Manipulation

Meisha broke her silence as she couldn't keep her calm now, this girl was really something. 'Her sister wasn't in the wrong, but this new girl sure did need some help, because she seemed to be well aware of Nitya as well as Surbhi's weaknesses and had made sure to hurt her by raising those points specifically. And now, as if this wasn't enough, she definitely had something more elaborate planned in her mind!'

Thinking this ,she stepped forward and spoke out through gritted teeth, "How dare you?! Just because the person in front of you is quiet, doesn't mean that you are right. So you better stop right here, otherwise things will not go right, I am warning you!"

"Oh! So now anybody can issue a warning, just because I am alone and there are two of you guys? But let me tell you that I am not alone; or even if I am, the truth will not remain silent for long! It will come out at some point, won't it?"

"Of course it will," Nitya was the one to reply; she could tolerate Natasha's bad behavior for herself, but not when somebody was messing with her little sister. She would definitely take a stand, till this point she had been treating her like her own family; but from now on, she was nothing to her and none of her tears would mean anything to her. 'How immature and pathetic a person had to be, to pick a fight with someone much younger than them!' She continued "And trust me, the day when the truth is finally revealed, your brother would not even be able to find a hiding spot. So I request you, please stop bothering us- we are not roommates anymore, and whatever friendship there had been between us, is no longer in existence."

Natasha knew Nitya very well at this point, and along with it, the fact that once she got stubborn about a topic, nobody could bend her will by even an inch. She spoke again after some time, faking her tears.

"But I just wanted to make you realize that he had taken you the hospital in your first year of college, when you were ill, even without you having to ask him to take you there; he has even cared for you, he limited access to all his friends just because of you. And he is also not happy about what he has done, but you know this very well that he is not a bad person- he just can't control his anger sometimes! Can't you give him just one chance? Can't you guys be friends, just for your Masters; he is very lonely and he is on the verge of depression as well. Please, I am requesting you to talk to him once, you will probably get some kind of closure for yourself as well, and maybe your friendship will be in full bloom again."

Nitya couldn't take it anymore. Yes, she was definitely mad at him and she really didn't want to talk to him in any situation, especially after he had left her in severe pain just so he could roam around. Everyone else had ongoing exams due to different time schedules, so she had felt hesitant in reaching out to them. She didn't want to talk to him after he had put horrible allegations on her, that she was trying to get close to each and every person she even talked to on social media sites! And the list went on; she had never told anybody about this, as she had also made excuses to herself on his behalf; thinking that he must have been going through a lot of things. The day he had raised his hand to slap her was the day she had decided to block him from everywhere; even though she had ended up forgiving him after leaving her in unbearable pain. But Natasha had put her on the spot by mentioning that he was depressed. He might need someone to lean on, and that person couldn't be his family as he had no one to talk to and sort things out with. Nitya knew that he didn't want to bother Natasha as well, as she was younger than him and he felt hesitant in expressing vulnerability in front of someone he was supposed to protect.

She took a deep breath and spoke "Okay fine, I will call him later, don't worry-" Nitya concluded with a sigh.

Natasha eagerly interrupted her, "No no! You don't need to call him; just wait here and I will ask him to come meet you in an hour. Or rather, I myself will bring him here in one hour."

Nitya looked at Meisha for confirmation, then said "Okay."

Natasha left, after repeating that she would be back within the hour. Nitya then took out her phone to call Veer and ask him to meet them there. She was hoping he could come and pick Meisha up, and take her for a ride or take her shopping, so that she wouldn't get bored while Nitya was talking.

Veer was there within ten minutes. There was still plenty of time left, so they decided to look for something to shop from the mall; Nitya asked Natasha to come straight to the food court itself; then all three of them headed to the fun section in the mall.

Meisha was enjoying the games, when Nitya took Veer aside and asked him if he was okay with her decision, despite knowing everything that had happened earlier. Apart from Surbhi and Naveen Bhaiya, Veer was the only one who knew the entire truth.

Veer was a little taken aback at first, at why Nitya was second-guessing herself. He then replied "Didu! Does anybody's opinion really matter? Have you forgotten what advice you once gave to me, that I needed to follow my heart and decide the future I wanted to live in? That I should own my choice, whatever the decision is- choosing a painful relationship, or daring to break up; because it's my life and all the decisions are a part of my learning experience. Nobody can make the choices on my behalf and expect me to learn from preaching alone, because after that I would only console myself that it didn't work out because the decision was not mine! So if anything, the person should be taking the lesson- not me, because the fault is not on my side and I will never develop that way, but I will be there for you, forever. So I am just repeating your words back to you, and I sincerely mean it."

Nitya hugged Veer, and said with a proud smile, "When did you grow up so well?" Saying this, she tugged on his ears and they sat on the chairs in the food court while Meisha followed them. They were busy talking and laughing, when the two persons they were supposed to be waiting for, arrived.

Siddhant looked at her, smiled and stepped forward to hug her; but before he could approach her, Veer stopped him mid way by blocking his movement with his arm after looking at Nitya's face. He noticed her discomfort and addressed him, saying "She doesn't want to hug you, so can you please sit down quietly, and tell us what happened."

Siddhant gave a bitter smile to Veer and turned towards Nitya. He crossed his arms, saying with a sneer, "I won't be discussing our problems in front of strangers."

"They are not strangers, and Natasha is also here. There is nothing such that it must be discussed behind closed doors only; and any way, we are just acquaintances to each other now!"

Siddhant's face turned red with anger as he spoke up, "No! We can't be just friends, we can't be! You are just like my sister, and I will not share you with anyone; you know I can get a little jealous sometimes."

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