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Nethra was motionless! Yes! Not a word had she uttered since the time we got out of the court. Deadly silence was maintained throughout the cab ride too. She seemed weak. Mentally, Physically, Emotionally weak. My Nethra looks fragile and piteous, which is so not her. I kept looking at her with my hope-lost eyes, from the settee. Slowly her body had a movement. From a slight tremble to a thunderous bawl, her frame took only seconds to transform.

Involuntarily I rushed to her and hugged her from the side. Her hands held my arms as she weeped terribly.

"Sweetie.... sweetie don't cry please....." my words were blocked right in my throat, but they escaped somehow. "How... how can I not cry, Aditi!!??" She voiced out feebly as the crying had a toll on her talking. In moments, her eyes were red.

"Though everyone proved Dhruv wrong.... there was this 10% of my heart and brain which undoubtedly had trust in him... but now... now...." she couldn't complete her words. Her weep game got stronger.

Unbeknownst to myself, tears crawled down my cheeks seeing my Nethra. I made her lie her head on my chest and caressed her hair. I slyly wiped my tears. "I don't know about you Nethra... I still believe Dhruv somehow...." I said to her.

She slowly released herself from my embrace and looked at me. "You really think so!?" Her voice clearly showed that she was in need of hope. I held her hands and looked at her. "I really feel that, Nates... we're just in need of a saviour!" I said and pressed my lips together. The calling bell rang, disturbing our cries. Our reflexes quickly worked to wipe our faces.

"Go wash your face... you look too drained out." I told her and quickly got up. She slowly walked to the kitchen, while I stood watching her disappearing into the kitchen. I exhaled deeply and the calling bell rang restlessly. Why can't humans have patience!? I mumbled down my breath and went to the door.

I loosened the chain lock and partially opened the door. My eyebrows raised at the Asian strangers, to be more specific, they looked so Indian! "Who are you?!" I asked them. It was two. One was well built, handsome... and the other I couldn't judge due to layers of sweaters on him. "I'm Anirudh..." the second said, and my eyes shifted to the first one. "Lieutenant Colonel Arjun Varadarajan...." he said and the fact that he is from army was evident all over his persona, even then I chose to put up a stupid question. "Army!?" I asked in a exclaiming tone. They both nodded together.

My lips curved into a sarcastic smile, "Since when our army is short of men that they picked you!?" I asked the second one, trying to suppress the laughter, which was waiting in my throat to burst out. I don't know why, I got this pull-his-leg vibe from the second my eyes got laid on him. He looked away and scoffed. "We have more important work than to answer your stupid question! Where is Nethra?" He asked Me, disinterested in the topic I put up. Nethra!? Why are they asking for her?

"Who?" I asked them again to confirm again. "N-E-T-H-R-A! NETHRA!" Okay... the colonel is losing it. "Um...she's not ready to meet anyone and she's not here!" I immediately lied. Why would I let two unknown men, among them one is a soldier, to meet Nethra who is in distraught?! "She's not here!" The second guy exclaimed. "You're deaf or you're repeating what I'm saying? She's not he..." I was about to finish, and that's when Nethra couldn't keep her mouth shut. "Who is at the door, Aditi!?" She asked Me, standing near the sofa. I turned and glared at her. She looked at me confusedly. "Hey Nethra! It's us!!" The soldier said in a loud tone audible to Nethra too. As though she is going to identify them... losers, I scoffed sarcastically.

"Arjun!?" She whispered in disbelief and rushed to the door. She literally pushed me and opened the door to both of them. So she knows them and never told me about this handsome army man!?

"My God! Anirudh and Arjun! What are you guys doing here?" She was surprised. Not pleasantly yet not displeasingly, somewhere in the middle. She helped them take off their coats and hung it to the hanger near the door. "How are you, Nethra?" The second guy, Anirudh, asked. Nethra gifted him a fuzzy smile, "I'm alive somehow, and that information is too much I guess." She looked at both of them maintaining that same smile.

Just like that my existence was forgotten and she lead them to the sofa and made them sit. I folded my hands and cleared my throat to gain their attention. The trio looked back at the same time. "Hey Aditi... can you make some drinks for the guests please?" Nethra asked with her pleasing eyes. Huh? What?

"Oh... maid huh!?" Anirudh exclaimed, loud with sarcasm, and then mumbled, "Adhuke Ivlo scene-uh... (Too much of built up for that...)", which made me crook my eyes and part my mouth in defence.

"Oh no! No! She is not a maid..." Nethra gulped her saliva seeing me ready to explode. I strode towards them angrily. "You better explain who I am to that little punk..." I whispered in a dangerous tone in her ears and made way to the kitchen. She looked at me bewildered and then turned to them.

They started a conversation in the living room, but nothing was audible to me, probably they're very serious and talking in a low tone or maybe they are occasionally silent. I took some cocoa powder and started mixing it with some sugar in two seperate mugs.

As I was carefully pouring the hot milk from the sauce pan, I jerked hearing that army man suddenly pitching his voice high. " AND YOU THOUGHT DHRUV WAS CAPABLE TO DO THAT! RIDICULOUS, NETHRA!" He yelled at her. This man has serious anger issues. I sped up the process and topped the two mugs of hot chocolate with two mini marshmallows each and rushed to the living room.

"Some hot chocolate for the gentlemen!" I fake chirped to them and sat down on the floor next to the teapoy as I forwarded them their mugs. I fake chirped because obviously one had anger issues and the other one... I just didn't get good vibes. "Some for Me?" Nethra asked me like a kid. "I sat down, Nethra.... fine, there is some more in the kitchen.... bring some for me too." I told her. "Pch..." she got up vexed and marched to the kitchen.

The two kept silent and focussed on their mugs. I looked up at them, and gathered my thoughts. "Okay... so I get it that you know both Dhruv and Nethra..." I dragged and paused and they looked at me keenly, asking me to continue. "But can you not bring their topic like RIGHT NOW?... She's quite in a miserable state now...." I tried to be as polite as possible.

"Yeah it's obvious! With a friend like you, she sure is in a pathetic state now!" Anirudh was trying to pull my leg. "Be quite you little punk! Or next time there'll be salt in your hot chocolate!" I warned him in a low tone, my index finger pointing at him. "Oh! There is no salt in it now!? I felt it already!" He chuckled sarcastically. Okay... he's on my nerves now. "Oh you feel it!? Because I spat in your drink!" My eyebrows raised automatically and looked at him with a challenging look. He choked on his hot chocolate. Arjun chuckled silently seeing us fight. Anirudh looked at me with disgust as I stuck my tongue out.

"Can you not fight for sometime?" Nethra asked us impatiently and she came with two more small cups. She gave one to me and sat on the settee. "So where are you guys going to return? Or are y'all going stay? Zurich is a beautiful place... y'all should stay." I said diverting the topic. "Of course they are staying... with us...." Nethra gave me all the chills in just one sentence. I just can't put up with this guy for just a drink how am I to put up with all along the stay? I looked at them with a mixed reaction. He just smiled vily at me. God! Help Me Tolerate!

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Signing off

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~sadhubhai