to understand others once. Just once." Farhan made his lips to form a thin line, knowing where was that heading to.

"You know what Ainu have said about this?" Farhan got impatient at the thought.

"She said if you don't want to see her again, she too don't want to see Ishaan. Poor Ishaan! He remained silent while she kept stating he was the only reason why you left her."

Farhan was shocked to hear him.

What had she done?

Was he worth more than her feelings?

"She even killed her feelings for you. I know, she will not forgive Ishaan untill you go back." Eby paused, letting out a calm breathe.

"Now you are happy, right? You wanted this? You have been waiting to hear this news, huh?" Farhan had tears in his eyes, wearing his head down.

"Nothing was wrong in your life Farhan. But you kept saying everything was wrong. And now look. Everything turned out to be wrong." Farhan passed a helpless look at him.

"One sacrificed her love for her friend and you still keep saying you own nothing and no one. Great! Just great!" Eby raised his hands in exasperation.

"Why you always count your loss instead of counting the gain? I know. You lost your papa since your childhood. And you didn't get any love and care from your mother too. And you have failed to get your love. That's all true. But why can't you see the bright side of your life?"

"Your passion for music.. your troupe..
your dream.. Ainu.. com-villa.. and what about us?" Eby asked with much pain inside.

"Think of Shreya. She don't have anyone. All alone in her life. "

"And Kaira? Do you really think she is so happy with that engagement?"

"And Ainu.. you know everything about her. Since her childhood, she have been looking after her siblings while her mom was running after her job. She didn't even had anyone to tell her little needs. Instead she tried to fulfill every needs of her siblings. You only told these things. I didn't."

"Do you ever heard her whining about it? No, right? She was always happy. But now she is not. Because you were her happiness. You are way more important for her than anything else in the world that she cannot even realize her love for Ishaan."

Eby patted his shoulder consolingly. "Everyone has their own problems. But what we have to do is.. just face it. Face it with our beloved ones beside."

"Don't run from your own life. You will miss living it."

"Eby.. I'm.." Farhan looked up to face him, gulping.

"No. You don't have to. You are always the impossible Farhan. The rockstar Farhan. And you will be." Eby smiled at him to which he nodded.

"Eby, I want to see her. Ainu." Farhan took hold of his hand.

"So, you are not going?" Eby pretended to be serious.

"Man!!!" Farhan punched his shoulder to which he laughed back.

▪▪▪▪▪

"I said naa. I don't want." Amaaya threw her look to the other side.

"You don't need to pay for it. Just have your usual one." The icecream vendor insisted her.

"Can you please not irritate me?" Amaaya tried to focus on her book though she knew she could not. She didn't know what she was going to write for the exam.

"If you don't buy your daily icecream, I won't get a good marketing. Here, take some chocolate icecream." He said with a last hope.

"Enough is enough! I told you naa, I don't want. And I won't ever have icecreams. Happy?" She slung her bag and moved straight to the college.

"Bhayya, take one chocolate and a butterscotch."

Amaaya stopped her way, hearing him. She spun around to see that face which she had been craving for.

Farhan winked at her, passing one of the best smiles of his. Once she could feel her throat getting dried by the unexpected sight, she began taking small steps to him.

"That's our boy." The vendor displayed the full structure of his teeth.

"Ainu..." Farhan was upto palm her face when she pushed his hand.

"Ainu? Who on earth is that? You called me something else, right?"

"Ainu, I was.."

"No! I don't want to hear you.." She began to move but he took hold of her arm making her to stay.

"Ainu, please. I was not even thinking. I lost my mind.. and.. and I'm sorry. My mind was disturbed and I felt hatred to each and everyone. Even with myself. I felt like escaping from here." Farhan eyed the other side avoiding her stronge gaze.

"Then what happened? You supposed to be go by now." She paused, exhaling a deep breathe.

"You say one thing at a time. And the other time, you will say the exact opposite. Tell me how can I trust your words?"

"Don't you trust me Ainu?" Farhan asked in a pain pitched voice.

"I don't want to." She paused for a while to say, "But I do." A small smile played in his lips. A slight hint of hope glimmered in his eyes.

"Icecreams." The vendor handed him two cone icecreams.

"Take this now. You have to cool down." Farhan gave her one of the cones.

"How could you leave us Faru? We never intend to hurt you. I don't know what all things you have cooked inside that little brain of yours." Amaaya took a place on the bench outside.

"I know. I'm stupid. Sometimes more than you. I should not have reacted that way with you and..."

"I know about your hatred for him."

"Ainu, I don't hate him. But.. I.. I felt so possesive. Possesive of you. Because I had already lost.."

"Shreya." He was taken aback as she completed him.

"How you..?"

"I do. But I'm helpless. You have to bear that pain Faru. Untill you realize you are responsible for the same pain which Kaira had undergone."

"Pain of losing someone with whom you had wished to live the rest of your life." She gulped, trying not to think of her lose.

"Hmm." He engaged himself, playing with the cone as he didn't know how to react to it.

"You have everyone Faru. Everyone. Actually you saved me."

"How?" He narrowed his eyes, waiting for her.

"I thought I have to live that dead life of mine since yesterday. But now you brought it back." She said smiling.

Amaaya rested her head on his shoulder, entangling her arms with his. He smiled, flying away his little problems in air.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked, breaking the beautiful silence.

"Now what?"

"You are having your exam today, right?"

"Yeah... Wait! I have to go now." She jumbed up making him to jerk a bit.

"Don't know what creepy things I'm gonna write there. You monkey should be here, okay?" She threw the cone away before running to the college gate. He let out a loud laugh watching her running with her wholetickets in hand.

Farhan realized how stupid he was to think of leaving her to solve his problems when she herself was the solution to all of his problems and thereby the key to his happy place.

Now he knew nothing was strong enough to break his bond with Ainu.

No one!

                         ■ ■ ■