The dinner table was lively as ever. After a nap, Bhavna was on a high spirit. She was taking on Akash and Pritham, both at once. She behaved almost as if she was on a sugar rush or something.

"I heard you made Madhu cry buckets?? And I heard Zee knocked you unconscious in video game??" Bhavna's high pitch voice rang through the table.

The guys face paled instantly while Shreya and Madhu had an amused smile dancing on their faces.

You should know, Bhavna is the Queen of gossip. She cannot contain her curiosity. And more so, she cannot keep her mouth shut. So if she gets to know something, it was similar to broadcasting in the flash news.

"Don't worry about it. He begged afterward!" Madhu pitched in with a smirk.

Of course, Bhavna already knew it. After all, she had faked tears countless times with Akash to get things done her way.

"I will let you in on a secret. You want anything at all, all you have to ever do is, bring one tear at the corner of your eyes.. and he will get it for you the very next day. I never knew how but he will literally freak out whenever he saw anyone cry." Bhavna leaned over and whispered to Madhu.

Madhu looked at her surprised. Madhu has never been a cry baby. So even when Akash would scold, she wouldn't cry that easily. She had only cried one time in front of him.. that too had not been because he was being harsh on her but because of her own helplessness over her incompetence.. and he freaked out. She always thought it was because of Shreya's presence that day that he got scared and begged her. But listening to Bhavna, she asked surprised, "He is scared of tears?? Seriously??"

But before Bhavna could respond, Akash gave Bhavna a sharp look and said flatly, "I will get you the car you asked for, if you shut up!!" He was actually making a huge sacrifice.. it was a luxury car mind you. But at the moment, except for bribing her gossipy sister, he really had no other way to shut her up. And she did not shut up, his image will be completely destroyed in front of Madhu. He was not looking forward to Madhu and Bhavna playing tag team against him.. at least not yet.

Bhavna stopped on her track and narrowed her eyes at her brother to see if he was serious. When she found that he was, her brows arched as she asked, "Top of the class. Rusty silver color.." She said as if she was ordering food in a restaurant.

But before Akash could sigh in relief, Shreya pitched in and said crashing his party, "I can buy it for her.."

"Shreya.." Akash whined giving her a pitiful look.

Madhu let out a giggle looking at how utterly hopeless he looked in front of Shreya and his sister. Whenever Akash had been with her so far, he always maintained a domineering imagine. He always knew what he was doing and he always knew what to say.

He always had a slight arrogance but not any overbearing tendencies. But now.. he did not have any of it. He seemed nervous and fluttered and completely defeated in front of Bhavna. She found it rather cute and amusing.

But the bullying came to an end when Zack pitched in and said sternly, "Hey munchkin, leave your brother alone. He looks pitiful."

Akash did not really care about the blow to his ego. All he cared right now is for Bhavna to find another target and leave him alone. After all, being his sister, she knows way too many things about him and she did not have the concept of keeping secrets.

"I am not small anymore!!" Bhavna instantly flared up forgetting everything about Akash. She always had a slight complex of being too small in height compared to that of Zack. For a female, her height was not small like Shreya.. but she still had a grudge whenever Zack teased her for it.

Akash let out a sigh of relief and at last, started concentrating on the food in front of him.

Shreya looked around and found everyone happily chatting with someone or other. A content smile spread through her face as she sat leaning behind and absorbed the moment.

"What are you looking at??" Zee asked from her other side breaking her trance.

"I just think it's a nice change for everyone.. Everyone seems happy.." Shreya said smiling. All the people in the table with the exception of Bhavna and Madhu had been really tense from the day of the kidnapping. Things had been really hectic for everyone. So this relaxing vacation looks like a welcome change for everyone.

"What about you?? Are you happy??" Zee asked. But her eyes had a defeated look as if she already knew the answer to that question.

"I will be there eventually. It is just not possible right now.." Shreya said smiling. But then Zee could clearly see through her guard.

Shreya was not sad or depressed or anything like that. But without Charan and Akira.. she just did not know how to feel happy.. she felt as if she was missing some vital parts of her.. she did not know how to be whole anymore without those two people in her life.

But since she had resolved to stay away from them, she will not deter from it. Hail or rain, she would see through the stumbles in front of her before going back to them.

"Hey, don't give me those pitiful lonely eyes.. I am not going to comfort you lending my shoulders so that you can lament on how you miss your boyfriend!" Zee said making a repelled face. Zee can do many things.. but she was never a person to be emotional. Maybe she had experienced way too much way too early.. she did not know how to deal with vulnerability- both of herself and others. She was especially handicapped when it came to supporting a couple-problems.

"Don't worry.. I won't cry in front of you.. I know you will end up bashing my head into the walls.." Shreya said smirking at Zee.

"I wouldn't be that cruel.. I might just knock you unconscious.. and since you are my friend, I would definitely not make it bloody.." Zee replied back with a proud smile.

"What an honor!!" Shreya said sarcastically rolling her eyes at her.

"Of course, it is an honor. Good that you know." Zee said completely ignoring Shreya's sarcasm.

Even though it might look as if Zee did not care on the surface, Shreya knew Zee. She always looked emotionless no matter place or time. You can be crying in front of her and all you would ever hear from her would be, "Crying doesn't benefit you one bit, so stop it." That too in her overbearing cold voice. But Zee was good at hiding her warmth beneath everything else. Given a situation, Zee would stand between her and every danger coming her way. Shreya knew that.

But even Shreya had never been able to actually let her open up to her after all these years. And since she was not the one to pry.. she never asked Zee about anything that she was not ready to tell her voluntarily.

Shreya never felt her distancing as unfair since she was the same. She hid a lot of emotional crap in her too. Maybe the saying, the birds of the same feather flock together is after all true.

But since Zee had way more baggage than Shreya.. her resistance to letting people into her life was actually the top of the class.

"Hey, how are things between you and Srinivas?? Did you make him your boyfriend??" Shreya suddenly asked catching her off guard.

Thankfully Srinivas was actually sitting on the far corner from them.. so he did not hear it. But once Zee recovered from her shock, she gave an ugly look to Shreya and said, "Stop joking around."

"Hey, I am not joking. What is wrong with him??" Shreya asked puzzled. She wouldn't be so nosy with Zee.. but Zee had terrible taste in men so far. All her past relationsh.i.p.s had been way too casual that hardly lasted a few months together. And of course, she also saw slight changes in Srinivas. So she thought maybe they would end up together.

"He is not my type!!" Zee said bluntly.

"Your type is casual!! Nothing else matters to you" Shreya said rolling her eyes.

"Exactly.. And Srinivas is anything but casual." Zee said pointedly.

"Isn't it good. Anyways none of your past relationsh.i.p.s with your type of men ever worked. They were either trash that cheated or they ran away from you scared." Shreya asked puzzled.

"I am not looking for a long term relationship Shreya..They get messy and I don't deal with messy. And Srinivas is exactly the type to squeeze his way into your life without you even noticing. And that type is not good for my health" Zee answered seriously.

Shreya did not pry but then again she had a hunch.. maybe Srinivas is exactly as Zee described. Maybe he will creep his way into her life without her even noticing it.