chapter 24

On their way to the hotel, Aarav was dozed off in his thoughts. Lily wants to ask him about Vihaan and about that girl too, but she is just staring at him, he is so lost in himself... And after seeing him in this state, she can't bring herself to ask something... It is going to be torture for him, if she asks him anything related to Vihaan and that girl, so she chose to be quiet and just stare at him. Lily and Aarav came back to their hotel rooms. It's been four hours since they came back but she didn't hear anything from him... She is curious but she decided to wait until he tells her everything himself. She glanced over her cell phone's screen. It's already 9 pm... so she ordered dinner for herself and for Aarav too. They are eating dinner together in Aarav's room... And she noticed that Aarav is still not in his mind, he barely eat anything and he didn't say a single word out from his mouth... Other than 'okay' for all her questions... That was shocking for her as he isn't actually ignoring her today, but not really answering her too. Still, she is refusing to ask him about those two (Vihaan and Manu)...After dinner, Lily came back to her room. It's been three hours since dinner and she is still roaming around here and there in her room, sleep was so long gone from her eyes... She is busy thinking about what had happened between them, why they became enemies... Why has Aarav changed 180°, and he is even getting those mood swings, why he is behaving like he has split personalities... And why did Vihaan change this much that he didn't even recognize her... Those questions are running through her mind... And finally, when it became too much for her to handle when her head is about to burst, she decided to ask him everything...  Every single thing that is going on in her head.She picked up her cell phone, and was about to call him but then decided to ask him face-to-face...On the other side, Aarav in his room was also wandering around here and there, thinking about what happened today, he is thinking about what Vihaan said earlier... Waves of emotions were striking him, again and again... He is unable to decide whether to be happy... or sad... or angry... when he thinks about what Shashank did, he instantly got filled up with anger... Things that Vihaan said were making him sad, but when the thought that 'she is alive' came up in front, he feel happy and relieved...Those emotions are like a spider net where Vihaan and Shashank, two big spiders are ready to eat him and he is struggling really hard to be freed from this mess... He is stuck between what to do and what not to do... Aarav was so stressed that he is pulling out his hair with his hands... Then he heard a knock on his door...Knock... knock... That knock pulled him back to reality from his thoughts..."Ohh... It's already midnight... " He mumbled looking at the time and got up to check who came at this hour.He saw Lily standing outside from the peeping hole of his room's door, he opened the door and..."What are you doing here...... At this hour?" He askedBut she dashed him and came inside"My head is bursting," she said throwing herself on the sofa."But still... ""... I am your boss... you can't come here at this hour," Aarav said, he is still keeping a door open."Oh shut up... " She replied"My working hours are over... " "I am not here as your secretary... I am here as your friend" she clarified after seeing weird expressions on his face.He closed the door and came towards her. He seated on the sofa in front of herHis head is already very messed up because of all those things that happened today, and he didn't want more thoughts to stuff his head, so he asked..."What do you want?" He gave her an emotionless straight look."What do I want...... !!!"  She stands up in anger and..."Are you serious...?... Don't you have anything to tell me?... My head is spinning because of all those questions I have right now... And you are asking what I want... ""I haven't seen him around since I came back, and finally when he showed up... You two are behaving like enemies.""And who is that girl... since when were you got interested in an innocent girl like her..."  She is asking nonstop questions,He is looking at her, directly into her eyes but when she asked about Manu he diverted his gaze... and finally, she took a break before asking more questions, ...to hear his answers... But what he replied was out of her expectations..."I won't tell you anything." He replied looking somewhere else."What...... " She said with a disguised look on her faceShe sighed and diverted her gaze from his face and when she was looking around, her eyes caught something on his bed...She moved towards his bed and picked that up, it's a diary he always carries around with him.She found a name on the very first page of that diary..."So her name is Manu..." she saidAarav turned around and saw Manasvini's diary in her hands so he quickly moved towards her to get that diary back, but she ran towards the window... And was about to flip another page... "Don't read it..." He shouted because he didn't want anyone other than himself to read that diary."I won't... I am not that bad-mannered to peek out someone else's stuff..." She replied looking at the worried expressions on his face."... Without their permission." She completed her sentence and the diary.And Aarav got relaxed... he knows her very well, she is a lady of her word... So he felt relieved."But......" She smiled devilishlyThe looks in Aarav's eyes changed "No..." He said"I can always throw this out... You know my hand is hurting, holding it like this..." She chuckled holding that diary out of the window... Rain is still pouring outside... And that diary got some raindrops over it too..."It's getting wet, take that in... Please... " He requested... He didn't want to lose that one and only proof of her presence in his life."I will ... Only if you tell me each and everything..." She replied."Decide quickly Aarav... My hand is hurting..." She threatened him."Okay... Okay... I'll tell you everything... Please take it in." And he gave up for the sake of that diary.She smiled and seated down there, near the window and Aarav seated down on his bed... He started telling her everything from the start..."After finishing our school, when you left for your hometown... I, Vihaan and our whole friend circle were admitted to 'HB College of Commerce and Management'... This is when we saw her for the very first time..."*Six years ago*...