“Yaar, tere bina maza hi nahi aa raha tha!!” Rupali’s voice rang through the room, dripping with melodrama as she flopped onto the bed with an exaggerated sigh, arms crossed over her chest as if the universe had personally wronged her. Kiara, perched on the edge of the bed with her phone forgotten in her lap, could only roll her eyes, resisting the urge to groan.

It was a late, lazy 9 PM, the room bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamp. The girls’ laughter and chatter filled every corner of the space, a comfortable chaos that only close friends could create. Tarini, stretched out on the bed with one arm behind her head and the other lazily tracing patterns on the bedsheet, gave a conspiratorial nod. “Haan yaar! Kiara ke baad sirf Ruaan hi sabse zyada mazak karta hai… par wo bhi nahi tha!” she added with a pout, her words laced with mock disappointment. Kiara froze mid-breath, disbelief flashing across her face.