Invisible String

Chapter 5: glimpse of past

Word count: 2015

Aditya’s Pov
I was in the middle of a conversation with Mr. Sharma when I spotted that girl again and I could see that she was really drunk and looked like she was looking for someone. Wanting to be her knight-in-shinning-armour, I excused myself from Mr. Sharma and approached her with a mischievous smile on my face.
“You alright there, sweetheart?” I know she hated being called that but I couldn’t help it, it just fit her somehow. When she turned to face me, I felt my smile fade. Her eyes were glistening with tears that were too stubborn to be spilled. She looked so vulnerable at that moment that I just wanted to bring her into my arms. But when she saw that it was me, she actually…smiled? Now, that was highly uncharacteristic. She pointed a finger to my face.

“Heyyyy you’re that handsome idiot from that pani puri stall. Agasthya.. no no wait.. Aditya! yes Aditya, the pani puri wala.” She slurred and started laughing on her own joke. Her laugh was so contagious that I started to grow a smile of my own. It kinda made me happy that I made her smile, regardless of how I did. I was lost in my thoughts when started to stumble a little and I caught her by her shoulder before she could actually fall and she grabbed my arm to balance herself. We were so close that I could actually count the number of eyelashes on her eyelids. Her cheeks adorned a pink hue which I think was due to the number of drinks she might’ve had.

“Oohh someone works out!” She said, wiggling her eyebrows. I think I liked this drunk version of hers.

I wrapped my arm around her waist to hold her still and said, “Okayy, now this pani-puri wala is going to get you some water to sober you up before you start to shut down.” She just grinned in response and pulled my cheeks saying, “You’re so cute and nice, but.. but..” she just trailed off. But I wanted to know what she wanted to say because you know what they say, drunken words are sober thoughts. A part of me was even hesitant to hear what she had to say because what if she already had a boyfriend? Her boyfriend was probably going to be heartbroken when she leaves him for me. Well of course, I wasn’t scared for myself.

I grabbed her hand and matched her gaze with mine. “But what?” I asked her, with the softest voice I could muster. Her beautiful face contorted to a miserable one and her eyes again glistened with the tears that I had seen before. It physically pained me to see her like that.

She then spoke up in such a small voice that if i wasn’t standing so close to her, I would’ve not heard a single thing she said.

“He was nice too.. but then he became bad… he was my best fucking friend” With that last sentence, she completely broke down in my arms and continued sobbing. I couldn’t help but just feel so helpless standing there, with her in my arms, being able to do nothing but hold her and let her cry. I just wish I knew which bastard she was talking about so I could personally meet up with him, you know, for a friendly chit-chat.

But then she started to push against my chest to get away but of course I wasn’t going to let go.

“Hey, hey what happened?”. She looked away from me and sniffled. “I don’t like people seeing me cry.” And continued to try and get away, but all her tries were in vain, instead, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. “You shouldn’t care if someone sees you cry, especially you.”
She just blinked in slight confusion. “Why?”.
“Because I think you look really beautiful when you cry.” This brought a tiny smile on her face and she looked up at me with those eyes. “Really?”

But before I could tell her anything, someone came up to us and when I looked down at her, she was starting to fall asleep on my shoulder, her breathing was slow and steady and her eyes were closed, her eyelashes speared with mascara from all the crying. Even then she looked perfect to me, almost angelic. The girl who came up to us saw her state and asked me with deep concern laced in her voice, “What happened to her?”

I, then narrated the entire thing to her but to my surprise the first thing she asked me was, “Ohh so you’re that insufferable guy with the cheesy pick up lines she was telling me about.” I just chuckled at this saying, “Wow for her I’m Aditya, the pani-puri wala and for you, the insufferable idiot with the cheesy pick up lines. You guys really humble me, you know.” We both shared a laugh on that one but then her face turned serious as she took her from my arms into hers.
“You may think that just because shes mean or snarky towards you, she hates you. I can assure you, she doesn’t. When she told me about you earlier, I saw a glint in her eyes which I hadn’t seen in a really long time.

I don’t think you’re a bad person but if she is just a game or another conquest for you, I suggest you never see her again. I’m not going to just stand and watch as my best friend gets her heart broken again. She doesn’t deserve that.” Her voice turned stern towards the end as she spoke. I replied to her with a serious tone matching hers. “I assure you that is definitely not my intention. She could never be a game or some sort of distraction for me. But I do have to ask, who was this ‘he’ she kept referring to?” She just shakes her head and looks at the girl in her arms. “That’s not my story to tell. Someday, if she tells you about him, that day you will have earned her trust.”
I wanted to talk more but then I remember Kabir must have been waiting for me. I sneak a quick look at the sleeping beauty and tell her friend goodbye. It is very late by the time I realise, ‘Oh shit, I forgot to ask her name! Dammit!’

