How does it feel when just a day before your life was perfect, well not perfect but you were satisfied and then all of a sudden a stranger comes up and start making your life confusing? Well, I'll tell you how it feels - it feels like you're lost in a maze and confusion is all that surrounds you.

There were questions surrouding me and not finding the answers to those questions made me frustrated. What did this guy want from me when by walking away I made it clear that it was the end of our short lived friendship?

Why was he so desperate to talk to me that he had to call me and could not wait till tomorrow to meet me in the school and talk?

Most of all, where the hell did he get my number from?

My first instinct was to hang up and block his number but before I could do that he spoke up, "See, just don't hang up. At least listen to what I have to say to you."

Viren was literally pleading on the phone and that made me listen to him but I didn't speak anything I just stayed quite.

"Well, I'll take your silence as an answer that you're ready to listen to me," he said and I could feel the hint of smile in his voice.

"You've got only two minutes to explain yourself," I finally spoke up.

"Oh, well I'm not going to talk here on the phone with you. We'll talk when we meet tomorrow."

What? If he was not going to talk then why the hell did he have to call me, to let me know he has found my number?

"Why did you call me then?" I asked.

"Because I wanted to make sure that tomorrow when we talk it should be only you and me," he replied and his words made me wonder what kind of talk was it going to be if he wanted privacy.

"Okay," I agreed, I just told myself that I had to listen to his side of story too before judging anyone and I had a few questions to ask him as well.

"Well, meet me tomorrow near the fire exit before the classes start."

He had to be kidding me, I wasn't going to meet him there where basically no one went, except of course the couples who wanted to make out. He wanted privacy, I understand but meeting him alone was enough privacy.

"We're not meeting there," if he doesn't agree to meet somewhere else, well he can forget about meeting me at all.

"You suggest then?" I didn't know it was this easy that I didn't even have to convince him.

"Cafeteria, and no arguments it's final," I said and without giving him a chance to argue I hung up on the phone.

All this while Nishant was watching me cautiously and I knew when we would go up to the park and sit, he's going to ask everything that's been happening. That silly boy doesn't knows that he doesn't needs to ask it, I would tell him anyway.

"Shall we go?" He asked and I nodded.

The park in the area was not too big, but it was enough for the people living here to come here for morning or evening walk. Nishant and I have been coming here since childhood and it always gives me a feeling of nostalgia. There were few swings for the children which were right now occupied by the kids of our neighbour.

Nishant and I made our way to a bench where we usually sat and both of us took a seat.

"So, what's up?" He asked and I knew he was referring to the phone call.

"Well, I met a guy in the school today and it was him who called me right now," I started and got only a confused expression from Nishant.

I continued and explained all the events of the day that occured from Viren stalking me to Karan telling me about Viren being interested to me. Nishant listened to me patiently but all this while he looked deep in thought because his brows were furrowed and he looked confused, just like I was.

"What did he say when he called you right now?" He finally spoke up.

"That he wanted to talk to me tomorrow in school, alone may I add," I said.

"Oh," he said but then looked at me. "Are you going to listen to him, what he has to say?" He asked and his words made me think about it, I wasn't sure whether it was a good idea.

"What do you think I should do?" I questioned him instead of answering.

"If I have to be totally honest with you, which I always am I think you should really consider talking to him once. He might be interested in you Tanvi but he might not have had any bad intentions other than being friends with you. You should listen to his side of part and you shouldn't judge him with what happened today. Being a boy myself I know if he called you and is making sure you don't interpret him in a bad way he cares about what you think of him. And knowing you since forever my friend, I know you too are curious to know what he has to say." He finished and winked at me.

This is why Nishant was my favourite person, he was always honest about what he thought and he always said the right things at the right time. He understood me and knew me well to know that I wanted to know what Viren has to say to me. Most of all, he didn't give biased suggestions just because he was my best friend he stated what was correct and should be done.

Instead of saying anything I just hugged Nishant, and that hug itself said 'I'm glad to have you'

"I don't know what I would do in my life if you weren't there," I said and he hugged me back.

There were very few people in my life I could rely on, Nishant was one of them.

"Are you planning to strangle me to death just to know the answer of that question?" He teased and that's when I realized I was hugging him too tight. I immediately backed off and Nishant was grinning.

After that we just sat in the park and talked about every other stupid stuff until it got dark and we made our way towards our home.

Nishant was my neighbour and according to us, there couldn't be better things happening to our friendship and having our home just next door was the best thing.

I stumbled in my bed and started to check the homework I got, I might not be a nerd but my notebooks were always up to date. There were only two subject's work to be done so I started it just then.

When I was almost finished with my work, the door of my room opened and standing there was Vaibhav.

"What do you want?" I snapped at him, I was still mad at him for the way he talked to me earlier.

"Um. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He was not being his normal self if just right now he came to my room and asked to talk to me, even when he asked that he didn't seem sure of himself.

