Maanya's POV

While Paakhi was fetching her bag, I booked a cab for us to ride to the Singh Mansion.

"Let's go," Paakhi announced walking towards me.

"Okay, But before that let's inform Uncle Abby.
Until then cab will also arrive."
I said striding towards the kitchen.

When we entered the kitchen, I saw Aunt Savy weeping in Uncle's arms.

We rushed towards them and hugged them from behind.

"Aunt Savy, why are you crying?" Paakhi whimpered.

"Oh, no, no, nothing happened, I was just watching this emotional film and started crying during the ending," She said dabbing the tear stains on her face.

I looked at her skeptically and asked "Since when did you start on crying like Paakhi for those fictional characters?"

"Hey, It's not my fault that I get connected to those fictional characters!" Paakhi chided in.

"Yeah...Whatever you say" I mocked her.

Before Paakhi could say another thing, Uncle Abby scolded all of us."Stop it you three, This is a rush hour. So stop behaving like a group of toddlers."

"Bu-" Paakhi started But immediately halted when Uncle Abby gave her a 'don't-you-dare-say-a-word-and-waste-my-time ' look.

We both said our bye's and scurried off from there and towards our cab,

"Do you think, Aunt Savy was crying because of a movie ending?" Paakhi asked after we adjusted ourselves in the car.

"I don't know, " I answered honestly. "It is possible, I mean look at you for example. You cry when a character dies in a movie or a book."

"Ya, Because unlike you, I get attached to them." She said haughtily.

"I do get attach to them, but in the end, I know they are just characters," I answered back.

Paakhi just looked at me and rolled her eyes. I laughed at her irritated expression.

Shortly I heard a ping from my bag, So I grabbed my mobile phone and saw a message from Arhaan, That instantly put a smile on my face.

Hi, Beautiful!

-Arhaan

Hi, How are you and What are you doing?

-Maanya

I love how instantly he replies.

Thinking about you ;)

-Arhaan

I chuckled at his cheesy reply.

Really?! So what is the outcome of those thoughts?

-Maanya

Whenever you are in my mind, I never feel bored, I never feel lonely, I never feel gloomy. Just having you in my thoughts is enough to keep me satisfied.

-Arhaan

Reading his message, I instantly felt culpable. I hugged my phone close to my heart and felt a small tear escape my eye.

"Maanu, What happened?" Paakhi asked distressed.

"I can't," I sobbed.

"What is it?" She said hugging me and brushing my hair soothingly.

"I don't deserve someone like him..." I admitted. "He's So sweet Paakhi, He treats me like a princess." I babbled.

"So what is the problem?" She asked confused.

"The problem is, that I'm not worthy of his affection, I'm broken, tarnished, and Panicky," I acknowledged.

"Look at me." She said tugging me towards her.

" Don't forget your promise, Ever. You are not tarnished or broken. You are a survivor, Never think low about yourself, Because if you don't value yourself then how will others value you?" She said making me remember my promise of never dwelling on my past.

"But, What if he leaves me after hearing about my past?" I asked scared.

"Then he's a coward and You guys were never meant to be." She answered.

"It's not that easy, Paakhi" I retorted back.

"Agreed, But how would you know that he would be like this or that If you won't give him a chance?" She reprimanded.

"I..I don't know" I mumbled.

"Maanu, Nothing will always be the same. Sometimes, we should just go with the flow and see where we reach."She said in her soothing voice.

" I know, But these thoughts never leave my mind and bother me constantly," I confessed.

"Maanu, I don't know what to say, But my only advice to you is to tell him everything and then see where it goes. Either you both want to be in a relationship or part your ways?" She advised.

I was still mulling over my thoughts When our driver told us that we have reached our destination.

I took a deep breath and exited the cab to come across a magnificent mansion.

"Doesn't matter how many times I visit this place, It still makes me stupefied." I heard Paakhi mumble.

I laughed at her expression but when I saw the doors to the mansion opening. I elbowed her to gain her attention.

"ouch!" She shrieked and turned to glare at me.

I just pointed towards the doors and she immediately stood straight when she saw Mrs.Palak Singh standing at the threshold with a warm smile on her face.

"Welcome girls, Please come in." She said welcoming us in.
We followed her to the lounge room where Mrs.Tanvi Singh and Riya were devouring a steaming hot beverage in a fine china cup.

"So glad to see you, girls." Mrs. Tanvi greeted us with a warm smile.

"Hello, Mrs.Singh." Paakhi and I said simultaneously.

Everybody laughed at our jinx moment.

"Girls, have a seat," Mrs.Palak said, Taking a seat beside Mrs.Tanvi.

