You are everywhere except right here and it hurts
Next Day
I stretched my arms and leaned back on the couch, letting out a deep sigh.
Moving here made sense. It was closer to university, more convenient, and honestly, I didn't want to waste time commuting from the family penthouse when I could just wake up and be on campus in minutes. It wasn't like I'd be staying here forever just two years, maybe a little more, until I was done with my degree. Then, I'd figure things out.
For now, this place worked.The apartment felt comfortable, more like a home than I had expected. It wasn't anything extravagant, but it was homely with a lot of art work and pictures.
Hriday was flipping through TV channels lazily, the remote balanced on his knee. Aayush was scrolling through his phone
"Dinner?" I asked
Hriday hummed in response, still staring at the TV.
"Yeah, what's the plan?"Aayush finally looked up, stretching his arms.
"You guys cook?" I asked
Aayush scoffed. "Of course, we do. What do you think? That we survive on instant noodles and takeout?"
Hriday snorted. "That's exactly what we do when the girls arent around aren't around."
Aayush frowned. "We don't talk about that."
I raised an eyebrow. "You all eat together every day?"
Aayush nodded. "Pretty much. It's kind of an unspoken rule. And if we're too lazy, we order. But even then, we decide together."
"Yup and like I said,They live in the opposite flat," Aayush explained.
"Before That" Hriday said suddenly, turning to me, "since you're officially our third roommate now, I think we should set some ground rules."
I raised an eyebrow. "Rules?"
I shook my head, amused. "Alright. What are the actual rules?"
"Rule one: Clean up after yourself. Always. No exceptions. Otherwise, you will face Alia's wrath."
I raise an eyebrow. "Alia's wrath?"
Aayush shudders dramatically. "Oh, you nanne bacche. You have no idea."
I nod slowly. "Noted. Anything else?"
Hriday tilts his head. "Rule number twoâ"
Aayush cuts in, raising a finger. "No interrupting my sleep. Ever."
I blink. "That's fair."
Hriday exhales dramatically. "Rule three: If we watch something together, no spoilers. If you've seen it before, shut up. If you haven't, shut up and don't ask stupid questions."
"That rule is specifically for Diya"Aayush smirks.
"I don't evenâ" I start, but Hriday holds up a hand. "It's preemptive. Just in case."
I shake my head, laughing. "Fine, anything else?"
Hriday ignores him and turns back to me. "Rule number four: Kitchen duties are shared. If you cook, you clean. If you don't cook, you still clean. And if you think you can get out of both, you're mistaken."
I put my hands up. "Hey, I can cook."
Aayush claps. "Perfect. You're making dinner tonight."
I gape at him. "That is not what I said."
Hriday shrugs. "New roommate initiation."
Aayush grins wider. "Yeah. We all did it."
Hriday sighs. "Anyway. The last and most important ruleâ" He leans forward, eyes serious.
Aayush groans. "Bro, chill. It's not like we're running a military base here."
"If we ever order fries, you are not allowed to steal mine."
Aayush gasps. "YES. Thank you, Hriday! This is sacred"
I scoff. "You guys are dramatic."
Aayush grins, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Welcome to the madhouse, roommate."
Just as he finished speaking, the front door swung open.
"Speak of the devils," Hriday muttered under his breath.
Two girls walked in, looking entirely too comfortable in an apartment that wasn't theirs.
They didn't even acknowledge us at first. Instead, they dropped onto the couch like it was their house and stretched out.
The taller one finally turned her gaze on me, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly. "You must be the new guy."
I nodded. "Sidharth."
She shot him a look before turning back to me. "What's your deal?"
I blinked. "My deal?"
"Yeah. Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do? What's your trauma?"
Aayush laughed. "Samaira likes to get straight to the point."
Oh so she is Samaira and the other one by the Aayush was looking at her she is probably Diya then where is Alia?
I shrugged. "Not much to say. Moved here for university, needed a place to stay, ended up here."
Samaira nodded slowly, still scrutinizing me. "You don't seem like an idiot."
I didn't bother to reply to that
"Alright, he passes," she declared, before plopping onto the couch.
