Chapter 3

*Pia Pov*

Next day I woke up with someone shaking me. I groaned and opened my eyes to see Arthi with a very panic face trying to wake me up.

“What happened?” I asked rubbing my eyes.

“We are getting late Pia. Come on get up.” She replied and got down from the bed.

“Arthi! Why did we decide to have a movie night yesterday?” I asked her ofcourse after rolling my eyes.

“Because yesterday was your birthday.” She replied looking at me like I am crazy.

“There is another reason dear just think.” I said and closed my eyes to sleep.

“Oh right! Today is Sunday right.” I heard her saying but with a little sad voice.

I opened my eyes to see a frown on her face. “Why are you so sad?” I asked her sitting.

“I can’t rag anyone today. That’s so unfair.” She replied and sat beside me.

“Seriously Arthi?” I asked laughing. In return she glared at me but eventually laughed.

“Look at Nikki she is sleeping so peacefully.” Arthi said looking beside me.

I smirked and looked at Arthi. She immediately understood and we both got down from the bed dragging the pillows with us. We silently stood beside Nikki and started hitting her at a time. She opened her eyes directly blazing at us and picked the pillow on which she is resting her head.

And that’s how our pillow fight started with us screaming at the top of our lungs. Suddenly some small stone came out of nowhere and hit me on my head. I took it in my hands and felt another stone hitting me. This time I saw it coming through the blinds.

“Guys wait!” I called them and showed them the stones. While doing it another stone came and hit me.

“Oh great! We are under the attack of the stones.” Nikki said laughing.

I opened the blinds to see Aman holding a stone and was ready to throw in this direction. I looked at him in shock.

“What are you doing?” I asked him confused.

“Oh! I just wanted to tell you to stop the noises.” He replied releasing the stone from his hand.

“You are throwing them for that?” saying this Arthi looked at him disbelief.

“What? Didn’t you saw the movies where hero throws the stone at heroine room’s window to say something stupid? While watching them you girls just swoon at that but when I do it to tell the important thing you guys are acting like I am mad.” He said glaring at us.

“Well in those movies those windows have the glass. But we don’t Aman. Oh I forgot how you could know there is glass for your window right.” I said sarcasm dripping with each word.

“Whatever! Just don’t make noises. You all are disturbing my handsome sleep.” He said rolling his eyes.

“Handsome sleep?” Nikki asked amazed.

“Yeah if for girls it is ‘Beautiful sleep’ then for boys it should be ‘Handsome sleep’. You guys are so slow.” Saying this he closed the blinds and we couldn’t help but crack at that statement.

We turned to move away but we heard him asking “How is my gift?”

I turned towards him and asked “What gift?”

“Oh I forgot to give you your gifts.” Arthi said and went outside my room. After few minutes she returned with few gifts in her hands.

“Tell me later how it is.” He said and again closed the blinds.

I searched for his gift and found a small scroll with his name on it. I was about to take it but Nikki beat me and took it away.

“Give it Nikki.” I said glaring at her. But she teased me and ran away leaving my room with Arthi following her. I ran behind them shouting them to just give it to me.

We ran around the house with me following them. They teased me laughing and I just begged them to give it to me.

Then we heard my Dad’s voice making us stop in our tracks. “What is happening here?” He asked with so force that we three kind of gulped.

He is sweet father and all but he can be very scary sometimes. I saw him being scary to some of the clients at the business parties many times.

“I am asking something here. What are you hiding Nikhila? Give it to me.” He said and reluctantly she gave it to him.

He saw the scroll without opening it and walked near me with that serious expression. After coming near me he smiled and gave it to me. We three looked at him with wide eyes and I hugged him immediately.

“Uncle! That’s not fair.” Nikki said looking at us.

“Sorry for scaring you three.” He said laughing.

“You should try in bollywood Uncle I am sure you would get best roles.” Arthi said smiling.

He shook his head and went inside the kitchen. I teased them and rushed towards my room.

I calmly sat on the bed and opened the scroll to see the beautiful painting of the sky with moon and few stars near an ocean. It is very beautiful.

“Bhai really knows what makes you happy. Our ‘Paman’ ship is moving very fast.” Arthi said to Nikki.

I rolled my eyes and placed the painting on my table to frame it later. These things just make me like you more Aman. I have a small feeling that you too like me.

*Aman Pov*

I entered the living room to see both Mom and Dad talking to each other. I went near them and sat on the chair infront of them.

“Dad! Yesterday my VISA came.” I said looking at him.

“What? But you didn’t tell us.” Mom said frowning.

“I thought you guys will be sad if you know it yesterday itself and it will also spoil your moods.” I said looking at them.

“So when are you going to leave?” Dad asked.

“In two days and I already looked for my arrangements to live in U.S.” I replied.

“What? You are going to U.S?” We three heard Arthi saying. We turned to see her standing near the entrance door.

We actually didn’t told her as we know she will get upset from the day I decided itself and will try her best to change my mind.

“Arthi..” I started to say but she cut me off and asked “Why are you going there?”

