The world is where your smile is

Chapter 10

Venky, having found neither Nitish nor Rinku in their respective rooms, wandered into VC's.

VC was talking on phone.

"Who are you talking you? Neha? Can you please talk to her later? I need to talk to you right now."

Go away, VC indicated.

"No," said Venky.

VC closed his eyes, prayed for patience, and told Neha bye.

"What exactly is your and Nitish's problem?"

"Nitish," said Venky. "Nitish is my problem. I haven't seen him since the practice session—"

"Which ended only an hour and a half ago," said VC.

"Exactly," said Venky. "It ended an hour and a half ago and he didn't come to my room, and now I find he's not in his room. Nor is Rinku."

"They're on the terrace," said VC, sighing.

"Why?"

"Nitish told Rinku to meet him on the terrace. I have no idea why."

"Rinku agreed?" asked Venky, his eyes lit up so much VC sighed again.

"Yeah. Nitish threw back my phone, almost breaking it, and ran out, so I guess."

"Definitely." Venky grabbed VC's arm and flew out of the door, too. "They would've made up by now, let's go and say hi!"

"Go and tell who hi?" asked a long-suffering voice; they'd just crossed Shreyas in the corridor.

"Nitish and Rinku," said Venky, all cheer. "Come along, skip, we'll finally get our peace back."

"Peace? You, Venky?" said Shreyas.

"You asking, Shreyas?" asked Russell, who was crossing with Narine.

"Enough!" said Venky. "Come to the terrace with us right now, or at the very least, don't hinder me and VC."

VC, whose arm was still in Venky's vice-grip, smiled blandly at Narine.

Narine smiled back blandly.

Venky led the charge to the terrace.

_______________________

When they reached, and paused outside on tiptoes, Nitish and Rinku were holding each other like they'd never let go.

Smiling hugely, Shreyas automatically turned to Venky, expecting him to smile back. Venky, however, was blinking at Nitish and Rinku. He was teared up, too.

"What?" said Shreyas.

"I love the two of them...so much."

Shreyas elbowed him in the ribs hard.

Russ was the first one to stride into the terrace and engulf the already-hugging pair in a bear hug, making Nitish and Rinku jump. Venky dragged VC so that they could join in, and then Narine did so of his own accord—that was how much Nitish and Rinku not talking had affected the morale of the team.

"About time!" said Russ.

"Where did you all come from?" Nitish asked, muffled.

"What, we wouldn't come to celebrate this moment?" demanded Venky.

Shreyas had walked into the terrace now, still smiling, though he stood aside and watched them. He really didn't like to play the victim card anymore, but somehow, sometimes, like times like these, he felt a little bit like an outsider. Of everyone, Venky had always treated him the closest, but the thing Venky had said earlier that day about family...