Mannat's POV

The whole way back was silent, just the soft hum of songs filling the air, but each of us was lost in our own thoughts. The usual chatter, the teasing, was all gone. I could feel the tension between us, but none of us said anything.

We finally walked into Alia's apartment and opened the door. 

The moment we stepped inside,  "aaaaa" I screamed, my voice full of exaggerated annoyance. "Chudaillll! Tu apne boyfriend ko dusre room mein nahi rakh sakti hai kya?" (Can't you keep your boyfriend in another room?)

Alia looked at me, confused. "Kyu, kya hua?" (Why, what happened?)

I crossed my arms, not holding back. 

"Tera boyfriend har baar dara deta hai mujhe, tabhi tere ghar aane ka dil nahi karta hai!" (Your boyfriend scares the life out of me, that's why I don't feel like coming over to your place!)

Ruhi, who had been quiet all this time, finally spoke up. 

"Arey, uska boyfriend toh welcome karne ke liye khada hai wahan, kyu chilla rahi hai bechare pe?" (Well, her boyfriend is just standing there to welcome us, why are you yelling at the poor guy?)

I rolled my eyes, not backing down. 

"Yeh Alia ka boyfriend kisi din mere maut ka kaaran banega, main bata rahi hoon, chudailon!" (Alia's boyfriend is going to be the reason for my death one day, I'm telling you, chudails!)

"Shukr kar, yeh kuch bola nahi hai, warna teri fard ke haath pe jaati," Alia said, teasing me, and we all burst out laughing. (Thank your stars, he hasn't said anything, or you'd be in trouble with your father's hands.)

"Hata, tu apne boney ko!" I said, half-joking, half-annoyed. (Move, take your boyfriend out of here!)

"Arey, hata rahi hoon," Alia replied, rolling her eyes. (Okay, I'm moving him.)

"Gnji, mere boney ko mere room mein rakh ke aa, or dekhna kahi " Alia told Ruhi. (Gnji, go put my boyfriend in my room.)

"Okay... tu ja, aur khana banna," Ruhi replied with a smile, moving the skeleton that was blocking the entrance of the door. (Okay, you go, and tell him to behave.)

Once she was done, Ruhi came back into the living room. 

"By the way, khana mein kya hai?" she asked, glancing at us. (By the way, what's for dinner?)

"Pav bhaji," Alia replied, and I sank into the couch, exhausted. (Pav bhaji.)

"Arre, ladi pav kaha se mila?" Ruhi asked, raising an eyebrow. (Where did you find ladi pav?)

"Desi bhaji, videsi pav," Alia responded with her usual broken humor. (Indian bhaji, foreign pav.)

We all laughed again, the atmosphere lightening up a bit, even though I still couldn't shake off the emotions from earlier.

---

We all entered the kitchen to help Alia cut the veggies at least and put them in the cooker. The sound of chopping filled the air as we worked together in silence for a moment.

"Chai pioge?" Alia asked, glancing over her shoulder at us. (Will you have tea?)

"Chudail, hurt kar diya tune mujhe! Itna time ho gaya aur tujhe yeh nahi pata chala ke iske liye puchte nahi, direct samne rakh dete hain!" I said, my voice playful but with a touch of mock annoyance. (Witch, you hurt me! It's been so long and you still don't know that for this, you don't ask, you just put it in front of me!)

Ruhi let out a laugh. "Ishq ke liye bhala koi mana kar sakta hai?" (Can anyone refuse for love?)

Alia smirked, shaking her head. "Well, I guess I'll just put it in front of you next time, then."

After we finished helping in the kitchen, we all made our way to the living room. The warmth from the tea and the dinner preparation filled the space, but it was still quiet, with everyone waiting for someone to break the silence.

Alia stretched out on the couch, glancing at Ruhi. 

"So... tell us everything. How was the date?" she asked, her tone casual but clearly curious.

