तन भी सुंदर, मन भी सुंदर
तू सुंदरता की मूरत है
किसी और को शायद कम होगी
मुझे तेरी बहुत ज़रूरत है
पहले भी बहुत मैं तरसा हूँ
पहले भी बहुत मैं तरसा हूँ

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This chapter is a bit longer than usual because of a special collaboration you'll find further in the story. You might feel like it's a little stretched at some points.

And to those who are thinking everything is going smoothly... bas kuch din aur shadi ki khushi mein jashn mana lo🥰.

Kyunki dhoop jitni khoobsurat hoti hai, andhera usse bhi gehra hota hai😃

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Siya was sitting on a chair, absentmindedly rubbing her hands, her mehndi almost faded. Shashwat, who had been walking past, stopped in his tracks when he saw her.

"Waah! Wahan sab busy hain aur yahan aap aaram farma rahi hain," he commented, raising an eyebrow as he walked toward her.

Siya looked up at him and rolled her eyes. "Arre, hum mehndi laga rahe the, bas sookh hi gayi hai. Isko mita ke jaa rahe hain."

Shashwat crossed his arms. "Kal hi toh lagai thi."

Siya sighed, showing him her palm. "Arre, yahan ek design halki pad gayi thi, usko dark kar rahe the bas… Jaa rahe hain!" she defended.

She began rubbing her hands together vigorously to remove the remaining mehndi, but suddenly, a tiny dried particle flew into her eye.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!" Siya winced, squeezing her eyes shut as a sharp pain shot through her eye.

Shashwat’s expression changed immediately. He stepped forward, concern etched on his face. "Kya hua?" he asked, placing a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Ankh me kuch chala gaya," Siya muttered, blinking rapidly and rubbing her eye, trying to get rid of the irritation.

Shashwat immediately held her hands. "Arre, ruko! Aise mat karo, aur jyada chubhega. Main nikal deta hun, baitho tum," he said, his voice softer yet firm.

Siya hesitated but let him guide her toward the bed. She sat down as he kneeled in front of her, his eyes scanning her face.

"Idhar dekho," he instructed gently.

Siya blinked up at him, her lashes fluttering, her face contorted in discomfort. Shashwat placed his hand lightly on her cheek, tilting her face slightly upward.

"Jyada dukh raha hai?" he asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

Siya nodded. "Haan… bohot chub raha hai," she murmured, her voice small.

"Shhh… bas ek second," he assured her, his breath fanning her face as he leaned in closer. His fingers gently parted her eyelid as he examined her eye.

"Ek second… aankh kholo zara," he said softly. Siya hesitated before slightly parting her lashes.

Shashwat carefully blew on her eye, trying to dislodge the tiny particle. Siya shuddered slightly at the sensation, but she remained still.

"Arre! Stay like this," he said, his voice even softer now. He tried again, his warm breath making her blink rapidly.

"Abhi bhi dukh raha hai?" he asked.

Siya blinked a few times and nodded. "Thoda kam hua,but still.”

“Wait wait” Shashwat said cupping her cheek.

Siya sat still on the bed, eyes squeezed shut, as Shashwat leaned in, carefully blowing on her eye. His fingers gently cupped her cheek, holding her steady as he tried to remove the irritating particle.

Meanwhile the group reached there searching for Siya and Shashwat.

"Siya kahan hai yaar? Hume late ho raha hai practice ke liye!" Akash groaned, looking around in frustration.

"Exactly! Sangeet kal hai, aur madam choreographer gayab hai plus Shashwat nahi dikh raha!" Ritika huffed, crossing her arms.

"Pata nahi kaha chali gayi. Darsh, tu dekh aage wali room mein," Vihaan instructed.

Just then, Kanak pointed toward a slightly open door. "Woh dekho! Siya aur Shashwat yahan hain!"

