Part 17

Shubman gazed at Ishan who had been sitting way too quietly for the past half an hour staring at the wall in front of him .

Shubman didn't like the gloominess surrounding Ishan and tried to think what could possibly be making him dejected.

“Ishan..”The words slipped out from his mouth, hoping Ishan would at least react rather than sitting like a statue .

He called his name again however no response from the said lad. He was lost in his own thoughts.

Sighing at lack of response, he called his name a bit louder. .

“Ishan!”

The loud voice taking Ishan out of his trance as He cranes his head to look at Shubman.”hmm?’

“Are you … okay?” Shubman asked, his voice laced with worry.

Ishan nodded his head and again turned his neck to look ahead .

Shubman sighed at the closed off and noncommittal behavior of Ishan. Something is definitely bothering Ishan but perhaps He isn't comfortable enough to share that with Him.

He thought to call Mayank , maybe Ishan would open up with him at least instead of wallowing In solitude.

“ You know you can talk to me if something is wrong..”Shubman again tried to coax him into telling him. Trudging towards Ishan with baby steps he continued, “or I  call Mayank..?”

Hearing Mayank’s name from Shubman, Ishan's eyes turned glassy as the emotions he was suppressing burst out. A drop of tear rolled down from Ishan's eyes followed by several others.

An 8 year old Ishan was sitting at the back of class all alone , his head on the desk as if trying to hide from the world .

When the same ager Mayank came to his desk and shooked Ishan.”ishuuuuu”. hearing his name Ishan looked up , his eyes red with crying.

“You're crying, why?” Mayank pouted and sat beside him.  Ishan shook his head and again put his head down on the desk.

“Ishu!! Tell me. Remember we are best friends and what do besties do!?. They tell everything!

Or maybe you think I am not your best friend” Mayank said sadly and looked down.

Ishan immediately straightened up and shook his head.”Noo you're my best friend!”

“Forever!?” “ Forever!!”

Shubman panicked seeing the tears flowing from Ishan's eyes and trudged towards him.”ishan?”

Ishan  quickly wiped away the tears and coughed before standing up to leave the room but Shubman was quick enough to hold Ishan's wrist to cease his movement.

“Leave my hand!”Ishan struggled but Shubman was determined and wasn't going to break his resolve although at the back of his mind  knows he couldn't force Ishan to tell him anything. “Are you okay?”

“ I am!”

“You're clearly not” Shubman uttered as Ishan stopped struggling, his eyes still glassy as he gazed up at Shubman.

Shubman's heart twitched at the sight of Ishan and he didn't know when his hand reached up to cup Ishan's face. “What happened?” He asked with concern.

Ishan started ”Mayank…”

Shubman frowned and repeated.”Mayank? What about him?”

“mujhe nahi pata” Ishan was befuddled himself, he didn't understand what's happening or why Mayank was being like that . Or Maybe he just said what he truly felt about him.

A stupid guy who needs to grow up.

“Huh?...Did he say something to you?”

Ishan shook his head,”nothing. Just some xyz stuff “  Ishan fiegned humor to dismiss this matter. He doesn't want to stretch it.

Shubman sighed , “Ishan… he must haven't meant what “xyz” he said , maybe he was just going through some stuff and lashed it on you”

He said although he had no idea about what happened but if it's because of something Mayank said to Ishan and Knowing him in these few days, he can see Ishan and him are truly best friends.

Mayank wouldn't ever want to hurt Ishan ahd vice versa so something must have been going on with Mayank to react however he reacted.

“But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt any less,”Ishan confessed, his eyes welling up again.

Gulping down his saliva , Shubman tried to untie the knot formed in his  throat to respond to him but those pain stricken eyes of ishan made his whole body cold .

He tried to respond but words weren't forming and he pulled Ishan in his arms embracing him tightly to convey what he couldn't say .

Ishan's body collapsed in his embrace as he sobbed out, the emotions he had been trying to bury pouring out in the comfort of Shubman's embrace.

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A few minutes later, Ishan untangle himself from Shubman's embrace , his mind thinking rationally again as realization dawned upon him.

He had been crying in Shubman's arms.

His cheeks flushed in embarrassment. There is no way i cried in front of him.

Not in front of him but literally in his arms like a damsel in distress. How can I be so stupid? He isn't even my friend.

