"Rith, we have got something to tell you." Ansh started. Rithvik nodded and looked at them. Cautiously, Ansh continued, "We have decided to be together."

Rithvik blinked and look between them. Ansh held out his hand and Dhun took his hand. They held hands and Rithvik looked at the held hand. He had not expected this so soon, so it took Rithvik a second to register it. But then he was super stunned and super excited. "What? Really!!! Woah!! That's that's great." He jumped up and went to them, "Oh My God." He hugged them both together. Rithvik was honestly happy and excited for them. Over Rith's shoulder, both Dhun and Ansh looked a bit worried. But Rithvik let go of them and look super excited

"This calls for a celebration. Tell me, I will buy you guys anything in here." Rithvik said.

Dhun almost looked guilty. She couldn't meet eyes with Rithvik. "No. It's fine."

"Come on, Bro! My best friends are dating. This need be grand. I will get you guys ice creams and chips and coffee. Wait..." He ran off to the counter.

" I did not expect him to be this happy." Dhun sounded hurt.

"Disappointed?" Ansh asked her.

"A bit."

"But this is for his good, right?"

Dhun sighed and nodded. Ansh's eyes fell on the notebook Rith had left on the table. There were failed attempts at drawing the girl. His drawings looked so comically bad. Ansh just looked confused about Rithvik's newfound liking for drawing. Dhun was still watching Rithvik.

"He won't be able to carry everything at once." She said, "I will go help him."

She walked to the counter. When Rith saw her, he smiled at her. She smiled back.

"You are really happy" Dhun was a bit irritated without being able to help it.

"Yeah. Of course." He said.

"Because of Ansh?" she asked.

Rithvik just shrugged. Their food arrived. Dhun received three coffee with her hands, while Rith was getting some plates filled with snacks. But Dhun felt unable to carry three cups at once and she spilt a bit of coffee which fall directly onto the handkerchief tied over her hand, burning her. "Aw.." She cried in pain.

Rithvik set the plates back to the counter and turned to her at once. "You okay?"

He took the coffee cups out of her hand and looked at her wrist. He tried to untie the handkerchief off her wrist, but she pulled her hand back. " What? It's burning you more. We need to remove the handkerchief and wash your hand."He yelled at her.

But she held her hand back.

"I will do it in the bathroom. I will just go and be back." She turned around. Rithvik's eyes went narrow on her with a bit of doubt. He just remembered the hand of the girl in his dream having an 'R' tattoo on her wrist. But then there was no way he can prove his doubts. Nor did they make any sense. So he just let them be.

*

The class was going on. And Rithvik had his drawing notebook open. Instead of taking notes, he was sketching in the book. As usual, his sketches were kind of comically bad. Ansh who was sitting beside him looked around at the notebook. Rithvik was trying to draw a hand from sideways. Ansh ignored him and concentrated on the lecture.

*

Ansh and Rithvik were taking their bike to go home. And then they saw Dhun walking. "Are you not dropping her home?" Rithvik asked Ansh.

Ansh look at Rithvik. "Or go on a date?" Rithvik added. Ansh looked uneasy. " You guys are dating now. So you should, right?" Rithvik asked.

"I guess."

"Then go. Offer to drop her home. And have a date on the way."

He pushed Ansh in the direction of Dhun. Ansh got on his bike and drove and came and stop in front of Dhun. She was a bit surprised. "Rith wants me to drop you home," Ansh explained.

Dhun looked around at Rithvik who was smiling at them, kind of looking like a proud dad or something.

"We have to show him, right? For him." Ansh asked.

Dhun nodded and get on Ansh's bike. Rithvik looked happy. And so Ansh and Dhun drove off.

*

Dhun walked through the side platform of marine drive, near the sea, with Ansh behind her. She looked peaceful yet there was a loneliness in her. She held her hand out when the wind blows on her. Ansh was watching her. She looked back at him. "I told you you can go home. You played your part."

Ansh shook his head, "I don't feel like going home either." He looked down and hit the floor with his sneakers looking melancholic and looked at the sunset.

Dhun and Ansh sat down on the tetrapod rock, looking at the sunset.

"I am sorry, Ansh," Dhun said. Ansh look at her. "You know in the past, I mean in the alternate time, I did support you and Roli. I spoke for you two to Rith. It's not like I wanted to change your story. I am sorry to have changed your chance at love."

