"In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips." 

- UNKNOWN

^^^

"Love you... Zindagi..." was playing in the background while Dhruv's eyes were locked only on the human that was enjoying the song to the fullest. Her set of black, round orbs was sparkling in the dark living area. The light from the screen was glowing on her face, displaying the broad smile playing on her lips as she was slowly repeating the lyrics. If he wasn't watching her, he wouldn't have discovered her singing along with the singer.

Dhruv was annoyed with himself for not being aware of Kiara's latest favourite movie. And he was much curious to know the reason behind her likeness in the movie. One reason that he guessed was her likeness towards the subject of learning about the human brain. That had always made her curious, understanding human nature. Trying to find good in every evil move. She always wanted to believe in angels, even when the world was adamant to show her the devil.

He shook his head, concentrating on the screen before him. After his various attempt, he wasn't able to move his mind from that glowing face, that mesmerizing orbs, that heartwarming smile. Hissing in anger, he stood from the couch, making his way towards the kitchen.

Kiara was engrossed in the film to be bothered by his disappearance. She was so absorbed that his constant gaze even hadn't bothered her. Amrita was dozing off yet at frequent attempts she was forcing her eyes to open and enjoy the movie. Avni was the only soul that had noticed Dhruv getting lost in Kiara. That was enough to provide her heart with little hope. She had silently shipped Kiara and Dhruv together, much before Kiara had mentioned her feelings to Avni. Much before Kiara had discovered her feeling for Dhruv or maybe before feelings were developed between them. But Avni had never voiced it vocally to either of them. Kiara was still unaware of her adoration towards them.

Avni had adored couples in love. The reason, her favourite movies were the romantic ones. She wanted to believe in the love and the beauty it held. Her grandparents made her believe in the concept of love. But with each step taken towards her parents, she was forced to deal with reality. She was shaken to the core when in those orbs of her parents, she didn't find adoration. They claimed that they loved her but their actions never convinced her.

The way they prioritize money over time spent with her, the way they would offer her materialize gifts but never lend her ears to listen to her problems. Watching the movie, her past was revolving around her head. She could understand the lead in a way that couldn't be described and that was further making her suffocate. Escaping behind Dhruv was far better than allowing her past to traumatize her.

As she silently skipped from the couch, she made her way toward the kitchen. If Kiara found her missing, she could come up with an excuse for being hungry. Her eyes scanned the surroundings and frowned on finding no clue of Dhruv. She had glanced at him coming in the same direction but where had he disappeared? She heard a slight commotion taking place on the balcony adjoining the kitchen. She shook her head, walking towards it.

Avni's house was rather a mini-mansion, designed as her grandmother adored. It was a gift given by her grandfather to his wife. Each room must be gifted with a balcony. Grandmother was much fond of nature, and blissful air. She wasn't fond of crowds, high buildings or making the interior more modern. She loved simplicity, everything was designed by her.

"Enjoying the fresh air?" Avni commented as she found Dhruv leaning on the railings as his eyes were busy staring at the dark sky. "It's beautiful, right? Sometimes... we should just calm down and glance at the wonderful present we are gifted with. We are so wrapped up with the worries of the future that we forget to admire the beauty of the present." Avni joined him, staring at twinkling little friends of hers. She was in love with stars! But the question was, who wasn't? Everyone adored the tiny sparkling stars.

"Yeah, sometimes you just wish to forget about the future and just allow yourself to live the present. I hope if it was that easy?" Dhruv chuckled his orbs not for once wandering from the sky. There was a minute of silence as they both were engrossed in glancing at nature. "You were aware of her disappearance, right?"

Avni's orbs widen, jerking her eyes off the stars. Dhruv glanced at her as well. "What are you saying... How will I..." She started stammering, she wasn't ever good with lies.

"You are aware, I can catch your lies so don't even attempt." He warned her making Avni lower her gaze in submission.

"She had informed me before leaving but I had thought she would visit us once before taking..." Avni was going to provide clarification but Dhruv interrupted her.

"And you still didn't feel the need to inform us?" Dhruv accused, making Avni stare at him again.

"Dhruv, she had hope that I would keep things between us. I couldn't break her..."

