It had been three days since he saw anika. The first day, he waited for her in the college and found her she didn't come to college on that particular day from her classmate who turns out to be her best friend Avanthika. He went back to his house disappointedly. On the second day, He went to her Apartment and Impatiently waited for her to come out in the park. But she didn't come out. He also enquired about her to parmila who was her friend.

"It has been a month since i saw her," Parmila said.

He looked at the phone which he gifted to her in his hand. And thought how he hurt her with his distance. but he can't hurt her now. Wiping all his hesitation, He went towards her house. Heaving in a deep breathe, he knocked on the door. Her father acknowledged him.

"Shivaay" He exclaimed with a smile when he saw shivaay in his doorstep. He invited him inside. Everyone had a smile in their face seeing shivaay over there except anika's mom who stared at him suspiciously. Shivaay didn't notice that and asked for anika for the very next second.

"She is not in the town, dear..." Anika's mom said in an instant and made everyone to look at her suspiciously.

"She went to her grandma's house in Kumbakonam (a temple town of Tamilnadu)" Anika's father told in a calm town while looking suspiciously at Anika's mom.

"Kumbakonam?" shivaay asked him in a dull tone.

"She will be back in two days..." he said and asked him to contact her over the phone and he couldn't able to ask him for her contact number which she changed before two days. He went back to his home, but there was no patientness left in him to wait for her another two days.

Where on the other hand, Anika's father confronted his wife for his behaviour with shivaay which he personally didn't like.

"I think they both are dating..." Her mom told it to him when he asked her question after question and he became spellbound for a few minutes.

"You think or you confirm," he asked her.

"I am her mother, I know about my daughter, For the past days, she looked so depressed, It's not because of the inferiority. It's because he left the city, on that day, i literally had to drag her out of his house..." Her mom said to him.

"Okay..." - he said while immersing him in deep thought.

"I said your daughter is dating someone..." - Her mom said in fury.

"Tell me, when and how we got married?" - He asked her in return.

"What are you saying?" She pissed off "How can be so cool?"

"What are you expecting me to do? to arrest her in the house and give her strict warning that she should not meet him ever in her life" - Her father asked her. she remained silent.

"See, She's eighteen, She's at the age of confusion... You know about your daughter, she has grown up at her own space, we gave her freedom to choose her career, we raised her like this" - Her father said in a clarified tone. 

"Now she's playing with her life..." Her mom argued. 

"Let her learn from her own mistakes... And I taught her how to fly, Now i can't arrest her in a cage..."  - Her father asked. 

"She is just eighteen...  he's not the right guy for my daughter, I don't know but I am having gut-feeling, he will definitely be going to break her heart..." - Her mom said with welled up eyes. 

"I said, she has to learn from her own mistakes, And as parents, we just had to make sure that she's not doing any mistakes that she regrets for the rest of her life"  - Her father said and consoled her but her mom didn't agree to him wholeheartedly.

On the other hand, Shivaay reached Khushi's house in the early morning to seek help from her because she could be the only one to help him to reach her. She opened the door and surprised to see shivaay at that time. 

"Hi... shivaay," Khushi asked him. 

"Hi...Khushi..." - shivaay exhaled and no words came from his mouth. 

"What are you doing" Khushi checked her watch "at this hour" she completed the sentence. 

"I want help from you..." - Shivaay asked. 

"Help..." - she crossed her arm And stared at him. 

"Please... You would have guessed what will i ask?" - Shivaay asked her. 

"You know right, I am working as an assistant professor in the college where you guys are studying..." - Khushi asked him. 

"I know, I had no other way to go... For the past four days, I am trying to meet her... I also went to her house and come to know that she went to her granny's place... I don't even have her number... please i can't take it..." - Shivaay said it in a go and exhaled. 

"You knew it, Right, She tried to contact you for the past six months..." - Khushi asked him. Shivaay didn't say anything. 

"Please..." that was the only word left in him for her. 

"She came back last night, she will come to college today, meet her directly there..."  - Khushi said in a cold tone. 

"But her father said she will come after two days..." - Shivaay asked. 

"Techofestival, intercollege cultural got preponed... And she's the part of the core managing team, so she should come..." - Khushi said in a calm tone. Heaving a deep breath, he smiled at her. 

"Then..." - Khushi asked him.

"Then..." - he asked her. 

"Want your bed coffee?"  - Khushi asked him. 

"No... "- he replied. 

"But i have to have my bed coffee... So can you please?" - Khushi asked him. 

"Yeah... I will leave... Thank you so much..." - Shivaay said with a smile. 

 ******************

"What are we doing in the public library?" - Ritwik, Arushi's fiance asked her. But she wasn't ready to explain anything to him. she stayed silent and took off her coolers when she entered into the library. 

