'Just Friends'

The night was full of conflicted emotions not only for these two lovelorn souls: Nitya and Avyan; but also, there were two more puzzled creatures on the other side of the city. Both strongly believed in their love for other individuals but were definitely failing to explain the brewing chemistry between them. Shanaya and Tarun had known each other since they were ten but had never felt anything like that in their relationship before ever. Or was it always there and was threatening to appear just now?

Tarun sat with one of his arms around Shanaya's shoulders as he rubbed her arm with his other hand. She was in tears when he had reached her house to return her car and pick up his bike.

She had heard about the fight between Avyan and Harshad from the later when she ran into him a little while ago with bandages and bruises covering his body. She knew something like this was about to happen with him targeting her friend, Vivaan on the music festival night first. In fact, she would say that Avyan had held himself back for a long time before going full throttle. What had pushed him over the edge this time around, she didn't know.

"Why does it have to be like this, Tarun? Why do I have to be always on crossroads between all of my friends?" She rested her head on his shoulder. Among all her friends, Tarun had become her listening ear and a shoulder to lean on, for some time now.

When she came across the bruised and battered Rushabh a few hours ago, she was shocked and concerned at the same time. She had rushed to his side and insisted on taking him to the hospital. But Rushabh, being the kind of person he was, had physically pushed her away before yelling in her face to quit her 'fake concern'. Although quite hurt by his actions, his injuries occupied the majority her mind back then but he had paid no heed to her empathy and raged in her face about everything related to Avyan.

"Shanaya, I understand your situation. But you know that Rushabh is in the wrong here for orchestrating all that ruckus about Vivaan's sexuality and the following attack on him." Tarun tried to console her.

"I know that. I've tried talking to him a million times to not interfere with our lives but he doesn't just understand that in the end, it all comes down to hurt me. Even though he's Avyan's brother in name, it has always been me who has been treating him like my own family. Why does no one care about that fact, Tarun? Why does no one care about how choosing between Avyan and Rushabh affects me? Why does f***ing no one care about how I feel?" Insecurities were a huge part of Shanaya's life ever since childhood. Rejected by her parents for being a girl, and then taunted about not having a fair skin all her childhood and teen years, her only constant since then had been her music, her friends and surprisingly, Rushabh who had taken a shine to this little lanky girl.

"Don't I deserve love, Tarun? Avyan dumped me because he didn't love me anymore or maybe he's never loved me. Everyone sees me as this rich, mean girl with no brains. Am I nothing more than that?" That night, she just wanted to spill all her insecurities in front of a person whom she could lean on for her troubles.

"Hey, shh, Shanaya. I'm sorry if I've never said it before but you're one of the most beautiful girls I've come across. You are caring, kind and have such a big heart that I sometimes wonder how can someone so tiny accommodate such a big heart?" Tarun joked to make the girl in his arms smile which worked, thankfully.

"Tarun!" Shanaya chided him, slapping him lightly on his chest yet her face sported a little smile.

"Jokes aside, trust me when I say that you're the girl of the dreams of many guys." Tarun stared into her eyes as if trying to reaffirm his statements through the honesty in his eyes. In that moment, staring back into his eyes, Shanaya, in a very long time, felt beautiful. Cheesy, it was, but the eyes are the windows to one's soul.

It didn't matter who moved closer to the other because right there, in that moment, all Tarun could see was Shanaya, not his friend of ten years, but a beautiful woman. A woman who could be touted as a diva by the world as she strutted over everyone's hearts in her shirt dresses, high heels and an immaculately perfect face. Her intimidating aura made him worship her. And all Shanaya could see was a shy, introverted boy who became her rock in one of the hardest times in her life. A young man who was willing to lend his shoulder for her to cry on.

Gazing into each other's eyes, both moved closer until their lips brushed with each other lightly. To Tarun, that was a completely new feeling. He had heard all about kisses and other romantic intimacies from his friends but never in his life had he experienced any of it. Though Shanaya was a lot more experienced in this field than Tarun, it felt a lot different to her too. A good different.

Shanaya pressed her lips more tightly against Tarun's, encouraging him to do the same. He, though nervous, took her lead and copied her movements as he lightly moved his lips against hers. It was as if the monster that had been threatening to burst out in both of their hearts had finally been unleashed. Sense flew out of the window as both of them gave into the emotions that overpowered them.

No one counted seconds or minutes. For that brief moment of time, they weren't just platonic friends, or maybe they never had been.

But from now on, they would always be a little more than 'just friends'!