prologue

We all have that one person in our lives in whose absence our existence seems utterly

meaningless. For some people, that person is a friend—a family you choose instead of

being forced into liking. No matter how much you argue with your friends over little

things, ultimately you love them for exactly who they are. None of those petty, expensive

gifts or sweet words mean anything if one can’t appreciate the little things that matter.

Rohan was lucky enough to have the best of both: a friend to live for and a love to die

for. A friend who would confidently lie to his parents just to go out with him and a

girlfriend who was slowly and discreetly penetrating his heart and soul.

It was the evening of Rohan’s relationship anniversary. Rohan had left for his

girlfriend Riddhima’s place and his friend Virat, too, was on his way. Rohan had made

all the preparations for a perfect evening. As he took out his mobile phone from his

pocket, he scrolled through Riddhima’s pictures in his gallery for a while, then read the

text message he had received, and started typing a reply:

You will look ravishing covered in my kisses. You always ask me whether you are better

than my ex or not, so let me tell you the truth today—no one can be compared to you, my

love. I love you so much and I wonder to myself why? You know what they say—when you

know why you like someone, it’s a crush and when you can’t think of a reason or

explanation, it’s love.

He read the message once again before pressing the send button. He then thought of

deleting the text message from his phone. After all, it had only been a day since they

started seeing each other. He feared what Riddhima would think about him. But the best

conversations are those that never take place, like the messages that we never send.

Rohan reached Riddhima’s house and knocked on the door. She let him inside, though

something had changed this time; earlier he used to visit her to learn French while now

he was here to teach her how to French kiss, if the stars favoured him. He called Virat to

ask him where he was and how long he’d take to reach.

‘I am on my way. Will reach in half an hour. Extremely sorry, buddy. I am still stuck in

traffic,’ Virat lied.

He was not struck in traffic but caught up in another meeting—one with his best

friend. A girl can be your best friend, your worst enemy, or your worst nightmare. It all

depends upon how you treat her. Virat treated her like a princess but always asked her

when would she start looking for a guy to fall in love with to which she would reply, ‘I

Don’t need someone so mature that I can’t act immaturely around him. What I need is

someone who adores my immaturity and maturely understands me.’ They’d end up

fighting over issues like these and would stop talking to each other for days.

She was supposed to travel back to her hometown that night, all by herself. He never

liked the fact that she travelled alone. But she loved adventures and it was beyond

Virat’s control to win an argument with her.

Virat was about to reach Rohan’s place when suddenly he took a U-turn in high speed.

The other cars came to a halt the moment Virat took the sudden turn and sped away.

While he was waiting for the signal to turn green, he received a message. He

immediately called on the unknown number and before the person on the other end could

explain the whole thing, he ended the call. Suddenly, he felt numb—like his whole world

had come crashing down. He couldn’t believe his ears. It was, by far, the worst news of

his life.

His hands shivered as he accelerated the car. After a few minutes, he got a call from

Rohan again.

‘Where are you? Stop following girls and come here right away.’

‘Rohan, I’m not coming. I am extremely sorry but I need to see someone urgently.

Please don’t take this the wrong way,’ Virat said with a heavy voice.

‘What happened?’ Rohan asked sensing the gravity of the situation.

Without uttering a word, Virat disconnected the call and parked his car. He got out and

started walking when he realized that he’d forgotten to lock the car, yet again.

‘How many times do I need to tell you to check whether the doors have been locked

properly or not? You are so careless, Virat. This is unacceptable.’ He remembered her

chiding him and a tear rolled down his eyes.

All the crazy moments that they had spent together came rushing back like a flashback

in front of his eyes. He remembered their long drives and the way she tickled him sitting

beside him in the car. An empty smile, unspoken words, and a broken heart; it was

killing him. Their relationship did not flourish as intended. Perhaps, it would go

somewhere better. All the good memories and the precious moments they had shared

with each other had been scattered in a fraction of a second.

Sometimes we play with our lives, but when the time comes for us to get serious, life

plays with us. Rohan was expecting Virat to celebrate his newfound happiness with him,

but now even Rohan was worried for Virat. Riddhima was confused by the way Rohan

was acting and wanted to know what had happened.

Whenever he faced a difficult time, she would be the first person to be by his side.

Now he was missing that support of hers. Virat was missing the support of his best

friend, Kavya.

...To be continued......

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