I'LL LOVE TO BE LOVED

FRENEMIES

Next day, I saw Vihaan, injured. He had bandages in his hands and a tiny one on his head with a complementary small wound near his upper lip.
    “What happened to you?” I asked him totally worried to see him like that. He didn’t replied and started walking away.
    “Vihaan, what happened?” I asked again.
    “Don’t show like you really care?” He spoke and stomped away. I was worried for him and his tantrums weren’t ending. But I knew someone who had all my answers. I went to library and thought what might be the reason for his behaviour. First thought that came to my mind was, her mother and the incident that happened at the auditorium. Were those guys troubling him again? Is he upset with his mom? All things were just killing my mind.
Half day ended. I rushed to canteen and found Aahana and Yash enjoying the sandwiches. They looked at me and offered me the food. I looked around, Vihaan and team were still not there.
    “No thanks. You guys saw Vihaan?” I asked.
    “Yeah! Shruti attack. You get it right?” Aahana told me.
    “Everything’s fine?” Yash asked. I nodded. I walked towards the class, unable to believe Vihaan was with Shruti. On my way, I saw Vineet and Reyansh and I loved to see them. “The boys I’ve been searching for.” I approached them.
    “What happened to Vihaan?” I asked them directly.
    “What?” Vineet spoke stealing his gaze.
    “Don’t try to fool me. I know he fought with someone.” I spoke and found their smiles fading.
    “Why you want to know?” Vineet asked.
    “He is my friend.”
    “When this miracle happened?” Reyansh commented both looked at me with jaw dropped open.
    “I’m not in the mood of jokes.” I warned them.
    “Ok fine. You are right, he fought. And that’s troubling us too. We stopped going for fights but I don’t know why he called us all of a sudden and asked us to be there. We won, a lot. All the marks you see it’s all cause of that. After that we all went to celebrate. And there we found something was wrong with him. He drank a lot. He asked us to leave him alone and send us home.”
    “We denied but you know his anger. Now we don’t know when he went home and what’s troubling him?”
    “What about the man who was trying to buy him?” I asked. Both shared a horror look.
    “Seriously. When this happened?” Vineet asked with astonishment.
    “What?”
    “Vihaan never share anything with anyone and you know so much about him. How? You guys don’t even get along.” Reyansh spoke.
    “Long story. Tell me now, what about that man?” I asked again.
    “Nothing. Nothing is there to tell you about that man. Stop interrogating my friends.” I turned back and found Vihaan glaring at me. He gestured Vineet and Reyansh to go and his glare was back on me.
    “Why? Tell me. Why you have so much interest in my life? Please stop. Don’t know me. Don’t know my real identity? I know you can’t hear it. Stop. I enjoy being what we are. I don’t know you, you don’t know me. Simple. If everything comes out it won’t be the same.” He spoke making me more curious to know about him.
    “Why does it matter to you? Things won’t stay the same. You fear that. I won’t be around you anymore right? But think about it, that’s what you want?”
    “I don’t care about you. I care about the rest of the guys whom you’ll brag about me to and they’ll all leave me alone. I won’t have friends to hang out with. Who likes to stay with a guy who is frequently involved in brawls and drinking and what offers he get, to be in a group of gangsters. Who like to stay with a guy like this?” He spoke and frankly first time I saw his fear of losing everyone.
    “We all do. Don’t you see it? We all know what you do? But we all know there’s a reason, a very strong reason that you don’t tell us. You were talking about the offers right? That’s not wrong at all. It will be wrong if you accept them. I saw you fight for the right that night. Vihaan I can’t believe I am saying this but you aren’t a bad person.”
    “You know what? Let’s be friends.” He spoke after a very long pause and I smiled at his words.
    “I had the mutual feeling.”
    “But my friendship has a condition.” He spoke and that was new. But he was Vihaan. And no one can accept anything normal from him.
    “What is it?” I asked.
    “Complete trust. Believing each other always. That the whole essence of friendship for me.”
    “Believing each other always? Even when they are wrong?”
    “I won’t make my friends to believe in me when I am wrong. And talking about you, I believe you never do things that are wrong.” That made me smile. I extended my hand towards him.
