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  Good days give you happiness; bad ones teach you a lesson. All four of them had experienced their fair share of good and bad days, had survived and come out as winners. It’s amazing how complete strangers can become such good friends in such a short span of time.

  With Varun’s father’s help, Garima’s uncle was finally put behind bars. Garima wanted to look her demon in the eye and finish it once and for all. Accompanied by her friends, she went to the prison cell where her uncle was locked up. To her surprise, her parents were there too.

  Garima could no longer hold back her emotions.

  ‘“You are so sexy, my puppy . . . you are one of a kind, my puppy.” That’s what you used to say to me, right?’ Garima shouted, looking at her uncle, and added, ‘You won’t say this today? Or will you? In the bathroom? I used to shout in pain and you took advantage of me. Have you no shame?’

  Garima’s mother tried to console her but she pushed her away. Relationships never die a natural death. Her parents’ indifference had given Garima the worst scars of her life. No matter how strong a girl is, sometimes all she needs is a hug.

  ‘Such things do happen. Right? But now I am not going to be a weak person who just cries.’

  ‘Okay. Let’s be a little realistic,’ her dad said, trying to comfort her.

  ‘No. I don’t want to be realistic,’ Garima screamed at the top of her voice and added, ‘I am the way I am. Don’t expect me to change. Dad, you always warned me to be careful when I went out as there were people who would try to take advantage of me. Girls should always be careful. Then why you didn’t tell me that I have to be careful even inside my own house? To be careful with even my family? So please don’t tell me to be realistic. I am not going to come home again. Ever.’

  Saying this, Garima walked out of the prison with her friends close behind. She had made up her mind to live in Mumbai, no matter what.

  Once outside, they all hugged each other and made a pact to always have each other’s backs. Garima decided to leave behind the scars of her past and start her life all over again, but this time with her friends who were now her family. Friendship picks you up when the world lets you down!

  Epilogue

  Almost a year has passed since the MMS incident, and everyone has moved on with their lives. But they still live under one roof and still share the same unbreakable bond. They go lingerie shopping together, get drunk and sleep on the same bed, dance with each other in their night clothes, watch cheesy movies and cry on each other’s shoulders, click countless selfies and eat several unhealthy pizzas.

  One smile can start a friendship, one word can end a fight, one look can save a relationship and one person can change your life. Varun’s life had changed since he had entered into a relationship with Malvika. She was the one who had ended the grudge that Varun had against his father, the result of which was the beginning of a healthy father–son relationship. Varun now treats his dad as a friend more than a father and shares all his problems with him. Sometimes, they even enjoy a drink or two together.

  The case against the professor is still being fought in court and Varun appears, whenever summoned, to present his side of the story. Varun’s dad is ready to support him to be an entrepreneur after his BSc.

  Malvika still loves Varun passionately. She has introduced him to her parents who are extremely happy as Varun, apart from being responsible and mature, loves their daughter unconditionally. In our generation, having a loyal partner is a blessing. Now that she has found a partner, her parents are after her life to get married after graduation and Varun somehow has to convince them that he is the one who actually needs time to settle down. A girl’s worst nightmare is when the guy she loves stops doing the things that made her fall in love with him. But Malvika has found a guy who never stops making her feel special. They do fight with each other every single day about their Facebook statuses, the last seen times on WhatsApp and so on but these fights are a part of every relationship. Love is when you piss each other off and want to kill each other but at the end of the day all you want is to be in your partner’s arms. Malvika is a walking FM radio and Varun her addicted listener!

  Ahana is still Malvika’s BFF and they do insane things together. They still call unknown numbers after getting drunk and though they ask the same question, they get innovative answers every time. Clicking selfies and discussing which one to upload on Instagram still remains a hot topic for them. Though Ahana still prefers to stay single, she seeks relationship tips from Varun on how to get hold of a hot super stud. But more than finding herself a suitable match, she is extremely dedicated towards her dream of becoming one of the top fashion designers in the country. Sid’s attempts to hurt her and win her back failed, as Ahana is not an easy catch. He still misses her but because he took her for granted, he has been left alone. One should not take people for granted, because we might end up missing them terribly tomorrow. However, Ahana’s dad continues to take her for granted and she still craves his affection. He continues to deposit money in her bank account every month, but fails to deposit his love in her heart. She still hopes that one day he will come to his senses.

  What about Garima? She has now moved on from the nightmares and always wears a happy smile on her face. Gradually, she has started living each moment of her life without any boundaries and considers Varun her brother. Sometimes all we need in life is that one special person who deeply inspires us and gives us the courage to be who we were meant to be. For her, Varun is that special person who stood up for her, and what his dad did, even her parents couldn’t do. Her friends are her new family now.

  This is not a love story; it’s a story of lost innocence and teenage heartache in urban India. Often, depression overwhelms your heart, but you can’t fix everything that goes wrong in your life. Sometimes you just have to make the best of the situation and move on.

  Varun, Malvika, Ahana and Garima were indeed soulmates. Soulmates are not necessarily people who are in a romantic relationship; they are people who love each other and accept each other in spite of their shortcomings. They are people who bring out the best in you! Together Varun, Malvika, Ahana and Garima had proved their innocence. Now they could live life on their own terms—ready to face the challenges that the new day would bring with it. There are endings, but the stories continue . . .

  Once in a while something or someone special comes along. This is when it’s time to decide if the risks in life are worth taking. For them, the risk was worth it!

  Acknowledgements

  It takes hours to read a book but months to write one! During the writing phase, a few people become an inseparable part of the book. All the people I thank below were my strength while I was writing the book.

  My millions of readers for their unflinching love and support. You mean the world to me!

  Jasmine Sethi for being my soulmate and the only person to stand by my side whenever I felt dejected.

  Dipika Tanna, my BFF and Jasmine’s raita queen, for keeping me grounded and handling my tantrums.

  Saurabh More, just because every time I mention his name, things work out for me.

  Zankrut Oza for guiding me patiently and for his brotherly love whenever and wherever I need it.

  Priyanka Dhasade for giving her valuable inputs whenever needed and Vivaksh Singh for his selfless assistance through thick and thin.

  Neha Maheshwari and Mrunmayi Dhurandar for forcing their friends to read the book, even if they were not interested.

  Apurva for her constant support and Sonja D’Silva for tolerating my nonsensical talk.

  Shehzad Zaver and Zeeshan Panjwani for their warm love throughout and their precious time.

  Diva Bhansali for saying flattering words all the time and Manvi Singh for her selfless support.

  Manik Jaiswal and Narendra Singh for their open-handed promotions.

  All the people who really matter—Mom, Dad and my sister Shweta—and my grandparents for believing in me. Love you all!

  God for
being kind to me when it comes to writing.

  My extended family on Facebook and Twitter who selflessly promote the book.

  Milee Ashwarya, Gurveen Chadha, Shruti Katoch and the whole team at Penguin Random House for their patience during the entire process of the book.

  THE BEGINNING

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  EBURY PRESS

  Random House Publishers India Private Limited, 7th Floor, Infinity Tower C, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon –122 002, Haryana, India

  Random House Group Limited, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA, United Kingdom

  Published by Random House India in 2015

  www.randomhouse.co.in

  Copyright © Sudeep Nagarkar 2015

  Cover design

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  ISBN: 978-8-184-00671-1

  This digital edition published in 2015.

  e-ISBN: 978-8-184-00733-6