Okay act normal ishan! It was just a moment.

You were just sad

Shubman felt a sense of longing at the loss of contact as he zeroed at Ishan and asked worriedly, hoping he is better now .

”feeling better?”

“i am hungry”

They both said simultaneously as Shubman frowned, “huh? Weren't you crying like a moment ago?”

“So?” Ishan shrugged, not finding how one related to the other.

Shubman shook his head and mumbled underneath his breath,”I guess I will never understand him” . Following Ishan who was already trudging outside the room.

.

.

.

.

.

Ishan was feeling a lot better than he was feeling earlier. After what Shubman said, he realized maybe Mayank was perhaps in a complicated situation.

Or maybe what he said was true?

He sighed and looked in front of him where Shubman was sitting , telling something to the waiter.he chuckles genially.

This utility pole is not that bad .

His mind went back to the moment when Shubman was holding him comfortingly. He didn't know why but there was something about that embrace that made him feel secure there.

Jeez shut up ! Idiot. Focus on your food! Ishan scolded himself.

Yeah, focus on Shubman then~. His subconscious mind again chirped in between as Ishan rolled his eyes .

Ishan flicked his head ,”does my mind have another mind in itself or what!?” He mumbled to himself when their food came and he looked at it excitingly .

But his excitement went down the drain when his eyes fell on the food.”What is this?” He pointed at The whatever it's called dish with a disgusted face.

It looks like a failed concatenation .

“Your food”He nonchalantly replied and took a bite of his own salad As Ishan rolled his eyes,”I know it's my food but what in the world is this?” He gagged while saying this.

“But anyways can't let the food go to waste” Ishan huffed and took his fork to eat this horrible concatenation. He couldn't even identify what was in the dish .

Shubman chuckled seeing the small pout formed on Ishan's lips and focused on his salad.

A few minutes later, Ishan let out a pleasured sigh.”umm it's so yucteyy!!” he took another bite of the dish, gulping it down.

“Yuctey?” Shubman frowned. He had never heard of this word before.

Seeing the confusion in Shubman’s face, Ishan laughed,”yes yucteyy!” " and put forward a morsel of the dish towards his mouth.

“ what does “yuctey” even means?” Shubman questioned again before taking the bite from Ishan.

“It means the dish is so yuck that it becomes tasty”

Confusion. Plain and sheer confusion that's what Shubman felt . Did he even hear him right?yuctey?

“I have never heard of this word”Shubman uttered as Ishan clicked his tongue and continued eating the concatenation of a dish.

“expand  your vocabulary ”Ishan sassed and slurped the remnants of the dish.

Shubman rolled his eyes”there is no such words in dictionary”

“Well such words do exist in my dictionary”

Shubman scoffed, knowing it's not useful to argue with Ishan when it comes to weird things.

He wonders how Ishan even does his job. He is literally an editor for heaven's sake.

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Mayank sighed as Ishan vanished from the door.

Deep regret filling up his veins as he looked down.

How can he say that ?

Ishan had every right to know about what's going on with his life but the frustration and hopelessness that had bottled up in him just burst out when Ishan also started questioning him.

Moreover The whole hook up scene with Abhishek and the sorry note that he left before leaving him behind in the room was just revolving in his mind, completely taking away his ability to think thoughtfully.

And the worst thing in all is this , he doesn't even regret spending the night with him. Even after knowing Abhishek was most probably thinking it was Ishan not him .

Flashback.

Abhishek captures Mayank’s lips in a deep, passionate kiss, his mouth claiming him with intense hunger and need. His hands grip his hips, pulling him closer as he pours all his desires and emotions into the kiss..

“Ishan…”Abhishek groaned.

Mayank sighed remembering it and played with the hem of shirt . His head is almost at the verge of erupting with all the thoughts and questions running in them.

How does he make up with Ishan ?

Will he understand him? Or he wouldn't even wanna talk to him after the harsh words he said.

His eyes teared up in frustration.

Why did he even go up to Abhishek in the first place and then all these weren't happening.

Abhishek…

Mayank whispered underneath his breath and he chuckled sadly,”you were right Abhishek, i really am an idiot”

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Author's note;

Heyy i hope everyone enjoyed it ✨♥️

Well, which character do you guys like so far? 👀🗨️