    “I accept your condition.” I spoke. He too smiled and shook hands with me.
    “Is it possible to add a condition for not hanging out with that Yash guy.” He spoke. I shook my head in disagreement.
    “Yeah. I kind of thought that. Join me to canteen. Fake brave.”
    “Will you stop calling me that?”
    “Don’t ruin my mood.” He spoke.
    “You already ruined mine by saying that.”
    “Fake brave.” He teased me and first time ever I liked that.
    “I hate you.”
    “Hey Shrav. Come with me wanna show you something.” It was Yash’s voice. Always on the wrong time.
    “What?” I asked. I found both of the boys glaring at each other.
    “It’s important. Better than talking with someone really unbearable.” Yash spoke.
    “Unbearable? Like who? Oh yeah I just remember someone. Something Malhotra.” Vihaan commented. I was seriously hating two of them being together at same place.
    “What? Are you scared talking about me in front of me?”
    “Scared? With whom, you? Ok tell me, why should I be scared of you?” Vihaan questioned.
    “So bad. You have marks all over your face. Looks like someone hit you hard. Trust me, that doesn’t happen with me. Got it. Why should you be scared of me?”
That time I was scared. Their argument always used to end up with whole college gathering around them. I didn’t want that at all.
    “You don’t know me. Or else you wouldn’t have been standing here in front of me talking like that.”
    “Show me what you are then. Come-on.” Yash challenged. Same moment I saw Aahana approaching. She first looked at them and then at me.
    “Stop them.” I lip-synced to her. She shook her head and started walking away. I ran and brought her back. I knew she was great at controlling such matters.
    “Stop.” She yelled at them. They stopped and looked at her.
    “I can’t bear him anymore. From now on he is not the part of our group .” Vihaan ordered.
    “We choose our friends and they are my friends.” Yash spoke.
    “Okay. First of all I don’t want any drama here. Second, Vihaan only you have troubles with Yash so he is a part of group, accept that. Even Vineet and Reyansh like him. Third, I don’t want fights anymore. Am I clear?” She shouted. Both nodded.
    “Great. Now depart.” She ordered.
Yash caught my hand and I walked along with him.
    “It’s about Shruti.” He spoke.
    “What?”
    “Just follow me.” He spoke.
He took me to ground and looked everywhere then spoke, “She’s gone. Well I heard her telling her friends that Vihaan and you are dating.” He spoke and I started laughing without missing a sec.
    “Why are you laughing? She was saying that this is the reason, Vihaan rejected her.” He spoke in concern.
    “And they believed her?” I asked.
    “They gave her more proof about you two. Like always sitting together, hanging out together and he always caring for you. Well they also said you guys fight to show everyone that you hate each other. And don’t hate me but I kind of yelled at them for saying all that. But that was so wrong. How people do that?”
    “Aww. My friend is very angry. Come on people talk and we should let them. I know the truth and I don’t care what they think until the people who actually matters to me are not involved. And by the way I am impressed for you taking stands for me. You are rising to my BFF category.”
    “You have categories?”
    “Vihaan just reached my friends list and you are way above him on my list so cheer up.”
    “Hearing that definitely felt nice.” He joked and we both laughed.
I was extremely happy. Vihaan was my friend now and I completely trusted him and cause of that trust I let him keep the secret of his life to himself. I never brought that up in front of him again but I was extremely curious to know about him. Being friend with Vihaan didn’t mean our fights ended. But our fights decreased caused he was busy hating Yash. They used to fight often. I used to enjoy Vihaan losing to a normal guy. Yash became my best friend in no time. He was fun to hang out with. Whole group loved him except Vihaan. He hated him and their feelings were mutual. Shruti was another girl who was worth concerning. Whatever Yash told me about her wasn’t bothering me yet cause she shared her thoughts with her friends only. I just feared coming that news to Vihaan cause I had already experienced this anger.
Once I accidentally met him at the cafe along with Vineet and Reyansh. I was with Yash and Aahana. Yash saw them first and spoke to me, “I  know I can’t bear that person so I am leaving.”
    “Which person and where are you going?” Aahana asked.
    “Vihaan Arora. And to the mall to watch HALLOWEEN NIGHT.”