“For post-graduation only. After that I will come back.” I replied going near her.

“When are you leaving?” she asked another question.

“In two days.” I replied and she just stood there.

“Congratulations Man.” Dinesh said coming inside along with Sushant and Rajeev.

“Mom! I am going to stay at Pia’s house the whole day.” Saying this Arthi turned around and left calmly.

“Is something wrong?” Sushant asked worriedly.

“Let’s go to my room.” I replied and we all went inside my room.

After explaining everything Sushant hit me on my head and said “You should have told her before Aman.”

“I know ok. I will talk to her when she will come back from Pia’s house.” I said looking at him.

“Speaking about Pia, what do you think how will she react?” Rajeev asked looking at the blinds.

“I don’t know! But I think this distance will also help her to forget me completely and move forward.” I replied.

Sushant rolled his eyes and moved away looking at the VISA and the certificates which I placed on the study table.

*Pia Pov*

Nikki and I got ready after Arthi so that she can go and inform Aunty that she is going to stay here. When we were waiting for her, she returned with tears falling from her eyes.

“Arthi! What happened?” I asked and made her sit down on the bed.

“He.. he is going away.” She replied in between her cries.

“Who Arthi?” I asked her confused.

“Bhai! Bhai is going away to U.S for further studies.” Saying this she lay down and slept off after few minutes.

I continued to look at her in stun. What the hell just happened? Is it true?

“Are you ok?” Nikki asked with concern.

“Yeah! I think she will sleep for some time. Let’s finish our project by that time.” I replied and went near the table only to see the painting there.

I shook my head and moved it away. We both started working on our project. I am working on it correctly but inside I am having so many questions forming.

But why am I thinking this much? It is not like I love him right? I just like him. Then I got another thought which I said out loud.

“I think this distance will actually give me a view about my feelings towards him. Maybe he is not the one for me?” I said frowning.

“Are you sure?” Nikki asked.

“Yeah! I think it’s perfect that I will get a chance to find out my actual main feelings.” I replied smiling.

“But it is sad that Arthi is hurt.” I added looking at Arthi’s sleeping form.

Nikki nodded and we both continued to do our work. We both thought she will wake up after sometime but she didn’t until evening that too because she got hungry.

After eating the lunch at that time, the first words she said are “You need to tell Bhai that you like him.”

“What?” I asked laughing.

“Yeah! Come on just do it now. He will not be here for two years.” She replied.

Then I explained what I am thinking about this situation with her protests in the middle but she finally accepted my decision.

We just sat and talked generally until dinner. Nikki and I tried to make Arthi understand why he is doing this.

Finally she did after we had our dinner. As we three are not getting sleep we decided to sit near the window.

We opened the blinds and sat there looking outside talking about Arthi’s famous ragging. We told her what we went through in our college.

Then we heard Aman calling Arthi. We turned to see Aman leaning on the window along with his friends.

“Hey guys!” I said greeting his friends to which they replied polietely.

“Arthi! Are you coming here?” Aman asked looking at her.

“Tell him that I will come there tomorrow.” Arthi mumbled beside me.

I glared at her and turned towards Aman saying “She will come tomorrow morning.”

His face just fell and sighed. He must be feeling so sad that Arthi is not happy with this.

“Hey! The painting is beautiful. Thank you so much.” I said smiling a little which he returned.

“Yeah Bhai! It is very good.” Arthi said making him smile more.

“So Aman! Going to U.S but didn’t told anyone of us?” I playfully asked him.

“Yeah! I don’t want to totally but it is good for my career. And also the things will fall into right places if I go there.” He said looking at me.

“Sorry? Didn’t get you?” I asked him frowning.

“Nothing! So tell me any quote on Moon.” He said changing the topic.

 “Ok this is said by some ‘Vera Nazarian’. Which I read somewhere so don’t ask me where.” I said laughing.

“Sure.” Aman said laughing back along with everyone.

“When hope is fleeting, stop for a moment and visualize, in the sky of the silver, the crescent of a lavender moon. Imagine it –delicate, slim, precise, like a paper-thin slice from a cabochon jewel. It may not be very useful but it is beautiful. And sometimes it is enough.”

I said smiling looking at the Moon.

“Wow! Every time after hearing you say these quotes I want to read them too. But the way you say them feeling the emotion actually makes them more beautiful.” Sushant said smiling.

“You are way too kind with the words Sush.” I said smiling.

“Sush?” Aman and Arthi asked at the same time.

“Yeah! She gave me that nick name last week. I protested my best but she is not listening to me.” Sushant said glaring at me playfully.

“Yeah, yeah! Some tiny little protest you had done that day.” I said rolling my eyes and then we both laughed.

“When did this happen?” Arthi asked.

“I told you right that I went to a handicrafts exhibition. I met him there and we both even had lunch together. He is such a funny guy.” I said laughing.

“Uhmm… ok you guys go to sleep. You have college tomorrow right. Good night!” saying this Aman closed the blinds.

“Weird!” I muttered and we three decided to sleep as it is really getting late.