Author's pov

Elaya stood frozen as she saw Priyanka sitting on the pavement, her head buried in her hands, her sobs breaking the stillness of the night. The sight hit her harder than she expected. Her mind raced with questions—Why was Priyanka sitting here alone, crying like this? Where was Shanaya? Where were the others? Had they really left her here like this? Elaya's heart tightened with worry and surprise as she approached cautiously.

Just as she called out Priyanka's name, her head snapped up. Their eyes met, and in that moment, time seemed to freeze. Priyanka's tear-streaked face was the last thing Elaya expected to see. For a second, Elaya couldn't move, the weight of the situation sinking in. Why was she so alone like this?

Without warning, Priyanka stood up, rushing to Elaya and enveloping her in a tight hug. "Oh my god, Elaya! You're safe, you're fine. Thank goodness, you're alright," she cried, her voice shaking with relief as she clung to Elaya. Elaya, caught off guard, instinctively wrapped her arms around Priyanka, trying to steady her.

"Relax, Priyanka, calm down," Elaya said softly, trying to soothe her. "Where are the others? Why are you crying like this?" She pulled away slightly to look at her, her brow furrowed with concern.

Before Priyanka could respond, they heard the sound of someone calling their names. "Elaya! Priyanka!" It was Shanaya's voice, growing closer. Moments later, Shanaya came running toward them, her face a mixture of worry and relief. She reached them in no time and wrapped her arms around the two girls already locked in a hug. The trio stood there, embracing each other tightly, all the tension and hurt from the past few days momentarily forgotten.

Elaya, despite everything, couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort from the closeness of her friends. In that moment, the pain from earlier seemed distant. It didn't matter what had happened—it was just them, together again.

Suddenly, a clearing throat broke the tender moment. Sameer stood a few feet away, watching them. "Thank goodness, Elaya, you're fine," he said, his voice laced with relief.

Elaya broke the hug and took a step back, her chest tightening with a mix of emotions. As her mind began to replay everything—the arguments, the confusion, the hurt—she turned to Sameer, her eyes flashing with anger. "Oh, so you're also here! Is there any place on this earth where you can leave me alone, huh? Tell me, what do you want now?"

Sameer flinched, clearly taken aback by her outburst. But he didn't say anything. He knew that Elaya had misunderstood everything and was upset by what she had seen.

Elaya's gaze flickered to Priyanka, her anger shifting to hurt. "You, Priyanka... I never thought you, of all people, would do this. I know I can't control you, but you should've known better. This guy is not right for you, not for anyone. If he can flirt with me in front of you, think about what he could do with others."

Priyanka stepped forward, shaking her head. "No, Elaya, you've got it all wrong. Nothing like that happened. What you think... it's not the truth."

Elaya's frustration boiled over. "Really, Priyanka? Do you think I'm a fool? Do you think I don't know what you both did?"

"No, Elaya, what you saw and what actually happened... it was different. You misinterpreted everything," Priyanka pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion.

Elaya took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing inside her. "Oh, really? Please, don't give me those explanations. I'm not mad at you or Shanaya. You know I'm not mad at either of you. You have the right to live your life however you want. It's just me... I was the fool. I thought we could actually enjoy this trip as friends—without the boy drama. But look... no, look where we are now."

Shanaya, her eyes wide with regret, stepped forward. "No, Elaya, please don't say it like that. We didn't mean to ignore you. When you went away from the bar, Priyanka was coming to talk to you, but—"

"But what?" Elaya cut her off sharply. "Then you realized, 'Oh, there's something more important than looking after a friend who came here for you, Shanaya.' We planned this trip for you. Thinking, at least before you get married, we'll all enjoy your singlehood one last time. But I was wrong. I was wrong to think it could be simple."

Shanaya tried to interrupt, but Elaya raised her hand. "Don't even. You tell me you can't survive without Arjun, and I won't say another word. But I was against Sameer coming on this trip because I knew if Arjun came, he would come too. And I didn't want that.  I'm sorry, guys. Because of me, you've had to deal with all this nuisance. So please, don't let me ruin your trip. Please, enjoy yourselves."

