You can't skip chapters of life, that’s not how it works. We are destined to meet a set of people who may bring positive as well as negative effects to your life. You won't enjoy it while there would be things that would make you cry for weeks. You will read things you don’t want to read, you will have moments when you don’t want the pages to end. But you have to keep going. Stories keep the world revolving. You might regret a few things but that can't be changed or can it be? In my case, the answer is no. One can get a chance to rectify themselves if they commit a mistake but something done on purpose isn't forgivable. I was never interested in what people did earlier. She was the first person I ever stalked and I didn't know why. I never liked her, stalking someone about whom you have been uninterested for your entire life is strange, isn't it?

The old library had a few tall walls of ancient volumes, though mostly they are now a sort of decoration to set the scene. There was the constant whizz of the printer, the constant tap of the keyboards, the constant scratch of a pen on paper, and the constant flick of a book.

"Tum hamesha padhti rehti ho kya?"
I asked as I sat on the table placed next to hers. Her moments stilled as she heard me, gripping her pencil which she was using to solve sums. Neither of us moved a muscle. Everything seemed to have stalled, I could hear my heartbeat and her nervous breaths. Two sets of footsteps were coming toward us. One was heavy and slow, like an adult's while the other seemed quicker and lighter. She shifted uncomfortably and continued scribbling in her book. "Tum baat nahi karti kya? Din bhar apni voh ek dost se baate karti ho aur jab mai tumse kuch puch raha hu toh muh se aawaz hi nahi nikal rahi hai tumhari."

"Aaj chand kaha se nikla hai? Tum jaise nawabzaade ko achanak padhai mai dhyan kab se lagane lage? Aur tum aise ladke ke sath kya kar rahe ho?"

"Papa-Sir, hume project mila hai isliye yaha aaye hai."

"Baki sab mar gaye kya ki tujhe issi ke saath project karne ko mila. Tum ek din mera naak katogi samaj mai, isse acha mar hi jati tum." Rakesh Aggarwal was a short-tempered librarian of our university. He was also the father of Naina. He wasn't someone I got along with well. He tried all ways to degrade me and my family which made our relationship much more bitter. As he left I shifted my vision towards Naina who was pensively looking into the distance, and her eyes reflected either deep sadness or cool tranquility.

"Mujhse library mai kabhi baat mat karna." She said, staring at me for a few moments and then averting her eyes. Her voice was so gentle that it could calm the oceans. "Lekin kyu?"

"Mein nahi chahti ki papa kuch galat samjhe aur tumhe galat bole."

I sat back and observed her leave the library. I had people in my life who stayed with me but not really. Whether we talk every day, at all, or not at all. I knew who was a well-wisher and who kept things real. I knew who would talk about me and then smile at my face. I knew who I could trust and who I needed to keep a distance from. The only person I trusted the most before I met Munna and Pandit was Nanu.

When I was young my family moved houses a lot. I never really had a place where I grew up as a child. After my father died in an accident my mother married a Delhi-based businessman. However, there was one place that never really changed and that was my grandparent's house. His house was like my second home. No one could ever be able to change me but Nanu did have some supernatural realm.

The roads shimmered in the heat of the midday sun. The sunlit skyscrapers pierced the hot, blue sky. "Aap itna sab hone ke baad bhi Sameer ki tarafdari kar rahe ho. Agar aap uski har baat ko sahi kahoge toh woh bigad jayega."

"Bacha hai voh, Vishaka. Galtiyan har kisi se hoti hai. Sameer jo chizo se guzar raha hai usmai tumhari bhi toh galti hai."

"Hum meri bare mai baat nahi kar rahe hai Papa. Sameer dusri baar bhagkar aaya hai boarding school se aap phir bhi uski tarafdari kar rahe ho. Woh kisi ki baat sunta bhi nahi hai." Vishaka said dismissively. She stared at the sprinting trees and looked at the huge painted hoardings.

"Agar bacho se dost bankar baat karogi tab voh baato ko samjate hai. Jis chizo se Sameer guzar raha hai, usse abhi ek ghar chahiye, log chahiye jis par voh vishwas kar sake."

"Woh nahi aana chahta Delhi, usse nahi pasand Rohan aur Deepika ke saath rehna, ab woh nahi aana chahta toh mai usse kaise zabardasti lekar jau vaha?"

"Voh nahi chahta ki tum nahi lekar jana chahti ho. Sameer ko vapas boarding school jaane mai nahi dunga, agar usse vaha padhna nahi pasand toh woh vaha nahi jayega aur mere saath hi rahega, Ahmedabad mai."

Sometimes, we need someone who believes in us in our lives. Someone who trusts more than you trust yourself. Every single human is enduring stress nowadays. Even though 'parenting' wasn't a matter of concern in society, Nanu was way beyond all these concepts.

I wanted to speak about so many things that day with her, I had so many questions to ask her but it didn't turn out the way I thought. Destiny has its own pace of things, that's what Nanu always said. I joined a nearby convent school and decided to stay at Nanu's place. Though my mother wasn't happy with this decision, Nanu always stayed by my side.

I walked out of the library as Naina's father passed me a disgusting look. I noticed other students walking, talking, couples did maintain a distance as they moved around with shy faces.

"Kaha chala gaya tha bhai tu?" Munna asked me as he came towards me along with Pandit. "Tu library main gaya tha?" Pandit's eyes widened, taking in more light.

"Bas man tha us safari suit se bidne ka toh yaha agaya." I lied, leaning against the railing.

"Aaj woh Tibrewal phirse behenji ko dekh raha tha class mai." Munna said as he pointed out Sanjay Tebriwal in the crowd staring at her.

"Behenji yani Naina?"

"Aur kisse hum behenji bulate hai?" Pandit replied as they laughed. There is a voice inside us that whispers "I feel this is the right thing while I know this is wrong." There were a lot of things I didn't know about her and I was too curious to know.

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Happy New Year!! ✨💞

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