"I could see so much through that closed door."

Sakshi groaned in frustration, ignoring Aarush's goofy smile. "For hardly fifteen minutes. He was talking about the case, nothing else. He shut it because I wanted to know about it badly and he didn't want Aditi or you to hear on too."

Aarush scoffed with a roll of eyes. "He doesn't behave that reserved with me. He shared it even today morning when you were making those Mac n cheese sandwiches for him," he smiled humorlessly.

Sakshi huffed and shook her head. "God! You are so damn clingy, Aarush. How the hell Aditi suffers you?"

His jaw dropped at his words as he pretended to be shocked. Sakshi ignored him and only continued, "Talking about her, I wonder how much time she will take with Miss Khanna for a mere discussion of volunteering."

Aarush stared far at students, and fake grimaced. "Who knows if she is giving her some death threats! The way Aditi held me in sleep last night. . . Man, she can kill for me."

Sakshi scrunched her nose. "Try keeping your sleeping postures and PDAs at limits. Here, imagination works faster," she pointed at her head while sipping her coffee.

Aarush narrowed his eyes while giving her a mischievous smile. "Mine too when you guys closed that door. I almost thought, you would quench your thirst of all these years."

Sakshi's breath hitched as she lowered her eyes, remembering the moment when she had teared up and hugged his naked torso absentmindedly.

"You know, it's more than that for girls like me. Four years ago, Shrey had touched me without literally touching me. I wish for the same to happen with him. Intimacy comes with the flow. Even when we fantasize from so long, it turns out unplanned and becomes the best experience of love life." She smiled to herself, remembering her first kiss with him.

"You just don't regret it, later. Keep the feels deep down in your heart saved forever," she murmured while moving the straw in her cold coffee glass.

When she didn't hear a reply, she looked up at Aarush and raised her eyebrows at seeing him observing her sternly.

"You become nervous when you think of him. You become a poetess when you talk about him," he muttered. "It creeps me out. Are you and Aditi watching some stalker or obsession-themed show?"

She pressed her lips tight and looked away, flaring her nostrils while giving him a bored look. "Then, fine. I won't talk about him. It's you who clinged me like a girl and keeps curious about Shrey and my relationship."

Aarush shook his head. "No, for real. You look creepy. The calm-storm like. I am thinking if you are being all this Goddess to touch him without actually touching him?"

Sakshi gulped, staring in his eyes. "What do you think of me? I am not desperate. I am just. . ."

"Doomed."

She widened her eyes, slapping his arm as he laughed at her.

"C'mon, Sakshi. You can't circle it around in front of me. I understand everything. I observe. Shrey is attracted to you and you have always been. Shrey is slowly falling for you. . . Well, that's what your deepest wish is and it's working when you are acting all goody-two-shoes."

Sakshi stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean? I am not sincere in your point of view. I have always been-"

He cut her off by saying, "You are. Okay. You are goody-goody genuinely. But unlike other girls who would be vengeful in your place, you are doing opposite thing."

"You don't want him regret about what he was losing by ditching you but make him see, what he could be getting by having you back."

Sakshi gulped, not liking how he was trying to talk so relatable. "What's wrong in that? Nothing. Just the fact that this won't ever happen. Shrey will always be a dream."

She blinked through tears glistening in her dark eyes.

"A lost dream."

Aarush stopped chewing his chips and watched her hesitantly. His eyes lowered when she wiped her eyes immediately and looked away to distract himself as his attention would only stretch the sorrow.

"Lastly, it was you who brought him to the flat. Not me." She taunted, catching his attention.

Aarush swallowed his cheeks and sighed. "C'mon. I like his company. He talks like a scholar when becomes formal. Also that, I pity him with all the case going on. He was way too happy last night. Weren't you melting at that?"

Sakshi chuckled when he wiggled his eyebrows and mimicked her shy expressions from last night. She breathed slowly and looked around, muttering, "Aditi is taking longer than I thought. Is she doing any other task?"

Aarush glanced at her, not meeting her eyes properly when he said, "Kind of."

Sakshi looked at him in confusion while he finally explained, "I told her to cut off her things wholly with Ronnie's circle. What happened with you at Bonfire still irks me up whenever I see him! And now that Ronnie can easily get to know that Aditi is mine, he will try to show off his contacts with her."

"Not that Aditi even values his friendship anymore. He might be her first-day-at-Uni friend and many greetings must have been shared since then. But that doesn't mean she should count a person like him as her friend. She must be returning him some books and belongings. They shared-"

Sakshi nodded. "I know. She must be returning the basketball kit too. She was talking about it weeks ago. And Ronnie is handling the sports thingy. I know. . ."

Aarush stretched his hands while leaning back as he checked his watch. "It's a quarter for last lecture-" he got quiet when his eyes randomly fell on the man standing far at the ground with other teachers. "Ah! Someone looks sour this day."

Sakshi turned her head and narrowed her eyes at the professor's face. Kabir wasn't smiling while talking to the fellow professors. His eyes looked dull and face expressionless.

The picture of his gifted candle appeared in Sakshi's mind and she realized that she hadn't told Aarush about it. But it didn't even matter. It wasn't an issue.

Just a sweet-little apology gift.

_________

"I have talked to his Dad's secretary. Shrey isn't seeing a girl since he get caught in the case," told Nakul while rubbing his chin.

He blinked while hearing her sigh and reminding him, "But we need to be confirmed. You knowknow how much scared Pihu is because of what Sakshi told her. If it is one-sided, we can make it stop. But if they are meeting or Shrey is involved too, then it can be a disaster."

Nakul nodded. "I understand. But I did everything I could to find out if by any chance Sakshi was in contact here. But there's no clue. Even her flat is in the north Delhi while Shrey lives on the south."

