~ A D V I K ~

"I mean- I really thought you were going to join your Dad's company," Sahil, one of my college classmate, says.

I should not look here and there and actually answer his statement but this is not the first time I'm hearing it. The exact same words are thrown at me everytime I meet someone from my past who don't know how much of me have been changed in these last few years, ever since I left the country.

"It just happened to be this way." That's all I can answer them with. When my own Parents were in delusion that I was going to be their company's next heir, I don't expect the others to think otherwise.

"Anyways, how's life in the States?" Rishi, another classmate, asks me.

"Well, it's good." I shrug.

Vinay's wedding is more like a reunion for all of us old friends and classmates. Me, Ivaan and Vinay were the trio from the start till the end of college and even after that we remained in touch but with others it wasn't possible.

Among the three of us, I am the most socially charged one and if I didn't get time and occasion to catch on old friends, I can't expect anything from both of them.

Right now, its Me, Sahil and Rishi standing in a corner in this big massive pooja hall. Ivaan was here a moment ago but he disappeared as soon as the pooja was done.

"When are you planning to get married then?" Rishi asked again. This guy has always been so emotionally planned about marriage. Like in college too, his life started from finding a girl whom he can directly marry and ended on the same page.

"Never? Maybe," I laughed it off. "Marriage is not on the radar for a long long time."

"Vinay is already married. I think we all should too."

"Have you found yourself a girl?" Sahil mockingly asks him.

"Not yet. But I will, in the near future." His voice lacked confidence though.

"Tu to firse foreign chala jayega yaar. Mai to bolta hun seedha shaadi karke hi ja" Rishi suggests me while Sahil just laugh at his antics.
(You again will leave India. I say, get married before leaving.)

"Dhoond le apne liye Bhabhi koi. Abhi kar leta hun shaadi." I mockingly reply.
(Find a sister-in-law for yourself. I'll get married now only.)

We all laugh at that. The conversation continues for some time when Rishi's attention land on someone in near distance. Sahil and I follow his gaze to find what has amused him now.

I spot a ladies group in the other corner near the temple and I am ready to ask him to change his type but then I refocus on his actual target and-

I swear my breathing halts for a moment here.

Its a girl sitting by the not so small temple of Radha-Krishna in the hotel itself. She has her dupatta's veil on her head that is covering her face and she is doing something with the flowers in the near basket. She's dressed in a green coloured traditional anarkali dress and her black wavy hair rests behind her back and on her shoulders. Green never looked this better on anyone else before.

My heart, after ages, again feel like those old times in college when almost everyone is love driven and are ready to go through anything to gain a simple feeling that they name as love.

"Oh teri-! Ye kon hai?" Sahil exclaims while Rishi is still gawking at her with his mouth half open. I shut it by hitting his chin and he comes back to reality from his dream world.
(Oh bro- Who is she?)

"Tumhari Bhabhi," saying this I'm already striding towards her.
(Your sister-in-law)

"Best of luck man but I can already sense that she's a hard nut to crack." Sahil shouts from my back.

Hard or easy, I care less.

As I approach her, giving a smile to my favorites, Radha-Krishna, I join my hands in a quick prayer.

"Let her be my Radha, Kanha ji."

I realise my words after they are already said but I don't regret them. Not as of now.

I turn to her and as she's sitting, she still hasn't noticed me yet. I offer my hand to her that I make sure reaches in front of her face so that she notices me. Her head jerks back a little in the quick moment from the sudden appearance of a hand. Then she follows my arm to look up until her eyes meet mine. In the meanwhile, her dupatta falls down from her head.

My heartbeat skips for the second time here.

A pair of light brown eyes meet the dark blue of mine and for a second I think the world stops when all the noises in the background fades away and I can only hear the sound of my own heartbeat that is travelling with the speed of light at the moment.

She blinks once and looks again at me figuring out if I am who she thinks I am. Then suddenly she stands up and first fix her duppata.

All this to me is happening in slow motion.

Green literally never looked better before.

Again she looks at me and narrows her eyes probably asking for what I'm doing here without actually asking. Then her eyes go down to my outstreched hand and-

Was I still holding my hand in the same position for her to hold it? Shit! This is embarrassing now.

I quickly draw my hand back and try to gain composure of myself. It was just the impulse of the moment, nothing else. If I tell this to myself enough number of times, my brain and heart both will be convinced. I guess.

"Tum?" That's the first thing I can get out of myself.
(You?)

She looks at me like I just cracked the lamest joke in the history of joke telling episodes.

"Mai?" She asks back, raising one of her eyebrows.

"I mean- what are you doing here?" I'm so good at making on the spot excuses then what's wrong with me now?

"What am you doing here?" She's still confused but don't fail to charge at me instead.

"You don't answer a question with a question." I remark.

"And you don't ask questions you yourself don't know the answer to." She reverts back with the same intensity. Smartass.

"I know what I'm doing here." I try not to look under confident here.

"And that is?"

"I'm at my Bestfriend's wedding here so if you excuse to pay some respect to me, thank you very much." I pin a forced smile when all I want is to disappear from here.

"Respect for?" She sassily asks.

"I am the Groom's bestfriend for God's sake. I don't get to get insulted by anyone here."

"Haha funny. Do you even know who the groom is?" The sarcasm needs to be noted.

"Obviously. We are bestfriends from college." I don't know why am I explaining all this to her. "Now who are you?"

