Pune Junction Railway Station (Present)

"ADITI! HEY ADITI!" shouted Rakesh as loud as he could to catch her attention from the window of the train.

"Rakesh?" Aditi sounded confused, looking all around for the source.

"ADITI! LEFT! LOOK LEFT!"

"Oh goodness," said Aditi, finally spotting him. "What are you doing here?"

"How long does this train stop here?" asked Rakesh urgently. 

"Ten-ten minutes, I think," said Aditi, frowning. "I'm not going to go have tea with you, Raku, I'm already so late, Mahati has been waiting for ages."

Ever since Rutu left on the helicopter, Rakesh had been feeling this nagging guilt in the back of his mind that he had not gone along and chosen to fool around instead. So he'd checked when Aditi's train would pass Pune en route to Mumbai and had to run all the way to the station due to the lack of cabs on the streets.

"I'm not asking you to get off," panted Rakesh, a terrible stich in his stomach. "I'm saying I could get on...meet Mahati and Rutu with you..."

"Rutu's there?" asked Aditi.

"Yeah, he flew over, Mahati got one of her headache attacks."

"Shit, she must have overworked herself in the sun again," said Aditi, clearly distressed. "I should have gone myself to hand out the cards, she could have stayed back to check the bridesmaids' clothes..."

"She can't tell a lehenga from a saree, what a lot of help she would have been," said Rakesh. "Now how about I get on the train?"

"You don't have a ticket, do you?" asked Aditi. 

"Nope, and there isn't time to get one," said Rakesh, glancing at his wristwatch.

"Get on," said Aditi. "But if the ticket checker fines you, I'm going to pretend I don't know you."

"Deal," said Rakesh, beaming and offering a hand through the window for her to shake.

Just that moment, the train emitted a long whistle; Aditi slapped his hand away.

"Get on!"

Rakesh ran for the door of the compartment and managed to get on in time, and found Aditi's berth.

"Do you ever take a bath?" asked Aditi, wrinkling her nose as he flung himself down beside her.

"I ran four kilometres," said Rakesh. "Wouldn't you expect a bit of sweating after that?"

"Ugh."

"Besides, fiancees of sportsmen are bound to find sweat hot."

Aditi attempted to ignore him, shaking her head.

"Don't you find Rutu hot when he kisses you straight back from a match?"

"Please," said Aditi. "Don't. You're the worst romantic partner in the world, Raku. Did you drug Mahati into getting engaged to you?"

Rakesh liked this about Aditi; she never guilt tripped him about whatever had happened with Mahati four years ago like Rutu did at least twice each month. She referred to it casually, like she'd long ago forgiven him, which she probably had.

As for Mahati, she never referred to it at all, for which Rakesh was unequivocally grateful. It would not be too much to say that hardly anyone would have even considered staying best friends after that incident, which dated way back to Aditi's 19th birthday.

.........................

Mumbai University, April 2020 (Past Flashback 6)  [I am assuming there has been no delay in IPL 2020 due to the pandemic]

"Bit of a splurger, isn't he?" Rakesh asked as the three of them stared open mouthed at the pile of gifts Aditi was drawing from the heavy parcel that'd arrived right at midnight from her boyfriend.

"Just a bit," said Mahati, examining a huge round box that when shaken produced a score of shiny wrapped chocolates. Without even asking she unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth. "Tastes American. Try one, Rakesh?"

"Why are you even asking?" Rakesh took two at once.

"Rutu?" asked Mahati.

"No, that's okay," said Rutu.

"Aw, Rutu, come on," said Aditi. "It was just three matches, you shouldn't take it so much to heart."

"I'm not really," said Rutu, in a voice that clearly said he was. 

Over the past week, he had been avoiding calls and backing out of plans to meet. Rakesh knew he always walked hunched when he'd been having an off form run, but these days, since the gross underperformance for CSK in his first three matches, he seemed positively shrunken into himself.

If not for Aditi's birthday, he probably wouldn't have met them this month at all.

