4

Sadly, Ayesha and Rahul couldn't find an ice cream stand nearby. The only one they found didn't have any ice creams left as a huge gang had just bought a lot of it.

Ayesha was a little upset, but Rahul promised to buy her something else.

He luckily saw a peanut vendor nearby and asked him for two packets of masala peanuts. He packed the peanuts into two newspapers and passed it to Rahul. After paying, he held one for Ayesha.

"Here," he said.

Ayesha's eyes widened at the amazing peanuts in his hands. Happily, she took one packet and immedietly began munching on them.

"You like them?" asked a surprised Rahul.

"I love them," she declared.

"You surprise me at times, to be honest."

"I do?"

"You do. It's kind of funny."

"I crack horrible jokes, you know," she blurted out.

"What?"

"I'm serious. My jokes are not funny at all. They're lame."

"Okay?"

"I just told you something about myself, Rahul. Aren't you saying anything 'bout yourself?"

"Well, I really enjoy playing and watching Cricket."

"Ah... I enjoy watching it."

"I love watching movies. They're a great way for me to forget everything for a while."

"I like dancing."

"I know."

She looked at him. "You do?"

"I do. You performed in many dances in college."

"Oh. Yeah."

"Genius, much?" he mocked.

She generally might've frowned, but now she couldn't help but smile. "Pssh. Whatever. It's close to eleven thirty. Wow, time flew super fast."

"Yep," he said, looking at the sky. Just then his phone rang. He saw the name and picked the call. "Hey, buddy. What's up?"

Ayesha wondered who called him at such a late hour.

"Now?" frowned Rahul. "Maybe... really? Uh, kind of busy... but... okay, fine. I'll see you in fifteen."

Ayesha felt her mood drop. He needed to go. He was going to leave her now. She frowned and looked down at her lap. She wanted to spend more time with him.

"Ayesha, listen," started Rahul but Ayesha cut him off with a sad smile.

"You need to go, right?"

"Yes. I do. Is it okay if we go to the club, right now? You okay with it?"

She was taken aback. He wants me to go with him. "You - you are asking me to come with you?"

"Yes. Only if it's fine with you, of course."

"Yes! Yes!" She couldn't help but grin.

"Right," he said. "We kinda need to go quick. Is there an auto, nearby?"

In five minutes, the two caught an auto somehow and were going to a nearby club. It was a famous one, where most of the youth of the city hung out. Ayesha went there tons of times.

"So why are we going there?" she asked.

"You remember the Nihal I told you about?"

"Yeah, your best friend."

"Well, yeah. He kinda needs help with his girlfriend who is drunk. Which is... horrible. So I readily accepted to help."

"Ah. Will it be okay if I be there, too?"

"It wouldn't be bad," he admitted.

Finally they reached the club. After entering in, Rahul called his friend Nihal to ask him where he was. Nihal didn't pick up the call for the first two times, but finally he picked it up. Ayesha couldn't hear him properly but she could understand he was hysterical. She began to feel sorry for him since he was suffering due to his girlfriend.

He grabbed her hand, and pointed to a private cabin upstairs. "There he is. Come, let's go."

Ayesha followed Rahul, and when they were outside of the private cabin, she realized he still didn't leave her hand. She turned a little red at it, and slowly removed her grip from his without making it obvious. Rahul pushed the door. Ayesha saw a girl who was obviously wasted, and a boy whose back was turned to the who was grabbing her shoulders.

"Nihal," said Rahul.

Nihal turned around, and Ayesha felt her face go pale.

"Nihal Srivastav," she gasped.

Rahul looked at her, confused. "You know him?"

"Hi, guys. Thanks Rahul for coming," said Nihal, slowly. "And... hi, Ayesha."

If anyone looked absolutely ridiculous with their expressions, it was one, Rahul, who looked extremely confused; two, Nihal's girlfriend, who was definitely drunk.

"Nihaaal..."

All heads turned to Nihal's girlfriend. He faced the two with an apologitic expression. "Rahul, please help."

He sighed, but went forward with a "Hey."

Ayesha and Nihal looked at each other, awkwardly.

"Long time no see," he said.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"So... how have you been? College must be doing good on you. You look great."

She smiled. "So do you. Well, except..." She pointed to his girlfriend who seemed to be a bit bearable by Rahul.

Nihal rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, sorry about Lisa."

So her name is Lisa. "But if she is your girlfriend why did you call Rahul to handle her?"

"He handles her better," he deadpanned.

"Were they like... in a - in a relationship, or something?"

His eyes widened. "No, no, no. Lisa is his cousin. They are like second cousins but they are as close as siblings."

"Ah." It made sense.

Another awkward silence passed by them, and Ayesha noticed Rahul did handle Ayesha better than Nihal seemed to be. She looked at him. Nihal Srivastav. She remembered him as a smart, sensitive guy who always aced in most of the sports. He didn't change much, except his height, shoulders, and the beard. Ayesha didn't express it, but she felt almost nostlagic seeing him after so long.

Just then a waiter came in, with a glass filled with lemon juice. Rahul took it and made Lisa finish it, sip by sip.

Lisa noticed their physic similarities. They had the same nose, eyes, and jaw shape. They did look like siblings.

"How come you were with Rahul?" asked Nihal, suddenly.

"Uh, we kind of accidently met up near our colony, so we have been hanging out together since the few hours, and he asked if I wanted to come along with him when you called him here."

"Oh. Well, it feels good to see you again. Especially after long time."

She smiled. "Yes. Same. What are you studying anyways?"

"Engineering. Mechanical. In Mumbai, itself. Lisa and I met in college."

"How do you know Rahul?"

"Well, for eleventh and twelfth grade, I shifted schools. I met Rahul in my new school, on the first day itself. We've been best friends ever since. Even though we aren't in the same college, it doesn't matter."

"That's sweet." She meant it.

"Yeah. So... any boyfriends?"

"Nah."

"You like anyone?"

She smiled. "No. Not yet. But hopefully I might get someone."

He smiled. "You should. I still can't believe I met you again. We should stay in touch... at least this time."

"Sure," she replied, happily. "Save my number and give me a text, my battery is dead." And she gave him her number.

They stood beside each other for a full minute in complete silence, until Rahul finally came over after tending to Lisa.

"Hey, man," said Nihal, "thank you once again bro."

Rahul brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Stop that bullshit. Anyway, one question has been eating me since I came here."

"What?"

"You two know each other."

Ayesha couldn't help but somehow smile broadly at it. All of a sudden, all the good memories where the two of them laughed, played, ate and studied together came up. They drifted apart, but their memories were apparently still there. It felt beautiful. She looked at Nihal and saw he felt the same.

"We know each other from school," she said. "We were best friends from fifth to eight grade, until -"

"Until I moved schools and we drifted apart," he finished.

They smiled goofily at each other, suddenly feeling the weight of the situation. They just got reunited with a person they used to call as best friends!

"Great," said Rahul, honestly. "That's so cool."

"Yes. Hey, Rahul, I'll take Lisa home now. You guys should go too. Okay?"

"Yeah cool," he replied. "Let's go."

He grabbed Ayesha by her wrist, and she liked that feeling, somehow.

"It was fine coming here, right?" he asked her when they were away from Nihal and Lisa.

"Yes." She smiled. "Maybe I got an old friend back."