PraNish - No Straight Roads

Best Friends Forever?

Nishant

"Abbey yaar Pratik irritate mat kar!" I yelled at him for the tenth time while shoving his clingy a** away from me.

"Saale kal din pehle maine Rajiv ko hug krlia toh tune das sawal karliye ki kyu kia ab tujhe kar rha hu toh bhi problem hai? Kaisa aadmi hai tu!" He said and pushed me lightly. He was careful enough to see that I don't hit the hot pan as I was cooking. He peeked a little to make sure he didn't hurt me. I didn't give him a response and continued to do my work.

He got bored, pouted a little and started flirting with Shamita.

"Pra-tik! Where is my hug?" She said in her annoying little voice. I hid my annoyance. I don't know why I feel annoyed of her voice when she says anything to Pratik because otherwise I joke around with her when she is using the weird baby-like voice.

Pratik hugged her and the hug lasted way too long. What the hell!

"Aapki meri shaadi toh ab fixed!" Pratik said smiling and Shamita scoffed, "Arey but Rajiv ne toh tujhe reject krdia!"

He was still holding her and Shamita was also pretty comfortable with him.

"Arey but woh eliminate bhi toh hogya, kyu Nishant?" Pratik said and I turned with surprise almost hurting myself with the knife I had in my hand.

"Oye!" Pratik immediately dropped his grip over Shamita and started checking my finger.

"Abbey kuch nahi hua Pratik." I assured him and he just looked at me. It was for a second or so but I choked up and couldn't say another word.

"Dekhke kaam kar!" His tone was soft as ever yet it was starkly different from the way he made me speechless with just his dark stare. In a few moments he left for smoking room.

"Shamita how are you holdin' up? Rajiv went away too." I asked Shamita to get my mind off whatever complicated sh*t was going on in my head.

"First Rakesh, then Neha and now Rajiv. It is hard but at least I have you and Pratik still. It is good though I didn't have to make some choice again, it was actually the audience's votes due to which he left." She said and I remembered how Pratik chose Neha over Simba. I was strangely irritated to think of that moment.

"Do you think he would have chosen Neha over me?" I actually ended up asking her even though it was a thought which passed my head.

"Nah, I don't think so. You are his number one priority here." She said with surety.

"Here." I said to myself with a sudden feeling of despair pervading my mind. He had chosen Neha before over me in OTT. He chose to shred my memories over hers. How did our relationship change so much that everyone knows Pratik would choose me over anyone? Why am I thinking of Neha even though she is eliminated? It shouldn't matter to me.

Yet, I know it does matter. I know it does.

Pratik

"Nishant! Nishant! Nishant!" I screamed as he was standing in the bathroom wearing his new jeans. He was probably gossipping with his new friend Devoleena as she was standing beside him giving lovey-dovey eyes. I find their dynamic funny.

"Kya hua shaanti se kapde pehne de Pratik!" He snapped at me.

I love annoying him and I know he loves to get annoyed by me.

I slapped his a** out of habit since his a** was looking out of the world.

Wait, what did I just think?

Devo was looking at me with narrow eyes. Uhm, okay maybe I should tone myself down a little. Nishant was unfazed though because probably he has gotten his a** smacked by me a thousand times now.

"Chal bahar baithe!" I told him.

"Nahi jana mujhe." He said and I knew that face. He was annoyed.

"Sorry." I said holding my ears and making a very cute face which I know he can't resist.

"Itna cute jo tu banne ki koshish kr rha hai na? It won't work on me." He said with his usual dramatic flair.

I took a step closer and said, "It has already worked." He was smiling? Blushing? I think I embarrassed him.

"Bahar aajaio spot pe." I said and walked away so as to not embarrass him further.

Nishant

"Yeh kya baat hui tumhare beech mein? I didn't understand!" Devo said in the most dramatic way possible and I wanted to laugh at her but I was too fazed by the way Pratik just stepped so close to me. I think my heart froze there for a moment. He just went out giving me an order after that? What the hell?

"Kuch nahi avai" I said and started walking towards our spot and Devo followed me.

Pratik and I have so many unsaid conversations which I think even audiences won't figure out. He was apologizing for not sitting outside the washroom waiting for me to come out as we made a pact that whenever one of us goes to the bathroom the other would wait for them to come out. I waited for him everyday but he hasn't been keeping his promise lately.

Devo sat in between me and Pratik as we sat on our spot. She has been getting on my nerves but its a good thing that she actually likes me not Pratik.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind I knew. "I'm screwed." I said to myself in my head. I have been jealous of every woman who ever likes Pratik, why? It is not rocket-science but it is something so obvious. I just fell for my straight best friend on national television.

Well, f*ck my life.