"I am..known." She also passes a tight lipped smile at me.

"Known?" I ask for further information. After the wine incident, I wasn't sure if she was here to attend the same wedding as me as it's a hotel and even though it's booked for the wedding attendees, you never know. But now seeing her doing work like it's her own family's wedding, I am certain.

"You don't need to-"

"Ye lijiye prasad," someone intrupts our conversation from behind. I turn back to see a lady with a sweet box in her hands. She isn't Vinay's mother as I know her so she must be some relative.
(Take the sweet)

I hold up my hands, one on another, to take the prasad. The lady then offers the same to her.

"Nhi Aunty. Mai nahi khaati." She quickly denies. The lady looks at her with surprise for a moment and then looks at me. Well, nobody says no to prasad so her denying it is equal shock to me. The lady nodes and leaves from there.
(No aunty. I don't eat it.)

"Prasad ko mana nahi karte." I say after having mine.
(You can't say no to prasad)

"I know," she says without any further explanation.

"So?" This thing didn't get well to me. She can't be atheist because just now she was doing some work in the temple so denying the prasad still doesn't make sense to me.

"So what?"

"Why did you deny?"

"I don't like sweets." That's all? I mean- Okay. I simply nod. No doubt why her words are so bitter.

We both are drawn into moment of awkward silence when I see Sahil waving at me from a distance. Oh shit- I forgot why had I came here.

"So you didn't tell me how known you are to my bestfriend." I try to initiate the conversation again. Vinay will get a heartattack after he knows I called him my bestfriend for like ten times consequently.

"I said you don't need to know that," she says, not looking at me directly. Her eyes are following the full hall but her attention is on my words.

"I do." To this she looks at me. "I just told you about my relation with the groom so now you need to tell me."

"And why's that?"

"What if you are in some illegal business and are here to do some of your deadly mission." I could have come up with something better.

"Seriously?" She makes a scrunching face and I don't know why the fucking hell isn't it bad to look at. Her weird expressions are cute and I want them to be otherwise because then maybe it will be easy to not find them good to look at.

"Now that you won't tell me who you are, that's what I'm going to assume."

"You are unbelievable." Her lips leave a chuckle but that's too short lived I almost miss it.

"Don't change the topic."

"Don't ask me questions."

"I will."

"I will not answer then." She is again back in her arguing mode.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"You are a cheater." I hope I don't sound like a kid here.

"Excuse me?"

"Excused you." This is the third time I'm playing this with her.

"Don't you have anything to do?" She's frustrated now.

"No." I reply honestly. I came here with some other intention but now its fun to irritate her.

"But I have. Bye." She starts to leave and my hand instantly goes in a reflex to hold her wrist but in the very end moment I think I get back in my senses and my hand grabs her dupatta.

She looks back after feeling a pull on her dupatta.

So now, either there's something wrong with my mind or my heart is malfunctioning because my heartbeat skips for the third time here.

"You didn't answer my question."

"What do you-"

"Saara!" Someone calls her from behind. I turn back to see my recently mentioned bestfriend standing behind me. His eyes land on my hand that's still holding her dupatta from one end. I don't know what made me do it but I instantly release it from my hold.

"Yes Bhai," she responds fixing her dupatta back on her shoulder.

Bhai? She calls him Bhai. Are they cousins? Or worst, siblings? Is she his sister? Shit!

"Here, please take this to Maa. She'll be in the main function hall." He hands her a basket full some gifts.

She nods and leaves from there but not before glaring at me.

"Oye! Kya chal rha tha yahan?" Vinay pat me on my shoulder and his hold is telling me what I need to know.
(Aye, what's going on huh?)

"Nothing," I shrug, pretending I didn't just let him see me holding his may-be-some-sister's, dupatta.

"I hope you weren't messing with her." His tone is possessive.

"Huh! Why would I do that?" I brush it off with laugh.

"Good." He finally lifts his arm from my shoulder. I am seeing this type of possesiveness in him for the second time.

First time was in college when once he was talking to his sister and I jokingly asked him to show me her pic. Dude literally made me repeat all our bro codes after him. The top one saying 'Never mess with your best friend's family, especially his sister.'

"Who was she by the way?" I try my luck.

"Who? Saara?"

"Yes. Saara." I repeat. Her name sounds oddly satisfying to say.

"Family."

"Oh! Sister?"

"You can say but she is my sister's bestfriend."

Thank god she isn't his actual sister. But technically she is.

"Who's your sister then?" I regret saying it the moment it leaves my mouth as he start glaring at me.

But I still should know who his sister is so I don't start doing what I shouldn't. Better safe than late. Precautions are always better than cure.

"I mean I haven't met her yet, you know. All your family members are here but I haven't seen her." I try to simplify my words.

"She must be here somewhere," he says still not convinced by my innocence as his gaze at me is oddly suspicious.

"Ohh," that's all I can say because there's no way he's gonna leave me without actually killing me after he gets to know how I shouted at her sister's bestfriend yesterday and then argued even at night on the road.

I am done with this drama.

Not that I was planning something with her but still why does she have to be my Bestfriend's sister? Even if not by blood.

* * * * * * *

I was so happy writing the dupatta holding scene of them.
And also the RADHA-KRISHNA one!

Thank you for reading. Make sure to vote and follow.

kritzfinity

words - 2341