Two Days Later…Afternoon…In the Car…
Aditya was driving. On the backseat of his car, there was a box he kept glancing at sideways with clear reluctance.
Taking a deep breath, he murmured,
“I wish... this task had gone to Saaniya. Why did it have to be me…?”
Recalling his school days, he added,
“I don’t want to meet that people. That’s exactly why I never kept in touch with anyone all these years, nor did I ever attend a single school reunion. But this time… this time, I’m the one organizing it! Why did Aniket have to make such a useless wish?!”
Then he remembered how, two days ago, he somehow managed to lie his way into getting all his classmates’ addresses from Saaniya… just so he could personally deliver the invitation cards.
He had to do it — because Aniket’s wish chit clearly said he had to hand-deliver each invitation card himself.
He didn’t want to see their faces, nor did he want to show them his. But he had no choice.
Aditya sighed deeply and said, “I have to finish giving out all the invitations today itself… so we can leave for the US. Honestly… convincing Saaniya wasn’t as difficult as I thought…”
Suddenly, he remembered the furious look on Saaniya’s face from that day… and her warning — “If you even touch Anamika, I’ll kill you.”
As that memory returned, he muttered,
“If only I could erase that one moment from my memories… But still, seeing her like that… I started to believe what Aniket always joked about — maybe Saaniya really is a member of the underworld! She looked like the boss of a mafia gang that day. But one thing was clear — she’s extremely protective of Anamika.
Still… she doesn’t want to stand in the way of Anamika’s freedom. In fact, she told me herself — she wanted Anamika to someday gather the courage to go far away without her.
Maybe because Anamika had grown too dependent on her… maybe she couldn’t step out alone.
She had this fear of people — which might reduce a bit in a different city.”
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Aditya stopped his car in front of a building and put on a black mask that covered his entire face except his eyes.
From the box in the backseat, he pulled out one invitation card. It wasn’t just beautiful — it looked expensive, elegant, and fragile.
As he walked toward the building, he muttered under his breath,
“I don’t even know what I’ll say after meeting them after all these years! I don’t think I’m ready to see them again — that’s why it’s better to hide my face!
I don’t even know when it happened… when we turned from friends into strangers!”
Aditya’s mind drifted back to his school and hostel days. Back then, he and Aniket had been part of a close-knit boys’ group — one that the entire school talked about.
Those school memories were probably very beautiful…
But they say — no one can predict how long a relationship will last.
On the last day of school, a fight broke out between Aditya and his group of friends over something.
And after that day… Aditya never tried to meet them again — and neither did they.
Aniket, however, always hoped to see his group of friends together like the old days — that’s why he kept organizing school reunion parties every year, with hope in his heart.
But it never worked.
Aditya never attended a single one.
Will the broken bonds be mended this time at the party?
No one knows.
But for now, Aditya was focused on just finishing the job quickly.
While Aditya was trying to finish his task as quickly as possible, on the other side, in his absence, Ruhi’s workload had increased.
Whenever Aditya was unavailable, Ruhi had the authority to take certain decisions — which meant she could handle his responsibilities too.
She was working sincerely, putting her heart into it. Meanwhile, another conversation had started on the other side of the office.
Ruhi had introduced Anamika to the team, but even so, Anamika hadn’t been able to mix well with others due to her quiet nature and her habit of avoiding eye contact.
Some people even found her a bit strange — her way of speaking was unusual.
Whenever Anamika met new people — especially in groups — she would get nervous.
Her words would stumble, her tone would fluctuate from too low to too loud, and her body language screamed discomfort.
Because of this, most people who had interacted with her saw her as someone "special" — someone who didn’t quite fit in with society.
So they decided to maintain some distance.
But there were still a few people who genuinely cared for her.
To them, her fear wasn’t strange — it was endearing.
They felt bad for her after seeing how others reacted.
They knew it wasn’t easy for everyone to make new connections.
But at the same time, they also knew — if she didn’t learn soon, this weakness might become an obstacle in her dreams.
So they wanted to help.
That’s why today, a few office colleagues went to Anamika’s cabin and invited her to join them for lunch.
Anamika hesitated… but she somehow convinced herself to go.
Because she knew — if she gave in to fear today, she might never be able to overcome it.
And she didn’t want to lose.
With courage in her heart, she joined them in the canteen.
She sat among them and ate quietly.
She couldn’t say much, but she kept trying to maintain a smile — because Ruhi had once told her:
“It doesn’t matter how much or what you know. People won’t love or respect you unless they like you first.
Even the worst person can seem good with just a smile.
So if you want friends… always smile.”
But at the same time, Saaniya’s words kept echoing in her mind:
“Anu… the world isn’t as kind as you think.
If we keep smiling all the time, they’ll think we don’t feel pain.
And the moment they believe that… they’ll keep hurting us over and over, thinking we can’t be hurt.
So show them you’re stone-hearted.
Treat the bad with coldness and the good with kindness.
And to do that… you need one thing — darkness in your eyes and absence of emotion.”
That’s why she kept trying to hide the spark in her eyes.
But as long as there was a smile on her lips — it was impossible.
Yet she couldn’t stop smiling either.
Right now, Anamika was like a sailor who neither knows how to row… nor how to swim.
And yet, she had to reach the shore.
She had to choose one thing — and learn it quickly.
But what should she choose?
Because both paths seemed right…
And both guides were people she trusted.
So now… what will Anamika do?
Will someone untangle this confusion in her heart?
Or will she always remain trapped in her own little world…?