Ansh nodded and looked sort of sad.

"But you are compensating by giving up yours, right?" He asked, " I mean you could still be with Rith if you want to."

"No..." She said.

"Why?"

Dhun looked doubtful, "I am not sure if 'you' are enough to change the flow of time. Besides, I can't be that selfish and ask you something that big and..."

"Yeah, you are doing compensation for me." She looked at Ansh. "You are kind of like Rith in a way."

Dhun pushed back a lock of hair blown out by wind to the back of her ears. Ansh kept looking at her with a good expression. Dhun looked back at the sea. Ansh kept watching her.

Ansh left Dhun in front of her apartment and she got down from the bike. "Good night then."

"Yeah," Ansh said back.

Dhun was about to go on when Ansh calls her, "Dhun."

She looked back at him.

"Thanks. For doing this." Ansh hesitated, "For trying to save him."

"I am not doing it for anyone else," Dhun said.

"I know. Even then... It would be difficult for you as well. Doing this."

"Yeah..."

Ansh looked at her like he understood her and has respect and sympathy for her. He was thankful towards her. Dhun walked to his house, and Ansh drove off.

*

Rithvik was sleeping, but he woke up with a gasp. And sat up. He looked disturbed. He moved a hand over his chest. "Really! What the hell is going on?" He asked himself.

Rithvik sat on the couch with a thermometer in his mouth and his mother, Sameera took the thermometer out and checked the temperature. "It's normal. What happened? Are you feeling unwell or something?"

"I don't know, mom." Rithvik said, "Feel really strange for a few days. I can't really seem to be sleeping well and keep having a strange dream over and over. And how to say this, it feels like I am awake even when I am asleep. And..." He hesitated, not sure if tell this to his mother or not.

"And?" Sameera prompted.

"Something feels off. Like I keep feeling something is wrong. But I don't know what it is. I feel a bit uneasy and nervous inside. It's strange because I have never felt this way."

"Just a second," Sameera went and took her stethoscope and blood pressure apparatus and come to him and checked his pressure. "Is it bad?" Rithvik asked.

"No. It's normal."

Rithvik sighed...

Sameera looked at him with concern. "I don't think this is something physical. Is something going on? At college or?"

"No, Mom. You know me, right? Have I ever been tensed about something happening at school or college? And nothing is happening in college. Everything is just fine."

"But you said you feel uneasy." she put the medical things back into her bag, " Is it a girl or something?"

"Girl?"

"Is it?"

"No. I mean, I don't know. It's weird. I keep having this dream." Things happening in the dream were sweet and happy. But...he felt sad. He did not know why. He could not explain it. But it felt like something was not right. Something was missing. It bothered him. Really bothered him.

Sameera looked at her son with the lightest possible concern. "Maybe you are just going through a mental stage. Maybe it's just late puberty."

"Right," He did not sound so convinced.

"And son," She had a teasing tone, "if it's because of some girl, you should talk to her. Not confuse your feelings as a physical illness."

Rithvik just looked irritated that his mom is coming to that conclusion.

Ansh had come to pick Dhun up from her house, they had not done this before and they had to plan something to show Rithvik that they are a couple and is not faking it. Rithvik was having doubts since the two rarely spent time together.

"But you did not have to come this far. We can just lie to him that we came to college together." Dhun said coming out of her apartment building.

"Come on, Dhun. You are a terrible liar." She looked at him a bit playfully offended at that. "And we are friends." Ansh continued, "So... I don't mind. What's the big deal. I mean we need to show the people we are dating, so we can just hang out as friends, right? I mean picking you up and dropping you home or going somewhere, why make it complicated. We both know we like other people. But we can be friends, right?"

Dhun nodded "Yeah."

When Ansh walked into the classroom, Rithvik was already looking a bit irritated. He sat down beside him.

"Where were you in the morning? I waited for you for ten minutes." Rthvik asked Ansh.

"I did message you. I picked up Dhun from her house in the morning and we came to college together."

"Lucky. You can have a romance while your eyes are open." He set his head down and yawned, "While I will have a romance while I am asleep."

"What?"