"Trust?" Dhruv raised a brow in a mocking manner. "Was keeping her trust above helping her out of the mess? I had always considered you mature, Avni." Dhruv shook his head, averting his gaze from Avni. As if he was highly disappointed with her. "You were informed about her growing feelings towards a person. You were aware of her being rejected, maybe indirectly but rejected." With each statement, he was burning in fury. "You were fucking aware that she was trying to deal with the pain... and then she was trying to escape from us... detaching from everything, every stuff that could remind her of that asshole human." He fisted his hand on the iron railing due to the inner-building fury. "And you still felt there was no need to inform us, me?" He glared straight into her orbs.

Avni was trying to mask her emotions, she was attempting to act strong. To display those words from Dhruv wasn't affecting her. It wasn't making her feel guilty. It was making her believe that she was the reason behind Kiara suffering the most. Maybe she wasn't able to be the support Kiara needed. Maybe that's the reason, Kiara found it applicable to walk away from them. Hadn't that what she had suggested to her in the first place? To cut herself from the events for a few days? How could she be such a bad friend? She couldn't help Kiara when she needed her the most.

"I..." Avni attempted to form words as she wanted to brush those emotions away. She wasn't to be blamed! She had tried her level best. But she couldn't choose her one friend above the other. "I... am... sorry..." She choked at the end and suddenly Dhruv realized that he was acting like a moron. He was exploding his frustration on Avni. He was shocked by his own action. He had never let anger overpower him. It was a rare occasion when people glimpsed at his inner demon. He, himself was scared of that devil. The devil could hurt others' feelings, and make others cry. For him, it was far better that he was offered pain than the people surrounding him, the people that he valued.

"No," Dhruv pulled Avni into his arms. "I am sorry..." He murmured as Avni slowly sobbed into his arms. Each one of them was a pillar of support for one another. They had always wiped each other tears and at times were the reason behind the other's sadness. Like any friendship, they had days of arguments, days of fights but in the end, they sorted it between them. The thing that each one of them pulled the others together was a reason behind their solid friendship for years.

"I didn't mean any of those words... it came out in heat of moments." He apologized making Avni shake her head.

"You have hurt me with your words but I forgive you because you are allowed to explode your fury at times." She whispered pulling from the hug and glancing into his eyes. "What was it that was troubling you?" She inquired making Dhruv widen his orbs for a mini-second but he grabbed his posture smartly.

"Don't act like Kiara," he chuckled shaking his head as he pulled his hand away from her. "I am all good." He winked at her masking a smile.

"This look!" Avni pointed out, "Kiara had mentioned the same." Dhruv stared at her in curiousness as Avni continued. "The minute when you burst upon something that means something in troubling you from days but you aren't able to express it loud and when things get out of control, you say hurtful things that further hurt you and if she caught you. You mask a smile with eyes avoiding her and gift a lie." Avni finished, folding her arms around her chest as if busy examining her prey.

"Now, she had started teaching you the same skills." Dhruv chuckled loudly, leaning his head backwards. "Do I make her that curious that she never gets enough of reading me?" Dhruv joked but Avni had a small smile on her lips.

"It just that she cares about you the most." Avni shook her head, staring at him with a glare. "She is aware that you won't ever express your inner feelings so she had to read it out. The way you offer her headache none offers her that."

"And yet she doesn't walk away..." Dhruv had a peaceful smile playing on his lip. "I was so furious at her when she walked away from me." Suddenly his mood had shifted, remembering her foolishness.

"The fact that all your understanding nature goes into the bin when it's about her." Avni giggled making Dhruv frown at her. "I guess... I should leave before Kiara comes searching for me."

"She is way beyond engrossed in the movie to notice your disappearance."

"Yeah, I saw that and also the way you were engrossed in her." That comment made Dhruv's eyes widen in alarm. He was dazed to react, the person who could never shut up was speechless. "No need to answer... I understand." She winked rushing out of the balcony before Dhruv could come up with a come-back.

___

Kiara had a beautiful smile on her face as the movie finished. She had concluded that another movie was added to her comfort list. "I guess we missed the climax." Avni sounded sad but she was pleased as she no longer would be pushed into the torture of her past.