Everyone’s eyes followed her finger. Through the small gap in the door, they saw Shashwat leaning dangerously close to Siya, his hands on her face, their faces barely inches apart. From their angle, it looked far too intimate.

Their eyes widened in shock.

"CHEEEEEEE!!" Akash shrieked dramatically, covering his eyes with both hands. "Inn logon ke andar Sanskar naam ki cheez hai ki nahi!"

"Sharam naam ki cheez hai bhi ya nahi tum dono mein?!" Divya gasped, covering Kanak’s eyes.

Darsh nearly choked on his breath. "Hadh hai yaar!?"

"Yahi sab karna tha to room band kar lete" Arav muttered, shaking his head.

Before anyone could process more, Reyansh, ever the impulsive one, stormed into the room. Without a second thought, he raised his hand and smacked Shashwat hard on the back of his head.

"Aaahh!" Shashwat yelped as he lost his balance, falling face-first onto the bed.

Siya gasped. "Bhaiya kutta! Kya kar rahe ho?!"

"Kya kar rahe the tum dono??" Reyansh demanded.

Shashwat sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Arrey yaar! Kya ho gaya tum sabko? Usko chahiye thi to dedi"

Ritika pointed an accusing finger at him. "Besharam kahin ka! Bata bhi raha hai bina sharam ke!"

Shashwat frowned. To ab kya jhooth bolun itni si baat ke liye!" he said nonchalantly.

A collective gasp filled the room.

"Kyaaaaaa??" Ritika shrieked. "Sharam nahi aayi tujhe?!"

Siya furrowed her brows. "Arrey didi, itna overreact kyun karna hai? Agar kabhi aapko chahiye hota toh Arav jiju na karte kya?" she asked innocently.

Arav’s eyes widened in shock.. "Kyaaaa? Siyaaa??"

Ritika turned red and smacked Siya’s arm. "Besharam! Hatt!"

Meanwhile, Arav recovered from his coughing fit and glared at Shashwat. "Ye room khol ke karna tha upar se?!"

Shashwat rolled his eyes, still confused. "Toh? Ab isme room band karne wali kya baat hai?"

Arav’s jaw dropped. "Abbe saale!!"

Shashwat looked at him, completely lost. "What ‘abbe saale’?! Abhi meri jagah tu hota toh tu bhi kar deta, isme kya hai?!"

"WHATTT?!" Arav and Reyansh yelled in unison.

"Are you mad? Dimag thik hai?" Arav said, completely shocked.

Reyansh took a threatening step forward. "kaminey! Meri behan ko kya samjha hai tune?!"

Shashwat groaned in frustration. "Arey yaar, tum log problem kya hai?”

Everyone gasped again.

"Problem nahi hai par aise sabke samne kon karta hai!" Divya whispered, eyes wide.

“Zaroorat hoti hai to karenge hi na.” Siya said shaking her head

Arushi covered her ears. "Bas bas bas, aur nahi sun sakti!"

Kanak shook her head. "Kya zamana aa gaya hai, openly discuss kar rahe hain!"

Vihaan crossed his arms. "Matlab koi sharam nahi bachi?”

Darsh gasped, leaning against the wall. "Mujhe pata nahi tha bhaiya aise honge!"

Siya, still blissfully unaware, sighed, crossing her arms. "Arey yaar tum log zyada soch rahe ho! Jab zaroorat hoti hai, tab koi bhi kar sakta hai!"

Arushi almost fainted. "ZARURAT?! Tera dimag kharab ho gaya hai kya?!"

Arushi looked at Siya, eyes as wide as saucers. "Matlab tu keh rahi hai ki kisi ko bhi keh sakti thi?!"

Siya shrugged, unbothered. "Haan, isme kya hai?!"

Another horrified gasp.

"SIYA!!" Ritika shrieked, grabbing her head as if she were about to faint.

Shashwat rolled his eyes. "Tum log kya bakwas kar rahe ho yaar? Simple si baat hai! Pata nahi kyun itna react karna hai?!"

