Fates

Part 61- Comfort

Prachi had reached home at the same time as Shahana, getting out of the car that Abhi had insisted that she take and waving the driver off.

"Where are you coming from? And where have you been all this time?" Shahana asked curiously, as they stood outside in the street, in front of the entrance of the house.

"Oh, I was at Riu's house." Prachi told Shahana.

"Why were you at her house?" Shahana asked worriedly thinking that Riya had done something to Prachi again, not realizing what Prachi had called Riya in her worry.

"It's nothing like that Shahana." Prachi said knowing what Shahana was thinking. "Me and Riu went out for lunch today but she fainted so I just with her until she woke up to make sure that she was okay." Prachi said smiling.

"Riu?" Shahana asked confused and shocked, finally noticing the nickname, Prachi never liked giving nicknames to anyone.

"Yeah it came out as a joke, but I actually like it now. You wouldn't believe the nickname that she gave me, it's horrible." Prachi said with a chuckle, as she thought about the nickname 'Pikachu.'

"But first we should go inside, or are we going to spend the whole night talking outside?" Prachi said pulling Shahana inside the house by grabbing her hand.

'Prachi don't get too close to Riya because if this is one of Riya's plans you will get badly hurt.' Shahana thought to herself worriedly, not knowing that Riya's intentions were pure.

******
When Prachi got out of the bathroom after changing into new clothes, she saw that Shahana had changed too. But just like a few nights ago, Shahana was once again trying on different clothes that were still on their hangers.

"What are you doing?" Prachi asked Shahana going to stand next to her.

"Uh- I'm picking out clothes for my meeting tomorrow with the new clients." Shahana said keeping up with the lie that she had told Prachi a while back.

"But tomorrow is a half-day we don't have work tomorrow because we have to be at college at that time. So how is your meeting tomorrow? And didn't you already pick a dress for the meeting a few days ago?" Prachi asked confusedly.

"Oh, I-- the meeting--- is--- at 5 PM tomorrow because that was the only time that the clients were free to meet us, and so we agreed." Shahana said quickly, fumbling for a bit, making up a lie on the spot, and feeling guilty for doing so.

"What about the dress? Why are you picking out another dress?" Prachi asked, believing Shahana's lie for the time being.

"Oh because I'm not so sure about the dress I already picked out. So I'm reevaluating my options." Shahana said honestly.

"Can you help me pick out a dress?" Shahana asked happily, even though she couldn't tell Prachi about her date with Aryan, at least Prachi could be involved in the process.

"Sure, where is the dress that you already picked out?" Prachi said agreeing to help Shahana.

"It's right there." Shahana said pointing towards a white, lightly decorated dress laying on her bed.

"I like it." Prachi said smiling once she picked up the dress to look at it.

"Really?" Shahana asked thinking that Prachi was just being nice to her.

"Yes, really." Prachi said honestly. "It's simple but elegant, and beautiful just like you." Prachi said smiling happily.
"You should always trust your gut, don't second guess yourself." Prachi said wisely

"Thank you, you're the best!" Shahana said happily abruptly hugging Prachi.

"I know, I know, don't get sentimental." Prachi said smiling but hugged Shahana back, tighter.

******
"Okay Dad, so I saw you hugging a random woman, what do you have to say for yourself?" Riya said sitting upright on her bed.

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But unfortunately, there was no one sitting in front of her, she was alone in her room.

"No Riya you can't ask Papa like that. It sounds like you're accusing him of a crime." Riya said to herself, shaking her head at the idea.

"But then how do I ask him? How do I tell him that I remember seeing him with a woman who was in a saree? I don't remember the woman's face but I'm dying to know who that woman was. But how do I ask him the right way? Is there even a right way to ask your dad if he's having an affair with someone?" Riya said confused, in all seriousness, but it came out as funny.

But before Riya could think about more ways to confront Abhi, Priyanka stormed into Riya's room and gave her an unexpected hard slap across the cheek which echoed in the room.

"Owww!" Riya said coming out of shock, holding a hand over her right cheek which Priyanka had hit.

"What was that for?!" Riya yelled alarmed.

"I know Pikachu said that I will be smacked the next time I say the words 'I remember' but I didn't know that the universe works so fast, I mean it literally hasn't even been a second." Riya said jokingly but was still confused as to why Priyanka had slapped her. But instead of saying anything in return Priyanka just abruptly hugged Riya.

"Why are you crying?! I should be the one crying! This hurts!" Riya said jokingly, being dramatic, it didn't even hurt that much. While Priyanka just started to sob on Riya's shoulder.

"Okay, Priyanka stop crying." Riya said hugging Priyanka back to calm her down, now worried, because Priyanka never cried this much, the only other time that Riya had seen Priyanka cry so much was when her dad had brought Priyanka home after her parents had died. In the beginning, all Priyanka would do was cry, asking for her parents and her sisters. Back then a five-year-old Priyanka couldn't understand that her family was gone forever.

"Are you crying because I fainted? Don't worry I'm okay, Pri." Riya said when Priyanka kept on crying, still hugging her, now rubbing her back to calm her down.

"No idiot." Priyanka said in a teary voice still sobbing, pushing Riya away, and breaking the hug.

"Y- you got into- a- ca- car- acci-- accident." Priyanka said in a shaky voice full-on sobbing again.

"Fir- First-- I-- I- lo- lost my entire fam- fam- family in a ca- car acci- accident and now I was go- going to lo- lose- y- you." Priyanka said in a shaky teary voice, as endless tears streamed down her face.

"No Pri, you will never lose me." Riya said determinedly. Hugging her again tightly, rocking Priyanka back and forth in her embrace to calm her down, wondering how Priyanka had found out about her car accident.

'It was probably Ari who told Pri, that tattletale can't keep anything to himself.' Riya concluded, thinking to herself, rolling her eyes fondly. Aryan couldn't keep a secret even if his life depended on it.

And indeed it was Aryan who had told Priyanka about Riya's accident purely by mistake. They had been talking about how Riya had fainted. And one thing led to another and somehow Aryan had told Priyanka about Riya's accident. Aryan was sorry for slipping up but didn't try to stop Priyanka as she stormed off to Riya's room because he had learned long ago to not mess with Priyanka when she was angry.

"Are you okay now?" Riya asked Priyanka gently once she looked calmer. Riya pulled away, to look at Priyanka's face, still embracing her, wiping away some tears that were still falling from Priyanka's eyes.

"Yes, I'm okay now, just don't get hurt again, idiot." Priyanka said in a mere whisper, giving a small smile.

"Well, you don't slap me again." Riya said jokingly to lighten the mood.

"Ooh, I'm sorry." Priyanka said with a wince, apologetically, when she spotted a red slap mark that was currently forming on Riya's cheek. Priyanka knew that she sometimes ended up going too far in anger.

"You better be." Riya said smiling softly, hugging Priyanka again, and continuing to hug her until she felt completely better.

******
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