As Elaya turned to walk away, her heart aching, Priyanka grabbed her arm. "I was drunk..." she said, her voice small. "Elaya, I was about to come talk to you. We knew you must have been packed up and needed some time alone. We all decided to give you 10 minutes. After that, I was going to come find you... but then, Sameer and I... we don't even know when we got drunk, and... we ended up like that in the hotel suite. So, whatever you saw, whatever you heard... it all happened in drunkenness. I'm sorry, Elaya. We didn't mean to hurt you. We didn't mean for you to feel ignored."

Tears welled up in Elaya's eyes as realization hit her. Guilt flooded her, and the anger started to dissipate.

Shanaya, too, spoke up, her voice thick with emotion. "I know, Elaya. I was wrong, too. With Arjun coming, I ignored not just you, but Priyanka, too. I'm sorry, Priyanka. I didn't mean any of what I said. I'm so dumb, I don't know what to say at the right time. Please forgive me."

Elaya wiped her eyes, feeling a weight lift from her chest. "No, guys, forgive me," she said, her voice breaking.

Priyanka, in disbelief, laughed through her tears. "Oh my god... What happened to the great Elaya Oberoi who never apologizes to anyone? She's apologizing today?"

Elaya lightly slapped her arm, then pulled her into a hug. "Stop it, you goof."

Shanaya, smiling through her own tears, elaya broke the hug and looked up at her , said  "Do you need an invitation? Come here, you dumbo."

With that, Shanaya joined the embrace, and the three of them hugged again—tighter this time, with all the words they couldn't say during the chaos. They apologized, not just with words, but with their hearts, making a promise to each other that they would always be there, no matter the misunderstandings or the distance.

They broke the hug after a while, but then Elaya saw Sameer standing a few steps away, his expression unreadable. Without missing a beat, she marched toward him, eyes burning with frustration. "I'm damn sure you made her drink more," she snapped, her voice sharp. "Oh hello, just because you didn't get me, you tried it on my friend? You took advantage of her!"

Sameer's face tightened, but before he could speak, Elaya grabbed his collar, pulling him closer. "Listen, Mr. Sameer Alhuwalia, Priyanka might be naïve enough to believe you, but not me. And I won't spare you for what you did with my friend."

Before the situation could escalate further, Priyanka stepped in, jerking Elaya's hand away. "Elaya, please, don't be mean," she pleaded softly. "He was too drunk, and he's guilty too, just like I am."

But it was enough now for Sameer and  he broke the silence. "Elaya, enough is enough. You've been throwing so many allegations at me. I know I am a flirt but never for once i will think of using a girl for my own need ." He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I always tried to make you laugh, to make you believe in me, but you never did. You always think I'm this bad playboy from college, but Elaya, trust me—I've changed. The Sameer you knew back then and the Sameer standing in front of you now? They're two different people. The mistake i had done in past i still  regretted and that's why i tried to mend things between us but i guess it's not gonna happen. "

Elaya's anger flared, but Sameer wasn't done. "Okay, I get it. But the things you're accusing me of are harsh. I can't stoop this low. I didn't take advantage of anyone. What happened between me and Priyanka, it was a mistake. We were both drunk, and we both don't even know how we ended up like that. So please, keep your accusations to yourself. If you don't want me around, fine. I'm leaving. I don't want to ruin your trip any more than I already have."

With that, he turned and stormed off, his footsteps heavy and filled with frustration.

Arjun, who had been quietly observing, let out a sigh. "Goodness, now I have to go after him too?" He shook his head. "Damn, what a tough day. First, I had to calm this crying mess," he said, glancing at Shanaya. "And now this boy... oof."

He looked up at Elaya, his expression softening. "Elaya, I'm genuinely sorry for interrupting your girls' trip. I won't do it again. It's you and your girls against the world. No more boy drama. You girls talk. I'll meet you back at the hotel. Bye."

He hurried off to catch up with Sameer, leaving Elaya to deal with the aftermath of the confrontation. Priyanka turned to Elaya, her tone more gentle now. "Elaya, you really said a lot to him. He didn't do it in his right mind."

Elaya's frustration boiled over. "Shut up, Priyanka. I don't want to talk about him. Whether he did it intentionally or not, he's still the jerk I knew from college."

