Ashvika Mehta~

“Ashvika, are you done?” Svarna asked irritatedly, as I devoured my third samosa. “Ar-arey, wai-wait na!” I said, munching away. I love samosas, but not more than ice cream. Unfortunately, our college canteen doesn't serve ice cream. Never mind, samosas are a good consolation.

“Haash! You guys come, or she'll never leave this place,” Svarna said to someone. I averted my gaze from my plate and saw Ishaan and Vedant approaching. My mouth was stuffed with samosa, but I managed a smile at them and continued eating.

“Bhukhad!” [Glutton] Vedant muttered. “I'm eating with my dad's money,” I retorted, glaring at him. Ishaan chuckled, and Vedant playfully hit him on the head. “Don't you want to go now?” Vedant asked.

“Oh yeah! Let's go, Svarna,” Ishaan said, turning to her. “Where?” I asked, cleaning my hands with a tissue.

“He's planned a movie date... AS A FRIEND,” she said, emphasizing the last three words.

“Yeah... we should leave now, or we'll be late,” Ishaan said to her.

I dramatically laid my head on Svarna's shoulder and exclaimed, “Meri jaaneman ko mujhse dur na karo” [Don't take my love away from me].

“We're getting late, Ashvika!” Svarna laughed. “Acha, you go, but bring something for me, okay?” She nodded.

“I'll get bored without you,” I said to her.

“Arrey, Vedant will be with you, don't worry!” Ishaan said.

“Aur koi nahi mila tha? Isse hi chhodke jaana tha?” [Couldn't you find anyone else? Did you have to leave me with him?] I said.

“Main konsa marra ja raha hoon, tumhare saath rehne ke liye” [I'm not going to die, I'm staying with you]. He said, his arms crossed over his chest.

I kept my mouth shut and bid bye to Svarna and Ishaan. I stood up, picked my bag, and followed Vedant.

Just then, Vedant's phone rang. He picked up the call and ended it soon. I didn't hear the conversation as I was busy on my phone.

“Ghar chalogi?” [Want to go home?] he asked as we walked through the corridor.

I looked up at him. “Ahg- kyu? Mtlab—” [Ah, why? I mean—]

“Mom called me, asked me to come home earlier since she's at home. She invited you too,” he said.

“Does she know about me?” I asked excitedly.

He nodded. “I told her a few days ago."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Rao's house. Haha, I've been here before too.

As we entered, I saw his mom and dad sitting on a large sofa, watching the news. Hearing our footsteps, they turned toward us and smiled. I passed them a smile, stepping towards them, and joined my hands.

“Namastey!” [Hello!]

Vedant Rao~

Mom and Dad greeted Ashvika warmly. "Come here, beta!" Mom said, patting the seat beside her. Ashvika excitedly sat down.

I had told her about my mom, and I thought she would be rude to her, but look at her - she's not acting like I expected. I sat on the other sofa, watching them.

"Make yourself at home, and I hope my son doesn't annoy you!" Dad said with a chuckle.

“He doesn't annoy, but he's so rude to me,” Ashvika complained, a sly smile spreading across her face.

“When?” I asked, my eyes widening in mock innocence.

She passed me a teasing look, and I knew she was taking revenge. I shook my head, amused.

“Vaise, where is Nisha?” Ashvika asked, changing the subject. Mom and Dad exchanged a glance and offered Ashvika a fake smile. "She's in her room," Mom replied.

"Call her, Vedant," Ashvika said, flashing me a wide smile. I knew she was aware that Mom wasn't fond of her, yet she persisted, seemingly unfazed.

I sighed and headed upstairs to call Nishi. I knocked on her room's door. "Come in, bhai!" Nishi said from inside.

I smiled and entered. "You don't need to knock on the door, bhai!" I chuckled at her familiar phrase; she always says this, but I always knock before entering.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked.

"Of course, bhai, koi aur thodi aayega mere kamre mai" [Who else would come to my room?], she said with a smile, getting down from her bed.

"Someone is here to meet you," I said.

"Where's Mom?" she asked.

"Come with me," I replied.

I grabbed Nishi's hand and took her downstairs. "Ashvika!" I called out.

She turned around and saw Nishi, breaking into a smile. She quickly got up, running to Nishi and enveloping her in a tight bear hug. Nishi giggled loudly, making me smile too.

“Hi, bhabh-di,” Nishi said with a grin. Ashvika glared at her and whispered, “I'm your bhai's just friend, not your bhabhi!”

