"Friendship is the purest love." 

- OSHA 

^^^

As per Kiara's determination, she was concentrating on her passion. It wasn't an easy job. There were days when she lacked creativity, at times her story made no sense to her. She felt as if she was simply scribbling words on the screen. Nothing makes sense at all. But her love for her characters kept her going. She wasn't sure if anyone would understand her characters, but Kiara wanted to know about them more. She wanted them to have a happy ending. Her female lead had suffered a lot, and she wanted to see if she would be offered a happy ending. She deserved it after such suffering.

For Kiara, writing wasn't the only way to escape from the series of unrewarding thoughts, but also a ray of hope. Those characters were keeping her faith in love and friendship alive. She had always imagined if her heart was ever broken, she won't ever be able to pull herself up. She might get depressed and might shut herself off from the rest of the world. She was aware of her defense mechanism, to save her heart from getting broken she often build a solid wall around herself but she wasn't behaving in her usual manner after such a devastating heartbreak.

Maybe subconsciously she had prepared herself for the consequence. She was aware that one day Dhruv won't longer be her friend. She took her cell simply scrolling on Instagram. Kiara came to a story, posted by Harshad. A familiar girl was along with him, a broad smile playing on that individual face.

"His girlfriend..." Kiara muttered to herself and suddenly a pain was experienced in her heart on seeing the girl planting a kiss on Harshad face. He had tagged her with a birthday wish. She scrolled to other stories, and posts but no longer felt any enthusiasm. Her mind kept on floating back to the video of Harshad and that girl.

She kept her cell aside and attempted to concentrate on the words. She read the content written once to make her mind flow in the direction of the work but she couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept on revolving around the picture she had come across. What was wrong with her? She was always the possessive type. She never liked her friend hanging out with people out of their group.

"Kiara, you need to understand people won't hang on to you. He was just wishing her birthday and for God's sake she is his girlfriend." Kiara was screaming at herself to make her understand. "He has a girlfriend soon he will get engrossed in her and forget about me. None is going to stay with me forever, those are just lies. I have you survive alone," she wiped the emerging tears. She couldn't understand why she was so dependent on the people around her. Why she couldn't survive on her own?

The attachment would lead to more heartbreak it was better to keep distance from people. Not allowing them near would mean they won't ever be able to break you down. With those thoughts, she played a piece of music trying to divert her mind so she could concentrate back on her work.

____

"Her phone is out of reach," Harshad grumbled as he took a seat on the chair vacant among Yami and Avni.

"Maybe she is taking a break," Avni muttered. "She often walks away from social media and pulls away from every connection so she could have some peace of mind. After everything with Dhruv, she needs the space."

"But simply cutting off isn't good." Yami argued, "we can't even know about her whereabouts."

"She will be fine. She just needs space." Avni attempted to convince but neither Yami nor Harshad seemed convinced.

"So, how long is she going to act invisible?" Harshad grumbled and Avni shrugged her shoulder in response. Harshad shook his head an annoying expression covering his face.

___

Kiara glanced at the number of words covered. A satisfied smile played on her lips. During a break from social media, she used the time in completing more words than she possibly could. She was a few chapters away from finishing the first novel of her life. A bright smile played on her lips. She wanted to share the news with someone. Avni!

And soon she installed the application that connected them all. She was very excited to share the news of her achievement after days of unproductivity. During those periods with her boss constantly grumbling about her articles she believed that she had lost the charm. The gift of creativity but on seeing the almost-complete novel before her eyes within a few months. She felt proud of herself. She was starting to believe in herself, again.

The minute she logged into the account. Her eyes landed on the first post on her home page. It was a picture shared by Aditi, their engagement picture. Kiara's heart dropped in the corner. After almost a month of Dhruv breaking his friendship with her still, her heart hadn't forgotten the pain. The engagement and Dhruv's happy face were just adding fuel to the fire.

Kiara couldn't still peace out with the fact that Dhruv never attempted to apologize to her about it. Never attempted to justify his actions as if he didn't care about her existence. He didn't care if she hates him for his actions. He only cared to build his relationship with Aditi. It was his priority and nothing else matters. She shook her head, she had come to share her happiness, and she couldn't be sad on seeing them happy. She had to deal with them entire her life even if she rushes away to any planet. Their life was connected with each other and they always would be.

Kiara liked the post, commenting with some heart emojis. She glanced at many congratulations posted under her post. She walked toward the chat session, numerous messages were waiting for her. One among them grabbed her attention. It was from Dhruv, she clicked on it without giving it a thought.

"We are going to engage."

The message was sent two weeks back and Kiara was glad that she was offline. She was saved from the agony. Kiara typed a congratulation and walked out of his chat. She didn't want to keep much connection with Dhruv, her heart was badly damaged by him. And she wasn't going to provide any further chances.

Avni's chat session was filled with numerous messages, telling her how much she was missing her presence. Sharing her concern as well as grumbling over her disappearance. Kiara smiled going through her series of messages.

"I missed you as well!"

"Enjoy your hangouts without me."

She responded back walking towards Yami and informing her about the reason behind her disappearance and then finally to Harshad.

