Our Entangled Hearts.

3. STILL THE SAME

Author's POV

" When are you leaving man? " Sarthak Patel, one of the people Shivansh calls friend. He was the one who asked this question. And they were sitting in a club owned by his family.

" Why? Can't I stay here? " Shivansh questioned him back, twirling the glass in his hand. There were four people here, Shivansh and Sarthak being two and the other two were, Akhilesh Ahuja and Saloni Mittal.
All of them grew up together and once they had another member too but that changed years ago.

It was akhilesh who replied to Shivansh, " You can but not just so you could avoid her. "

" I'm not avoiding anyone. " Shivansh said, as if not bothered by their comment but the pause in his hand gave that away.
" Yeah yeah and we are drinking milk. " Sarthak said before slumping back in his seat.

" Are you okay? " Niharika Saini, a girl they met in college and the second person Saloni liked, thus making the girl a part of their group. Everyone except Shivansh knows that she likes him, but he, he has no intention of realising that. He doesn't have time to spare any thought for a girl who isn't her. She had been out of the room to get a juice just now, thus she didn't know the reason for the silent atmosphere. Not receiving a reply for her question she moved towards Shivansh who stepped back, not noticing the disappointment coursing through the girl.
While the other three sighed looking at them.

They tried to talk Niharika out of this but she was adamant, that she'll wait. Who knows what will happen in the future. But now, everyone, everyone knew what will happen. The only question was, when it will happen.

A phone rang at the right time, and Shivansh picked it up. " Hm. " Just one word and he hung up.
Placing the glass on the table he took his keys before saying, " I'm leaving. "

" Can you drop me off? My brother dropped me and I can't reach him now. " Niharika asked him, but no one here was not aware of the answer.
" Sarthak will do that. " He left the room and everyone started to leave.
Sarthak was the first, " Come on. "
Niharika nodded and they went.

" When will she understand? " Saloni said with a sigh as akhilesh side hugged her, " We've tried. It's on her now. "

" She'll get hurt. " She muttered while looking at him.
" It was inevitable from the day she decided to like him. " Somewhere Niharika knew it too but she just wasn't ready to accept it.
" We're lucky right? " Saloni looked at him, while her eyes shined, looking so in love as if nothing could be better than this.
" We are. " Akhilesh kissed her forehead once before picking his keys, " Come let's leave too. "

~Samridh Mahal

" You're back. " Subhashree asked her son who was back, exactly after the Kashyaps were gone.
" Uh hm. "
His nonchalence infuriated her as much as it hurt her, " Where were you? "

" I was busy. " Again those answers, it's like her son stopped talking since then, " Doing what? "

" Mom, I don't think I'm still a child who needs to inform where he went. " The longest she heard from him in the past three years, and the previous one was, ' You don't have to call everyday. You didn't think it was necessary when it mattered, so it doesn't now. '

Shivansh went to his room without listening to her anymore, " Will it ever be the same? " She asked her husband who saw the whole interaction from the side. He came over to her and higged her, " It won't. " They remained silent for a while before he continued, " But I hope, that one day it'll be better. "
And that hope resided in every person's heart.

*

" Where were you bhai? " Rishaan was already in his room when he came and the question welcomed him like it did in the living room.