"Oh, Elaya," Shanaya interjected, "why are you still holding onto that college image? He's changed. Trust me, he has."

Elaya crossed her arms. "Okay, fine. He's changed. But tell him to stop flirting with me. I hate it. I'm only putting up with him because of Arjun. Otherwise, I swear, I would've done something that I don't even know."

"Calm down, my angry woman," Priyanka said, trying to soothe her. "Keep it down."

Nevan, who had been quietly observing the entire drama from a distance, chose that moment to speak up. "Jefa," he said, his voice breaking through the tension. "Now you're united with your friends, I guess my work here is done."

Elaya looked up at him, surprised by his words. She hadn't been ready to part ways with him just yet.

Shanaya looked at Elaya. "Who's that?" she asked, clearly intrigued.

Before Elaya could introduce him, Nevan spoke for himself. "Nevan Goenka," he said smoothly, "the tour guide of Miss Elaya Oberoi."

Elaya raised an eyebrow at his introduction. She'd expected him to introduce himself as her friend, but instead, he was treating it as a business transaction. She felt a pang of hurt she didn't understand, but she shrugged it off.

"Guys, meet Nevan Goenka," she said, forcing a smile. "The guy who helped me when I needed someone the most. He's not just my tour guide but also my employee." She emphasized the word 'employee' with a playful smirk at Nevan.

"Oh, Jefa," Nevan said dramatically. "Finally, you're back. I missed you. Finally, you realize I'm your employee."

Elaya rolled her eyes. "He's a bit dramatic, don't mind him," she said, trying to dismiss it.

Priyanka laughed and asked, "Employee? How?"

Before Elaya could answer, Nevan took over the conversation. "Well, you see," he said, "Miss Oberoi here bought my restaurant because I asked her to pay for the damages to my restaurant's window." and he told them the rest of story how , when and why this happened.

Shanaya and Priyanka burst into laughter. "Typical Elaya Oberoi move," they both said, unable to contain their amusement.

"Oh my God, Elaya," Priyanka said between laughs. "How can you just buy a whole restaurant?"

"Damn, Elaya," Shanaya added, still giggling. "We were worried about you, and there you were, busy buying a restaurant. Damn."

Elaya groaned, rolling her eyes. "Don't laugh, you two. I was frustrated, and his words just pushed me over the edge. I did what I thought was right at the time."

Nevan shook his head with mock disbelief. "Oh, so you thought buying my small restaurant for millions was worth more than paying a hundred bucks for the small glass window? Damn,jefa."

Both Shanaya and Priyanka couldn't stop laughing, and Elaya couldn't help but smile despite herself.

"Keep your intelligence to yourself," Elaya retorted, teasing him. "You should be grateful I invested in your small restaurant. Now, watch as the public floods in after they find out it's my restaurant."

Nevan shot back with some playful banter, and the girls enjoyed watching the back-and-forth.

Priyanka, still laughing, said, "Okay, okay, let's calm down now."

Nevan chuckled and said, "Alright, I guess it's my cue to leave."

But Shanaya stopped him. "Wait! Now that you're Elaya's tour guide, how about becoming our tour guide for the rest of the trip?"

Elaya looked at her, surprised by the suggestion, but Priyanka jumped in, "Yes! You're trustworthy now, and since you're Elaya's employee, we can get a discount."

Nevan raised an eyebrow, amused. "So generous of you to trust me after just a small meet, while some people couldn't trust me after spending hours with me," he teased Elaya.

Elaya shot him a look. "Yeah, yeah, keep making him feel like he's on cloud nine now," she said, but there was a hint of affection in her voice.

Nevan grinned. "Don't be jealous of our bond, Jefa. See? I'm the person everyone trusts."

"Yeah, yeah," Elaya said, laughing now. "Mr. Trust Only Nevan Goenka."

Priyanka smiled. "So it's done? You're helping us explore spain for the next three days?"

"Done," Nevan replied with a wink.

He looked at Elaya, his expression softening. "Okay then, I'm leaving. Have fun with your girls."

And with that, he walked away, leaving Elaya and her friends alone.

"Now," Priyanka said, turning to Elaya, "how about  coffee? Let's talk about all the chaos and madness we did in last few days."

-x-

Thank you for reading till now

Love

Zeya<3