Cordially, Yours!

-59, 60, and 61.5-

Aryaman had long back lulled Nandini to sleep. Her breaths were small, calm and child-like narrating that she had fallen in the clouds of her dreamland. He slowly planted a good-night kiss on her forehead and got up slowly from the bed rest. His eyes fell upon on her injured hand and a tear fell on her blood-moistened bandage. He wiped his eyes and existed the door, slowly shutting the door behind her.

He had failed- miserably failed. Failed in his promise to her, failed as a friend, failed in his promise to himself, failed in his promise to Abhimanyu. He had utterly failed to protect her from her unknown fears, her past. He had failed to keep her happy, and content. Instead, of her being of full of life, life was full of her. But, it was now enough- these new entities had enough damage to pull her down. Whatever their story, whatever their relations, whatever their fights- they could keep that to themselves, it was her time to shine and they couldn't just barge in to pull her down and strip her off her happiness. After all she went through, after all what he had seen of her, she couldn't be at fault- she was pure, true-hearted- another innocent one who was made fun of by life and egoism. He couldn't let life mock him by setting ablaze another one right in front of his eyes, not especially when this time, he was sane, safe and sound.

He reached down the hallway and entered the common-where everybody, including the unknown lady who just ruined everything, was enjoying on their own terms, mingling and laughing while the innocent fought herself within her.

"Pack your stuff. We are out in two hours!" he firmly asserted.

Abhimanyu looked up at his harshness and narrowed his eyes at him in dubiety while the rest were astonished at the announcement.

"What? Esa kesa?"

"Wese hi jese yahan aaye the! Excited much?" Aryaman mocked at the five souls, he detested.

They gulped audibly and scattered their gaze when Aryaman's eyes spite fire on them. His sudden hatred was unexplained, but the heat was enough to make them shudder. Manik, being Manik Malhotra, was unfazed and shot him back with the intensity. The unannounced pounce didn't go unnoticed by Abhimanyu and he made it a point to call truce before the argument spread wild-fire.

"Okay, buds! We'll call it wrap as sudden as it was called on! " he got up and dusted his clean white bermudas and tugged on Aryaman's shoulder, "Chal, we'll go and pack and tell Nandini to pack up to. You know she's gonna be so haphazardly panicky."

"No! No one's gonna go to her. No one." Aryaman retorted and shot his eyes at Fab 5. The insistence was clear and the inference was crystal.

He didn't know about the five who sat in front, but, Aryaman's crudeness scarred Abhimanyu indefinitely. He gathered his voice and muttered like a sheep,

"Okeih! Chal, mere saath"

Aryaman shot his piercing gaze at him to which Abhimanyu meekly added a cheeky "please". The moment the boys existed, Fab 5, except Manik, left a unknowingly held breath.

"That was.." Mukti stared ahead the two who disappeared into the hallway.

"Nothing." Manik completed her statement very obviously and got up fixing the collars of his light-blue coat. "Just pack-up. I don't think we have much left here or anywhere. Cabir, just pack my stuff too. I've something important, way more important than this."

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"Bro! Dhanda, ho ja!" Abhimanyu patted a huffing Aryaman's back.

"No way! Abhi, I'm done!" Aryaman shouted. 

"Okh! I get it. You're done, done, but done with?" Abhi raised his hands surrenderingly yet questioned. Aryaman squinted his eyes, 

"Everything. With her mysteriousness, her saddness and especially, with their capabilities." He said threateningly.