MODERN CINDERELLA

CHAPTER - 43

Aahana took the keys out from her bag and put it in the hole of the locked door to open. Entering into her shared apartment, she went straight to her room with tired small steps. She closed the door and sat down on her bed, keeping her bag aside. She fell with a thump on the bed and curled into a ball and remembering the occasion through the day. 

"Hey, Aahana, when did you come back?" Kait pushed the door open and stopped on her midway to see Aahana crying silently. Kait ran to her and sat down at the floor, patting her head.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" She asked worriedly.

Aahana looked blankly at Kait, before speaking, "Crying?" Kait nodded her head in answer and Aahana just touched her cheek and eyes  to feel them wet. Coming to her senses and remembering the reason for her wet eyes, she got up from lying position and hugged tightly to Kait and bawled her eyes out with loud sobs. Kait never saw Aahana like that before; except that one time when Nick told her about his mother and she had cried for him. But this time, it was for herself, it seemed. Kait didn't say anything except gently patting her back to soothe her, while hugging as tightly as she could. After a while, Aahana calmed down and released herself from the hug and looked at Kait guiltily. 

"I like Nick." She whispered.

"I knew it." Kait excitedly jumped up, but stopped to see Aahana's sad expression. So she again sat beside her and said, "But why are you sound sad about it? It's a good news that you finally realize your own feelings, right?"

Aahana looked at Kait with teary eyes. 

"I don't know. I am scared Kait."

"Of what?" Kait's frowned her eyebrows.

"Of getting hurt. To be broken. To fall into the misery,  But I'm already in it, I guess." Aahana laughed sarcastically. Kait got scared to see Aahana like this; she took her friend's hand and squeezed it and spoke softly. "What happened, Aahana? You seemed restless since the fashion show had ended. I didn't ask you before because I thought maybe you were stressed about finding Nick's mother. Besides, I thought you need some time and space on your own and I didn't want to barge into your space. I waited for you to come if you needed help or any kind of support. But I guess, instead of waiting, I should have barged into your space and demanded to know what's wrong with you. I'm sorry." She gave Aahana her best puppy eyes. To that, Aahana smiled and hugged her best friend again. 

"You should." Aahana spoke through sobbing and hugging tightly. 

After awhile, Aahana was staring into a space while sitting cross-legged on her bed calmly with puffy red cheeks and nose, bloodshot eyes. Kait entered the room with a tray in her hand and put it on the bedside table. She herself sat beside her friend on the bed, same position as the other and held the bowl of chicken-vegetable egg soup towards Aahana. She made a face for not wanting to eat, but Kait rolled her eyes. 

"You always make me eat whenever I don't want to or too busy to eat. But this time, it is my chance. So, eat it without any complaint. You need the strength for explaining everything to me."  

Aahana took the bowl this time and slurped a spoonful of soup. Kait smiled satisfied before she took her own bowl. 

"So?" Kait pushed the conversation forward. "What happened? Tell me from the fashion show. Every single detail." She threatened. 

Aahana nodded and started. She told Kait what she saw on the backstage that day, the events had happened in the office and in the club...

"What? You went to a nightclub?" Kait screamed in shock.

Aahana was shocked by Kait's scream. "Y-yeah, I did. Why?" She asked confusedly.

"You never came with me in club or partying and you went there to spy on NIck?" Kait asked her jokingly.