"And he gave me his bottle to drink water from!" Prisha repeated for what had to be the fiftieth time, sitting in the corner of the bed with a dreamy smile and noticeably pink cheeks.

Dharna didn't even look up from her phone.

"Shaadi kar lo, guys."

(Just marry already, guys)

"I want to eat pizza!" Swaha suddenly whined, pouting as she watched food reels on her phone.

"I'm tired," she added casually, continuing to scroll.

Prisha, meanwhile, was in an entirely different universe, listening to Bollywood songs and creating approximately seventeen fake scenarios in her head involving a certain bespectacled boy.

Swaha glanced at Dharna.

Then at Prisha.

An idea popped into her head.

A wicked little smirk appeared on her face.

Without saying a word, she opened their group chat, the one innocently named Alex Volkov ki biwiyan, and started sending food edits.

(Wives of Alex Volkov)

One after another.

Cheese pull Margherita pizza.

Extra cheesy garlic bread.

Creamy white-sauce pasta.

Spicy ramen loaded with veggies and cheese.

Crispy peri-peri fries.

Chilli cheese toast.

Chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream.

Momos drowning in spicy sauce.

Dharna's eyes widened as the notifications kept appearing.

"Swaha!"

Another food reel arrived.

"MAI TUJHE SWAHA KAR DUNGI!"

(I'm gonna kill you!)

She practically yelled across the room.

Swaha burst into laughter.

"Ye ladki khud bhookhi hai, humein bhi bhookha karwa ke hi maanegi," Prisha complained, finally looking away from her imaginary Bollywood romance.

(This girl is already hungry, and now she also wants us to be hungry)

Swaha let out an evil little laugh.

"Hehehe..."

Dharna stared at her.

"Tu sach mein dayan hai."

(You really are a witch.)

Swaha simply grinned. Dharna sighed and got off the bed.

"Chalo phir. Campus ke Domino's chalte hain."

(Alright then...let's go to the dominos of the campus?)

Prisha immediately looked up.

"Seriously?"

"Haan. Ab itna sab dekh liya hai toh kuch khaye bina neend nahi aayegi."

(Yeah...After seeing all that, I don't think I'll be able to sleep without eating something.)

Swaha was already getting up.

Dharna grabbed her phone and shook her head.

"Prisha, kuchh dhang ka pehen le?" Dharna said, looking her up and down.

(Prisha, wear something decent.)

Prisha looked down at herself.

An oversized T-shirt with Shinchan printed across it, a pair of comfortable shorts, and her spectacles.

She shrugged.

"I'm in my IDGAF outfit. Waise bhi itni late night kaun dekhta hai?"

(Who's even seeing me this late night?)

"Okay, Chalo then."

(Okay, let's go then)

The three of them stepped out of their room and locked the door behind them.

Their university campus was practically a small city of its own, with multiple food courts, cafés, convenience stores, and restaurants scattered around the sprawling grounds. There was a Domino's, KFC, Burger King, and plenty of other places students could visit without having to leave campus.

The hostel rules were fairly simple.

Students weren't allowed to leave the university campus late at night, but they were free to step out of their hostel and roam around the campus as long as they followed the designated timings and rules.

They finally reached the pizza place, only to stop dead at the entrance.

It was packed.

Almost every table was occupied, a few students were standing around waiting to place their orders, and the queue at the counter seemed to stretch forever.

Swaha stared at the crowd.

"Why the hell is it so crowded?"

She looked around, confused, before suddenly remembering.

"Oh. It's Friday night."

She paused.

"And tomorrow is the second Saturday."

Dharna nodded slowly as she took in the crowd.

"There aren't many seats here..." She glanced towards the counter. "And I think even if we order now, it's gonna take hours to get our food."

Prisha looked at the counter. Then at the occupied tables. Then back at her friends.

"So... we can order pizza online?"

"Nope." Dharna shook her head. "It's past nine, and right now I don't think we can."

Swaha's face immediately fell.

She looked at the pizzas being carried past them like she'd just witnessed a tragedy.

"So no pizza today?"

Her pout could've won an award.

Prisha sighed.