Hriday snorted. "Lucky you."
Oh wow!! Lucky me!! Yeah right
"Where's Alia?" Hriday asked, looking behind them.
"She fell asleep," Diya said. "She was exhausted."
Samaira rolled her eyes. "She was daydreaming half the day. That's not exhausting."
Aayush shrugged. "She's asleep. Apparently, she crashed right after getting home."
I was starting to realize somethingâthese girls didn't visit this apartment. They lived here in a way that didn't need explanations or formalities.
Samaira had already made herself comfortable, sitting cross-legged on the couch, her phone in one hand as she absentmindedly scrolled through something.
"So what's for dinner?" Hriday asked, resigned to the fact that he had no say in it anymore.
"Not ordering," Samaira said immediately.
Diya nodded. "Let's just make something. Maybe Rajma Chawal and salad"
"I am not in the mood cook , I just came back from my boxing practice"Aayush whined
Hriday let out a loud groan. "Why? Why do we do this? Why do we torture ourselves when we could justâ"
"Hriday, shut up," Samaira interrupted. "Go chop vegetables."
Hriday muttered something under his breath but got up and walked to the kitchen.
Aayush, who had been whining about not cooking is now silently watching Diya like a lovesick idiot, suddenly snapped out of it. "I'll help too," he said quickly, following her.
Samaira made a disgusted face. "You're so whipped, it's painful to watch."
Aayush, completely unaffected, just grinned. "I take it as a compliment."
Diya shook her head but didn't argue.
I stood there, watching as they all fell into an easy rhythm. Diya and Aayush gathered ingredients, Hriday begrudgingly chopped vegetables, and Samairaâwell, Samaira supervised.
It was strange. This was nothing like the way things worked in my house. Back home, meals were just meals. Eat, finish, leave. There was no chaos, no unnecessary discussions, no people barging in and taking over the kitchen like it belonged to them.
But here, it felt different.
A plate was suddenly shoved in my direction.
"Hold this," Samaira said, dumping some chopped vegetables onto it before I could react.
I took the plate without thinking. "Am I helping now?"
She smirked. "Welcome to the club."
I shook my head but didn't argue. I anyways had to cook for myself
For the next hour, I somehow got roped into the cooking process. Hriday complained the whole time but still did his part. Aayush, despite his usual laziness, was actually pretty good at following instructionsâprobably because Diya was the one giving them. And Samaira? She mostly just criticized our work.
At one point, Aayush tried sneaking a bite of the food before it was ready, and Diya smacked his hand away.
The five of us sat around the small dining table, plates filled with steaming Rajma Chawal, the air carrying the comforting aroma of home-cooked food.
Aayush, as expected, was the first to dig in. "Okay, not to brag, but we really outdid ourselves."
"You didn't even cook," Samaira pointed out, rolling her eyes.
"I provided moral support." Aayush grinned.
Diya shook her head, clearly used to his antics. "Moral support doesn't count when you spend half the time trying to sneak bites."
Hriday, already halfway through his plate, sighed. "Can we just eat in peace? I suffered enough with the onions."
I smirked. "Still not over that, huh?"
Hriday just sent me a tired look and continued eating.
For a while, the only sounds were of spoons scraping against plates, occasional murmurs of appreciation, and Aayush humming happily between bites. It felt... comfortable. Natural.
At some point, Samaira leaned back in her chair. "So, what's the plan after dinner? Movie night?"
"No horror," Diya said immediately. "Last time we watched one, you laughed while I almost cried."
"That's because it was so bad." Samaira scoffed.
Aayush grinned. "We should let Sid pick. He's the new roommate. Initiation and all."
I shook the thought away as Diya turned to me with hopeful eyes. "Pick something good."
I leaned back, resting my elbow on the table. "I don't really watch movies.So its upto you all"
"Really?"Aayush asked and I nodded
Diya leaned back, pretending to think. "How do we feel about action movies?"
Hriday immediately nodded. "Finally, a good choice."
Samaira groaned. "Ugh, fine. But if it's just two hours of car chases, I'm leaving."