Kiara looked from the screen at them not muttering about their disappearance. She had forgotten the resembles Avni's life had with the character and she might not want to engross herself in the painful part of her life. Kiara was sure that Avni never ran from her emotions, she wasn't scared of pain. Rather like her, she enjoyed movies or shows that brought raw emotions out of her. But like Kiara, there were times she wanted to enjoy the positivity of life and Kiara was certain after Avni's disappearance that she longed for happiness and peace.

Kiara masked a smile as she leaned on the couch, glancing at her sleeping companion. "She had dozed again before letting her favourite movie start." A genuine smile soon reached Kiara, as she slowly caressed Amrita's hair. She was the reason that Kiara had changed her plan. She was the reason Kiara decided to spend a few more days along with Dhruv even when deep within it was scary shit out of her.

Kiara wasn't sure if she could deal with Dhruv and Aditi's proximity. They were going to marry and soon their interaction would turn like lovers and it would be devastating to glance at the person, she can't wrap her mind around, engrossing himself with her close friend. If the girl was a stranger to her maybe it was easy. At least she could whole heartily envy her but she had to be her childhood friend.

She was Aditi her Aditi. The girl that was there for her when she needed a shoulder to lean on. The person that had listened to her blabbers about her future life partner. The girl that never let her feel inferior, even when the world around her was constantly yelling how Aditi was better than her? She never allowed those marks, those guys roaming around or even that degree to build a bridge between them. How could she ever allow her heart to envy such a human being?

"Hmm as she is sleeping let's skip the movie and start with my favourite," Dhruv muttered walking towards the huge television screen. Avni hadn't changed her grandparent's beautiful estate as like Maya she was of a view that those accents stuff reminded their presence around her. The only modern stuff added was the developing technology. The Fifty-inch Led staring at them, accompanied by a bunch of speakers placed all around the living area. Avni could simply call her living place a mini-theatre. Often their favourite hangout was watching amazing movies.

Kiara widened her eyes at the mention of the movie, she hadn't planned to see. She yawned, attempting to act as if she was feeling sleepy. She slowly shut her eyes as the screen before her began with the film. Kiara wasn't sure why she was horrified by the name of the movie. It wasn't like she was a fan of the horror genre. She would avoid it at any cost. Those beautiful faces, masked with heavy makeup and that horrifying sudden noise could scare the shit out of her.

She even hated listening to horror stories as a child. Everyone was aware of her fear of ghosts, the reason she never adored darkness. In the darkness, she felt as if from a hidden corner a ghost would jump on her. She knew it was the result of her extraordinary mind that could imagine even the scariest stuff in not very pleasing situations but that movie had a troll over her at a different tangent.

She hated the movie the most, she could never glance at it as a movie even if she tried to convince her mind that they were acting it. Maybe it was because she had avoided the movie her entire life. Watching it as a child was scary! Mainly when she could see another child talking to the ghost. Damn, how she could ever erase those flashes of the scene? Those scenes where the child considers those ghosts as his friend. Kiara could never bring herself to forget about it. And how many times had she seen the tennis ball bouncing in utter horror as she played games as a kid?

Kiara was sweating at the mere remembrance of the memories. She wasn't sure as an adult she could deal with the movie. "Isn't it the same movie, Kiara never adored?" Suddenly Avni's jerked her head at Kiara for confirmation.

Kiara narrowed her eyes, knowing pretty well that if she displayed any reaction it would make Dhruv win. She was sure the minute Dhruv had mentioned the name, it was to trigger her. To make her shout, yell, glare at Dhruv but she had shown none. He was furious at her and was attempting to frustrate her but she wasn't letting him win. Maybe Dhruv had forgotten, that Kiara holds a competitive spirit.

"Very late Avni, as always," Dhruv muttered making Avni groan at him.

"I don't want to watch it. Kiara had expressed what a ridiculous movie it is." Avni responded staring at the screen in horror neither she was fond of horror movies.

"I had let you watch DDLJ for thousand and fifty times, so it's my turn." Dhruv scowled making both the girls share a look. They had come up with a plan to survive that murderous movie.

^^^

Sorry if it feels like I am dragging it up. Kiara was in need of some time with her friends. Things are going to be interesting in the coming chapters.