"Don't look at me like that."

Dev sat at the table, casually glaring at the group sitting opposite him.

They had challenged him to finish the biggest pizza on the menu.

The offer of the day was simple: finish the entire pizza within fifteen minutes and win ₹5,000. And apparently, contestants were allowed to bring as many people as they wanted to help them finish it.

Dev had originally been told to bring back two normal pizzas for dinner.

Instead, he had somehow managed to challenge a group of strangers to a pizza-eating competition.

"Koi baat nahi..." he muttered to himself, trying to sound confident. "Zyada se zyada kya hi ho sakta hai?"

(It's okay....what's the worse that can happen?)

Just then, Shresth and Prithvi entered the restaurant.

Dev's face immediately lit up.

"Mere Karan-Arjun aa gaye!"

(My Karan and Arjun are back!)

He dramatically rushed towards them and pulled both into a hug.

Both Prithvi and Shresth immediately pushed him away.

"Dur reh."

(Stay away-)

The group sitting opposite them snickered.

"Kyun karta hai tu aise kaam?" he asked, sounding both confused and exhausted. "Pichhli baar isko bahar bheja tha toh ye pit ke aa gaya. Iss baar tujhe bheja, aur tu Pehelwan Singh banne mein lag gaya."

(Why do you keep doing these things? Last time I sent him out, he came back beaten up. This time I sent you, and you started acting like a sumo wrestler)

Prithvi adjusted his spectacles and raised a finger.

"Excuse me. I would like to clear my point. Maine kisi bhi cheez ke liye agree nahi kiya tha, unlike Dev, jisne willingly ye sab kiya."

(I never agreed to any of this, unlike Dev, who willingly went along with it.)

Dev looked at him with betrayal.

"Bhai, izzat pe baat aa gayi hai!"

(Bro, this has become a matter of my dignity now.)

He pointed dramatically at the pizza.

"Upar se imagine kar- paanch hazaar milenge!"

(And just imagine! We'll get five thousand rupees!)

He paused.

"And free ka dinner!"

Shresth stared at him.

"I'm not buying this shit."

He turned around and started walking away.

One of the guys from the other group chuckled.

"Kyun? Tere dost darr gaye kya?"

(Are your coward friends scared?)

The others laughed.

Shresth stopped.

Slowly, he turned around. His expression changed. He looked straight at Dev.

"Dev."

Both Dev and Prithvi looked at him.

"Aaj agar woh pizza khatam nahi hua toh tu khatam hoga mere haath se."

(Today, if that pizza doesn’t get finished, you’re going down by my hand.)

For a moment, there was complete silence.

Then Dev's face broke into the biggest grin imaginable.

He slapped both hands on the table.

"LET'S GOOOO!"

"Merese bhi koi puchh lo yaar." Prithvi whined.

(Someone ask me too guys...)

"The pizza will be ready in another ten minutes," Prithvi said as he returned to the table and sat down beside Dev, opposite Shresth.

He glanced towards the group sitting across from them.

"They have six people..." he murmured.

Shresth nodded without even looking up.

"We need more people," Dev said, staring at table

Prithvi sighed and pulled out his phone, scrolling aimlessly. There wasn't much else he could do while they waited.

A few seconds passed.

Then Dev's eyes suddenly shifted towards the entrance.

He froze. A grin slowly spread across his face.

"Mil gaye."

(Found them.)

He immediately stood up.

Prithvi looked up from his phone.

"Where are you going?"

Dev was already walking towards the entrance.

Shresth finally lifted his head.

Both he and Prithvi turned their attention towards the entrance, watching Dev approach whoever had just walked into the restaurant.

Prithvi narrowed his eyes.

"Who did he find now?"

Shresth sighed.

"Knowing him...koi aur museebat."

(Knowing him...some more trouble)

"Hi, ladies... you need any help?" Dev asked immediately, stepping in front of Prisha, Swaha, and Dharna as they were about to leave.

"Tum yahan?!" Dharna excalimed

(You? Here?!)

"Trust me tumhe dekhne ke baad mera yahi reaction tha." Dev murmered

(Trust me my reaction was the same seeing you)

"Kuchh bole?" Dharna asked, glaring at him

(Are you saying something?)

