*Not edited
* dedicated to @Priyavenka
* past in italics
* thoughts are also in italics
* Please vote and comment.

Sara took a sip from her chocolate milk shake and looked at the Ajay who is sitting infront of her like an alien who is stranded alone in mars.

"What happened Ajay? You are fearing me." she talked after a five long minutes of silence.

And in reply he just glared her. It would be a lie if Sara told that she is not afraid of Ajay.

His red swollen eyes indicated that he drank last night which is nothing ususal. And his eyes expressed anger which Sara knows is being directed towards her.

The last time she saw Ajay like this was when they both are at US and Aparna informed Ajay about her marriage with Ashwin. They fought that day and he ended up like this which made her doubt another fight between these two.

"Ajay..." she reached out to hold his hand and he moved his hands away.

"What did you said to Aparna?" his voice was low and cold which send shivers through her spine.

The dim lights placed above her dinning table made the scene worse. Sara did expected to witness his wrath when he called to meet her in early morning itself. But she regretted choosing her residence as the meeting spot. A crowded space would have made it more easier.

"Open you non stop mouth now and tell me what you said to Aparna" he didn't shouted but the intensity in his eyes was enough to scare the hell out of her.

"I-" Sara stumbled it was highly unlikely of her, but this man before her is doing everything.

"I said that you loved form the start that is why you are not ready to move on" she said in one breath and the next second Ajay's fingers touched her cheeks with a force which made her yelp in pain.

Her eyes welled up with the pain she felt in her face and in her heart. But she composed herself. She always expected this.

"Why would you say something nonsense like that Aparna" this time he was not angry but worried.

"Because your friend is a stupid Ajay" Ajay felt an anger raising inside him with her words, but he controlled himself. He is already feeling guilty of. Slapping her once.

"Her mind won't think in one way. She don't know what she wants, she won't believe in anything her heart says. She can be easily manipulated and she has to grew up" Sara raised her voice in the end as the tears escaped her eyes.

"she is just a baby Sara, and you confused her more" Ajay's words expressed pure agony.

"She is not a baby anymore Ajay, she is 27 for God's sake and it was you and that Ashwin who spoiled her by pampering. If only that idiot talked openly with her insteed of hiding things she wouldn't have left him. If only you made her understand things not minding her getting hurt for a while she would have understood Ashwin's importance in her life "Sara words startled Ajay.

" stop talking nonsense Sara, why did you told her that I loved her? Are you mad to say things like that " Ajay screamed this time and Sara chucked.

"She asked me to marry her you idiot. She told me to marry her if I respect our friendship. How can I marry her? And all of this is because of you" Ajay threw his words like daggers.

"let me be the mad, senseless idiot Ajay. What about your best friend. Who would ask a person to marry her when she herself knows that she can't love that person ever again?" Sara paused to read Ajay's emotions.

"She knows that she loves Ashwin, she knows that she can't love you ever, she knows that marrying you will make both of your life a hell, yet she decided to that, why Ajay? Tell me now? Who am I for her to believe whatever I said? She has to grow up Ajay" Sara's said placing her hands above his.

"She is doing the same mistake again and again and atleast now she should understand that. She left Ashwin believing the words of that Nisha, now she is going to do the same believing me. Last time Ashwin tried stop her making everything worse. Let her go in her own way this time Ajay she will understand that she can't live without Ashwin's" Sara said and Ajay looked at her with mixed emotions.

"who is she? Why did she entered into his life? Why is she helping him this much, why does she care about his future?" Ajay has no idea abouts Sara, but he knows that the god send her to minimize his misery.

"Don't stress yourself Ajay, I know you don't slept last night and didn't ate anything till now. Wait for few minutes I will cook for you. Take a good nap after that" she said with a smile.

'And when you go back Aparna would have realized her mistake, she will tell you that she is going to be with Ashwin, but if she forced you to marry someone else. That's not in my hand " she chuckled and Ajay smiled as Sara' s words gave him a new assurence that everything is going to be okay.

Aparna looked at the Ashwin who was working in his laptop.

"how did you decided to marry Ajay leaving the person who is behind you like a love sick puppy?" her conscious questioned her.

