Red Ribbon Of Fate

*Chapter 26*: Meets and Greets

Arya's POV:

I looked at Riya's face as we got off the plane. Her radiant smile and bright eyes made me want to grin myself. I still couldn't believe that this bubbly beautiful girl standing in front of me was mine. It all felt so surreal.

A little tap on my shoulders broke me away from my thoughts.

" Are you going to stand there all day staring at Riya or are you planning to take a step forward?" Desh teased.

"Going going," I said and hurriedly quickened my pace.

There was a stark difference in the weather in both the places. The sweltering humid Chennai heat made sweat droplets run down my face and neck. I wiped them away with my handkerchief.

" Arya?" Riya called. She was more than ten steps in front of me.

" What are you doing all the way there?" She asked, turning to look at me.

I jogged to her with a grin and took her hand in mine.

" All the way where?"

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile crept onto her face. She leaned over and kissed my cheek.

" Stop the PDA," Kajal screamed, covering her eyes.

I chuckled, pulling Riya closer.

The rest of her friends joined us in a minute. Surprisingly, Desh and Rahul were walking together, talking animatedly. They both looked equally happy and Rahul was more jovial than usual. He cracked some jokes, making the girls burst out into laughter. I don't know what had happened between them. But the tension that I had felt before had completely dissolved.

As we walked through the airport, I swung our intertwined hands up and down. Riya raised an eyebrow at me as if to say " Who's behaving like a kid now?"

I just ignored the look and continued walking.

Meera was on the phone with Manan and I felt like teasing him.

" Manan, my boy...when were you going to tell me that your girl was my girl's best friend?" I screamed into the phone.

" I didn't know. What? Your girl? When were you going to tell ME that you asked your girl out?" he asked.

" You know, Manan, if you want to talk to Arya, you can. Why did you call me then? Here Arya, talk as much as you want. Manan, don't call me again."

" But Meera, " he pleaded, but she was adamant.

" No."

She thrust her phone on me and went to stand beside Riya.

" Yo bro," Manan said from the other side. " What's up with her?"

" Don't know.." I replied.

" Pmsing," Kajal screamed, which caused Meera to yell even louder.

" Can you shut up?Stop being so embarrassing!"

I could hear Manan sigh from the other side. "What did I do?"

I am sure he must have had a confused look on his face that I always knew with his eyebrows scrunched downwards and his forehead wrinkled in thought.

" Chill bro, she's just in one of those moods, she will come around."

" Yeah, so tell me...how did it all happen? How did you tell Riya?"

Manan only knew whatever he had witnessed during the flood. After that, I hadn't got much time to talk to him so he wasn't aware of the recent happenings. So when I told him everything, he said, " Woh dude, so much drama in your life. But finally you got what you wanted huh?"