"Nahi...I was just asking do y'all need any help?" Dev asked with a grin

"Umm... no, thanks," Dharna replied.

"There's a long waiting queue there... isn't it?" Dev said, glancing nervously towards the counter.

"There is," Swaha confirmed.

"So why don't y'all come and join us?" Dev asked with a grin.

"Chhi. Itne bhi bure din nahi aaye," Dharna said, making a disgusted face at him.

(Eww...our days haven't gotten that bad)

"Who cares about your opinion?" Dev replied, smirking.

"Who cares about your offer?"

"Dekho, don't argue here, guys. We really appreciate your offer, but no, we're fine," Swaha interrupted with an apologetic smile.

"Actually..." Dev paused, suddenly looking serious. "Let me be honest. We really need y'all's help. So, you see those guys over there?" He pointed towards the group who had challenged him.

"They were saying very misogynistic things, and I just couldn't stand it. They even said girls can't finish even half of the Bahubali Pizza. Like, they were mocking girls!"

He placed a hand dramatically over his chest.

"Main bola, 'Hawww! Kutte! Kamine aurat jaat ko aisa bolta hai? Tere kaan mein chinti ghus jaye. Tere pair naali mein gir jaye- oops tu toh already wahan rehta hoga. Jai aurat!' "

(“I went, ‘Hawww! You idiot! How dare you talk about women like that? May an ant crawl into your ear. May your foot fall into a drain- oops, you probably already live there. Jai aurat!’")

Swaha's eyes widened.

"'Jai aurat?' Ye toh maine Instagram pe suna hai."

(Jai auraat? I've heard this somewhere on Instagram!)

"They told you that?" Dharna asked, immediately turning towards the group with an offended expression.

"Exactly!" Dev exclaimed. "My blood was boiling after hearing them!"

He pointed towards the enormous pizza.

"There's already three of us. If you three come, we can finish the whole thing and win the challenge against them. We'll get five thousand if we win."

Dharna looked at Swaha.

"I think we should do it."

Swaha leaned towards her and whispered, "What if he wants to kidnap us?"

Dev, who somehow heard her, immediately put a hand against his chest.

"Seriously, guys? Us din maine aap sabki help ki, phir bhi you are thinking of me as a kidnapper?"

(Seriously, guys? I helped all of you that day, and you still think I’m a kidnapper?)

Swaha's eyes widened.

"No, no! I was talking about the Savdhaan India episode from tonight!"

Dev's expression instantly changed.

"Arre, wahi bewda doctor jo apne mare hue patients ke naakhun kaat ke kaala jaadu karta tha na?"

(Wait, that same drunk doctor who used to cut his dead patients’ nails and perform black magic with them?)

Swaha's jaw dropped.

"AND THEN END MEIN USNE GALTI SE APNE HI NAILS SE KAALA JAADU KAR DIYA THA?"

(And then, in the end, he accidentally ended up doing black magic on himself with his own nails.)

"Exactly!"

Dharna stared at both of them.

Swaha's face suddenly lit up.

"No way! You watch it too?"

"Who doesn't?" Dev said confidently, before pausing. "I mean... nobody does. Never mind."

He quickly changed the subject.

"So, you're gonna help us?"

Dharna thought for a moment.

"Okay... just to prove those guys wrong."

"Let's go, then!" Swaha said.

Dev stepped aside and gestured dramatically.

"Ladies first."

The three girls started walking inside.

After a few steps, Swaha suddenly thought

"Prisha tabse itni chup kyun hai?" She said as she turned behind

(Why has Prisha been so quiet since then?)

No one.

Dharna looked at Swaha.

Swaha looked at Dharna.

They both looked around.

Finally, they spotted her.

Prisha was standing behind a gigantic artificial plant, doing her absolute best to become one with the leaves.

Swaha blinked.

Dharna sighed.

"You come on. We're coming," Swaha told Dev with a sweet smile.

Dev nodded and walked ahead.

The moment he was gone, the two girls marched towards the plant.

Prisha was standing completely still, apparently convinced that if she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her either.