"Don't you know, these days I am having some full-fledged romance. The difference is only that I have it while I am asleep," He joked. Ansh looked confused. "Tell me sweet dreams," Rithvik said and closed his eyes.

Just then the professor walks in and Rithvik had to reluctantly sit up.

The class was going on, but Rithvik was dozing off. He was having a dream as usual.

The girl's smile, the feel of her skin on his fingers, a flash of Roli's angry face, Ansh's stunned face, bike ride, headlights.

And Rithvik woke up with a gasp, as a piece of chalk hit him. He jumped up. The professor was looking at him with angry eyes. "Get out of my class if you need to sleep."

"Sorry, sir," He yawned involuntarily.

"Why? Were you playing mobile games the whole night? Or partying? Get out of the class. Why do you people even come to college?" The professor barked at him. Rithvik grabbed his bag and walked out of the class.

When Rithvik walked through the corridor, he saw that some girls were practising dance in an empty classroom. Some others were helping them with the choreography. Dhun was sitting on a desk looking at them. Seeing Dhun, he walked in.

"What's happening?" He asked.

"Rehearsal. For the state-level festival," One of the girls said.

Rithvik jumped and sat beside Dhun on the desk. "Don't you guys have class?"

"We have free this hour. Malti ma'am is on leave. You?" Dhun asked.

"Sir said 'get out of my class'. So here I am."

"Again?" Dhun asked. "Rith how many times is this in this semester?"

"Isn't this the second time? Last time when I got late. And this is the second time." Rithvik asked confused.

Dhun thought back and say, "Yeah. Right." She realised she had counted in the times she reversed as well.

She looked back at the girls dancing. Rithvik stared at Dhun. Then he looked at the girls dance, and appeared strangely peaceful now. After a while, he yawned. "Hm...sleepy." He mumbled.

"Then go to sleep." Dhun told him, "I will wake you when this hour is over."

"Really? Thanks." He turned around and jumped down to a bench. He put his head to the desk and closed his eyes.

Later when the hour was about to be over, the students prepared to go to their classes. Dhun got down from the bench and looked at Rithvik still sleeping. The girls said bye to Dhun and walked out, leaving her alone with Rithvik in the class.

Dhun went to Rithvik to wake him up. But he was having a peaceful expression while he was sleeping. And he was smiling as if he was in a dream. She moved closer. And kept looking at him, with love in her eyes, because he looked cute. Dhun couldn't help it, her hand move closer to his hair. But Rithvik was having a dream.

In the dream, Rithvik was sleeping and the girl wakes up beside him. She comes closer and kisses the side of his head, and he smiles.

Dhun's hand was about to touch Rithvik's hair when she stopped herself. She realized her mistake and is about to move her hand back, But Rith suddenly caught her hand and jumped up. Dhun was startled. She stepped back." Eh.. the bell is about to ring. I was just trying to wake you." She managed to say.

For some reason, Rithvik was also kind of breathless. He was looking at Dhun intensely. Like searching for something. His eyes fall onto his hand grabbing her hand. Rithvik had quickly grabbed her hand, which has the handkerchief on it. And on the impact, the handkerchief had moved up a few centimetres. He let go of her hand apologetically. But now, since her handkerchief went up, her tattoo was showing. Rithvik noticed the tattoo. He caught her hand immediately with a bit too much force and bring her hand close up for him to examine the tattoo. Dhun was in shock and trouble now. Rithvik's eyes stayed on the tattoo and then looked up at Dhun.

"It's just a tattoo," Dhun said.

But Rithvik looked really overwhelmed with confusion and all kind of feelings. Dhun hid the tattoo by covering it with her other hand. The bell rang just then. "The bell. We should go," Dhun said.

She turned around. Rithvik did not move. Dhun looked back at him and then decided it's better if she goes away. She walked away from there, leaving him alone.

Rithvik came back home and just carelessly drop his bag away and lie on the bed. He was really distressed

He was having image flashes.

Dhun's laughter, Rithvik lying on Dhun's lap and they smiling at each other, Rithvik's hand moving in Dhun's hair as she looks at him, Rithvik and Dhun's kiss in the backstage of the concert. Them looking up at the fireworks.

But in all these, he now could see her face. Properly. And these were not dreams. He could see it in his mind even when he was awake. Rithvik sat up looking really confused and tormented.