Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

Dare to Live #2: Description + Introduction

She glanced up from her frantic packing as we were leaving to go back home to India in tomorrow's flight. "About what?"

"See, I got this appointment letter from a certain fashion house but I know I didn't apply there." She turned to face me with a busted look. I glared at her, "What did you do?"

"I might have applied for you?" She replied through a pleading look as if that was meant to get me to forgive her for overstepping as such.

I didn't much care for the fact that she applied on my behalf without asking me as I knew her well enough to know she wouldn't have done that with the intention to harm me. After all, in the four years of college, she had turned into a best friend.

However, I challenged the specifics, "And they accepted me without an interview? Is this place even real? I find it all shady."

Her lips turned up in amusement, "Yes, it's real. You've seen me wear their designs, haven't you? And to answer your question, they did not accept you without an interview. I did attach some of your designs with the application form."

Well. She did have a fair point. They very much exist. If one outfit of Kripa's wasn't proof, Arnav's entirely closet surely was. "Why, Kripa?"

She sighed, "Why not? They're one of the top most emerging fashion houses in the country. You should be happy you got the job!" When I wanted to scold her some more for doing this without my permission, she added. "Trust me. It's exactly what you need."

I knew... deep down. I should be happy I have a job. Other places, I was still awaiting a response from. Even more so, this was AR Fashion House which created AR Designs.

She ushered me out of her room and into mine, "Now hurry and finish packing. We have to go out tonight and celebrate my break up."

I instantly turned to her again in sympathy, "Kripa..."

She however pushed a smile on her face to convey she wasn't sad. "No, no. It's okay. I knew things with Aaron wouldn't last. College ends. So do we."

I hugged her arms pulling her to me for she was surprising me with how well she was handling this even though I knew how much she was happy with Aaron. "I'm sorry. I know you love him."

She patted my hand, "I do. Three years is a long time to be with someone..." She inhaled deeply as if to keep herself composed and not shed a tear, "and I'll fondly remember him. Don't make me sad now. I'll move on in time."

I smiled back wanting to support her and she slipped out of my arms to her room. Right now, I couldn't help but think about Arnav's words years ago when Kripa and Aaron first started dating. He'd said it wouldn't last; that it would break her heart eventually. Now, I wonder... he was right. Should I have not supported Kripa then?

No.

I shook my head, refusing to let that make me doubt if I did the right thing. She is my friend and I did to the right thing by supporting her then. Even if that beautiful relationship had ended now, I knew Kripa wouldn't have wanted it any other way. They had some wonderful years together and she had truly grown into it as a person. Despite knowing how it would end when she would move back to India, she had lived in the present and made the most of it. There should be no regrets for that.

I cleaned out the last of my drawers, throwing away a lot of things such as filled up notebooks, old syllabi's, and such things that I should have thrown out as soon as each semester ended. The textbooks I kept in one pile to have either Abhimanyu or Aaron resell them to new students.

I stuck my hand in the drawer to make sure there wasn't anything small sticking in the very back. I pulled out a sheet of folded paper. A cheat sheet full of equations. I threw it in the trash pile and pulled out another object my fingers had felt.