Dharna tapped her shoulder.

"Aaah!"

Prisha jumped and nearly screamed.

"Tu Mecca chameleon khel rahi hai?" Dharna asked.

(Are you playing Mecca Chameleon?)

Prisha blinked.

"Hein?"

(What?)

"Kyun idhar ped ban ke khadi hui hai?" Swaha asked.

(Why are you standing trying to blend into the tree?)

Prisha pointed towards the table.

"Guys... woh udhar hi baitha hai."

(Guys...he's sitting right there.)

"Haan, so?" Swaha asked. "Tu toh roz milti hai usse."

(You meet him everyday)

"Haan haan, abhi toh main Miss Universe ke outfit mein hoon, jo mujhe confidence aayega uske saamne jaane mein!" Prisha whined. "Lip gloss bhi nahi lagayi yaar!"

(Yeah, yeah, I’m totally dressed like Miss Universe right now. I’ll definitely have the confidence to go in front of him! I didn’t even put on lip gloss, yaar!)

Dharna crossed her arms.

"Bol rahi thi thode dhang ke kapde pehen le. Lekin nahi. Isko toh 'IDGAF outfit' pehen ke aana tha na? Lo, sambhalo ab."

(I told her to wear something a little more decent. But nooo. She just had to show up in her ‘IDGAF outfit,’ didn’t she? Well, now deal with it.)

Prisha made a miserable face.

"Mummyyyy."

"Papa ko bhi yaad kar le," Swaha added.

(Remember Dad too.)

"Papaaaa."

"Nana-Nani ko bhi."

(Grandma and Grandpa too!)

"Abe tu Swaha hai ya Shinchan?" Prisha asked, staring at her.

(Are you Swaha or Shinchan?)

Swaha tried desperately not to laugh.

Dharna softened and looked at Prisha.

"Dekh, you look beautiful. And what's wrong with wearing something you're comfortable in?"

"Wo kya sochega yaar mere baare mein?" Prisha whined. "Ab toh pakka mujhe dekh ke bhaag jayega. I look like shit."

(What is he going to think of me?” Prisha whined. He’s definitely going to run away when he sees me now. I look like a mess.)

Dharna nodded seriously.

"Yeah."

Prisha's face fell.

"Fine shit."

Swaha burst out laughing.

"Itna kya soch rahi yaar? Shaadi karne ke baad jab uske bachhon ki Amma hogi tab thodi judge karega? Jab tum dono bathroom-" Dharna said

(What are you overthinking so much for? Once you’re married and you’re the mother of his kids, is he really going to judge you? When you two are in the bathroom…)

"BAS DHARNA!" Prisha screamed as she closed her ears

(ENOUGH DHARNA!)

"Dekh, act nonchalant. If you do, he'll be impressed."

"Kya nonchalant?" Prisha whispered. "Uske saamne toh main dhang se chal bhi nahi paati."

(What nonchalant? I can't even walk properly infront of him)

Dharna and Swaha exchanged a look before explaining the entire situation, the challenge, the group, and Dev's completely fabricated story about their misogynistic comments.

Prisha's expression changed instantly.

She turned towards the group.

"Itni himmat inki?"

(How dare they!)

She rolled up her sleeves.

"Abhi jaake peet ke aati hoon."

(I'll go now and teach them a lesson!)

"Ayeee, ruk ja meri maa!" Swaha immediately grabbed her arm.

(Wait dude!)

"Pichhli baar maara tha, ab tak embarrassment bhugat rahi hai," Dharna reminded her. "Ab unko pizza finish karke dikhaate hain."

(Last time, you beat up, and we're still suffering the embarrassment, Now let’s finish the pizza and show them what we’re made of.)

Prisha nodded.

"Embarrassment jaaye bhaad mein. Pehle inko maza chakhana padega."

(I don't care about embarrassment. I want to teach them a lesson!)

Both girls nodded.

"Chal ab," Dharna said.

(Let's go)

The three started walking towards the table.

They had barely taken a few steps when Prisha stopped.

"Nahi yaar... nahi hoga mujhse. Ye kya sochega mere baare mein?"

