"With, or without your will 'this' time, your mom said." Arranya says neutrally.

Aviral eventually sighed, neck bent down towards the ground looking at small pebbles near his feet and Arranya's.

He inhaled deeply, gradually rotating his neck back up to look at Arranya whose attention was already at him that pursued a small smile on his face.

"Am I too ethereal to look at?" Aviral chuckled lifting his eyebrows in pride knowingly that a stern insult is on his way but he enjoyed the moment.

"Sure, you're too irreal to look at," Arranya says synchronising the word 'irreal' with 'ethereal' so they sounded almost the same that baffled Aviral for a minimal second until he realised that it was an insult like he saw coming and not that she agreed about him being ethereal.

Both of them laughed at their silly jokes to their way back home and laid to sleep soon but one had her mind of peace whereas the other one was utterly disturbed which did hinder his diurnal cycle tonight which is gonna affect his studies and upcoming exams from tomorrow.

They've spent 3 months together and this is their first exam from tomorrow onwards so they do need rest but seems like, Aviral has more to think about tonight rather than his exams and career.

Arranya did have a peaceful state of mind but when her phone pinged with a notification of 'oye' her heart thumped like anything.

It was Vansh.

There's no point in ignoring him at this stage of life where she knows that he's gonna show up everyday in front of her so they do require a closure so that none bothers each other with their presence so, Ari gets up to sit with the support of the headboard behind her bed and opened his chat.

It's past 12 am and she has exams from tomorrow so calculating that she'll sleep by 12:30, she texted him back a 'hoye' which used to be their love language with each other.

She taught Vansh this 'oye-hoye' at that time when she was so into their friendship trying to build it stronger back then in their 12th grade.

The message was seen in a nanosecond as if he was waiting for her reply.

Vansh:
How are you?

Arranya:
Good, you?

Vansh:
Me too. I just wanted to talk for
a while to clear things up.
It's becoming a baggage slowly.

Arranya:
Okay, go on.

Vansh:
Shall we...meet tomorrow?

Arranya:
I've exams starting from tomorrow,
Might not be possible for the next
2 weeks.

Vansh:
Oh, not even after the exam?
Like you guys go to library
everyday so...?

Arranya:
We do but it's for studies. Let's
talk about whatever after
2 weeks, yeah?

Vansh:
Okay then, all the best though!
I'm sure you'll do great :D

Arranya:
Thanks! Good night.

Vansh:
Good night!

"Ugh! What a great convo."

Arranya wished to split her phone into pieces after the conversation with her ex best friend.

"Whatever Ari, whatever, focus okay? You've come here after so much of struggles so don't let it drain your peace, cool! You're strong."

A small pep talk with several deep breathes of mediation, Ari had gone to bed but Aviral who lives on the upper floor to hers was still in the web of emotions.

His father is in a critical condition, his mom doesn't care about his father, his mom wants him to get married to his ex without his will and send him abroad. Why?

"Argh, frick it up, I don't care anymore."

Aviral as well after overthinking for the following hour laid back down to sleep.

"I hope Ruhi understands though... we cannot get married- not now, not in future," he says to himself with a pitiful heart before eventually falling asleep after the busy day.

Morning sun rose up like everyday splashing through Arranya's eyes, asking the poor tired girl to rise up from her slumber just like her alarm did.

She switched the alarm off and got ready within 20 minutes, her backpack and everything else all set so she steps out with an apple in her hand and tries to lock the gate.

"Lemme help?" Aviral's voice echoed from her right as he stepped down from his room but the same time he offered help, her door locked and he declined the call he was receiving from his mother.

"Haha, even my lock doesn't want to be locked by you," she playfully chuckled and scurried down quickly to leave the house but both of them were halted by a screech from the ground floor neighbours.

"Bacchas, stop stop stop," Mrs. Sheetal was their ground floor neighbour who stopped both of them with a bowl of curd and sugar.

Aviral's phone buzzed again but he ignored once more smiling at their neighbour, greeting her morning as he touched her feet.

"Have it, quickly. Ari, your mum called me yesterday to make you both eat dahi cheeni before you sit in your exams today so here," she stuffs a spoonful into Arranya's mouth first and then Aviral's.

But the boy wasn't exuberant that he got blessings early in the morning, he was somewhere concealing his smile when he ate from the same spoon as Arranya. This is weird for even him but- okay, let's move on.

Not too long when both of them met Anna and Samar at the college gate with faces aired like balloons in anger. They're still upset about last night perhaps but Ari hauled her best friend with her and the boys following them.

Aviral received a call before reaching his class again but he had to switch his phone off and submit it to the professor feeling relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about his mom for the next 2 hours at least.

First exam of theirs went well, academics are going good but their friendship is going down. Aviral didn't explain to the duo as he was holding back for them to calm down but seems like he gotta fight it out with both them if they keep behaving a certain way like this.

"Anna, I'll stay with you for the upcoming days till our exams end. It's too hectic waking up early to get the metro and travel so long to the college. I'll go back to take my stuff from PG." Arranya informs with a sigh catching Aviral's attention.

This is a good idea, if he stays with Samar in his hostel then he can make it upto him. Great!

"Thanks Ari, you're the best," he thanks the girl internally with an electrified mind and says to Samar.

"I'll also stay with buddy-"

"I don't have an extra bed," Samar denies even before Aviral could complete, gifting him disappointment but Aviral lifted his spirit.

"Doesn't matter, I'll sleep on the floor,"

Samar looks back at the boy, half rotated with a pissed expression that Aviral easily grabbed and circled his arm around Samar's neck in joy thinking his tactics melted his aggravated best friend.

"Whatever, I don't really care whether you sleep on the floor or the road,"

Samar hissed but Aviral laughed.

"Let's go Ari," As Aviral ditched Arranya from Anna's hold pissing her friend at his actions as he was way too overjoyed to give his reaction at that, they had a hindering call on Arranya's phone.

"Aye aye wait, Aviral, hello?" Arranya answers the call quickly realising it later that she mistakenly received Vansh's call in hurry.

"Hi, I see you're done with your exam, shall we go out? I'm actually not going to be here after 2 weeks as you asked cause something came up at home so I'll be leaving day after tomorrow," she hears seeing everywhere to encounter Vansh in the opposite direction than hers.

All her friends gawking at her when she nodded seeing in Vansh's direction and hung up.

Arranya's eyes pecked Aviral's gaze who stood by for her to explain why she had that guilty expression.

"Umm," she hesitated but Aviral nodded with lifted brows. With an exhale, Arranya queried to the lost boy.

"Can you please... pack my stuff as well? Just don't touch the right drawer of my cupboard,"

Fanfic Cloud Community!

➜ . Writer:

—  seekerbangtan

➜ . Reviewing and editing team:

—  _BLACKSPADESZ
—  Snowylino

—  Vivi_0304

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