If there was one place Randhir didn't expect to show up - besides Sanyukta's - it was Parth's place.
Parth had been driving to work when he met Randhir on the street, dragging his bags, walking lifelessly to an unknown destination.
"Randhir?" Parth asked him, sounding surprised as he saw Randhir in that state, all alone, walking through Mumbai, with his bags in tow. "What happened to you? What are you doing here?"
"I don't know," Randhir murmured as he looked up to see Parth, an overwhelming amount of emotions gobbling him up at once.
He felt happy to see his best friend again, guilty for sleeping with his best friend's ex-girlfriend, upset for leaving Sanyukta... and confused, like a lost child, who didn't know how to find his way home.
"Are you okay?" Parth asked him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Where do you live? Come on... I'll drop you home."
"Nowhere," Randhir muttered in response. "I live nowhere."
"Come with me," Parth said, and took his bags and placed them in the trunk of his car.
Randhir got into Parth's car and Parth started to drive until he pulled into his house.
He unloaded Randhir's bags from the trunk and took them inside. Parth's place wasn't as big as Sanyukta's. It was a bungalow with two bedroom's and a basement room.
Parth took Randhir's bags into the spare bedroom and placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder.
"I've got you, don't worry," Parth said with a smile. "If you need anything, let me know. What's your number?"
Randhir told him his number and Parth texted him with his name.
"We'll talk in the evening, I'm getting late for work now," Parth told him. "I've got a spare set of keys... I'll get them for you now. You just make yourself at home."
He ran up the stairs into his room to get his keys and passed them on to Randhir. Randhir took them and smiled appreciatively at Parth as Parth left for work.
He wasn't sure how long he would stay here, but until he figured things out, he decided that he would stay here.
Randhir looked down at his phone and smiled to himself as he saw Sanyukta's name on his contact list. He wished he had a picture with her... but he never thought to take one.
"I miss you Sanyukta," he whispered to himself as he ran his fingers across her name on his screen. "I miss you so much."
Fourty Seven
Randhir wondered how she got through by living without him. Every second that passed made him feel more and more miserable. He wanted to go back to her and hold her tight. He wanted to apologize for everything he had ever done and be with her. But that nagging thought that he wasn't good enough for her love was enough to make him stay seated in his pool of misery.
He was sitting on the couch, when he heard the doorbell ring. Randhir wasn't sure whether to open it or not, since it was Parth's place, but curiosity got the better of him, and he stood up to see who it was. When he peeped through the peephole, he saw Vidhushi and his heart leaped with excitement.
Randhir opened the door and let her in.
"Parth told me you were here," Vidhushi gushed and threw her arms around Randhir.
Randhir hugged her back, glad to see her again after so many years. It was like a little class reunion here in Mumbai. The people he cared about the most in his life were here.
"How are you Vidhushi?" Randhir asked her, breaking the hug.
She locked the door behind them and went to the kitchen.
"I'm making you tea!" she said excitedly. "Wait... knowing you, you haven't eaten anything all day. So let me make you food."
"That's not necessary," Randhir said as he followed her into the kitchen.
"Not for you dummy, for me!" Vidhushi said with a smile. "You just sit down."
Randhir sat down on the dining table in the kitchen as Vidhushi got to work.
"So you haven't answered my question," Randhir started, "How are you?"
He thought he saw a flicker of pain in her face before she smiled widely again.
"I'm good Randhir. I'm very good," Vidhushi said happily. "How are you?"
"Good," Randhir lied, as he scrutinized her features.
Vidhushi was lying... and he was sure that it had to do with Parth.
"How did you land up here in Mumbai?" Vidhushi asked him, but Randhir avoided her question.
"Vidhushi, is everything okay between you and Parth?" Randhir asked her softly.
She turned around and looked at him with a painful expression before her eyes teared up.
"Randhir... I don't know what to say," Vidhushi told him sadly. "I love Parth... and he loves me, I know it. We fought though, once school ended, and we didn't speak to each other. Then when I realized I couldn't live without him, I found out he lived in Mumbai and came here... but by then it was too late."
Randhir looked at her, a sympathetic expression on his face. Why was everyone's love story so complicated?
"Did he find someone else?" he asked her softly.
She nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.
"Sorry, it's the onions," she said softly.
Randhir chuckled.
"Vidhushi, is he still with the girl?" Randhir asked her.