(No bro...I can't. What'd he think of me?)

She tried to turn around and escape.

Swaha and Dharna immediately grabbed both her arms.

"Think about the misogynistic joke, Prisha! Think about the food reels! The cheese pull!" Swaha reminded her.

Prisha's expression hardened. She looked towards the group again.

"...Haan."

She took a deep breath. "Pizza khaayenge."

(We're gonna eat pizza!)

Dharna grinned. "That's my girl."

"Hi, guys," Dharna said as the three of them reached the table.

"Hi," the others replied almost together.

"Thanks for joining us," Shresth said quietly, his gaze briefly settling on Swaha.

Prithvi's cheeks turned pink as his eyes settled on Prisha.

She's looking so cute.

Prisha looked at him and he immediately lowered his eyes, pretending to watch something on his phone.

The seating arrangement was almost suspiciously perfect.

Shresth sat at the corner, right beside the wall. Dev sat next to him, followed by Prithvi.

Across from them sat Swaha, with Dharna beside her and Prisha on the other end.

Prisha leaned closer to Dharna and whispered, "I can't believe I'm sharing a meal with him."

Dharna nudged her lightly.

"See? Yahi confidence chahiye."

(See? This is the confidence we need!)

Prisha swallowed nervously and nodded.

Just then, the restaurant staff arrived carrying the pizza.

And the entire table went silent.

The box itself was enormous.

When they opened it, an absurdly large, perfectly round pizza filled almost the entire table. The crust was thick and golden, with a slightly crisp edge, while the centre was buried beneath a ridiculous amount of melted cheese. The toppings were spread generously across every inch, spicy jalapeños, colourful bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, onions, sweet corn, and chunks of paneer, all glistening under the warm restaurant lights.

The cheese stretched even before anyone touched it, and the aroma of freshly baked dough, herbs, melted cheese, and spicy toppings instantly filled the air.

Everyone stared.

Prisha's mouth fell open.

Swaha slowly put her phone down.

Dharna blinked twice.

Even Shresth looked mildly concerned.

Prithvi adjusted his spectacles and stared at the pizza as if it had personally offended him.

Dev, meanwhile, forced a smile.

"I-it's okay, guys..."

He gestured towards the pizza.

"It's not that huge."

Prithvi nodded solemnly.

"It's not huge."

Everyone turned towards him He looked at the pizza again.

"...Compared to a table."

The same pizza was kept in the other table, with the other group.

"Kyun dekh ke hawa nikal gayi?" The boys from the other table mocked them, laughing among themselves.

(Are y'all scared seeing the pizza?)

All six of them immediately glared at the rival table. Then they looked back at one another. A silent exchange passed between them.

Game on.

Shresth calmly took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Prithvi adjusted his spectacles, took them off, wiped them carefully, and placed them safely beside him. Swaha pulled out a hair tie and tied her hair into a high ponytail, while Dharna gathered her curls into a messy bun.

The staff member looked at all of them. "So, should we start the timer?"

"Wait," Dev said.

He connected his phone to the restaurant's speaker.

The opening beats of "Lungi Dance" blasted through the restaurant.

Dharna stared at him in disbelief. "Seriously? Tumhari song choice bhi tumhare chehre ki tarah ghatiya hai."

(Seriously? Your song choice is as bad as your face!)

"I agree," Shresth said without hesitation.

"Plus one," Prithvi added.

Dev looked personally betrayed. "Isliye mujhe stalk kar rahi thi?"

(Is that why you were stalking me?)

Before anyone could respond, the staff member raised the timer.

"Your time starts... NOW!"

Chaos erupted.

All six attacked the pizza like they had been starving for three business days. Dev grabbed two slices at once, immediately burning his tongue and waving his hand frantically while still refusing to stop chewing. Shresth was eating with terrifyingly calm determination, somehow maintaining the same poker face while demolishing slice after slice. Prithvi was struggling with the sheer amount of cheese stretching from his slice, pulling it away from his face like it had declared war on him. Swaha had completely abandoned manners, Dharna was muttering motivational insults between bites, and Prisha was eating so quickly that she had forgotten she was sitting directly opposite her crush.