"Periodical section?" - she asked one of the authorities and proceeded to the first floor with confused ritwik. she tried to ask about it in every way but she didn't answer any of his questions. 

"Search for 1992 March 1 Newspaper..." - She asked ritwik, signing heavily, he started to search. Both found all the newspaper on a particular day. he gave it to her, she snatched it from his hands and started to analyze the paper. she stopped analyzing when she found the newspaper. 

TWO DEAD-BODIES OF THE DIVORCED COUPLE FOUND IN THE BANK OF KATHANPARA WATERFALLS.  - Ritwik read aloud and slightly shaken to see shivaay and anika's photo attached in the newspapers. 

"Kathanpara waterfalls?" -He whispered. 

"Wayanad... It's in Wayanad..." - she broke the vow and answered him.

"Accha's birthplace..."  - Aru added. Ritwik still stayed in silence. Even she wanted to go, her promise to her father stopped her from taking that decision. After enough analyzing the issue they moved towards the lift which stopped working because of sudden power cut in the library. they moved towards the stairs. 

"Can you please tell me, What's going inside your head, at least now?" - Ritwik asked but her eyes froze on the symbol which she saw in one of the mythological books. she immediately opened her sleeve and shocked to same symbol in her forearm. 

"Aru..." - she heard ritwik voice from the downstairs. Instead of taking and reading that book she started to run towards the downstairs in fear. She hugged ritwik in an instant. She knew not only her even Avinash have the same tattoo in his right forearm. 

"Hey, What happened?" - He asked her. she nodded no and asked him to take her away from this place. And gone back to her mute mode. 

"I can sense something is bothering you, can you please tell me?" - Ritwik asked her. 

"I want to go to Wayanad... book the tickets for me..." - She replied instead. 

"Wayanad?" - Ritwik questioned her. 

"Yeah, Wayanad... Now i have to go..." - she said to Ritwik. 

On the other hand, Avinash didn't stay in peace after reading the whole story. He desperately wanted to know what happened to his mom after getting married to his father. He also knew the one who could answer to that question was none other than his maternal grandmother. He took the flight to Kolkatta from Bangalore. Till five years, he had been lived with his maternal grandparent's house but after their parents death, Arushi and Avinash custody went to nivansh, shivaay's friend and his wife Nivedita, Who took care of them like their own children. But when they asked about their parents, they didn't have any answers for his question. Having His grandmother as his last hope, he went to Kolkatta. 

*************

Anika arrived at her college wearing a t-shirt and jeans specially made for the students in the core team. Shivaay got a chance of joining but he denied it as his father strictly asked him to focus on the studies. He became a robot and did what his father said to him, merely. He looked at her from one corner but didn't gather any courage to go and confront her. Anika, on the other hand, became busy with the cultural calling the chief guests and take them to the event. He merely followed her.

"You know ani... that weirdo came and asked about you before two days..." - Avanthika said when they were working on the night DJ event for the cultural. For a second, she stopped working and looked at her. Tears automatically formed in her eyes. 

"Who? Shivaay?"- she asked Avanthika. 

"Yeah, The same..." - she said and started to check the Speakers. Speakers were right next to her and banging in its high frequency but Anika stayed at the same place. 

"Ani..." - bhavya pulled her back when she lost her in his thought. 

"Singers are on the way..." - Bhavya said.

"Ani... you check the camera, I will go and help the seniors..." - Avanthika said and left the place. Anika shrugged off the thoughts and started to check the cameras and projection. But she had no idea her every activity had been noticing by someone. 

Even though she officially ended the relationship on her side, Her heart was not agreeing to overcome and move on. Even she tried by going to her paternal grandmother place but nothing works. Every second, every moment surrounds around him. When Avantika told her about shivaay, she couldn't help herself from going to the same path. 

"Ani... Today stay with us in the hostel... I think it will take at least one in the morning to get over..." - Bhavya said. she agreed and informed her mother in the phone, Initially, she denied but sensing the truth in her voice she granted her the permission. They finally get into the largest DJ Floor which was in her ground and started to dance like a mad. 

The cherry on the top, They started to give neon power to everyone. Music showering, on one hand, Playing with the colours on the other hand. The students started to enjoy the real joy of adultness. There were only smiles and laugher. Only Friends could able to divert you from the feeling which hurting day and night. As the DJ party happening inside the campus, girls and boys are both enjoying in different sections. 

The disturbance started when some drunken boys entered into the girl's section and touched the girls. When one of the boys came to touch dancing anika. A hand stopped him, Instead of creating chaos for her, He started to yell in pain as he twisted his hands. The music stopped and every eye focused on him.

"Shivaay..." - Anika whispered in shock when the disco lights flicker on the person's face who twisting the other boys hand.

******************************

TO BE CONTINUED....