The confliction was not sorting out when there was so much assurance displayed on Aarush's face. The mental debate kept going in her mind while her heart went through the fears of losing her well-maintained image in front of her best friend.

There could be chances of him having great ideas about her, great description of her personality in his mind which could now change drastically if she would reveal it all. But sometimes, the heart is betrayer at the most crucial moments.

There was a small part in her heart that expected much from him and was creating that two percent of hope and relief she would get by sharing her views. She was still analyzing the situation when suddenly, she realized that Aditi too had gone out to buy some snacks and food items that they were getting short of.

"C'mon! I am not a girl who will spread your little but great secret to everyone. You can expect good from me, Sakshi."

This was it. Her shoulders slumped and eyes turned heavy as she slowly released a sigh of tiredness. Putting her phone aside, she shifted on the furry mattress that they had spread on the floor, ahead of time couch to create their pet studious environment.

Spreading her legs forward, she took the support of the couch and stared far at the wall. She could very well feel his excitement and curiosity rising with the way, he himself shifted so immediately beside her and sitting just like her.

Staring far at the wall, she gulped. All those events from four years ago were flashing in her mind and it was nothing but torturous for her. The hope that had formed from hours-ago meet with her first love—she didn't want to spoil the whole spirit.

"Fairy tales. Heroes. Princes. These were nothing but some tag words for me in my childhood. Never really paid attention to the real love someone experiences. I have been pampered so much all these years from my uncle and Aunt," she said while looking at him. "I never really felt the need of having someone else to love me too. My cousin brother might be cousin. But he is more than that. Always protective and possessive."

"Himself being a bad boy, and knowing how ignorant boys really can be towards girls' feelings, my brother made sure that I was away from all these things." She swallowed while staring up at the wall. "He even sent me to the hostel, you know. My last two years of schooling was done from Dehradun. I lived there and returned on vacations."

Aarush smiled seeing her chuckling. "The only reason was so his friends won't ever dare to even think about dating me." She hummed. "But it all changed when I was returning to Chandigarh after final exams of my last year of school."

"Because of Bhai's on and off romance with my Bhabhi, my family couldn't come to receive me. So I travelled myself. Although, there was distant relative but for half the journey."

Aarush nodded. "Then?"

Sakshi bit her lip. "In the train I was travelling through, I found him." She gulped."

Aarush's eyebrows raised. "Love at first sight?"

Sakshi shook her head. "More like attraction. He was the first guy to ever catch my attention like that. I couldn't stop staring at him. His seat was opposite to mine. It was awkward but sweet. We talked about stations, asked each other about sharing our tiffins, you know." Recalling Shrey's words from years ago, she said, "I had a bad habit of chit-chatting more than I should. I used to talk without thinking, without caring."

Aarush breathed out. "You sound like you were already in love."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "No. I was naive. I was just shy around him. "She glanced at him. "He was so charming. I couldn't resist. I enjoyed his company and to that extent that I even told him to where I was going. I told him about my family and members."

Aarush turned towards her direction slightly while putting arm behind her head on the couch. "Bad hobby. Bad mistake. The worst one was to mention my sister-in-law's name."

Aarush was confused while she told, "His cousin brother was her classmate. He liked her and was heartbroken at knowing about her engagement. Shrey became my friend but in some moments he had made sure to ask my phone number."

"But from then began the cousin's revenge plans. Shrey contacted me, lured me in his love." She breathed in pain that was exploding through her chest. "I felt different. Mature. I tried new things to impress him. We used to meet in Chandigarh. He used to come meet me, even stayed during his college vacations. The fact that he was five years older, used to make me connected to him more. I don't know why he seemed to bring spark in my life."

Aarush stared at her in disbelief. "First love," he murmured tauntingly.

She shook her head. "Only if I knew that it was all to get information about my brother, make me crazy for him so his cousin could get reasons to shame him. The scene worsened when he broke up after my sister-in-law stalked us one day. He fought with me and me, who didn't know his plans and ideas was ruined."

Aarush sucked in a breath. "Damn!" He muttered.

"I was heartbroken. Wrenched. His cousin did worst by creating situations to break my brother's marriage. But you know, the truth cannot be hidden for long. Maybe, long but not never." She gulped. "Their actions had done much damage that my brother was close to spoil his own marriage."