When Aparna woke up in the morning Ajay was gone and Aparna felt bad for asking him to marry her all of  sudden.

"I should really gone insane to ask something like that to Ajay" she said to herself and her mind remembered her the meet she had with Sara the previous day.

"Why are you there at my residence yesterday?" Aparna asked and Sara maintained silence for few minutes before she spoke.

"I came to meet my friend" she was calm.

"Friend? Form when... I thought that you considered him as your Enemy in your college days. He had told me about one rich brat who has no manneres and don't know the meaning of the word respect" Aparna smirked.

When Ajay joined his college in US he talked about the one girl who irritated the hell out of him. And it's not hard to remember that it was Sara, the one who is standing before him.

"You shouldn't have asked me this question Aparna" Sara chucked as she continued to speek.

"we became friends form the time, his bestie started ignoring him for her crush and we became best friends when she fought with him and married the man she loved.. But don't worry... We are not as close as you two.. He fought with me few times, when he abounded his career, when he broke his engagement and at many other occasions...and he even slapped me once.. All thanks to you, his bestie who entered into his life again " Sara paused as she saw rage in Aparna's eyes.

" What? Are you balming me for everything now?" Aparna raised her voice.

" How can I balme you when my friend Ajay is the idiot here. He was the coward and sentimental idiot. So why I'm going to balme you?" Sara Smirked.

"What do you want now Sara?" Aparna asked pressing her lips into a thin line.

"can you give me what I want? Can you. Promise me that you will do what is ask then i will say" her words didn't let Aparna think.

"I promise" Sara smirked.

"Give me back the old Ajay Aparna.. Give me back the Ajay who was carefree, who had no responsibilies, who wanted to achieve great things in science. Give me that same passionate Ajay.. Give back the Ajay you stole from me" Aparna took a step back when she saw a darkness in Sara's face for a second.

"I didn't changed Ajay, I didn't even asked him to do anything for me.. He this for the sake of our friendship" she uttered and Sara laughed.

"friendship? Friendship... You think he did all these for you as you are his friend. No he did all these because that idiot loved you very much... He did everything as he was in love with you form the days he met you" Sara's words shattered Aparna.

"What are you implying Sara, Are you saying that Ajay helped me all these days expecting a chance for himself?" Aparna's words made Sara laugh out loud.

"Don't joke Aparna, all of us knew thay you don't deserves Ajay in your life. I'm just asking you to lead your life, which is laying infront of you. Whatever the problem you have with Ashwin, he won't be here, behind you like this if he didn't loved and cared for you genuinely. Go and live your life and let Ajay live his "Sara said before leaving and Aparna held her head in pain.

Aparna knows that Ajay is going to say no for her anyway, yet she dint want to hurt him if he is still expecting a future with her. She looked at the clock and it showed past 5. She took her bag and reached the entrence. She has to go home and ask sorry for the things she blabbered last night.

She stopped at the entrenched when she saw a group of reporters approaching her. She tried to walk the other way but they covered her.

"Ms. Aparna, are you and your ex-husband are back together? You now delated social media post? What does that mean?" one asked and she tried to step back.

She is really afraid of those flashes and she is not in the mind to answer her nonsense.

"Are you trying to be with him again, because of your financial state, we heard that you left him for your lover years back" another one asked and Aparna's welled up.

She walked back to escape from them but her heals betrayed her and she skidded, before she could touch the ground, she felt two arms around her and it didn't took her more than a second to regonize who that was.

Wrapping his hands around Aptana Ashwin glared at the reporters and they moved back.

"What you want to know now?" he asked in a calm yet deep voice.

"Sir? Your present relationship with Ms. Aparna. Are you together again" one of them asked and he smiled a little.

"we never seperated to be together again. We just gave each other the needed time" he said calmly.

"But she was staying away form you all these days, sir" another one spoke abs Ashwin smiled.

"She wanted to focuses in her career and I wanted to focus on my business, we thought that it's better to do that separately and now after achieving our goals, here we are. Together again" he didn't waited for more questions and walked away with her.

Ans Aparna kept starring at him the whole time. She finally decided what she needs in her life and this time, she is determined to do what her heart and mind wished for.

Here is the next part guys. Enjoy reading.