Diya smiled, already reaching for the remote. "Okay, movie night it is."
And just like that, dinner ended the way it had begunâeffortless, filled with easy conversations and bickering that somehow felt like home.
The balcony door creaked slightly as Diya pushed it open, stepping in. I was already there, leaning against the railing, scrolling through my phone.
She sat down on the floor, crossing her legs as she took a sip of her coffee. "You ever think about how long we've known each other?"
I glanced up, locking my phone. That was random. "That's random."
Diya shrugged. "Just hit me all of a sudden. four years, right?"
"Since undergrad," I nodded, stretching my arms. "Feels like forever."
It really did. I could barely remember a time before her before all of us, really.
"I know, right?" She blew on her tea. "Back then, everything felt so... huge. Every little thing seemed like the biggest deal."
I smirked, already knowing where this was going. "Like prom?"
She groaned immediately. "Oh god. Don't remind me."
I chuckled. I loved messing with her. "Why not? Prom was the real start of us."
Diya tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Because I was a mess."
I nudged her foot lightly. "You were adorable."
She rolled her eyes, but I caught the small smile she tried to hide.
"You were nervous, weren't you?" she asked.
A little. More than a little, actually. But I just shrugged. "A little."
I remembered it so clearly how I kept overthinking everything. What to say, how to act, whether I should hold her hand. She had always had this thing about her, something that made everything feel more important.
"I mean, you always had this... thing about you," I admitted. "Like, you could walk into a room, and it just felt different. I didn't want to mess it up."
She stared at me, eyebrows raised. "That's so unfair."
"What?"
"That you say things like that so casually."
I grinned. "Just telling the truth."
She looked at me for a second before shaking her head
"Anyway. I was nervous too."
"Why? You knew I liked you."
She bit her lip, thinking. "Liking someone is easy. Saying yes to them is different."
That made sense. Feelings were one thing, but letting them change your life was another.
"And kissing them?" I asked.
She hesitated for half a second, then smiled. "That... just happened."
I chuckled, leaning slightly closer. "You kissed me first, actually."
Her mouth fell open. "That is a lie!"
I smirked. "Oh, really? We were standing there, and I was still overthinking, and you just... leaned in."
She narrowed her eyes, trying to remember. "I thought you kissed me."
I laughed. She shoved my arm, but I barely felt it.
"You're making things up," she huffed.
I stared at her, the memory playing in my mind like a movie.
She smiled, shaking her head. "Fine. Maybe I did. But only because you were taking too long."
"Nope. You did." I grinned.
I ran a hand through my hair, laughing. "Best first kiss ever."
"You're just saying that."
"Nope. It was perfect."
The balcony door opened, and Hriday stepped out, rubbing his eyes. "You guys are still out here?"
"Yeah, just talking," I said.
He sighed, leaning against the railing. "Saanvi fell asleep in the middle of our call again. She always does that."
I smirked. That was so typical of her.
"That's love, my friend," I said, shaking my head.
Hriday just rolled his eyes but didn't argue.
Hriday gave me a flat look. "Aur tum dono ne mera space hadap liya"
"Oh my god, Hriday, it's a balcony, not your personal library."Aayush said
Diya pouted. "Aww, sorry, Hriday. We'll go nowâ"
I scoffed. "No, we won't."
Hriday didn't even react. He just nodded like he expected that, turned around, and walked back inside. "Enjoy your stupidity. I'll find another place where this chomu doesn't exist."
Diya gasped. "Hriday!"
I just grinned. "Good. More space for us."
She smacked my arm, but I just laughed.
CHAPTER AESTHETICS:
Hey everyone, I know I wanted to show that all the characters have really good bond with each other and trust and care for each other!!â¤ï¸
Diya and Aayush are the cutest!!Don't y'all think?
Also the story is just beginning Alia and Sidharth will soon meet and there banter will begin with a bang.So brace yourself!!ðð¤
I also have an Instagram account, so I'm hoping you could follow me there and stay tuned for updates!
Also vote and comment on this chapter na!!Ab itna toh karhi hi sakto ho haina !!ðð
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