PEHLI MOHABBAT

# 35

{ T H I R T Y - F I V E } 

- - ⚜️- - 

" Bhai tera kat gaya !" Darshan let out a loud laugh. He held his stomach with one hand while with other, he banged the canteen table. 

 Heer watched him. She always felt his laughing like ripples in a still pond, after a stone had been thrown in. It radiated outwards through the table to others who had up until that moment been quite silent. Now they too began to titter and soon the ripples of laughter became great waves of hilarity. That was the magic of Darshan's laugh, she wished it never changes. Heer didn't realise, but her own lips had moved upward.  She pressed her lips together to hide her laugh. 

Across the same table, Aarushi had her eyes on Arjun. his giggle rolled about the room like a child's spinning top, vibrant and heart warming. It came in fits and bursts - loud to soft to nothing at all and back to loud again. She could see the innocent child inside him, hidden behind the mature man sitting next to her. She wished to see him more like this, carefree and laughing, always. Involuntarily she too let out a laugh. 

The group was back in Dehra, after their short vacation. Having no class around, they were all sitting in the college canteen. Chatting with this group was a sort of verbal dance for Armaan. Beautifully chaotic, one that would make him laugh out loud feel his heart switching on. It was banter, he guessed, but he had started living for it, looking forward to it, and would spent any amount of time in their company that he could. They were funny together, not so much with others..they just brought that sense of playfulness out of each other. But today, Armaan cursed himself for telling them about the incident between him and Inaya, that had had happened in Munsiyari.

He had expected Darshan to laugh like a maniac, and wasn't surprised to see the same. Aarushi and Arjun as usual never took him seriously. But he was taken aback to see Heer's reaction. Instead of speaking soothing words or showing some sympathy, she was sitting in front of him, trying hard not to laugh. 

"Èt tu, Heer ?" Armaan said recalling the famous Julius Caesar play. He could almost feel Ceasar's pain now. " Dost dost na raha..." He placed a hand on his chest, faking to be hurt. 

" Aur pyaar pyaar na raha." Darshan said inbetween his laughs. He received a hi-fi from Aarushi, who later choked on her drink while laughing. 

Heer instantly removed the hand she was using to cover her mouth and placed it on Armaan's. "Arre, Inu didn't completely deny right? Maybe she isn't ready, you know what just give her some time, and don't loose hope. God knows best, no matter what, things will be alright at last." She said while her inner self could't understand why people make this such a big issue. 

" And for what reason are you blaming Heer? Friendzone toh Inaya ne Kiya hai na. " Darshan said taking Armaan's hand away from Heer's. A satisfactory smile appeared on his face as he did it, the scene went unnoticed by others.  

" I'm sure you didn't sing well that day. Mood hi set nahi hua hoga. I told you not to drink cold coke... Bhai singer logo Ko na zyada dhyaan rakhna padta hai. " Darshan stopped to take a sip from MMS. 

" You never listen to me. Ab ho gaya na friendzoned. " He said. 

" Who got friendzoned?"  They all froze at hearing Inaya's voice. Inaya sat next to Armaan and kept her bag on the table. She then ordered for her regular and turned towards the group and repeated her question.