"I will remember and recover.
Not forgive and forget"
"How? When? What? Why?" Questions and words came tumbling down from my mouth as I tried to absorb the news.
Three years back Trisha and Rian were friends and now they are engaged? This was really hard to digest.
"It all started three years back" Trisha laughed.
"Oh god, don't tell me you're going to tell the whole cheesy love story again"
Aarav said entering my room with his girlfriend.
I just looked at him blank. What? How dare he get her here, in my house.
"Ohh, by the way, this is my girlfriend Nitasha. Nitasha, this is my old friend Kia! " He said casually.
He was acting as if nothing happened yesterday or there was nothing between us three years back. I was hurt, but more than that I was furious. Aarav was looking completely normal. His one hand was wrapped around Nitashsa's waist, keeping her close to him. I hate to admit it, but she looked beautiful.
Her height was almost equal to Aarav's and her hair showed her entire personality. She had beautiful brown locks cut short till her neck.
She had a tattoo over her right wrist with some design.
All in all, she was hot! And to top it all they looked like those perfect hollywood couple. I looked down at my attire and cringed at the sight. Messed up hair, creases on the clothes that I wore yesterday and smudged makeup. See, I looked soo beautiful!
"Hey, nice meeting you! " I said with a fake smile plastered on my face and hiding how hurt and angry I was.
"Same here" she smiled.
"Wow! I'm getting surprises. Rian And Trisha are together, Aarav is dating. I'm soo happy! " I said faking enthusiasm on the last part.
"Sam? Ahana? You'll have something to tell me too? " I said looking at them.
"Nah! We both are going to die single" Ahana laughed.
"Tell me your story first" I said looking at Rian and Trisha.
"And then I will hear yours! " I said faking a smile at Aarav.
Aarav was trying his best not to show a confused face. But he failed miserably.
I just smirked.
We all settled in my living room and Rian started speaking.
"After what happened three years back, Trisha was devastated. She was in severe depression. I mean cmon, she was the one who was attached to your family the most. " We all nodded.
My mother considered Trisha as her own child. Trisha's real mother died at the time of her birth. Her father blamed her for the loss and never treated her as a daughter. He married a women when Trisha was eight. She is a very nice women, but her father and her step mom flew away to Usa and left Trisha with her grandparents. Trisha hasn't seen her dad after that but her step mom visits once a year.
When Trisha became my friend in junior college, my parents loved her. Most of the time she was at my place.
My brother teased me saying that my mother loves Trisha more than me or I am the adopted child and Trisha is my parent's real daughter.
I smiled at the memory.
"She had locked herself for a week. One night, I was really frustrated because I couldn't find you and I had a fight with my mom. So I just went to Trisha's place and knocked down the door. She was surprised first but then we started talking about everything. That day we realized how many things we had in common. Mutual hatred towards our father, no proper family blah blah. So we became more close after that. " Rian said looking into her eyes.
"So after all the flirting, stalking, being best friends and all he finally gathered the guts to ask Tri out. " Ahana continued.
"Tri, obviously said yes. Then after making out, kissing, bone crushing hugs and holding hands for two and a half years Rian proposed to Trisha last month and now they are engaged and they are going to live happily ever after" Sam finished the story.
I laughed.
"You guys tend to know the story pretty well"
"Trust me, we're tired of hearing it."
Ahana rolled her eyes.
"See, they all love us soo much. " Trisha said sarcasm dripping from each word.
"I'm soo happy for you guys! " I launched them with a hug.
"Okay okay monkey, calm down" Rian laughed.
"You have no idea, how much I missed you Kia" Trisha whispered as I sat between her and Rian.
"Me too" I smiled sadly.
"So, Aarav, your turn." Ahana said.
"Umm.. Nothing, we just met two months back at my dad's office and after that we started dating. " Aarav said looking at me.
"We first went out on dates and then he finally asked me out. " Nitasha said smiling and looking at Aarav.
Ouch! That hurts.
'No tears. No tears' I chanted in my brain.
Trisha held my hand and squeezed it as Nitasha continued to tell their so called love story.
Trisha looked at me and whispered
"Aarav is a bitch. Don't worry. " she smiled.
Its always been like that with her. We don't need to tell anything to each other. Just by giving looks we know what is going on each other's mind.
She knows I still love Aarav and she knows its killing me to see him with someone else.
I sighed. I have my squad back. That's all I need right now.
***
"Ahhh! I'm tired." Trisha said jumping on my bed.
"Me tooo" I said lying beside her.
We all talked for another two hours and then everyone left. Trisha stayed with me because apparently I was sick and she wanted to take care of me. But I knew the real reason why she stayed back. She wanted to get everything out of me. All the history geography and Chemistry of my stay in DELHI and why I flew away.
She is a 'bitch' you know.
"So! Start speaking " Trisha said looking at me.
"What? "
"stop acting and start speaking women" she rolled her eyes.
"And what am I supposed to speak? " I faked confusion.
"Okay let's start with why did you leave me and Mumbai? "
"I told you guys. I wanted to get away from everything. " I said looking
away.
"Seriously? You think I'm going to buy that? Okay let's just say that you wanted to get away from everything. For three years? You didn't even try once to contact us. That's not you. You would've tried atleast once to contact us because you can't stay away from people you love. You can't stay away from us. " Trisha looked at me.
"Kia, after you left and after I came out of the depression, I looked for you everywhere. I waited for those blank calls that happen in movies you know. People can't talk to each other so they give blank calls. I know stupid of me but still"
This girl knows me too well and right now I hate it.
I don't know what to say. I'm just looking at her blankly.
"Kia speak up. "
"Fine, I lied. But I can't tell you anything Tri. I just can't even if I want to. Okay? " I screamed at her.
She flinched at my voice.
"Kia... "
"You think it was easy for me to just leave everything and go away. It wasn't. I have my reasons. I have my secrets. Can't you'll just trust me? I'm safe, Im here with you'll isn't that enough? "
I was soo frustrated with this situation of not telling anything to anyone. It was eating me inside.
And I let all that frustration out on Trisha.
She didn't say anything. She just hugged me. A bone crushing -I'm -always -there- for -you-hug.
"Fine. I won't ask you about this again. Tell me when you think you're ready. But can you promise me one thing? "
"Yeah? "
"In future, before taking any kind of step, you'll atleast talk to us first. You won't leave us hanging. Okay? "
"I promise. " I smiled.
"Remember Kia, even I have lost my parents. They were like my parents too" She had tears in her eyes as she said that.
"I miss them Kia! " She cried over my shoulder.
"Me too" I said looking at the photo frame of my family at the side table.
***
After having a lovely dinner with Trisha, we sat on my couch and were watching reruns of some tv series.
"So missy, you still love Aarav!" It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
"Nah. I'm over him" I said looking at the tv.
"what nonsense!" she rolled her eyes. I don't even know why I argue with her about these things. That bitch knows me too well!
"Don't worry. Aarav is still into you! " she said popping a potato chip into her mouth.
"And how do you know that? "
"Cmon Kia. Who would leave their date night with their so called perfect girlfriend and get you home safely."
"perfect girlfriend? What, you don't like her? " I laughed.
"She is okay. I mean I can't be normal and weird around her. And she is too perfect for Aarav"
"Isn't that good? " I questioned.
"Sometimes you have to be imperfect, so that your relationship is perfect. I've had a bet with Rian, that this is not going to last more that 4 months. Now that you are here, I'm surely going to win. " she smirked.
***
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