NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52: New classmate!
Kaoru was rendered speechless by Ji-hun's question as he didn't know how to answer it, and probably no one else did either! But how should he console his brother now?
He let out a breath and gently covered his brother's hand with his own, saying "Look Ji-hun, we can't change the thought process of another person, neither can we change their personalities, which I think is the main reason why people seek out other people with similar mentalities and befriend them. But we can always scale up the limit up to which we can tolerate someone or are willing to bear their presence in our lives. If the person is important enough, we gladly accept their differing thoughts and opinions; or sometimes we even change our own habits in order to go along better with theirs. But if the person is not important, then it isn't worth it to put ourselves on the edge for their sake. However, if you ask for my opinion on the matter, no one should be more important than your own self, because you are the only person who is going to stay with yourself till the end. So I believe that it is never worth hurting ourselves because of anyone else in this entire world! I don't know if I am getting my point across effectively, but I wanted to tell you that no matter what happens, don't put yourself in the wrong spot just for the sake of another person, when you know you are innocent- no matter how important that person feels at that point in time! And one more thing, all five of us are also going to be on your side, till death do us part! And this is one thing I can assure you of, no matter what the future holds for us as a band or as individuals."
Ji-hun looked at his hyung with teary eyes; he had always loved and admired him so much but had never been able to get comfortable enough to express it. 'Isn't it quite strange, that he didn't know how to express his feelings comfortably, nor had he ever been able to relate to the traditional definitions of love? The only parameter he could define love by, was the feeling of wanting to stay with someone willingly, or a person he could meet anytime or at any moment! There was a reason he didn't believe in the concept of long distance relationships, because the constraints of time and distance would only hinder his feelings further.'
But now at this very moment, he needed to assure Kaoru hyung that it was all in the past, that he had moved on. He wanted to prove that all this won't hurt him anymore, despite knowing the fact that his brother had already caught him in a vulnerable spot, just a few minutes ago. He just didn't care about that now, because his brother was upset and he needed to console him.
He stood up and hugged his brother without taking a pause or thinking much. The brothers shared a quiet hug- Kaoru was too taken aback to say anything and Ji-hun was basking in the warmth of his affection.
He spoke again after a few seconds,"It's okay, hyung. I am totally okay, let's eat something and then we will leave this place- and don't worry, I know that all of you are going to be with me till the very end and I can't ask for anything more!"
Kaoru hugged him back even more tightly, smiling quietly and saying "But you will definitely get more; and trust me, it will be the best!"
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Nitya turned to face the others, still side-hugging Aman. She wanted to introduce him to Veer and Meisha, while Siddhant and Natasha were already familiar with him.
"Meisha, Veer, meet Aman! He is a good friend of mine, and I had met him when we were pursuing our undergrad together. Recently, he had returned to his birth city Vienna, WITHOUT informing me; and look at the audacity, now he has returned to India WITHOUT informing me once again! So there must be one of two possible reasons behind this- either he wanted me to have a heart attack, or he wanted to die from my hands only!" Nitya completed her statement, giving extra emphasis on "without" and making angry faces during that part, while maintaining a sweet smile through the rest of her introductory speech.
Aman addressed them with a big smile on his face, "Hello! Meisha and Veer, it's nice to finally meet you both, as I have heard a lot about you guys! And I already knew that she must be with you, so I have a little surprise for you two. And now back to you Nitya- so first of all, OUCH! After all these years, I still count as one of your good friends only?! And secondly, I am saying for the 4978th time, I am sorry, girl! I didn't know either, that I would have to return on such short notice. But I have come bearing good news, as I will be pursuing my masters with you as well!"
"Wait- what, really!?" Nitya asked with amazement.
"Yes! You heard it right. I had gotten the admission before returning, but didn't plan on joining; and now, due to some personal reasons, I think it will be nice to join your college." Aman finished his statement, glaring at Siddhant with anger, as if that would deter him. Had murder not been a crime, he would willingly perform the sin of murdering the one and only person sitting in front of him, who had been staring continuously at the way his hands were still holding Nitya's. He had initially thought of ignoring him, but now he felt like he needed to talk to him and have a proper man-to-man conversation. The only problem was that this guy would never fit the criteria of being a human, no matter how lax the rules were made. So the conversation might have one human and one Neanderthal participant- or rather, some further unevolved species, lest the Neanderthal community should take offence at being clubbed with him.
He turned fully towards him and spoke after instructing himself to take at least five deep breaths. "And how are you, Siddhant? Well, society norms dictate that I should say that I am glad to meet you again, or it is nice to see you again; but to be honest, I am not! So let it be. Anyways, tell me, how is your life going? And if it's not going well, then it's your problem entirely- enjoy it by yourself and please excuse us." Saying this, he gestured to Veer and Meisha to stand up and exit the cafe. Meanwhile, he dragged Nitya along with him, thinking to himself 'Nah, it's not worth wasting time on an educated moron, especially when he still doubted how he had managed to get the degree at all!'
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Reneé was off sulking to a side, while Zacharie was still busy teasing her and Amélie was desperately trying to clear the misunderstandings. She latched onto her arm, saying "Trust me Reneé, I am not being biased. But please try to understand, he really needs extra support, and Nitya can manage!"
"No! Don't try to fool me, I know you love him the most in this entire world, and this fact has not changed, even after ages!"
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