"I'm not sure," Vidhushi replied. "He's really low-key about his love life... When I told him, I wanted to at least be his friend, he said okay... but I feel bad for the girl."
"Why?" he asked, thinking about Arpita.
"She seems to really like him, and Parth... he's clearly not that into her. He... he has cheated on her with me, I just... I don't think she knows," Vidhushi told Randhir, sounding guilty.
Arpita had been sweet... even when she hadn't cheated on Parth, she felt bad because she thought she cheated.
"She doesn't deserve that," Randhir pointed out.
"I know... but I love Parth, how could I help it?" Vidhushi asked him, sighing softly.
"Anyways, it's okay," Randhir told her, comfortingly. "Everything will be okay. I'm sure that if Parth loves you, he'll come to you."
"Hmmm, Randhir, you seem to know a lot about love now," Vidhushi teased and Randhir grinned.
"A lot more than I knew back in college for sure," Randhir said, laughing.
Then his mind drifted to Sanyukta. What was she doing now? He hoped she wasn't crying somewhere. He really wanted her to move on... but maybe she was so used to having a broken heart, that she just felt numb now. Perhaps that would help her.
Fourty Eight
Later on, when Parth got home, it felt like old times again. The three of them used to stay up until late, just like this, talking and fooling around back in college.
They were drinking beer and talking, the three of them, happily. Randhir told them about how he came to Mumbai to look for plots to start his own business, and that his business partner Rehaan would be assisting him. He extended the offer to Parth and Vidhushi, in case they wanted to join him, but they said they would think.
"Can I ask you guys something?" Randhir asked the two of them. "I want to know whether you two love each other."
"I love him," Vidhushi said quickly, with no shame.
Parth hesitated for a bit and glared at Randhir, as if he was angry that he put him on the spot, then he gave in too.
"Yeah I love her," he mumbled.
Vidhushi's eyes widened and she looked at Parth excitedly.
"Then why can't you two sort out your differences?" Randhir asked them.
"I don't know," Parth said quietly. "I guess I was just being stubborn."
"Hmm stubborn," Randhir repeated and chugged down the rest of his beer bottle before grabbing another one. "Well then drop it and get together."
Randhir knew his relationship couldn't work out... but that didn't mean that nobody else's could.
Vidhushi looked at Parth expectantly and Parth sighed.
"Fine," he said. "Vidhushi... be with me."
Randhir laughed. Parth's style of asking Vidhushi out was funny.
"Of course," Vidhushi said softly, and her eyes welled up with tears as her face broke out into a wide smile.
She looked at Randhir with a grateful expression and Randhir smiled back at her, with a look that said don't mention it.
"So Randhir, have you found a girl?" Vidhushi asked him, as she took a sip of her beer.
"Yea - uh no," he said and smiled at her politely.
"Lies," Vidhushi said giggling, "Parth... he found someone. I know it! He was giving me love advice earlier."
"Really now Randhir?" Parth asked him with a big grin. "Who is she?"
"Nobody," Randhir replied immediately. "She's nobody. I mean, I haven't found anyone."
"Come on, we're your best friends... you can tell us," Vidhushi pushed. "Tell us Randhir."
Randhir hesitated for a bit before shaking his head.
"Guys, I'm really tired... I really have nobody in my life," he said to the two of them.
Vidhushi rolled her eyes and she leaned into Parth.
"He's lying," she whispered loudly, loud enough for Randhir to hear.
"I know," Parth said, laughing. "Come on Vids, I'll drop you home."
Randhir smiled at the pair of them as he cleared the beer bottles from the table. After he had gotten into bed, he picked up his phone again and ran his fingers across her name.
He was in a daze as he reminisced about the times they had shared... he was so out of it, that he hadn't realized that he had pressed call by accident. It was only when he heard the third ring, that he had been woken from his reverie.
"Shit," he mumbled, about to press end call, but she had already answered.
He rushed to put the phone by his ear, so he could hear her voice again.
"Randhir?" Sanyukta asked softly. "Are you okay?"
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Randhir gulped as he felt his eyes fill with tears when he heard her voice. He took a deep breath. It had only been one day, and he was already feeling horrible. How was he going to spend his entire life without her.
"Hello?" she said on the other end of the line, and he took a deep breath as he felt his heart ache.
