Hamesha, Yours!

-1-

7.30 AM. Exact.

Shuffling footsteps. Precisely.

The crockery clattered. Softly.

And the doorbell rang.

Aryaman opened the door monotonously while Abhimanyu followed from behind.

The sun kissed the blue walls bringing Abhimanyu and Aryaman back from their dreamland. It had been a month since Nandini had left. It had been a month since Fab 5 had retreated to Mumbai. It had been a month since either of them had gone on nonsensical crazy night ice cream walks. It had been a month since they had just wandered around the empty streets. It had been a month since they both had laughed themselves to tears. And, it had been a month since ever since the school children woke them up in hope their "Nandini miss" had arrived after visiting her relatives. It was a white lie to young innocent children but, reality would have been too harsh and difficult to explain. Their sad faces and love wasn't worthy of the pain, and so they hid that they didn't knew where she was. Other than a void, nothing much was left with them. They weren't back to where they were before her. How could they? In the short while she was here, she was no less than a sister and no more than any precious diamond.

The smiling little faces chirped through the door. Accurately.

"Aru Bhai! Abhi bro! Nandini miss aai Kya? Unka koi call aya? Woh kab aaiygei? Unhein batana ki Rahul is becoming naughtier day by day, she should really come!" The little girl's voice threatened to break into tears early morning but she braved through her request.

Aryaman gave a tight lipped smile to her and bent down, dabbing her eyes with his cold hands.

"I will. I will, definitely. She'll be back very soon, bacha!" He kissed her forehead and the girl ran away as the school bus honked in its demand for her.

"I'll tell her when I know where she is!" He uttered and closed the door with a deep sigh.

Abhimanyu saw his fallen face and sighed his question, "Milk and sugar in cornflakes?"

"No. Give me pancakes!" Aryaman wished.

"Milk it is!" Abhi said and poured his cup full. Aryaman nodded his head knowingly at the unanswered question and walked towards the table that still laid as she left it.

"Did we really loose her?" He breathed.

"It's confusing and perplexing, Aryaman!" Abhimanyu answered back swirling his cereal as if it had words in it.

"It's very straightforward, Abhi! We lost." Aryaman growled calmly and threw his head back on the chair.

"No, we didn't. Look at it, she took a decision for the better, thinking of herself!" Abhimanyu continued playing on with the cornflakes that lay dunk in the pond of milk.

"Funny, that's coming you!" Aryaman laughed.

"It's post-Ayesha!" Abhimanyu said and filled his mouth with a bite. There was no more to say about her, from his side. She was the long backstory that made him what he is today just like Nandini was a long story that was made of Manik and she too made him what he was today.

"She taught you well?" Aryaman raised his right brow and smirked, naughtiness lingering in his eyes.

"No." Abhimanyu cut sharp and determined, "You taught me and rather than digressing, you better apply what you taught me long back- let go!"

"Huh! True, but what if she doesn't make it through?" Aryaman dismayed his eyes turning worrisome.

"She's made it through so much, what makes you believe that this time when she took it all on herself, she won't make it?" Abhimanyu countered throwing the leftover cereal in the fridge.

"That's optimistic and do you suggest that we should let her go- leave her mid-way?"

"May be, yes!" Abhimanyu shifted his gaze out of the window, sinking deep into his thoughts.

"Abhimanyu Thakkar, you coward! I'm not leaving her, of all. It's fine- if you can! But, I- I can not. It was my promise and I shall keep it." Aryaman stomped out of the room until Abhimanyu's low voice caught hold of him,

"And what if when you go back this time, it's you who brings her devils back?"

Aryaman stood there, holding the rim of the cold door. Abhimanyu's voice was as cold but, it held truth, may be. What if this time they brought her her nightmares rather than dreams? Aryaman stiffened at the thought, his muscles tightening under it.

"Promise to take care of her!"

"Promise to never let me go!"

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The alarm buzzed on the side table. She slipped down her blanket- it was cold, definitely cold. The alarm, in all its royalty continued to buzz along. She squinted her eyes at the clock and threw it down the side-table. The stubborn continue to hum even after having a blow from. Irritated to her nerve, she threw a pillow on top of it when the door blasted it open.

"Us bichare ko marne ke siwa, why don't you just wake up!"

"It's too early!" she sulked and drowned further into the blankets.

"Wake up sleepy bird!" a deep voice called in the room and soon the coldness touched her skin.

"It's cold you dimwit!" she shrieked and snatched the blanket from him, pulling them back on her.

"It's 8.30. Wake up, I need to go to the studio!"

"Then oblige yourself!" she murmured from under her covers.

"Not without waking you, Miss! You have to come!"

"No!" she replied and peaked through, "I'm not meeting Stardust! I'm going no where, do you get it!"

"Bruh! What's your problem? It's gonna help you!"

"I am far away from that land! It's none of my business!"

"Fine. Then happy sleeping, Ms. snappy!"

"Thanks!" she smiled back at him and pulled the sheets over her head. He stood there looking at her for a few minutes and walked out of the room sighing.

He had barely reached her room when a loud thud from bed came and he looked back smirking.

"Ugh!"

She growled looking irritated at his figure just calmly leaning against the door. His hands crossed around his his chest.

"You took away my sleep!"

"I'm the best, I know! Up, breakfast is ready!" he shrugged his shoulders and left for the kitchen.

She rolled her eyes and stumbled out of the bed to freshen up.

"Still hate you."

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Hey,

Back and will be there soon! You may find some or most of the content the same but spare me!

Love,

HF