Cheese was everywhere on plates, fingers, napkins, and somehow Dev's forehead. The rival table watched in stunned silence as the six of them attacked the pizza with the coordination of a disaster-response team and the table manners of six hungry raccoons.

A few more minutes passed.

Only four minutes remained.

And somehow, only five slices were left.

Dev folded two slices together like a sandwich and shoved them into his mouth, looking like he was fighting for his life. Prithvi had completely given up and was sitting back, staring at the remaining pizza as if it had personally betrayed him. Prisha was still chewing, holding another slice in her hand. Dharna had resorted to drinking cold drink between bites, while Shresth had lowered his head, his eyes red from the sheer amount of food he'd eaten. Swaha was holding a half-eaten slice, staring at it in despair. She tried to take another bite, but immediately started coughing.

Before she could even react, a glass of water appeared in front of her.

She looked up.

Shresth.

Swaha blinked before slowly taking the glass from his hand. She drank the entire thing in one go, then took a deep breath.

Her eyes fell back on the slice in her hand.

She looked like she was genuinely about to cry.

She lowered her head, wondering how on earth she was supposed to finish it.

Then a hand appeared in front of her.

Swaha looked up.

It was Shresth again.

She stared at his extended hand in confusion before finally understanding.

He wanted the slice.

"Par ye jhootha ho chuka hai..." she said hesitantly.

(But I've already eaten it...)

Shresth didn't say anything.

He simply kept his hand there.

Swaha slowly placed the slice in his palm.

Without hesitation, Shresth ate it in one go.

His eyes were already red, his face clearly saying that his stomach had reached its absolute limit, but apparently that was no longer relevant.

Dev glanced towards the rival table.They had only two slices left.

They had three.

His eyes lit up.

"Kya bola? Ladkiyan hain isliye haar gaye? Teri toh-"

(What did you just say? They're gonna lose just because they're girls?)

"Kya bola be?" Prisha immediately snapped, her mouth still full of pizza as she started getting up.

(What did you just say you moro-)

Dharna grabbed her arm.

"Baith!"

(Sit!)

She quickly pushed the last slice towards Prisha.

"Ye kha."

(Eat and finish this)

Prisha took it, split it into two pieces, shoved both into her mouth and continued glaring at the other group while chewing.

Dev grinned.

"Bas. Yahi spirit chahiye."

(Thats the spirit)

Prithvi looked at the remaining pizza and then at Shresth.

"Bhai... tu zinda hai?"

(Bro...are you alive?)

Shresth slowly looked at him.

"...Pata nahi."

(No idea.)

And somehow, he reached for another slice.

(Author: Nobody should be dumb enough like the six people above and do any challenges like this jo aapke health ko harm karega.

Shresth: Did you just call me dumb?

Author: I made you so don't argue with me, samjha? 👿)

And the bell rang.

Time up.

For a second, all six of them simply stared at each other, too exhausted to process what had just happened.

Then the manager raised his voice.

"We have a clear winner here!"

The entire place erupted into cheers. A few people who had gathered around during the challenge started clapping and shouting, while the rival group sat there in stunned silence, staring at the single slice of pizza still lying on their table.

Dev's eyes immediately landed on that lonely slice.

His exhausted face transformed into the most victorious grin imaginable.

He suddenly stood up on his chair and threw both hands into the air.

"NOW WHO'S THE LOSER!" he shouted.

The crowd laughed and cheered even louder.

"LET'S GOOOO!" Prisha screamed, jumping out of her chair.

Dharna immediately joined her, and within seconds, the two of them were dancing right in front of the rival group like they had just won a World Cup.

"Bolo! Bolo! Girls can't finish pizza, right?" Dharna teased, pointing dramatically at them.

Prisha was laughing so hard she could barely stand straight.

Dev jumped down from his chair and joined them, dancing with absolutely zero rhythm and twice the confidence.

"We won!"

Before anyone could stop her, Dharna put a hand around his neck and jumped with excitement

Meanwhile, Prisha grabbed both of Prithvi's hands.

"WE DID IT!"