Aarush was shocked while Sakshi nodded. "But things changed when truth finally came out. All those reasons, those misunderstandings were settled. Cousins were punished and threatened to leave the city. Everything was solved."

"But your heart?" asked Aarush knowingly while staring at her with concern etched on his face.

Sakshi lowered her eyes, her throat tightened and felt heavy by the words she was close to pour out.

"I was still in love with him." She glanced at him. "Stupidly. Dumbly. Knowingly. Unfortunately. I still am."

Goosebumps risen on his arms when he saw his innocent best friend's eyes getting numb at even talking about her past. He shook his head in disbelief. "When you get to know, he was bad. He was. You could have moved on."

Sakshi scoffed and laughed out humorlessly. "As if I never tried. I was like a dead soul for ten days in my home until my family started doing ways to cheer me up."

Looking at her lap, she smiled sadly. "Too bad, I am not that strong. Not up to their hopes, not yours." She stared at him.

Aarush swallowed. "What was he like? A good guy?"

Sakshi chuckled sadly. "He was as bad as any other reckless guy with a pretty face. I was the blind one. The innocent little girl fallen for the first time." She leaned back more while sighing.

"But the time I had spent with him—he was a good person. Charming. Jolly. Always teasing me, making me laugh and shy at the same time. He used to talk totally different than my classmates. Maturely. He told me different things. His words used to give me insight of the elder youth."

Aarush too leaned his head, staring at her. His hand reached out to hold hers. "Did you ever feel like he, a little, liked-"

She shook her head already. The blank mask covering her face that could show immense grief if she would remember him for one more time. But Sakshi controlled—she survived four years and grew up. She could continue doing it, easily.

Aarush's jaws clenched as a sudden fury surfaced his mind. "That's utterly shit. How could he do this? He could have apologized cause it wasn't yours fault that his cousin didn't get the girl."

Sakshi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." She gulped hard, feeling like keeping quiet to not display her emotions more. "But he did. He actually didn't care about me at all. I was in the picture to get my brother hurt. Nothing else. I was a spoilt brat, rich girl to whom, he used his charms very well."

Aarush groaned in anger. "Didn't your brother know?"

"He must have."

He looked at her while Sakshi nodded. "My brother never tells us details in things like these where he could settle matters by himself only. And I was in no power and pride to even ask him anything."

Aarush bit his lip. "Right? So that's the end of this one-sided love story?"

Sakshi sighed. "Yeah. Now, when Sakshi Singh Rathore, the stupid-teenager girl turned an adult, independent and educated, with realisations and lessons in her heart and her ambitions in mind—from nowhere, he comes back rolling smoothly in her life through none other than her-"

"Best friend," grimaced Aarush while wiping his sober face, cursing the day he had asked her to accompany him to the court.

_____

The contentment from having such an understanding friend was something Sakshi valued so much. Even when she was walking along Aditi and Aarush, she couldn't really feel any kind of change in his behavior. He was as normal as before. But this didn't make her forget the words he had told her politely last night at their flat.

"I know, you cannot forget him. Not when he is all around the news and in your mind these days. But, all these things are not as of stronger influence that your adult and grown mind holds, Sakshi." She had breathed at his words, shaken her head in denial because her mind wasn't as strong as her heart which was weakening her slowly.

Aarush had held her hand, stared in her eyes. "I too cannot forget her." This had made her look at him immediately. "First love is stubborn, becomes more if it was truer than ever. But time changes our priority, Sakshi."

"You have your dreams too. A career that you must have outlined already in your mind. You are way ahead of your past. So even if he is here again in your life, you must analyze that you can't just drown all that progress from all these years, Alright. You will have to check if he is important enough to loosen your self-respect." He had taught her.

That was why, her mind was still worked on analyzing it. She couldn't put straight everything. Was he really important enough? Or his worst point of life going on right now was making her pity him and love him more than ever?

She breathed out while staring far away. She didn't know.

Aarush and Aditi were arguing over a series that they should start watching or rather ditch it. Sakshi rolled her eyes while feeling her heart longing for his message again.

"Guys," both of them turned around to look at her. She gulped and shook her head. "My throat is sore. I am having a tea or something," she told them while sniffling.

