Chapter 20 - New Plans

                                    

                                          
Aashna and Muskan couldn't believe whatever they had just witnessed. Kartik had always been a decent guy, always talking respectfully with everyone. Something was bothering him. Something serious. They ran behind him to talk things out.
They saw him sitting in the botanical garden of the university, a little away from the main gate. Rarely were there any students so it was an ideal place to be at. Muskan and Aashna quietly sat beside him, trying to think of the initiating words.
Meanwhile, they heard him say, "I'm sorry. I was upset. Not with you, with myself. I shouldn't have said that."
Aashna kept a hand on his shoulder. "That's definitely much more than a simple 'upset'. Please speak... How would we know if you don't talk to us?"
Kartik kept looking down, trying to find words for his feelings. He finally spoke up. "I'm afraid I'll get addicted to my phone..." He paused. "It's just that- I... I don't want to lose. Everyone keeps working so hard, all day, every time they get it. They have good control over their resting time. I keep going back to my phone every now and then. When they do it, it's rest. When I do it, it's called slacking off. You're productive even when you're spending your leisure time. You can enjoy your breaks. I can't. Even if I want to. Even the struggles will be enjoyable I feel at this point. I want to leave this phone for once and actually enjoy my free time. But I can't get my hands off the phone and grab anything else. You say you have plans, and you actually go out and do something. I say I have plans and I just end up sitting in one place, scrolling my phone away..."
Aashna brought her hand down from his shoulder to his hand and held it gently. With a smile, she said, "Now that you've realised this, we'll work on it together, okay?"
As he nodded in agreement, they heard some footsteps. They looked up to see Abhimanyu coming towards them with his, Aashna's and Muskan's packed bags. He halted his steps when he felt their glances. "Umm... your... bags. Here."
Aashna stood up and took their bags from him. "Thank y-"
"So. Let's have plans, and actually enjoy ourselves. Come on." Muskan suddenly stood up, making Kartik stand up, too. "Aashna, you both still haven't finished your work today, no? So why don't you invite him to your house? Y'all can study, and then we can have a night out!" She offered.
"Night out? Umm... We do have a lot to review, though. Abhimanyu, is it fine? You can leave early if you'd like..."
Abhimanyu couldn't think of a reply to the sudden plan. "I... will let you know?"
"Sure."
They left the botanical garden to leave for home. Kartik went in with Aashna to bring his car out of the parking lot, while Muskan approached Abhimanyu to talk. "Now you don't have to go to that dinner," She said.
Abhimanyu's eyes widened upon hearing that. "I remember telling you to stay out of my business, didn't I? I don't need your help to get what I want."
"I know. I am no one to interfere. To stay for the night, or not... that's your decision. You know yourself the best, after all." She smiled.
- X - X - X - X - X -
"Don't run, Muskan," Aashna called out as Muskan excitedly entered their apartment. She ran towards Girisha, who was folding clothes and sat beside her.
"NEWS! We're having a night out today. Here. All Night!!!" 
"What!?" Girisha looked at both of them for more explanation while Aashna sat beside her and started folding the remaining clothes. They told her about their day and the origin of the plan.
"But can we accommodate 5 people in this apartment?" Girisha scanned their house.
"6. Let's call Abeer, too." Muskan said with a teasing smile. She nudged Girisha's shoulder, while pressing her lips, trying to get her attention to Aashna. "For Kartik to have another male friend, obviously, I mean. Right?"
"Yeah, yes. Totally agreed." Girisha added.
"Do not think I don't understand you, Ms broken-bones." Aashna stood up with a pile of folded clothes and gently slapped Muskan's plaster before heading in.
"Oooowww!" She let out a fake cry and continued to ask, "So? Can we?"
"Why ask me?" Aashna screamed from her room. "Do whatever you want." She mumbled the last part, secretly hoping for a positive response from them.
Muskan quickly called Abeer to invite him. Abeer was having lunch with Gauri, so he put the call on the speaker to talk. As Gauri heard their conversation, she talked to Muskan and got to know that they were college girls living alone. She asked her to convince the others for the night out to be at Abeer's place. Muskan thought for a while, talked to Girisha and then agreed to it. Staying at a family-filled house felt about right to them when they had just been living away from their families for months.
- X - X - X - X - X -
[Abeer's home]
"This. Is. Amazing!!!" Muskan, Aashna, Girisha and Kartik were fascinated by Abeer's room. The walls were filled with paintings, sketches, and lists of tips and tricks for artists. He had a wall-length shelf for all his books, and it smelled like flowers everywhere.
"This. Is. How. You live with your parents. Man, I'm dying to be done with this degree and return home." Muskan said, eyeing the comfortable environment. Abeer smiled at her words.
"By the way, your... parents?" Girisha asked.
"They're out of town for a relative's wedding. Tonight, we're under the supervision of my elder sister. She'll return home later, probably after midnight. Y'all can settle down by then."
As they went out into the living room, the doorbell rang. Abeer opened the door to a nervous-looking boy. "Yes?" He asked.
"Oh, he's Abhimanyu. Our batchmate." Aashna spoke up from behind after peeking a little to see who it was.
"Oh, I see. Hey! Muskan told me about you. I'm Abeer."
Abhimanyu's expression dropped as heard Muskan's name, and he gave her a death stare. "Hello. I'm here to study for a little while, with Aashna. I'll leave after some time. I'm sorry to bother..."
"I know, sure. No problem. Get in." Abeer welcomed him with a smile.
Aashna and Abhimanyu decided to sit near the window, a little away from the others. The others started playing cards while these two settled with their stuff. Before they could even open their files and laptops, they heard some screams from the streets. Looking through the window, they saw some bikers yelling and speeding through the neighbourhood.
"Wow. They're at it again." Aashna's face dropped with anger and disappointment.
"You know them?" Abhimanyu asked.
Aashna nodded and then proceeded to tell him about those spoiled children who kept driving their bikes at high speeds, posing a serious threat to the people there. She also told him about the accident. "They come from ultra-rich families, so we can't even do anything against them."
Abhimanyu thought for a while and then took out his phone to message someone. He typed aggressively for a while and then with a straight face, kept the phone back. "Let's get to our work." He said as she nodded.
While they reviewed their research work, took out important points and made posters, the others played cards, ludo, and other board games. They were truly enjoying themselves after some really stressful schedules from their colleges and part-time work. A bit of Abhimanyu's attention was on them, and their genuine laughter and happiness. 'This is what comfort and support from the right ones looks like.' He thought and went back to his file.
After about 3 hours of break-less study session, Aashna and Abhimanyu were finally ready for the next day's presentation. The moment Aashna packed up and was ready to join the others, Abhimanyu got a call. He picked it up to hear something that made his face light up. He hung up the call and tapped a few times on his phone. He then brought the phone up to Aashna's face. "Everything you would want to know about those bikers and their families. Here. Let's teach them some manners."








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