Ruhi hesitated for a moment before sitting down, her eyes flicking between me and Alia. 

"It wasn't what I expected," she said quietly, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her sleeve.

"Really?" I said, leaning forward, interested despite myself. "What happened?"

Ruhi sighed, clearly conflicted. "It was fine at first, but then... I saw someone I didn't expect to be there. And things got... complicated."

Alia's eyes widened. "Complicated? What do you mean? Did he do something?"

Ruhi paused, collecting her thoughts before she spoke again. 

"No, it wasn't like that. I just... I wasn't sure about it, and seeing him made me question things even more."

"Yrr Ganji, baat ko ghuma mat, sidhe sidhe bol. Waise bhi, meine aur chudail ne dekh liya tha Shaurya aur tujhe ek saath," I blurted out, not able to hold back anymore. (Yaar, Gnji, stop beating around the bush, just say it directly. Anyway, me and the witch already saw Shaurya and you together.)

Ruhi froze for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise. 

"Hmm... actually," she paused, her voice trailing off as if deciding whether to admit it or not.

Before she could say anything more, Alia stood up, looking between us. 

"Soch le, kaise batana h. Mein aati hoon, 5 minutes mein washroom ho ke," she said, then quickly left the room. (Think about how you'll tell us. I'll be back in five minutes after going to the washroom.)

I exchanged a quick look with Ruhi, who was still processing what I had said. The moment hung in the air, and I could tell there was a lot she was holding back.

Ruhi took a deep breath, her eyes dropping to her lap as she seemed to collect her thoughts.

She looked up at me and sighed. "You know, I didn't want you both to find out like this," she said, her voice low. "I didn't even know how to talk about it. But yeah, Shaurya and I... it's complicated."

I nodded, understanding, but Alia wasn't cooperating at all. She crossed her arms and looked at Ruhi, her voice stern but filled with concern.

"Ganji, chudail, dekh... humne tujhe kabhi judge nahi kiya. Aur na hi tere liye galat socha hai kabhi. Mein aur Pikka, we both are single daughters, toh hum tujhe behen samajhte hain," Alia said, her tone softening a little as she spoke. (Witch, look... we never judged you. And we never thought badly about you. Me and Pikka, we're both single daughters, so we consider you a sister.)

"Thik hai na? Aur tujhe dekha hai humne uss ke liye tarapte hue bhi. Online bhi, offline bhi. Online toh kher, tu pyar mein giri thi. Tab bhi humne roka tha tujhe, tune nahi suni. Nateeja tune khud dekha hai. Offline mein tujhe breakup se uda hua dekha hai. Uske liye tu kitna royi hai, humne dekha hai." (Right? And we've seen you in pain for him, both online and offline. Online, you were in love, and we tried to stop you, but you didn't listen. The results, you've seen for yourself. Offline, we've seen you heartbroken, crying for him.)

"Toh jo bhi faisla legi, soch samajh ke le. Is baar hum kuch nahi bol rahe, tu jo discussion tere saath denge." i said. (So whatever decision you make, think it through carefully. This time, we're not saying anything; you'll handle the discussion yourself.)

Ruhi sat quietly, her gaze on the floor, absorbing everything Alia said. The weight of her words was heavy, but I knew she was right. Both Alia and I had seen Ruhi go through a lot, and now, it was up to her to decide what was best for her, no matter how difficult it might be. 

She bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable. 

"It's not about that. I didn't want to bring him into this. After everything that happened before, I thought I was over it. But when I saw him again... everything came flooding back."

Just as she was about to continue, Alia walked back into the room, a knowing look on her face.

"Okay, now spill it," she said, sitting down next to us. "We're all ears."

Ruhi looked at both of us, her eyes full of uncertainty, but she knew there was no turning back now. She finally spoke. 

"Shaurya and I... we had a history. A long one. And seeing him again brought up all those old feelings. I don't know what to feel anymore."

We both stayed silent, giving her space to share everything she had been holding back.