Prithvi's eyes widened as she started jumping around while still holding his hands.

On the other side, Swaha was practically bouncing with excitement. She turned towards Shresth and started hitting his shoulders repeatedly.

"WE WON! WE ACTUALLY WON!"

Shresth stumbled slightly with every excited hit.

Shresth looked at the chaos.

Then at Swaha. A small smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah... we won."

And once again, the six of them burst into laughter, celebrating their completely unnecessary, completely chaotic victory as if they had just conquered the world.

For a few moments, none of them cared about the mess on the table, the exhaustion, or the fact that they could probably never look at pizza the same way again.

"Very good, soldiers!" Dev announced dramatically as the six of them finally stepped out of the pizza place, the cool night air hitting their faces.

Dharna immediately placed a hand over her stomach. "I don't think I can eat anything for a week now."

"Par jo bhi bolo..." Swaha grinned. "Maza toh aaya."

(It was so fun...)

"I agree. Bohot zyada," Prisha said, laughing. "Bas thoda kal tak pet hi kharab hoga."

(I agree. A lot fun. Just We're gonna have a bad tummy day tomorrow.)

"Chalo, ab split karo prize money," Dharna said.

(Okay...now split the money)

Dev nodded seriously. "We're six. The prize money is five thousand."

"So?" Dharna asked.

"Guys, lado matt," Prithvi quickly interrupted. "Y'all keep twenty-five hundred, we'll keep twenty-five hundred."

(Guys don't fight)

Swaha nodded. "Yeah, fine."

She looked at the others for a moment before smiling. "I think we all should be friends."

"Friends?" Dharna looked at Dev. "Iss chuchundre ke saath?"

(Friends? With this shrew?)

Dev immediately looked offended. "Oh, hello? Mujhe bhi koi interest nahi hai tumhara dost banne mein."

(Oh hello? It's not like I'm interested to be your friend either)

"Perfect," Dharna muttered.

"Alright, guys," Prisha interrupted, trying not to laugh. "Let's meet at the canteen tomorrow for breakfast? The one near the library?"

"Okay," Prithvi said quietly.

Shresth nodded as well.

After a few more goodbyes, they finally parted ways, the girls heading towards their hostel while the three boys started walking towards theirs.

They hadn't even gone very far when Dev dramatically leaned towards Prithvi and Shresth.

"Bhai, pehle toh mere liye Hajmola aur jaljeera order kar de." Dev whined

(Guys please order me some Hajmola and jaljeera first)

A few seconds later, Dev spotted the water bottle in Prithvi's hand.

"Give me that bottle. I want water."

He reached for it.

Prithvi immediately pulled it away.

"No."

Dev stared at him in disbelief.

"Chhi yaar! Marte hue dost ko paani bhi nahi de sakta? Kya dost banega tu?"

(Ahh...you wouldn't even give water to a friend who is dying?)

"Ghar jaake pi lena," Prithvi said calmly. "Ye wala bottle mat chhuna."

(Drink after reaching home...Don’t touch this bottle)

Dev frowned.

"Kyun?"

(Why?)

Prithvi ignored him and continued walking.

"Kyun?" Dev repeated, following him. "Bottle mein kya hai? Snake hai? Poison hai? Kisi ne black magic kiya hai?"

(Whyy? What's in the bottle? A snake? Poison? Black magic?)

Nothing.

"Bhai?"

(Bro?)

Still nothing.

"Prithvi?"

Prithvi kept walking.

"Tu mujhe paani kyun nahi de raha?"

(Why aren't you giving me water?)

Shresth glanced at Prithvi, then at the bottle, but said nothing.

Dev continued his interrogation all the way down the path while Prithvi and Shresth walked ahead.

How could Prithvi possibly explain it?

That there was nothing wrong with the bottle.

It was just that Prisha had drunk from it.

And somehow, after that, the ordinary bottle he'd carried around every day had started feeling different.

Special.

_______

How was the chapter?

What was your favorite scene from the chapter?

"Shadi karlo guys" ye line was told by my Lugai jaisi dost.

Spread love and be kind

Radhe Radhe

-KriDha

♡