I dint know things would be this difficult, I mean I was so sure I could stay away from Arnav, I had pretty much self-control, but every time I looked at him, I somehow just melted.

All I wanted was to grab him and kiss him and I wasn't even sure anymore if it was lust or something else. He had done a great job staying away from me though, he did act like I dint exist, but I wanted him to know I existed.

Jeez, why did this have to be so complicated? I am the one that told him to stay away from me yet I still wanted him to acknowledge my existence. Why would I want anything like that?

Currently I had my car parked outside his house, I don't even know how I ended up here, I just knew I somehow did, I was blankly staring at his mansion when someone knocked on the window of my car and startled me. I really hoped it wasn't him.

What would I say if it was him? That I had become a stalker?

Jeez, this wasn't me, I mean why the hell would Khushi Gupta stalk a guy?

"Hey." Jiya smiled at me, thank God it wasn't him, I could handle his sister somehow not him.

"I see you got well." I smiled as I rolled the window down."

"Yeah I can finally walk again, but what are you doing here?"

"Umm, my car broke down so I was waiting for the mechanic." I hope the excuse was going to work.

"Can I get in?" She asked, I nodded as I unlocked the car, she stepped in and sat down beside me, still smiling. I mean ofcourse it was a stupid lie, even if my car broke down, why did it have to break down just near their house?

"You know that excuse was lame right?" She smiled at me.

"I know." I rolled my eyes.

"I know you like my brother or maybe just attracted to him, or whatever it is. I get it, he is hot, I've seen a lot of girls get attracted to him but well I never really cared about them, but you and I get along pretty well and I like you.

So I'll tell you one thing, don't do this. I love my brother Khushi, but would never look at you that way. All he has ever done is push people away, why do you think he's always so mean to everyone? Have you seen him have even one friend?" Jiya asked.

As I thought about it, I realized Jiya was right, Arnav dint have any friends, he never talked to anyone properly and half of the times he was just threatening people.

"It's not who he is, he just does it on purpose, scared people off, threatens them so none of them could get close to him, if anyone gets closer, he pushes them away. So one day or the other, he will do the same to you.

As a brother he's great, but otherwise he's a toxic person Khushi, and no one deserves that kind of a person in their lives." She looked at me seriously.

Of course I knew how toxic he was, he always harmed people and why would I even be attracted to him, I knew it was just the lust.

"Why would you say that about your brother?"

"Because it's the truth. I do love him, he's my brother, he's great, he loves me and takes care of me, but it's because I am his family. Anyone else doesn't get treated the good way. And like I said, I like you so it's just a warning." She smiled at me.

"I don't like him that way Jiya." Did I not? Or did I? I wasn't sure.

"Why are you here then Khushi? Look I'm not trying to be mean or anything, I just know my brother and I know how he treats people, don't think he's going to treat you any better.

That would happen only the day he starts treating the rest of the people better. It's not late, turn around, walk away before it's too late. Just a friendly advice, the rest is upon you." She stepped out of the car and walked away.

Why would his sister say something like this to me?

I mean it was like the whole universe wanted me to stay away from Arnav apart from me, even Aditi had told me the same and I dint know why.

What was the reason? Why was he pushing everyone away? Why was he mean to everyone? There were a lot of questions in my mind, but right now, I had to drive away before he found me here, it would make things more complicated.

I dint head home though, I drove straight to Aditi's place because I dint want all this questions in my mind, I needed answers and if Aditi told me to stay away from him I needed to know the reason.

*****

"Adi!" I shouted her name as I walked into her house, I found her mother seated in the hall, damn it! I dint want to face her after everything, I wished she hadn't been here.

"She's not home yet." Her mother replied.

"Okay, I'll leave." I said as I turned around immediately, but as if the woman was going to let me go easily.

"Khushi, you can wait for her, I'm sure she must be on her way."

"No, it's fine, I'll see her at the university tomorrow."

"Just wait. I need to talk to you."

"About what?" I stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"I thought we all had a deal?"

"Yes, a deal where you and my father benefited and I lost everything. I am surprised that you're still stuck on that thing. You know you were wrong and instead of forcing me to lie to Aditi, you should have confessed the truth to her, but you made me lie to my best friend.

I had to run away from here like a coward, I had to lose her and she hated me, because of you when she should have hated you. At that time I might be naïve, but not anymore, you got what you deserved." I said angrily.

"Hey, dint you know you were coming." Aditi said as she walked in and looked at me and then her mother, everything was so awkward for a while.

"Come, we'll go talk in my room." She grabbed my arm and pulled me upstairs. I really hated her mother, she had no remorse whatsoever.

"So, what brings you here?" She asked as she settled down on the couch.

"Unanswered questions. I know you told me to stay away from Arnav and I am doing that, but don't you think I need to know why you would tell me that?" I asked.

"You are right, we haven't had time to talk about it, but we can talk now." She smiled as she stood up and picked up a picture frame that was placed beside her bed. It was the picture of her and her elder sister Saakshi.

"That reminds me. Where is she? I haven't seen her since I came back." I asked.

"She is the reason I want you to stay away from Arnav. Once upon a time, they used to be like best friends." Aditi said as she sat down beside me, still holding the picture in her hand.

Was that why I always found them Arguing? Because of Saakshi? What happened?

"What happened then?"

"She passed away a few months ago. You know they claimed to be the inseparable best friends, yet he never even showed up at her funeral, he dint even call or anything. It was like he dint care about her all over a sudden."

"Wait, is this the best friend she used to talk about nonstop?" I asked. I remember whenever I would come here and meet Saakshi, she wouldn't stop talking about what great friendship she had with some guy, for some reason she wouldn't tell us who he was or anything, but she used to say no one could ever have a friendship like theirs.

It was perfect, like you'd always hear people say that a guy and a girl can't be best friends but they were, no other feelings attached, in fact they would even help each other find partners and stuff. It sounded too good to be really actually, Aditi and I never believed her.

"Yes. It sounded so perfect so unreal but then one day she told me who she was, and I even went out with her, met him and it was true, they did have that kind of friendship. I swear I was a bit jealous too. But then she... she met with an accident and she was in hospital, she kept on asking about him if he came to visit or anything, she was so hopeful, she believed he would come but her never did.

I tried to call him so many times but his phone would always be switched off, and then she went into coma for like an entire month, and yet he dint even visit once, even when she passed away, he dint even come see to her.

If their friendship was as great as they said, why did he never show up? Saakshi loved him like a good friend and he disappointed her, in the last days of her life and I would never forgive him for that.

He isn't trustworthy, and I don't want him to ever hurt anyone like he hurt my sister and that is why I wanted you to stay away from him Khushi.

You know when I met him after everything that had happened, he acted like he dint know me, a part of me still wanted to think that maybe something was going on in his life too and he couldn't come to see his best friend so I decided to talk to him, thinking I'd give him one chance to explain himself but when I confronted him he acted like he dint give a damn about Saakshi." Aditi broke down. I moved closer and hugged her, all this came as a shock to me, I was still trying to process it.

"I am sorry, I know I shouldn't tell you who you should be friends with, but you are my best friend Khushi and despite our own misunderstandings and fights, I still care about you and I would never want you to go through want Saakshi went through." Aditi cried.

"I know Adi. I know." I said as I kept on holding on to her.

Now the things Jiya had said to me were starting to make sense somehow. But was really Arnav that heartless? Dint here really care? Or was there something else to the story?