Last night, she had gotten a running nose because of crying during their conversation and unfortunately, it worsened at night. She had taken medicine and hot chocolate already in the night and morning but now, she felt like she needed more.

"You okay? Is it getting worst?" asked Aditi while looking at her.

Sakshi nodded while picking out her handkerchief. "Yeah, just need some heat. You guys go. I also have to visit library today."

Aarush was staring at her with concern in his eyes, and she knew it was mostly regarding their last night's conversation. She blinked knowingly for him, giving him assurance.

They both finally nodded and walked away towards the common room, while she turned around towards the cafeteria. She bought a cup of coffee and felt like sitting on an isolated seat near the wall. There was silence all around since, the rooms here we're sound proof.

She sat quietly while placing her coffee on the stony arm rest. Her mind again went to the phone and her hands itched out to call Shrey, to check if how he was doing. But Aarush's words and her family's trust came in between. She sighed heavily.

She heard footsteps and her heart jumped up at the sight of a smirking professor looking at her. He had his file and some paper in his hands while a cup of black coffee in another.

"Good morning," it was him who wished first.

She raised her eyebrows and twitched her lips at the moment. "Good morning," she muttered while sliding more to her side, giving him space to put his files and stuff as he was already sitting beside her.

She looked at the front in awkwardness and thought of excuses to leave but how could she just leave. It would be so insulting and disrespectful. She sighed and glanced at him, caught him checking his papers.

Biting her lip, she felt like indulging herself in her phone. She even was about to pick it out from her pocket when the voice came, "Would you mind assisting me, Miss Rathore?"

Her breath hitched at his husky voice and she saw him staring at her, awaiting her answer. His lips seemed more pink than hers that she blushed and nodded.

"Not at all." He handed over the assignments, and told her to adjust them according to the roll numbers.

"Are these of the global programmed-course, Sir?"

Mr. Nair nodded, "Yes, it is. Behavioral study is must in all dimensions of management."

She shrugged her shoulders while doing her work when he suddenly asked, "How is your friend?"

Her heart fluttered and a sweet smile curved her lips. She looked at him wide-eyed and smiled, "He is fine. Thank you."

He nodded. "He should be. When there are friends like you to care and stress for him so much."

Sakshi smiled goofily, remembering Shrey's happy face when he had seen her. She bit her lip. "I don't deny. I am a hearty relation-keeper. Also that I get so sentimental by seeing others' sorrows."

He raised his eyebrows and looked at her sternly. "You will have to focus on yesterday's notes, more."

Sakshi laughed out, remembering how they had read about a CEO's behavior towards his/hers employees' recklessness or weak circumstances.

"Yeah, true. I will be such a bad one if I get to become one day." She said while pushing her strand behind ear and watched his eyes noticing the action.

Her stomach churned and heat spread all over her face, she cleared her throat and continued her work. "That's not true. Being empathetic is not wrong. But as a leader, you just have to be emotionally intelligent at crucial circumstances," he muttered while glancing at her, taking a sip from his coffee.

Sakshi's heart jumped up at hearing that. The last night's conversation ran through her mind followed by the professor's words.

"Being empathetic is not a weakness?" She asked in a whisper while he looked up at her.

"I understood your stressful condition for your suicidal friend. You understood his pain. We both were empathetic and still are." He said while blinking. "You were close to hit me a week ago, and now, we are doing work together," he smirked.

"If empathy can change impressions like this then why not," he said smiling as Sakshi chuckled again, blushing furiously.

"I didn't want to hit you. I was just frustrated with all the bad things happening at one time." She smiled, passing him the papers which he took immediately.

Taking her cup of coffee, she sipped while looking at him. "Bad things happen. But not for longer." He glanced at her, making her smile shyly.

"Good things are about to happen, Miss Rathore. This time, they might be beginning with this festival coming up." He smirked, while Sakshi nodded excitedly.

"True. Diwali is always fun with friends and family. This time, we are organizing a party too. It is so going to be memorable." She murmured to more like herself but the professor had heard.

"I am sure, it will be." He nodded at her and chuckled at seeing her smiling to herself. He too couldn't help but mirror her actions.

It truly will be memorable.

_______

"What do you think?"

Please vote and comment.

And thank you so much all for such wishes. I am doing better now. Hope, you all too take care of your-great-selves. ❤