    “Isn’t this the movie about paranormal activities? I’m coming with you.” Aahana spoke.
    “You wanna join us?” Yash asked.
    “Ghosts are boring. And no one's at home. So I’ll go back to my place.” I spoke and both of them left. Vihaan walked up to me and spoke, “That guy is stealing my friends.”
    “Hi. That’s how you greet someone.” I explained him.
    “I don’t wanna greet you.” He spoke.
    “What’s that suppose to mean?” he stayed quiet for a while and then spoke...
    “I’ll walk you home. Let’s go.” And soon we were in the streets walking together. But it wasn’t a good walk at all. We were fighting and our fight started cause we hated the flavours of ice cream liked by each other.
    “Why you have to hate me?” I spoke.
    “Correction. I don’t hate you. But you force me to do that. Mango? Who loves mango flavour?”
    “Many do. And what about you, blue berry. Like seriously?”
    “What’s wrong in that? It’s better than mango at least.” he spoke.
    “Better than mango? Oh please. Its way worse.”
    “Don’t dare to say anything about blueberry okay."
    “What about you? Stop saying mango is bad.” I too shouted.
    “Listen carefully and I am very clear about this. Mango is the worst choice.”
    “Ahhhhhh! I love mango. You go to hell and take your blueberries with you?”
    “What kind of girl are you?” he spoke. All of a sudden I collided with someone and I am damn sure that collision wasn’t accidental at all. That was painful. I felt like a heavy weight falling on my left shoulder. I turned back and so did Vihaan.
    “Are you okay?” he asked. I nodded. That guy turned and it shook my world. I was shaking as my mind recalled him. He was the same guy who threatened to kill me. I looked at Vihaan and he was horrified too.
    “Oh. Hi we met again.” He spoke with a cunning smile on his face. My face turned red in fear as I recalled Vihaan warning me  that I’ll be there target. For a moment I believed those words again. I started joining those accidents with that incident. I was stuck in my position.
    “Why are you here?” Vihaan spoke in rage.
    “Excuse me? Why? I wanted to walk so I am here.” He answered. Vihaan looked at me and stood in front of me.
    “And?” Vihaan asked with a warning in his tone.
    “And? Tough one. I was following her.” He pointed to me. I grabbed Vihaan’s arm in fear.
    “You.” Vihaan charged his fist towards him.
    “Don’t even dare. My boys are standing right behind you and this time they are well trained to treat pest like you.” He threatened and that stopped Vihaan. Vihaan stood helplessly boiling in anger and I sensed it.
    “What do you want?” Vihaan asked gritting his teeth.
    “Same old stuff. Your yes.” He spoke.
    “It’s between us and I warned you earlier too.  Keep her out of this.” Vihaan argued and that really made me believe that all those accidents happening was all cause of them. Vihaan was serious when he warned me about them. He used to made sure I go home with someone so that they can’t harm me. He was protecting me all this time. He used to stay lost in the college cause of them. I was shocked. I closed my eyes and stepped forward and glared at the guy.
    “He is saying this last time. It’s a no.” I shouted.
    “What are you doing?” Vihaan pulled me back.
    “I told you. You are not a bad person till you accept their proposal. Don’t care about me. They can’t harm me. I belong to family of soldiers. I have that fighting spirit in my blood. I can face them.”
    “Nice. I love beauty with courage.” The boy spoke to me with a smirk.
    “One more word and I’ll kill you right now.” Vihaan warned him.
    “My work was to tell you that Boss wants to meet you. 8 pm, same place.” The guy spoke and went away. Vihaan turned to me and spoke, “They are not something you can handle.” His eyes scanned the scene for danger.
    “What are you there for?” I spoke and it unconsciously came from my heart. He looked at me in shock.
    “I’ll solve this. I promise. I can’t drag you into my problems anymore.”
    “That’s what friends are for. Well I have to hurry. I need to go home now.” I wished him goodbye. As I walked few steps he called me over.
    “Stay safe. Will you?” he spoke.
    “As long as you are there. I am safe. I trust you.” I spoke and this left me smiling. Something was happening. Something strange that I had never experienced before. And Vihaan was the reason behind it.