"Where on earth are you?"

Only one message, Kiara seemed slightly disappointed. Her other friends had showered with numerous messages and Harshad had typed one message. Why she was disappointed? Maybe she was unknowingly craving the attention they were offering her. Kiara might have walked away in need of space, to distance herself from others but deep inside she was longing for a deep-intimate connection.

"Just wanted a mental peace away from your existence."

Much to her surprise, he was online and he responded without waiting for a second.

"Sorry about my existence."

Kiara's smile was brushed off by his response. Kiara felt that he was hurt by her words but she had often uttered worse than that stuff. She walked off in a gloomy mood though she was all excited to meet them but their responses weren't that great or was it only Harshad response? She shook her mind, she needed to get herself together.

____

"Why are you, sulky these days?" Maya inquired taking a seat next to Kiara.

Kiara was engrossed in decorating the cake. Kiara had learned a lot of tricks from Maya. She wasn't an expert like Maya but she enjoyed trying to decorate and use her creative skills in something different than writing.

"I am not sulky," Kiara wanted to oppose.

"You are! You seem lost in your thoughts as if something is bothering you. You get irritated easily, what's the matter? Are the characters troubling you?" Maya inquired keenly observing Kiara.

"It isn't about the novel." Kiara shook her head and glanced at Maya with a disappointed face. "I am getting insecure. I am so far away from my friends and seeing them enjoying themselves with others is making me jealous."

Maya smiled listening to Kiara's confession. "There isn't any wrong with being possessive of people you care about. At times when you express those things, the other person feels valued as well. They feel that they hold importance in your life."

"But what if you aren't that important to them? I don't think, I have any right to be jealous of someone's relationship."

"You can't help feeling it, Kiara. You are scared of losing them so those emotions emerge from you. It's fine unless and until you don't hinder the growth of the other. Don't attempt to tie them to you not allowing them to have their set of friends the way you have yours." Maya was attempting to explain to her. "It's fine until you don't take freedom away from them."

"I understand what you are trying to say but I don't want to have these feelings. That possessiveness makes me feel as if I am insecure. It makes..." Kiara was shivering at the thought of the word 'insecure.' Dhruv had mentioned it loud that she was insecure about Aditi. She didn't want to repeat her mistake. She wasn't going to repeat the cycle.

She can't feel insecure about Harshad's girlfriend. That wasn't going to happen! She wasn't going to make fool of herself, once again. History wasn't going to repeat itself.

"You aren't insecure human, Kiara. The fear of losing someone you love is real. Not everyone is brave enough to express it out loud. Some don't even accept that they are jealous. You're courageous enough to acknowledge it and express it out loud. This insecurity needs confirmation from the person that he or she values your presence. You aren't just someone but something to them. The minute the heart trust that you're valued, and you're important those feelings will start fading away slowly, they won't disappear as the fear of losing someone won't but you will start understanding and learn to deal with the feeling."

"Your heart will understand even after your favorite person shares a bond with someone, you aren't ever going to be replaced. For that you will have to discuss with that person or things will keep on disturbing you."

"I can't talk about it with him. Things will get complicated, Maya. Things are already messy in my life." Kiara argued and Maya didn't persuade her to express more.

___

Days were flying out of Kiara's reach. Whenever her mind was offered rest, it would divert to Harshad. He hadn't attempted to contact her after it. She had the feeling that he was ignoring her, and Kiara was getting restless. She wasn't sure why his ignorance was affecting her.

"The over-thinker mind is playing tricks." She was attempting to convince her mind.

Harshad was mostly active on social media so there were daily stories posted and it had her girlfriend constantly in one of his stories. Maybe they had sorted out their differences, Yami and Avni also used to accompany them at times.

Kiara wanted to brush those feelings away as she wasn't trying to get affected by jealousy. It made her feel that she couldn't ever witness two individuals in love. She was a cruel human being.

"Are you by any chance ignoring me?"

Kiara sent a message but regretted it a minute later. That was very much straightforward. She couldn't let him know that his acts were affecting her. She unsent the message within a few minutes.

"I had seen it."

A message popped on the screen making Kiara feel embarrassed.

"To answer it, I am not."

"I was just trying to make you feel, how it feels when you just disappear."

"I don't do it purposely."

"I know but still!"

"You are walking away from the friends who care, for the person who doesn't."

"Are you going to make me feel guilty?"

"I was just voicing out facts but if you don't want to listen it's not my problem."

"Are you mad at me?"

There wasn't a response Kiara thought he had gone offline but a message popped up after a minute.

"I wasn't mad but maybe upset."

"Due to my disappearance?"

He didn't answer, she got the hint.

"I didn't mean to upset you or anyone. I was just... overwhelmed."

"Leave it, how are you?"

"All good!"

"What about you?"

"I am great!"

"Good night!"

"Yeah, good night."

Kiara wasn't satisfied even after having a conversation with him. She felt as if he was holding himself back. He wasn't behaving like the Harshad she was used to. The annoying, frustrating Harshad. Kiara shook her head keeping the phone on the table. At least she had a conversation with him after so long.