He heard her twitching her lips. "Okay, fine. If that's what you are saying. But I still and doubtful or Sakshi wouldn't be so confident. Nakul, no one believes in the first love like that. Today, youngsters are way too forward. They don't wait and move ahead. But Sakshi is hopeful."

Nakul narrowed his eyes, staring at the table in deep thought. He couldn't understand how these ladies ended up thinking this way about Sakshi. He honestly couldn't believe that a modern girl like Sakshi with an open-minded could be so sensitive.

This was why, she had denied a perfect match like Kabir. This worm of sharing this news with Raghav was lurking on his chest and he was controlling hard because Meera had made him swore to not tell inform him and find out the truth secretly for Pihu's satisfaction.

"Did you do the hospital thing?"

Nakul breathed tiredly and nodded. "I did all the formalities. They will get the relaxation and only Shrey's dad knows. So, Rishabh won't make any fuss in between."

He could finally hear her breathing in relief. "That's great. So, are you returning now?"

Nakul shook his head. "No."

He heard her moaning. "Why? Everything's done. If you leave Delhi by now, you'll reach till the dinner easily. Nakul-"

He chuckled, adoring her caring ways. "I will but Raghav had told me to meet Sakshi. And it's not just because him telling me. I myself wanted to see her. She had left from Chandigarh with a sour face last time, you yourself was telling me. I can try if she herself shares something with me. She is comfortable with me more than with Raghav."

Meera hummed in the phone, making him smile. "Well, that's my husband. The peacemaker. But never leaves time to love me in peace."

Nakul rolled his eyes. "Don't start, now. I am coming home only directly after meeting her." He blinked and smiled when he caught Sakshi entering the cafe with a wide smile on his face. "Okay, Sakshi has arrived. I'll call you later."

"Come soon. Okay? Love you."

Nakul chuckled. "Bye," he said, hanging up and putting the phone on the table. He got up and hugged Sakshi who threw arms around his, laughing excitedly.

"This is a surprise I needed so much," she said while pulling away, making him smile. "I was missing home and you came."

Nakul blinked his eyes slowly, giving her the pleased look. "I am always there for the damsels in distress."

She laughed, ordering a coke while Nakul asked for a mocktail.

"So, how so sudden?"

Nakul nodded. "Some formalities on behalf of your brother. Now, all work done and I am here to know how are you doing."

Sakshi smiled. "All great."

Nakul nodded, "That is why, you are ignoring Pihu's calls."

Her smile faded as a sudden jolt of shame she felt in her heart. Nakul cleared her doubt before she could even doubt that Pihu had shared the truth about her love for Shrey.

"She had shared her worry with Meera absentmindedly which she shared further with me."

Sakshi bit her lip, feeling guilty for ignoring her sister-in-law who had been anything but a great friend to her. She pouted and asked slowly, "What did she say?"

Nakul pressed his lips tight. "Just that she is worried for you because you left home in a such a bad mood. That you're not picking her calls even when Raghav told you last week, how he have put a comma on Kabir's chapter.

Relief settled in Sakshi's heart as she understood that Pihu hadn't shared the thing about Shrey with anyone yet. She smiled nervously at Nakul.

"I am just busy with some work going on. There is so much burden and tai ji still hadn't talked to me, called me that whatever happened was not right. She hasn't admitted that she was pressurizing me. I didn't talk to Pihu because she would only convince me to call Tai ji."

Nakul frowned, "Do you even know how that is affecting her? She is hell worried for you."

Sakshi sighed, holding her head. "I know now, I am sorry. I will call her today."

Nakul observed her as he recalled what words Meera had repeated of hers to him, confessing how she still loved Shrey. He thought about making a try as he leaned closer.

"Why did you deny Kabir? Is he not to your liking?"

Sakshi looked up in his eyes, shaking her head. "I just don't want to marry right now."

Nakul gave her a look that clearly showed he didn't believe her. "What if your favorite actor comes here to propose you, even then?"

Sakshi smiled at him. "Be practical. Nothing like that going to happen."

Nakul reasoned further. "No, like really. If you get the one you love so much, then you won't be ready to marry him?"

Sakshi nodded. "Maybe."

Nakul hummed. "So, it's clear that you didn't like Kabir as much as we had thought."

She clicked her tongue. "He's nice but not enough. I deserve better."

Nakul laughed heartily, making her smile too. "Okay. If that's what you say." He slowly calmed down and held her hand, squeezing in understanding. "If anyhow, there comes a situation when you want to marry and it's not Kabir, you must tell Pihu or Raghav. They will only respect your choice and be helpful."

Sakshi bit her lip, feeling her heart beating faster. "Will they?"

Nakul nodded. "Raghav will always support you, no matter what. And Pihu?" He laughed. "You know, she supports whatever is the best for everyone. Even if it's your best friend, that guy."

Sakshi chuckled, thinking deeply while imagining her future. "I will tell them. If only something like this happens. But for now, there's nothing."

Nakul narrows, feeling defeated at last. "Nothing?" He asked again.

Sakshi shook her head, lowering her eyes. For her, Nakul was Raghav's shadow. Both were childhood best friends. Now, even their children were best friends. She couldn't really dare to leak her secret to him and let him tell her brother who could create storm within seconds after knowing all.

She had to play it safe by only putting this in Pihu's mind. It made her feel guilt for troubling her but what she could even do. This was the only way to block Kabir's entry in her future.

"No," she smiled confidently. "Not yet."

Nakul could only smile back in fake agreement, feeling pitiful inside. Because hiding things from him was fine.

But from Raghav, wasn't.

_______

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