18 | Mutual Explanations

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After her sob-fest, the first thing Chandni did was explain how she hadn't been talking about her ex-almost-fiancé but his brother.

"Bro, you had the hots for your brother-in-law?" Rishi whistled, still shirtless with his pajama shorts on as he heard Chandni's story.

"Shut up. That's not the whole story."

Then she told them exactly that. Aakash's visit, Aakash-meets-Ashwin debacle, Prithvi's visit, Chandni-dates-Prithvi debacle, the breakup, the initial denial and the eventual sparks between Chandni and Aakash that had brewed up through all of these.

"Woah." Her friends let out a breath, seated on the couch, but she had moved to the coffee table.

"You have to decide something about it." Aisha said, raising her cup of super-sweet coffee.

She had changed to harem pants and a tee just like Chandni, but the latter wore a tunic for a top.

Chandni shrugged, bringing her second cup of super-strong black coffee for the day to her lips.

"I really miss my mother's coffee." Both the girls sighed.

"Can't relate." Rishi spoke, the only person without a beverage in hand.

The trio were poetic, really, to be joined forces by an artform.

Aisha, the spicy one that craved sweetness.

Chandni, the sweet one that craved spice.

Rishi, the mediator who went with the flow, come what may.

On the other hand, though, when it came to Chandni, Ashwin and Diya, Chandni was the bratty one, Ashwin the overprotective one and Diya the crazy one.

"Seriously though, I mean, I feel like utter shit. He's...he's just..." Chandni stopped, taking a deep breath.

"He's so very beautiful," She sighed longingly, "He's a very lovely person and I... I'm just me! My Appa thinks I'm some fucking guardian angel reincarnate but he only knows half the things I do. I'm not that good of a person. At all. I overthink shit and bring everyone down in the end. My sister and my best friend were hesitating to move forward with their relationship because of me. Prithvi is hurt because of me. Diya was hurt in her relationship because of me too—well also partially because of Ashwin. And now, I ultimately hurt the only person who I thought of not hurting. Ever."

"You, my dear, need to talk," Rishi said uncertainly, "To Aakash. 'Cause you guys are suffocating yourself by keeping all these...these...feelings and unsaid words bottled up. The sooner you do the talking, the less disastrous things will be when your thoughts are out in the open."

"I think he tried... y'know, to talk it out. But I ran away from him. I don't know why, I mean, one moment, he was shirtless in the cubicle, and I was drooling over that, then he was like, confirming that I was absolutely not committed to another guy? Then bamm, the little kid interrupts, we leave, and I run.

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