"I don't want to become the kind of Adwait who would rip every single skin cell off any man who dares to have even the faintest touch upon your skin," He placed a soft, lingering kiss on her earlobe.
Nitya's heart raced in response to his words. Sh...
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"Samar, pick up the pace. Don't be so sluggish," Virat grumbled, adjusting ribbon decorations on the wall.
Samar let out a soft huff, looking confused. "I'm struggling to get this. Why are we tackling all these tasks? Couldn't the university just hire decorators?"
"Because it's our university's cultural event, and as students, it's on us to handle all the prep," Arushi replied, picking up scattered confetti from the floor.
This event happened to be one of the university's most celebrated annual traditions. Students would deck themselves out in all sorts of cultural outfits. The whole campus would turn into the crazy collage of decorations, where laughter, dance, talks, and good vibes flow everywhere.
"Woh sab toh thik hai lekin muje ye gubbare fulane ka kaam kyu dia hai?" Samar groaned, extracting a balloon from its packet with an exasperated expression.
("Alright, but why am I the one stuck with the task of inflating balloons?")
"Kyunki bachho ko hi bachho wale kaam diye jate hai," Arushi said with a mischievous smirk.
("Because it's only fair that tasks suited for kids are assigned to a kid.")
The students burst into laughter, causing Samar to shoot a playful scowl at Arushi before tossing a balloon her way. The balloon landed right on target, sticking to her forehead.
Arushi plucked the balloon from her forehead, rolling her eyes playfully at Samar. He doubled over in laughter, clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground.
Her attention then shifted to Nitya, who was absorbed in the task of smoothing out wallpapers with a somewhat distant and mechanical manner.
Arushi sighed with concern. She was troubled by her friend's somber state. Seeing Nitya like this was hard for her. It had been days since she'd seen Nitya genuinely laugh; it was as if the ability to smile had slipped through her fingers.
She reached Nitya's side. "You know, looking at Samar's antics, it's hard to argue otherwise. Doesn't he remind you of a child?"
Nitya glanced first at Arushi, then at Samar, and finally back at Arushi. She responded with a brief nod before resuming her task at hand.
Arushi's smile faded as she looked over at Virat, who was climbing down from the stool, then at Samar, whose laughter had also died down.
The three of them exchanged worried glances. They all knew about the recent tension between Nitya and Adwait and felt helpless. They wanted to fix things, but it seemed like nothing was working..
"Munchkin, are you hungry? Would you like to eat something?" Virat inquired, assisting her with the wallpaper application.