Darsh looked at Siya Shashwat utterly horrified. "Kuch jada hi open minded nahi hai aap dono!"

Siya sighed, rolling her eyes. "Arey yaar tum log kya samajh rahe ho? Mujhse nahi ho raha tha and ye pehli baar nahi hai hamne bahot baar dusron se help li hai!"

Akash collapsed onto the sofa. "Mujhe ab in sansaar me nahi rehna!"

Arushi’s jaw dropped as she grabbed Richa’s arm for support. "SIYA?! Dusron se bhi?!"

Siya nodded, looking at Arushi as if she was being unreasonable. "Haan, kya problem hai? Ek baar toh college friend ne bhi kiya tha mere liye!"

Ritika screamed, grabbing her head. "Siya! Ye kya bol rahi hai?!"

Darsh gasped. "Soya bhabhi mai to aapko kya samjhta tha."

Reyansh grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Shashwat. "Tujhe pata hai ue?!"

Shashwat dodged the pillow, groaning. "Haan pata hai to kya karun wo bechara bhi wahi kar raha tha jo maine kiya.!"

Siya nodded in agreement. "Ek baar ache se nahi hua to inhone dobara kar diya issi me time lag gaya bas ye kar ke ham hall me hi aa rahe the!"

“Kitne baar kiya bhai?” Ritika gasped .

Siya nodded. "Do baar vaise to baar baar nahi karna padta agar achi tarah ho jaye! Par pehli baar me jada ache se nahi hua tha”

Kanak covered her face, as if shielding herself from scandalous information. "Ye kya sunna pad raha hai!"

Shashwat sighed, rubbing his forehead as he looked at Siya. "Abhi thik hai ankh?" he asked, his voice laced with mild amusement.

Siya blinked a few times, testing her vision before nodding. "Ankh to thik hai, par ye log thik nahi lag rahe... Pagla gaye hain sab sath me," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

Shashwat chuckled, stealing a glance at the chaotic scene unfolding around them. "Wahi to! Sirf ankh se wo mehndi ka tukda nikalne ke liye itna drama kar rahe hain, pata nahi kya hai," he said, crossing his arms.

Siya groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Ek tukda mehndi ka ankh me chala gaya tha, koi tsunami nahi aayi thi!" she huffed.

“Kya? Tu uski aankh se kuch nikaal raha tha?” Reyansh asked hesitating.

“Haan to ?” Shashwat said, crossing his arms.

Everyone looked at each other with blank faces.

“And we thought that…you both are kissing hihihi…and itne der se ham sabko laga tum itne casually baat kar rahe the, that's why we were reacting this way.” Ritika said biting her tongue in realisation

Shashwat and Siya stood frozen, their eyes widening in absolute horror as realization dawned on them.

Shashwat’s jaw dropped. “Wait… WHAT?! You guys actually thought—” His voice cracked mid-sentence.

Siya’s hands flew to her head. “Hadd hai bhaii!!”

Without another word, Shashwat marched forward and smacked Akash, Darsh, Vihaan, and Reyansh on the head, one after another. Each one of them yelped, rubbing their heads with a sheepish expression.

“Idiot!” Smack!

“Bewkuf!” Smack!

“Are you out of your mind?!” Smack!

“What is wrong with you?!” Smack!

Meanwhile, Siya had her own mission. She turned to Arushi, Richa, Kanak, and Divya, glaring at them like an angry lioness.

Whack! “Dimag kharab hai tera??”

Whack! “Richa, tera bhi?!”

Whack! “Kanak,tumhe toh shareef samjhte the.”

Whack! “Aur Divya tere dimag me bas yahi sab chalta haii??”

Akash rubbed his head, giving a sheepish grin. “Accha sorry bhai, maybe we overreacted…”

Reyansh sighed, looking at Siya and Shashwat who were still glaring at them, “Fine, we messed up. But hamari bhi jyada galti nahi hai aise situation me dekh ke…. sorry sorry.!”