We followed suit and grabbed a cup of steaming hot beverage from the server.

I took a small sip of an unusually bright color tea and instantly a fruity taste erupted in my mouth.

I was enjoying my tea when,

"Girls, Sorry for the abrupt meeting but today morning we were just chatting over the breakfast when we thought about celebrating Janmashtami." Mrs.Tanvi Singh initiated the conversation.

(JANMASHTAMII is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.
Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting, singing, praying together, preparing and sharing special food, night vigils, and visiting Krishna or Vishnu temples. )

"Janmashtami is in two days?! " Paakhi said bewildered.

"Ya, Sorry for the late information but We really want to celebrate it and seek blessings for Riya's marriage," Mrs.Palak clarified.

"Umm...Okay, Mrs.Singh we would do our best to make this an auspicious occasion." I said reassuringly.

"Oh thank God, You girls are the best," Riya said and leaped at us for a hug.

"Mrs.Singh, Where should we organize the event?" Paakhi asked grabbing her notepad for jotting down the details.

"First of all, Call me Aunty because you girls are like my daughters, and Second of all the venue is our mansion." Mrs.Tanvi Singh answered.

"Okay, Aunty!" Paakhi said while chuckling embarrassedly.

"So what colors do you want us to work with? And how many guests are we talking about?" I inquired.

"Decorations are all up to you. We loved your ideation and selection during Riya's engagement party.
And about guests, It would be around 150-200." Mrs.Tanvi announced.

"And the menu?" I asked.

"For that, I was thinking traditional Samvat pulao - a simple and easy pulao made with vrat ke chawal/samvat or barnyard millet, Buckwheat khichdi - easy to prepare khichdi with buckwheat groats (sabut kuttu), potatoes and peanuts for fasting, Farali pattice - crisp potato patties stuffed with sweet-tangy coconut-dry fruit stuffing, Sama ke chawal ki idli - fermented idli made from sama, samo, samvat or vari rice, Sabudana chiwda - fasting snack made from nylon sabudana & dry fruits and Sabudana bhel - easy and quick snack made from boiled potatoes, roasted peanuts, and cashews."
She said.

"Woah, I never knew we had so many options to chose from." Riya sounded astonished.

Mrs.Palak chuckled at her daughter's antics and Said "You would know if you would take part in these festivals."

"Maa..." She whined.

"Don't Maa me, You are going to be a married woman soon, So start learning some household works." Mrs.Palak scolded her.

"Oh please, Abhi's Mom loves me the way I'm." Riya bragged.

"Didi, Time has changed so much. In our time a girl should be well-groomed to find a potential match." Mrs.Palak said to Mrs.Tanvi.

"Aww, I feel bad for dad. He had to Settled with you." Riya said teasingly.

To which Mrs.Palak grabbed a cushion from behind her and threw it at Riya, who was sitting on a single couch a few meters away from her.

"Ahh Maa!" Riya cried and ran behind the couch.

"You have become incurably gabby," Mrs.Palak said to Riya.

I saw Riya dramatically gasp, inflicting me to giggle.

I looked at Mrs.Tanvi and Paakhi to see, amusement dancing in their eyes.

We were enjoying their squabbling. When we heard someone walking down the stairs.

When I turned to see who it is, I saw Arhaan's Sister from this morning.

"Sana, Come have some tea with us."Mrs.Palak let out while walking towards her.
She stood in front of her and held her hand.

Sana just peered blankly at her mother and then towards Paakhi.

When she glanced at Paakhi, I saw an emotion of panic in her orbs.
I looked at Paakhi to see her, deep in her thoughts.

I nudged her Discreetly to gain her attention.

Before she could say anything, I heard a loud smash from the foyer.

The sound of the glass shattering echoed in the entire house gaining everyone's attention.

But What skimmed my attention was the terrified expression on Sara's face. She had her ears covered with her hands and eyes shut tight.

I looked at Paakhi and saw a sympathetic expression on her face.

I got a very distressing feeling, Seeing Sana like this.

"Girls sorry for this mishap, But please take a seat, And let's, discuss further," Mrs.Tanvi said with a sheepish smile when she saw glass plates scattered around the lounge.

We all took a seat and started discussing the future details of the event.

______________________________

After discussing all the details from lighting to flowers, to games to the dress code, I noticed the time to see it's 8:15 pm and we have been here for 4 hours.

I looked at everyone to see them browsing through some catalog that we carry everywhere.

"So for Krishna Ji, I was thinking about a swing decorated with flowers and it should be placed here," Paakhi suggested.