**************



Kabir's POV:

As I watched Samaira walking away, engaged in conversation with her friend, I couldn't help but wonder what they were discussing. There was a fleeting glance in my direction, leaving me curious about the nature of their exchange. However, with the realisation that it was time to leave, I bid farewell to Mr. Sharma and made my way towards my car, accompanied by Aditya.

Aditya's demeanour seemed unusually cheerful today, a stark contrast to his usual demeanour. Ever since our encounter at the pani puri stall, he had been acting strangely, and his constant smile was no exception. There was something different about it, something that piqued my curiosity.

Engaging the accelerator, I set off towards my destination, with Aditya seated beside me. We were practically neighbours, living just a few houses apart. Aditya had always been a constant presence in my life, a steadfast companion since childhood. As a single child, he never let me feel lonely, always extending a warm welcome and offering his friendship without hesitation. Our families knew each other as well. His family was like an extended family of mine and vice versa. He was more than just a friend; he was a savior, a constant source of support and companionship throughout the years; He was the younger brother I never had.

Aditya broke the silence of the ride with a solemn tone, "I need to tell you something."

I knew this moment was coming, and I braced myself for whatever revelation he had in store. "Mhm, I figured that much. What is it?" I responded, my voice calm despite the anticipation swirling inside me.

"I met a girl at the wedding today," he blurted out simultaneously, almost as if he had been waiting to spit it out this entire time.

"Oh damn! Who is it? And do you like her?!" I couldn't contain my excitement. Despite Aditya's involvement in numerous dating rumours and his few short-lived summer flings, he had never actually been in a relationship and regardless of whatever he said, I knew he had a heart of gold reserved for that special someone.

"It's that girl who danced to 'Chammak Challo' at the wedding," Aditya revealed, a hint of awe in his voice. "I think she was one of the bride's best friends. Even before she started dancing, I spotted her near the pani puri stall, and she was breathtakingly beautiful. I approached her with the intention of at least getting her phone number and even dropped a pick-up line but she straight up ignored me. She was definitely something else though. Her laugh, her sarcastic attitude, the way she got flustered when I teased her, even her snarky little comments felt cute. She really made me feel something that I don’t think I’ve ever felt before you know, but of course she left without even giving me her name."

I couldn’t help but notice the look in his eyes when he spoke of her. His hazel eyes seemed to gleam and there was that blissful smile on his face as he narrated the entire thing, almost as if he was reliving the moment again. I never really thought of seeing the day when Aditya would be falling for someone, much less someone who rejected him.

“You’re whipped, my dear brother and that too for a girl, who didn’t even hesitate to mock your lovesick ass and ran away without even telling you her name. What an amazing love story this is going to be.”

I couldn't help but burst into fits of laughter at the irony of The Aditya Chauhan getting rejected. This actually must have been a first so I might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

But then I noticed that there was something else bothering him too. “What is it? Is there something else you want to talk about?”

He started fidgeting with his rings, a habit I noticed he often had when something was troubling his thoughts. “I met her again after the dance, but she was completely wasted..” He started to narrate the entire episode and I couldn’t help but find the whole situation intriguing.

“Hmm… she seems pretty shaken up about this guy. She told you he was her best friend right? Anything else?”
He ran his hand through his messy hair. “No, absolutely nothing. And I know she said he was her best friend, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something else too. So now, Not only do I have a mysterious woman that I can't help but feel drawn to, with no name, number or way to contact but also some asshole who broke her heart. How the fuck did my life become a Netflix drama?

At this I couldn’t help but snicker at least a little. "Haha, laugh all you want, as if you’re getting married to the love of your life," Aditya retorted sarcastically, his words dripping with bitterness. My laughter faltered at his unexpected response. I just cleared my throat and gestured for him to leave when we reached his house.

"We’ve reached. Bye, Aditya, go dream about your mystery girl since your only source of contact with her now is in dreams.” I grinned at him, teasingly. He just glared at me and raised his middle finger up and closed the door to the car a little too harshly. On any other day I would’ve killed the bastard for hurting my baby, but I guess he had a weird day and I could let that slide. We both did.