Chapter 9

Rahul rushes to Vinay and gives him a punch. A drunk Vinay then says he is sorry, and goes to give him an embrace. As Rahul embraces him, Vinay takes a blade out of his pocket. Shreyas who sees this, gives him a nasty blow on his face, and Rahul gets out unscathed without much injury. Then Rahul inflicts some blows on Vinay.

In the meanwhile, Anjali who is crying, tells Maria all that happened. Maria tries consoling her, while Rahul fights on Vinay. In a moment of shrewdness, Shreyas calls the police. They rush to the spot and arrest Vinay. This is a very difficult juncture for both Rahul and Anjali considering Vinay had been a very good friend of one for a long time, and the soulmate of the other for an equally long time. So, both shed tears for him, but do not find a better way to put an end to all his nonsense.

Its at the Bangalore Cantonment Railway station. Anjali is leaving for Delhi. The friends had just admitted Vinay in an asylum for the mentally retarded, and left the place hoping he would get alright at the earliest.

The Bangalore sun lazily shined on their faces as the people around them went about their business cheerfully. But as they strode into the station, the look on Anjali's face said it all; to outsiders it was one of perplexion but rahul knew that it was one of disappointment. But he was happy that she had not gotten depressed or anything like that but then again, he knew that she was not that type of a girl.......she was mentally very strong!

But now a complete different question occupied his mind. To do or not to do??? Buoyed by Shreyas's advice that she needed some affection/attention at this stage, he had brought himself to revealing his true feelings for her but now when he looked into her eyes he found himself in an all familiar situation - the words just refused to come out!

'Man I should have done this on the phone!, he murmered as Anjali as if woken out of a slumber asked, "what??".. "Nothing, nothing at all" he smiled as he changed the topic, something Vinay was very good at. Oblivious to anjali who had now started yapping about the boring train journey, 2 personas were fighting it out inside him.

Anjali: And so as I was saying

Rahul:

Anjali:I some times, wonder why I took Archi

Rahul:

Anjali:The profs there are like.....

Rahul:

Anjali: And OMG they are like

It was then Rahul decided that he would do it. He did not know where the courage came from but he knew that it was now or Never. the last words echoed in his mind as he said

Rahul:I have something important to say to you!

Anjali: Me too!

Rahul: As usual, you first!
Anjali: You know what you are the best friend I could have ever had. I am so lucky. I know that our FRIENDSHIP will last forever and ever.

And then Rahul knew it was all over, the words FRIENDSHIP come out with such passion, such fervour that he realized that she had never thought of him as anything more than a friend.. He could not do it, he knew he would break her heart.

And as she sat on her seat, she looked at Rahul and smiled. He smiled back, he was happy to see her beautiful smile after a long time. She suddenly exclaimed

"Oh, I'd almost forgot! What was it that you wanted to say?"

He only smiled at her as suddenly the train came to life. As the train slowly chugged awayher look changed to one of perplexion, but the smile remained on his face as he shouted, "The same! Believe me, the very same!!", and he kept on repeating these words till the train was no more than a dot, far, far away!!

Then, he made a call to room 73A, HarishChandra hostel, IISc Bangalore and said, "I entered her life as a friend, and went out of it the same way da, I'm sorry..."