Nishi looked at her suspiciously but smiled anyway. Ashvika dragged her to the sofa and made her sit beside Mom. Ashvika then took my place beside Nishi. Mom didn't budge, forcing a smile instead. I sat down beside Ashvika, who was asking Nishi about her day, school life, and more. Nishi seemed a bit uncomfortable, but Ashvika's questions distracted her.

I discovered that Ashvika's brother, Avinash, attends Nisha's school and is even her classmate. I noticed Dad smiling, perhaps because, for the first time, Mom didn't leave Nisha's side.

My gaze fell on Ashvika, who was grinning as Mom asked Nisha something about her school. Nisha answered, looking down at her lap. A small but significant step had been taken, all thanks to Ashvika.

Only God knows how she manages to do all these things - being kind yet sassy, supporting me, listening to my problems, and now, helping Mom connect with Nisha.

Maybe all these things seem insignificant to others, but they're everything I've wanted to see for my entire life. She's fixing something she didn't break. All the boundaries around my heart have been destroyed by her mere touch and her words.

My chain of thoughts was broken by the sound of Mom's phone ringing. She picked up the call and walked away.

Dad looked at Ashvika and Nisha, then at me. His eyes conveyed a message, but I couldn't quite decipher it. His gaze returned to Nisha, and she looked up at him. He stood up, walked over to her, and gently patted her head before following Mom out of the room.

Nisha's eyes welled up at Dad's gentle gesture. "Nisha, can you please go to your room? I want to talk to Ashvika about something," I requested. She nodded and quickly ran back to her room.

"Itni kya zaroori baat yaad aagyi ab tumhe?" Ashvika asked, raising an eyebrow [What's so important that you suddenly remembered now?].

"Let's go to my room," I said. She followed me to my room, and as we entered, neither of us said a word.

"Yehi balcony se tum raat mai choro ki tarah mere kamre mai aayi thi!" I teased her [You sneaked into my room like a thief from the balcony that night!).

She rolled her eyes. "Yehi batane ke liye bulaya hai?" she asked, smiling [Is that why you called me here?].

“Nahi, nahi, I just wanted to thank you!” I said, smiling at her. She looked into my eyes and asked, “For what?”

“For spreading light in my dark world,” I began. “For making me feel like I'm special to you. For making my house feel like a home. For making me feel safe around you. For listening to my problems and staying by my side, for making Nisha smile, for helping my mom reconnect with Nisha.”

“Thank you for everything you've done for me,” I concluded.

Ashvika rested one hand on her head and the other on her waist, and with a dramatic flair, said, “Ayoo, don't say thank you, we're friends.”

I chuckled at the sight of her, looking adorable in her pose, wearing a short kurti and jeans, with her long, wavy hair open and her ears adorned with jhumkas.

"Aise na dekho, sharam aati hai!" [Don't look at me like that, I'm getting embarrassed!] she said, hiding her face behind her hands.

I laughed, and she grinned at her own antics. "Anyway, should I drop you home?" I asked.

"Itni jaldi? Mera toh yaha mann lag gaya" [So soon? I'm having so much fun here!], she replied.

“Ah, if you're interested in me, you can talk to my mom, and after marriage, you can live here forever,” I said, biting my inner cheek.

Her face turned bright red. “Mai ghar hi jaungi, apne, bye-bye!” [I'll just go home, bye!] she said, turning to leave, but she misjudged the distance and bumped into the door.

Clumsy as ever! I caught her as she lost her balance and hurt her head. “Slowly! Are you okay?” I asked.

“Arre, haan, darwaze se takra kar acha laga mujhe!” [Oh, yeah, bumping into the door felt great!] she said with a fake smile.

“Nautanki!” [Drama queen!] I shook my head, chuckling.

“Jaisi bhi hoon, achi hoon mai.” [Whatever I am, I'm good!] she said.

“Bahut!” [Very much!] I agreed.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

I stopped the car in front of her house. She unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to leave when I grabbed her wrist.

“Tumhe nahi lagta tum kuch bhul rahi ho?” [Don't you think you're forgetting something?]

“Nahi” [No], she shook her head.

I nodded and looked forward. Just then, I felt her arms wrap around me, making me smile.

“Aadat lag gayi hai shayad tumhe meri.” [Maybe you've gotten used to me], she said, raising her head to look at me without breaking the hug.

“Tumne laga di hai.” [You've made me get used to you.] I replied.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──