He wanted to say he missed her, but how could he? He couldn't do that to her. He couldn't put his own selfish needs over her well-being. If he did, how could he say he was in love?
With an aching heart, Randhir removed the phone from his ear and pressed end call.
He lay down in bed and had difficulty falling asleep. Then he remembered what it felt like to hold Sanyukta, and his breathing steadied, leading him into a deep slumber.
The next day was a Saturday, so it was a weekend. Randhir and Parth were sitting down in his living room, watching a cricket match, when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Randhir said, assuming it to be Vidhushi.
As soon as he walked to the door and opened it with a big smile on his face, he came face to face with Arpita and his mouth dropped open.
"Oh," he said, not sure what to say or what to do.
She seemed rattled to see him there.
"Is... is Parth in?" she asked him awkwardly.
Parth came to the door and looked at Arpita with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her, sounding irritated.
Randhir didn't like the tone in which Parth was speaking to Arpita, when Arpita only cared about him.
"Sorry," Arpita mumbled, looking down. "I just wanted to check to see if you were okay... you weren't returning my calls."
"I'm fine, now get out," Parth ordered.
"Parth," Randhir piped in, sounding disturbed. "Why are you being so mean?"
"She's my ex," Parth said. "I don't want to talk to her."
"What has she done to you?" Randhir asked him.
"Nothing, I just want her out," Parth said rudely.
"She really cares about you," Randhir replied.
"Oh yeah?" Parth asked, sounding annoyed, "And how do you know that?"
Arpita's eyes filled with tears.
"Parth I'm sorry... I feel so guilty, but," she started and Randhir shot a look telling her to shut up.
She shook her head.
"I have to tell him," she told Randhir. "I can't lie to him, I love him!"
"What?" Parth asked, sounding confused.
"Arpita..." Randhir warned.
"You know her name?" Parth asked, sounding completely surprised. "How do you know her?"
Arpita took a deep breath.
"We slept together," Arpita said to Parth. "I'm so sorry Parth, I was a bit drunk and I was trying to get over you, I was upset... and he was there."
Parth glared at Randhir, and Randhir felt the guilt take over.
"How could you?" Parth asked Randhir, sounding furious.
"I didn't know Parth," Randhir said quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know she was your ex."
"But you still didn't tell me when you found out?" Parth asked angrily. "Randhir, we were supposed to be best buddies. I'm letting you live in my house, and behind my back, you're doing things with my girlfriend? Disgusting."
"Parth, listen to me," Randhir yelled. "It's nothing like that. It was a one time thing, and there are no feelings."
"Of course there aren't any feelings. How could someone expect a robot like you to have any feelings? All through college you used girls and played with them, and I kept quiet," Parth said angrily. "Arpita isn't the type of girl who sleeps around with everyone Randhir."
Vidhushi then walked up to the doorway, looking surprised to see Arpita there and Randhir and Parth shouting at each other.
"What's happening?" Vidhushi asked.
"He slept with Arpita," Parth bellowed. "How can he do that?"
"What?" Vidhushi asked, her eyes wide. "Randhir, why would you do that with her? Do you love her? Is she the girl?"
"What? No!" Randhir yelled."No she isn't. She's a nice girl, but she's not... I don't love her, and it was by mistake. I didn't know!"
"Randhir, I still care about Arpita, and I just want to tell you I can't take this lightly. Arpita isn't a Sanyukta Agarwal," Parth said, his voice shaking. "She isn't some wh**e who sleeps around."
Then Randhir felt his hands ball into fists as he called Sanyukta a wh**e. Parth still remembered Sanyukta's reputation from college? He felt anger hit him hard and he used that same anger to grab Parth's collar and shake him.
"Don't you dare call her that," Randhir said angrily. "Don't call Sanyukta Agarwal a wh**e, when you don't know her story."
Oh read all the last 5-6 chappies in a go 😃 😃
Freaking hot!!
Heartbreaking!!
Soothing!!
I'm having so many mixed emotions 😳 😳
Randhir definitely loves her and I'm glad he left Sanyu or else he wouldn't have realized how intensely and passionately he loves her too... It's not only Sanyukta who loves him like anything 😳 😳
Randhir-Vidushi-Parth moment was so amazing... It always feel nice to spend time with old best friends 😳 😳
Randhir-Sanyu phn convo looking forward to it 😳 😳
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