Shashwat and Siya exchanged a glance before rolling their eyes.

“You guys need serious help,” Siya muttered, shaking her head.

Shashwat groaned. “Next time, just use your brains before assuming things.”

The entire group looked at each other, giving identical, guilty, sheepish smiles.

“I think we should go for our dance practice.” Kanak said changing the topic.

Everyone gathered in the hall, settling into their places as they prepared for the much-awaited dance practice.

"Pehle kaunsa song ki practice thi?" Arav asked, stretching his arms lazily.

"Pehle bride ke liye song select karna hai," Siya replied, looking at Ritika expectantly.

Ritika’s face lit up with excitement. "Haan! Main batati hoon... wo Chaliyya Chaliyya pe!" she announced dramatically.

Before anyone could react, she threw her dupatta behind her shoulder with a flourish and started swaying her hips dramatically, belting out—

"Chaliya Chaliya Chaliya... Rooh chura loon, main hoon aisi Chaliya!!"

The girls collectively rolled their eyes in exasperation.

"Didi, tameez se koi!" Siya groaned, shaking her head.

Ritika paused mid-move, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Amm… acha, theek hai! Wo… Pal Pal Na Maane Tinku Jiya!" she said with a mischievous grin.

She quickly grabbed her phone, connected it to the Bluetooth speaker, and hit play. As the energetic beats of Tinku Jiya filled the room, Ritika enthusiastically broke into a dance, twirling and moving her shoulders dramatically.

Siya’s eyes widened in absolute horror. "STOP!!" She lunged toward the speaker and pressed pause with urgency.

"Didi yaar! Ajeeb ho! Bar me nahi nachna hai!" Siya scolded, giving Ritika a pointed look.

Ritika pouted innocently. "Arey baba sorry, acha ruko, iss baar pakka acha lagaungi!" she promised.

Determined to redeem herself, she turned back to her phone, scrolled through her playlist, and suddenly grinned. "Haan yeh perfect hai!" she declared confidently, pressing play.

The next moment, the speaker blasted,

"Kothe upar kothri Haan, kothe upar kothri Main uspe rail chala dungi…"

Siya, Richa, Arushi, and Divya froze on the spot, their expressions frozen in absolute disbelief. Their mouths hung open as Ritika started swaying dramatically, flipping her hair like a diva.

The boys, comfortably lounging on the couch, went completely blank.

"Shahar shahar aur gaon gaon mein.."

Siya’s eye twitched. Richa and Arushi exchanged a horrified glance. Divya smacked her forehead.

Meanwhile, Ritika, blissfully unaware of the collective shock, continued vibing,

"Main toh hoon ek husn ka shola Dilwalo ko jala dungi Kothe upar kothri main uspe rail chadha dungi"

Mid-spin, Ritika turned around, expecting applause, only to find everyone staring at her as if she had declared she was quitting everything to become a street performer.

She paused the song. "What happened, guys? Aise kya dekh rahe ho?" she asked, frowning.

Siya took a deep breath, placing a hand on her forehead. "Aapko mehfil me dance karna hai, didi! Aap dulhan hain, orchestra wali nahi!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

The room erupted into laughter.

Siya shook her head in despair. "Didi, shant ho jao aur ek normal dulhan jaisa behave karo!"

Ritika dramatically placed a hand on her heart. "Theek hai, theek hai! Ab mai bas Banno Tera Swagger lagane wali thi, par ab lagta hai woh bhi nahi chalega!"

Siya’s eyes widened in alarm. "DIDI!!”

As Ritika scrolled through her playlist again, she grinned mischievously. "Okay, okay! Last try! Ab toh mast song select karungi!"

She confidently tapped on a song, and within seconds, the speaker blasted—

"Aa re pritam pyaare…..!"

