After a long wait for the sunrise, everyone went back to their respective rooms, and it was already past 9 o'clock. Everyone headed for breakfast, but Vansh decided to skip it.
He was looking through the photos he had taken. Time was passing quickly, and he tried to capture some pictures from his balcony. Then, he went downstairs to take some photos of the birds.
After returning to his room and drinking some water, there was a knock at the door. When he opened it, he found Aanya standing there.
"Hey, what brings you here? Do you need anything?" Vansh asked her. He also offered for her to come inside if she wanted. She hesitated for a moment and then responded, "No, that's okay."
It was Mika who interrupted, saying, "We just wanted to call you for lunch. Aanya wanted to invite you." Aanya nodded in agreement.
"You missed breakfast this morning," Mika explained, expressing Aanya's concern.
Vansh looked at Aanya and said, "I just had too much hot chocolate, so I didn't come down." He glanced at his bag, then noticed the time. "Okay, I'll join you guys for lunch."
Vansh set his bottle aside and joined Aanya and Mika, who were deep in conversation.
"You came alone?" Aanya asked, glancing around the room while Mika was talking to Vansh.
"Yeah, I came alone," Vansh replied nonchalantly.
"Oh! Why? Don't you have any friends to come with you?" Mika inquired.
"It's not about friends. It's enjoyable in its own way. A guy like me is better off like this—working and being alone," Vansh stated, sounding a bit boastful. "Yeah, being alone is better than being with fake friends, isn't it?" he added, looking at both of them.
"I can agree with that, right, Aanya?" Mika prompted, but Aanya remained silent. Mika called her name again, "Yeah, you're right," Aanya finally agreed, though her tone betrayed her nervousness.
"Geez, what's up with you, Aanya?" Mika asked, showing concern. Aanya simply replied that she was fine, just lost in her own thoughts.
They soon reached the cafeteria and joined Mika's parents at their table. Each of them ordered something to eat and started discussing various topics.
Mika's father, a successful businessman, shared his stories, while his wife occasionally tried to interrupt him, noting that the kids were becoming bored with his lengthy tales.
"So, are you leaving this afternoon after lunch?" Aunty asked Vansh. Taking a bite, Vansh looked at her and replied, "No ma'am, I will be leaving by evening." She was pleased with his answer. "So, if you don't mind, can we see the pictures that you took?" Aunty requested politely. Vansh wasn't the type of guy to decline requests easily. Since he was already free, he accepted without hesitation; it wasn't a big deal.
After lunch, Vansh took his camera and went to Aanya's room. Unlike his room, they had a luxurious double bed suite. Aunty offered him a seat in one of the chairs, and he sat down, connected the camera to Uncle's laptop, and began to show the photos he had taken – all the birds, plants, sceneries, and everything else.
Mika got up from her place, saying, "I'm going down for juice," and she left. Everyone else was focused on the photos while Mika went downstairs to buy a drink from the vending machine. She paid for it and pulled out a can.
"Hey, Mika?" she heard a voice. It was Vansh, standing there. She looked at him, opened the can, and took a sip. She bought another drink and handed it to Vansh without saying a word.
"It's fine," Vansh tried to decline her offer, but she tossed the can to him, and he caught it. "Don't be modest," she said as she moved toward a bench, and Vansh followed her.
"Thanks for the drink," he said.
"What business brings you here with me?" she asked, taking a sip. "Isn't Aanya in the room?"
"This is about you, not her," Vansh replied.
Mika looked at Vansh with keen eyes. "About me? What could it be?"
"You seem to be angry with me, so I was curious about it," Vansh confronted her, seeking an answer.
"My anger? Why does that concern you?" she asked, looking directly at him.
"It's fine; I was just curious. If you hate me, I'll just let you be. I thought you might have a great answer for it—something that excites me."
"Excited? What am I? Your words are quite intriguing," she said as she took another sip, and Vansh did the same, watching her.
"You really don't know why I might be angry with you?" Mika questioned, noticing his lack of emotion. However, Vansh truly didn't understand; she was upset because he had held her hand at school.
"Whatever, I don't care about that anymore," she said, finishing her drink before going for another juice can and then returning.
"Well, I think your anger is valid. Since Aanya tries to include me with you guys, I'm just a stranger, and she does," he observed as he watched her sit.
"That's not it. She's not the type of girl you think; she's the sweetest girl I know," she explained, detailing how close she and Aanya were.