"Yeah, come." I said and patted on the empty space of my bed and offered him to sit. He took a seat but didn't say anything for a while.

"Is everything okay?" I asked him and he looked at me.

"It's about Ananya."

Well, I knew that already. It had to be about Ananya.

"I know," I said and he looked at me in confusion.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"When you're this mad about something it has to be about Ananya," I replied and he just smiled to himself. "So, what happened. What did you do this time?" I asked and he gave me a look.

"Why do you think it's always me who does something wrong? It was anyway a bad idea to come here and talk to you," he said and got up from the bad.

This guy and his temper!

"Okay, I'm sorry I'll keep myself shut. Just sit down and tell me what happened," I said and he did just that.

"It's her birthday next month, in november. Basically two weeks from now," he said and before he could continue the door of my room opened and my father was standing there.

"Hey Dad," I said and smiled at him while I heard Vaibhav cursing under his breath, well I would've done that too if it would've been someone else disturbing this conversation because it's not daily my brother comes to talk to me but I loved my father and spending time with him was my favourite part of the day.

"Hey, how're you both?" He asked looking at two of us.

"We're good," I answered from both of our sides.

"Dinner's ready," Mum shouted from the kitchen. Vaibhav and I got up from the bed and then three of us made our way to the living room.

After helping my mother serve the dinner and devouring all the food I got back to my room wishing everyone goodnight. I knew Vaibhav wouldn't talk to me about it today, so I thought better to ask him tomorrow.

I quickly finished the last few questions from my homework and switched off the lights.

While I layed on my bed, all the events of the day came up to my mind and it felt like such a long day had gone. My phone's light was flashing and I took a look towards it. There was a message from an unknown number but I recognised it as Viren's.

*Goodnight* It said.

I didn't reply to his message and after saving his number I switched off my phone.

Before anymore thoughts could creep up to mind, I dozed off to sleep.

-

I had been waiting in the cafeteria fromast ten minutes for Viren and yet he hadn't come. Thoughts came to my mind which indicated that he might have forgotten that he had to meet me, considering those thoughts I got up from the chair and was about to leave our small school cafeteria when I saw him enter.

He looked around and when he saw me, he waved and I just replied with a smile. Since the time I woke up, I've been convincing myself to listen to his side of story patiently and not to snap at him.

"Hey," he said as he approached me.

"Hi,"

"Do you want coffee or anything? I'll get it for you," he offered and I just shook my head.

"I don't have much time. Let's get straight to the topic," I've been trying to be as nice as possible but if he just doesn't starts speaking it will get harder for me.

"Oh, okay. Um.." he started but then didn't seem to find words to say.

"Go on," I pushed him to speak and that actually worked when he started again,

"Listen Tanvi, firstly forget what Karan said yesterday okay? I know keeping that in mind you would never be able to think clearly about what I'm going to tell you,"

I nodded and tried to pretend for few minutes that Karan didn't exist in this whole situation, which was very difficult because his brown eyes kept coming back in my mind.

"The reason I came to you yesterday was to know your name, I've been watching you around these days and I might be attracted to you, like of course, you're beautiful. You were right about me stalking you, but it was with no bad intentions. I just wanted to be friends with you and right now though you do not believe me, I'm being completely honest with you.

"Yesterday, when Varnika asked me what I had to do with your name I honestly told her about me being attracted towards you but your friend Shanaya misinterpreted that. I do not want a relationship or anything with you, I just wanted to be friends with you to begin with. I'm not the kind of the guy you're thinking I am. I'm a very straight forward kind of person - if I wanted anything with you more than friendship I would've said that to your face instead of asking you for being friends." He stopped speaking and took a long breath and continued, "Well, all I want to say is that not all the boys are same. Not all the boys who are interested in friendship want more of it."

His long speech made me completely speechless. If I concentrated on what Viren said right now, he was right and it made me feel like a fool for over reacting yesterday. I hardly knew this person and yet I judged him a lot of times in my mind which was very wrong.

"I don't know what to say," I stated honestly.

"Well, you don't even have to say anything Tanvi. I don't even expect you to. Just answer one question," I expected Viren to demand a reply but to my surprise he understood.

"Um yeah?"

"Would you still want to break this new friendship?" He asked and that made me feel guilty for thinking of him as a bad person. He was understanding and most of all, even after everything he still offered to be friends.

"Um, I guess no." I answered, and I meant it.

"So we're friends then?" He asked, and a smile made it's way to his face. A smile that I found too cute when I first saw this guy.

"Yeah, friends." I agreed and it was me this time who took forward my hand to shake and he shook it grinning from ear to ear.

"So, you're friendzoned now,"

It wasn't Viren or I who spoke this time, the sound came from the third person who I guess was eavesdropping all this times - Karan, and on his face was plastered a smirk.

x-x

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