Everybody nodded in acknowledgment and started chatting about Where to get Krishna Ji Statue.

Amidst our talking, we heard some voices entering through the foyer.

We switched our attention from our chatting towards the voices from the foyer.

"Hello, ladies." Mr.Manav Singh announced walking towards Mrs.Tanvi and Giving her a small forehead kiss.

Awwww...

"Hello, Mr.Singh, " we said formally.

He acknowledged our greetings and then went to change his clothes.

"Oh girls, I'm so sorry to hold you back for so long." Mrs.Tanvi Singh apologized.

"Oh no, Aunty please don't, We had to stay back to take these notes. so that tomorrow, we can collect all the materials, and then the day after tomorrow we can place all the decoratives ." Paakhi said.

"Thank you so much girls, For taking out time and working for us," Riya said and hugged both of us.

We said our goodbyes, packed our things, and excited their Mansion.

"Another event!!!!!!" Paakhi said excitedly.

"Yesss, I was so nervous before coming here and now I'm at the top of the world." I squealed.

Paakhi laughed at me and said "Shh...Stop it, they can hear us."

I looked behind to see that we're just a few meters away from their entrance gate.

I laughed at myself and turned towards the front to notice a car coming through the driveway.

I recognize that, the car belongs to Arhaan and immediately recalled our chatting this afternoon and how I didn't reply to his messages or calls.

He exited his car and our eyes connected.
I could see questions and doubts in his eyes which were like a bullet wound to my heart.

He walked towards us and greeted Paakhi with a smile.

"Hi, Paakhi. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks for asking. what about you?" She queried.

"I was having a good day, but then things happened and now I'm feeling drained." He said peeking towards me.

Paakhi looked at me and then at him, then again towards me, and finally said "God! Guys...You are making this awkward."

I glared at Paakhi, and she just shrugged innocently.

"Hi..." I said all flustered.

He looked at me and said, "Hi, how are you?" In an Indignant tone.

It hurts so badly, seeing him behaving like this.

"Guys, I think you should talk it out because this vibe," she said implying between me and Arhaan "Is giving me a sad, miserable aura."

"Will you just shut up," I asked her sarcastically.

She just smiled at me and said "I ship you guys, and want to see little Arhaan and Maanya running around."

Hearing her I was so shocked that it took me a few minutes to respond and before I could respond she jogged towards the gates and hailed a cab.

"Paakhiiiiiiiiii......" I shrieked but she was long gone.

I heard a chuckle beside me and turned to see Arhaan chuckling with amusement masking his face.

Seeing that carefree Arhaan back, I subconsciously grinned.

When he saw me smiling he recoup his expression and said "It was nice seeing you here."

"Arhaan, " I murmured hearing his formal reply."What happened?" I begged.

"What happened?" He laughed at me." what happened is that you, Maanya you, don't realize how your comments or actions hurt me." He confessed.

"Arhaan..."

"No, Maanya let me speak. You will not utter a word." He cut me in between and retorted.

"Bu-" I began but he hushed me and grabbed my hand and walked us towards his car.
He pushed me softly inside and came around to enter the driver's side.

I peeked at him to see him concentrating on the road.

"Arhaan, where are we going?" I asked when I saw him driving in the opposite direction of my apartment.

"Can't you listen to me once? I asked you to shut up. Didn't I? " he scolded me.

I pouted at him and turned towards the window to gaze outside.

After driving for 20 minutes, we drove towards the outskirts of Delhi.

He stopped in front of a small cliff and exited the car.
I saw him striding towards my side and unlocked my door.

"Come out." He said nudging his hand forward.

I grabbed it and exited the car.

"Where are we Arhaan?" I asked looking around.

"We are somewhere, where nobody can disturb us and I can tell you everything." He replied.

"What is it Arhaan?" I asked intimidated.

"Maanya, Do you like me?" He asked seriously.

"More than you can reckon," I replied in a heartbeat.

"Then why do you behave like this?" He asked desperately.

"Like what?" I asked confused.

"Like today, we were texting and out of the blue you ceased texting, I got so anxious that I started assuming numerous scenarios.
I called you, messaged you but received no reply from your side, and then I got to know that you are at my house with mom and Others.
In this so-called relationship, I have to think twice before doing or saying something in the fear, that you'll stop talking to me.
How are we supposed to work this out when You can't share your thoughts with me or even talk to me." He said distressed.

Hearing him and realizing how suffocated he might have felt, I felt evil. I was just thinking about myself but what about him?

