Conundrum 》ICT AU

-39-

Nupur was in 4th grade when she transferred from Goa to Delhi. She was devastated to leave her precious beach and friends and the sea with all her sea friends but no amount of pleading would make her parents leave her in Goa.

"It'll be fun!" Her mother said, pushing Nishant to go forward.

Nishant was her older brother. Older, better, wiser - he used to say to her all the time. He's the one who got a full ride to Oxford University, making his parents proud.

Even though Nishant was older to her by 7 years, it didn't mean that they didn't have a bond. Nupur couldn't count the number of instances where they both had gotten into trouble, causing mischief.

But Nishant had left.

Nupur trudged heavily into school the next day, face downcast. She hadn't made the effort to make friends, knowing that Nishant would be ready to entertain her at home. She thought that she'd never need friends but two years into her new school, she hadn't made a single friend.

God, she was a loner.

At lunch, she took her tiffin box and resigned herself to eat in class. Usually she had run to her brother's class, eating with him instead but now, she was truly alone.

"Nupur, what are you doing in class? Aren't you going to go visit your brother?" A voice was suddenly heard, making her turn around.

Gia Mathur was a social butterfly. She could make friends anywhere and anyhow and made effort to keep that friendship as well. Nupur thought that was rather taxing.

"He graduated." Nupur said, slumping down. "He's in Oxford now."

"Oh wow, that's a big deal." She came to her table, her tiffin in her hands. "Hey if you want, you can come chill with me and my friends - we have Virat, Rohit, Anushka and me, of course." She giggled, Nupur perking up.

"Are you sure? They won't mind?"

"No, of course not! If they do, I'll beat them up."

That's how Nupur became a part of the infamous family. They were misfits but they all had the same problem - family pressure.

That just made Nupur love them even more.

Hell would freeze over before Nupur allowed anyone to harm her little family.

-

"Gia, I want to talk to you." Virat muttered, running his hand through the back of his head. He couldn't wait any longer - he had to clear out the air and ask Gia out.

He had tried to live without her but it seemed impossible. She was truly, one of a kind. He would be stupid if he didn't try.

He was scared of the aftermath.

"Hmm, tell me." Gia asked him, stopping at the door to her house, turning around to see him. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Can I come in?" He shyly asked, Gia laughing in response.

"Oh my gosh, where was this humility when you literaly bossed my gardener around for the ladder to climb up to my window." Gia snickered. "This is your house too, you don't need to ask me for my permission."

They both went to her room while she went into the closet and he sat on the bed, loosening his tie. This was more nerve wracking than he'd expected, he couldn't understand where to keep his hands and his fingers were in knots with each other.

"Vee, want some food?" She asked, coming out of the closet in her pajamas. "I'm not very hungry but if you are, I can ask the cook to make something."

"No, thanks." He muttered. "I'm not very hungry as well."