Aanya is always careful around strangers. At first, she hesitates to engage with new people and tries to keep her emotions in check. Soon, however, they become overly enthusiastic around her, which makes her feel distressed and leads her to act in unnecessary ways. Many guys see her as nothing but beautiful, while no one truly sees her real side. Previously, a guy attempted to get close to her, wanting to be her boyfriend, but Aanya was unsure of her feelings. Eventually, he tried to use her by getting other girls' numbers, and that's when Mika stepped in and confronted him.
After learning that Aanya would be coming to the city, Mika chose the best college for her, but Aanya opted for Vansh's institution for reasons she couldn't explain. Mika hopes she will be safe there and enjoy her time.
"But you will be there for her, won't you?" Vansh asked politely.
"Yeah, I will be, but not this time," Mika replied, looking directly at him. "Listen, Vansh, I don't know why Aanya is becoming friendlier towards you. It's your responsibility to make sure she is safe at your college. If anything happens, I will definitely kick your ass." Mika was serious, and her warning had an impact on Vansh.
"Can I really trust this guy?" Mika thought to herself.
"Can I join you guys?" Aanya stepped into the scene. Mika walked over to her, and they began chatting. "Friendship—people crave true kinship with their close ones. They are lucky to have each other," Vansh thought to himself.
Mika and Aanya talked about their trips and fun experiences while Vansh sat quietly, just listening and taking slow sips of his drink. Aanya made attempts to include him in the conversation, but he only contributed with small talk.
After a while, they headed to their rooms, and Vansh packed his belongings. He glanced at the scene from his balcony one last time. He then went downstairs, not carrying much, obviously. Aanya called out to him as they loaded into their car. He approached them, and Aanya offered that he could join them.
"Yeah, since we're heading to the same city, why don't you come with us?" Aunty supported Aanya's suggestion, and Uncle was also okay with it.
Vansh stood still, looking at their car and everyone in it. "Sorry, but I have some stops to make along the way, so I can't," he declined with a straight face, forcing a small smile to please them.
Aunty seemed fine with his decision, but one person wasn't. They all left, with Aanya glancing back at him while Mika held her hand.
As the car faded away, he thought to himself, "I really enjoyed the time, but I can't get truly attached to someone like this. It's a ticking time bomb." Vansh left the hotel and headed back to his city.
On the metro, he sat back, enjoying his music while travelling.
When he arrived at his café that night, he stood in front of the door. It swung open for a customer, who stepped out, and Vansh entered behind him.
The café was empty. His aunt came out of the kitchen. "Welcome!" she said, noticing him with his bag.
"Oh, you're back! Welcome back, kid!" she exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. She stepped toward him and gave him a side hug. "Why don't you take some rest?" she suggested, and Vansh replied that he would.
Kiri came running towards him as soon as she heard his voice. Vansh crouched down to catch her and lifted her. "Hey girl, how are you?" he asked before setting her down.
"You treat her like your own daughter," his aunt teased with a sigh. "Well, she is one of a kind," Vansh replied confidently.
Aarav then emerged from the kitchen, saw Vansh, and welcomed him too. Vansh stretched out his arm, giving a thumbs-up and saying, "Good job!" with a peculiar stare. Aarav appeared confused by his sudden words, but thanked him out of surprise and uncertainty.
Vansh walked toward the door to go home, with Kiri sitting on his shoulder. He grabbed the handle and opened the door.
Meanwhile, Aanya entered her room. She dropped her heavy bag onto the floor and looked around. After her bath, she emerged from the bathroom wearing her pyjamas. When she returned, her hair was still wet, and she had a towel around her neck. It was late at night, and her bedroom was dark. She sat in the darkness, gazing at the moon.
"I know you, I know Vansh. He's the guy I sat with. And I know I hurt you… And I still don't know how to fix it. I know what happened to you, and I want to apologise, hug you, and make things right. But I'm afraid; I'm scared. I'll never leave you again. Never..." Her eyes filled with tears as she watched the moon.
She slowly lay down on the bed and rolled over.
Meanwhile, Vansh rolled over in his bed and opened his phone to check his contacts. "Getting friends with her?" he asked himself.
The memory of Aanya saying his name flashed through his mind. She had smiled and said, "So now we're friends and no longer strangers."
Vansh set his phone aside, watching the moon's glow. In the dark room, Kiri was sleeping beside him.
"Friends?" he pondered.