With full enthusiasm, Ritika flipped her hair, twirled, and started dancing dramatically, her expressions on point.

But before she could even reach the chorus, she suddenly realized something was off. The room was eerily quiet except for the song.

She turned mid-step and froze.

There was no one in the hall.

The couches were empty. The girls had disappeared. The boys were nowhere to be seen. Even the Bluetooth speaker, her only companion at that moment.

Ritika blinked in confusion. "Arre... kahan gaye sab?"

She quickly paused the song and looked around, half expecting someone to jump out and prank her. But the hall remained silent.

Frowning, she stomped towards the next room, where everyone was casually sitting, chatting, and sipping on water like nothing had happened.

"Hello?? Mujhe akela chor ke bhaag gaye?" Ritika placed her hands on her hips.

Siya looked up and sighed in exasperation. "Didi, phir kaisa ajeeb song chalu kiya aapne?"

"Achha chalo, jo tum log bologe, uspe hi practice karungi. Mujhe waise bhi zyada idea nahi hai..." she shrugged sheepishly.

Everyone went back to the roof, excitement buzzing in the air as they prepared for the next dance practice. The cool breeze added to the lively atmosphere, the city lights twinkling in the background. Laughter and chatter filled the air as they discussed the next performances.

Siya clapped her hands, gathering everyone's attention. "Okay didi aapko aur jiju ko karna hoga" She grinned.

Arav, who had been casually leaning against the railing, raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Mujhe bhi join karna hai?" he asked, feigning surprise but unable to hide the amused smirk on his face.

“Nahi mujhe karna hai.” Akash said with a mock smile.

Siya turned back to the group. "Achha, ab bride-groom ki ek aur performance ke liye koi acha sa song suggest karo!"

Ritika immediately chimed in, grinning widely, "Tum toh dhokebaaz ho!"

Divya groaned loudly, facepalming. "Didi, aap please chup raho!"

Richa chuckled, shaking her head. "Acha chal, pyaar karegi?" she suggested, her voice teasing.

Ritika immediately dismissed it. "Nahi, yeh bahot common hai!" she said, waving her hand dramatically.

Siya, who had been deep in thought, suddenly lit up, her face brightening. "Arre, hamare dimaag mein ek perfect song aaya hai!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "Chalo, abhi ek group dance ki practice karte hain uske baad aap dono ko sikhate hain.!"

Siya clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Group performance ke liye koi song batao."

Vihaan, lying lazily on a chair, raised his hand. "Rafta Rafta?"

Siya scrunched her nose. "Na na, bohot common hai."

Richa, munching on a biscuit, chimed in. "Banno ki Saheli?"

Siya shook her head. "Arre, dulha-dulhan bhi hain iss dance me! Unka bhi participation hona chahiye."

Arushi, tapping her chin thoughtfully, suddenly sang, "Mohabbat dil ka sukoon hai etbaar…"

Siya considered it for a moment before sighing. "Acha hai, but isme slow-motion lines bhi hain. Log bore ho jayenge."

Shashwat, who had been silent till now, snapped his fingers. "Ankhein khuli ho ya ho band?"

Siya’s eyes widened, and she grinned. "Haan, this is perfect! Ham bhi yahi soch rahe the!"

Ritika smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Waah, telepathy dekho."

Siya immediately looked away, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. "Acha, ab chalo practice karte hain! Uske baad hume Arav jiju aur Ritika di ke dance pe bhi focus karna hai!" She said quickly, trying to divert attention from her obvious blush.

Siya stood in the center of the rooftop with Shashwat, demonstrating the steps with grace. The soft glow of the string lights overhead added to the dreamy ambiance as she moved effortlessly to the rhythm.

“Aapne Shashwat bhaiya ko partner choreographer kyun banaya hai.” Darsh said giggling.

“Ab hamko inke sath me hi dance karna hai to ye bhi sath me honge na tabhi to seekh payenge.” Siya said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Dekho," she began,