"Yes, you are," said Mahati. "But never mind, I find overthinkers adorable. Don't you, Adi?"

"I find Rutu adorable, overall," said Aditi promptly.

It worked, because it made Rutu smile, even if a little wanly. This time he accepted the American tasting chocolate Mahati gave him without protest.

Aditi drew out the next present, which was a soft and richly coloured shawl. Rakesh tried to grab it but Aditi pulled it away, frowning.

"Don't touch it with chocolatey hands," she scolded. "Did no one ever teach you cleanliness?"

Mahati, whose cleanliness had improved a lot since sharing a room with Aditi, giggled.

"It looks nice," said Rutu, indicating at the shawl without touching it, his tone deliberately normal. 

"I know," said Aditi. "Ganesh's taste is good in almost everything."

"But how is it okay for your boyfriend to spend so much on your birthday? He doesn't earn, does he?" asked Rakesh curiously.

"Rakesh!" said Rutu, glaring. 

"What? I'm just asking!"

"Well, it's a stupid thing to ask."

"Yeah?"

Rutu's glare got murderous by his standards (he still didn't look scary at all).

"He does have a point," Mahati said. 

"Who, me?" said Rakesh.

"Yeah. Do you like all these, Adi?" she said as the next package yielded a brand new headphone.

"Of course I do," said Aditi. "I love it. I love him, so I love everything he does for me, even if they are over the top."

 "Even she admits he's over the top," Rakesh told Rutu smugly.

"Don't twist my words," said Aditi, opening the last gift which was a gilt edged photo frame with a photo of the two of them as young teens outside their school.

"Oh, wow," said Rutu, forgetting his forced silence and taking the frame from Aditi. "How old is this?"

"Class...9, I think. After some exam ended." Aditi's smile said it all.

"He's touching your photo frame with chocolatey hands, Adi," said Rakesh in a horrifying whisper.

"No, he's not. He's touching it with his left hand. Unlike you, he only uses one hand to eat a chocolate."

Mahati dissolved into laughter. Rakesh raised his eyebrows at her and then at Rutu and Aditi, bent over the pile of gifts. Mahati wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

Later that night, when Rutu had left for his flat and Aditi was on call with Ganesh, Rakesh and Mahati had made their way over to the terrace of the institute, discussing the shocking pile of gifts.

"I'd feel smothered," said Mahati. "Seriously, I couldn't possibly stay with someone who spends ten thousand on me on just a birthday and talks to me on phone five hours each day."

"Likewise," said Rakesh. "I couldn't possibly stay with a girl who expects a shower of gifts every birthday or hour long calls everyday."

"Well, I just need to find someone like you," said Mahati.

"MC," said Rakesh. "You already have me."

 "Goodness," said Mahati. "That's a romantic proposal."

Rakesh saw the uncertainty in her eyes, and he'd never been more sure that she felt the same way as he did.

So he pulled her up against him and touched his lips to hers.

"R-Rakesh..."

"Mahati."

Her eyes were wide open and reflected the moon as their mouths worked against each other's desperately. She tasted of American chocolate. He knew he did, too.

"Oh-oh, god," gasped Mahati, when they broke away. "Oh, my god."

"How was that for a romantic proposal?" Rakesh tried to tease, but his shaking voice did not allow for it.

"Oh, I can't believe I just kissed you."

Rakesh let her go swiftly, asking anxiously, "And that's bad because?"

"Because we're nineteen," said Mahati. "Maybe we should have waited a bit..."

"Till? Twenty five?"

"Thirty," she said, grinning.

"Love the confidence that we're going to be together till thirty, sweetheart," said Rakesh, grinning back.

Mahati's smile vanished. "We're-we're not?"

"I didn't mean it like that," said Rakesh, his smile vanishing too. "I'm sorry, I'm really bad at all these."

"I'm glad, you know," said Mahati, putting her arms around his neck. "At least you'll not be smothering."

"At least you'll not be demanding," countered Rakesh. 

Then they were kissing again, nineteen or not.

"Love you, MC."

"Me too," said Mahati. "Me too."