These emotions we're becoming overbearing so I sprinted ahead and clutched him, His closeness gives me strength and a feeling of belonging.
"I'm sorry, Arhaan. I never realized how my behavior might be affecting you." I cried out.

I felt his hand clasp around my waist and I nuzzled into his chest.
"The thought of losing you, made me do things that in the end hurt you."

"I was so lost in my problems, my situations, my past that I forgot about my present," I said staring into his eyes.

"Your present? " Arhaan asked.

"Yes, you are my present and hopefully my future too. Because Arhaan, My Heart Chose You.
But worrying about my past and your acknowledgment to it makes me anxious." I confessed.

"I told you before and I'm telling you now. Your past is in the past, but right now you are tainting your present with the thoughts of your past. Do you want to live in your past or conquer it and move on?" He declared.

"But, These what if's hold me down." I cried out.

"Then tell me, Tell me about your past and break free from those holds." He urged.

"I want to, I really want to, but..." I was speechless.

Sometimes you want to tell things to everyone but something inside you holds you back and right now, this is exactly what is happening.

"Maanya? Promise me one thing." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"Promise me that you won't hide things from me. Tell me anything, even it is about you sneezing or eating. I want to know you. Loving you is my precious endeavor right now." He answered.

"Love? Love me?" I asked appalled.

"Yes, Love you. I don't know what happened but things changed. Nowadays I just want to take a minute and let you know how much you mean to me. I love spending time with you and am excited to see where this ends up going." He confessed.

I don't know what came into me but I jumped his bones and kissed him ferociously.

Arhaan first laughed at my action, but when I tried to retrieve back, he got into action and grabbed me and settled onto his car hood and kissed me hard.

"I love you Maanya." He confessed.

Hearing his confession, My heart was instantly filled with adoration and I kissed him back with the same strength.

__________________________________

Arhaan POV

This feels blissful. Sitting at the edge of a cliff gazing at the city lights and holding the girl I love in my arms all cuddled up.

Today, I got really apprehensive when she didn't reply to my messages. I was willing to lock her up in my room and tie her to my bed.

Then threaten her to talk about her past.

I know I was the one to say that I can wait to know about her past but when her past comes between us from time to time, I can't handle how much it stings me.

She doesn't realize but during a very happy light conversation, she goes into a Protected mode and shoves me away.

"Arhaan," came the melodious voice of my girl.

I looked at her and asked, "yes, beautiful?"

"Do you really love me? I mean it might be a friendship that you are feeling towards me..." She conceded.

This girl...

"Yes, it is love and not friendship. I mean yes, You are my best friend too but You don't do this with your best friends. Do you?" I said and paused for a second.

I saw her brows crease and nose scrunch up And smiled at her cute confused expression.

She turned towards me to ask what I meant by that when I slammed my lips on hers and kissed her hard.

Kissing her luscious lips as become my addiction.

After giving her a final peck, I slightly pulled back and said "This is what I don't do with my friends."

I saw her beautiful pale cheeks turn into tomato red and Chuckled at my accomplishment.

Seeing me laughing she whack me and said " Stop laughing."

"Why would I? And do you want me to show you what else I don't do with my friends?" I teased snaking my arms around her and yanking her flush against me.

Seeing the soft glow of her skin, the full, slightly parted lips, the graceful curve of her neck that gave way to a fuller curve of the firm Breasts heaving up and down with her rash breathing made me aroused.

I looked into her eyes to see them mirroring mine.

But still, a small speck of fear was visible. Thus I backed off and cleared my throat to gain my senses.

"So? Are you hungry?" I asked grabbing her hand and walking back towards the car.

She contemplated for a second and said " starving."

I chuckled and said, "Then let's feed my baby momma."

"What?!" Maanya asked surprised.

"Ya, I just want to fulfill Paakhi's wish." I teased.

"Both of you are crazy." She acknowledged with a shake of her head.

Seeing this smile on her face, made me promise myself that I'll always keep this expression secured.

This girl has been through a lot. I know she thinks I don't notice her Panicky eyes when she is between unknown people, or when She meets somebody new.

One thing that really consumes me is her longing expression when she sees a child with their mother.

This girl is like a mystery...

Mystery I'm eager to unravel...

__________________________________

Hey, guys!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR APPRECIATING MY WORK.

TY TO ALL THOSE READERS WHO EAGERLY WAITED FOR THIS UPDATE.

TO ALL THOSE VIEWERS WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THIS STORY IS ABOUT 6 PEOPLE AND HOW THEIR LIVES INTERVENE.
IT IS CLICHE, I AGREE. BUT I LOVE CLICHE.

Feel free to pint out mistakes.

your views about this chapter matter a lot.

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