RUHI POV

And finally, we were married.

“Yes.”

We went to seek blessings from the elders.

“Always be happy, beta,” Bade Papa said as we touched his feet.

One by one, we took blessings from all the elders. Dadi couldn’t attend the wedding because of her health, so we planned to visit her at home.

Yes, I was completely caught up in the wedding celebrations, but Shweta’s words kept echoing in my mind.

The truth is, I hadn’t even told Ani about any of it.

“Is something stressing you?” Ani’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Yes.”

“What is it?” he asked, and I shook my head in response.

“Baad me bataungi,” I said, and he frowned.

(I'll tell you later)

“Bata de, warna khud stress le leke pagal ho jayegi,” he said, making me smile.

(Spill it, or else you'll go crazy by stressing yourself)

“Shweta kuch keh rahi thi uss din,” I said.

(Shweta was saying something that day..)

“Kya?”

(What?)

“Broooo, congratulations!!!” Ravi shouted, hugging—no, practically jumping into—Anirudh’s arms. I closed my eyes in frustration.

These guys are never going to change.

“Oh hi, Ruhi,” Ravi said, extending his hand.

“Hello.”

“I still can't believe this. I mean—Ruhi and Anirudh?” he said with a shocked look.

Arhaan jumped in. “For real bhai, I still can't believe. Anirudh is literally marrying the girl he would run after seeing during the school.”

“And this girl always hated me for no reason. First day se.” Ravi pointed at me.

“Haan because you were never nice to me.” I narrowed my eyes.

“And I was always nice to her. That's why I'm the only one she ever liked. Hai na?” Arhaan asked and I nodded looking at him grinning widely.

“You were always the kindest one. Inn dono se toh kaafi acche the.” I said looking at Anirudh and Ravi.

(You were far better than these two)

“I know right?” Arhaan smiled and Anirudh stepped closer to him pushing me away gently.

“Control yourself Arhaan.” He pointed at me. “Meri hai ab.”

(She belongs to me now)

“Doesn't change the fact that I was the best out of you all.” He smirked and Anirudh just smiled.

“We can't win when it's Arhaan Malhotra. Can we?”

“No.” Arhaan answered immediately and everybody broke into laughter.

“Ab tum log zara rest karne do yaar,” I whined, and everyone laughed.

(Let me rest guys)

“Sit here. I’ll come in a moment,” Anirudh said, and I nodded.

I sat in a room where everyone was already gathered.

Suddenly, Abhimanyu came and sat beside me. “So... Congratulations, best friend!”

I smiled. “Thank you. Tera bohot bada role hai isme. Thanks a lot, Abhi.” But my smile quickly faded.

(You've a big role behind this)

“But ek baat bata. Tune uss din mere papa se jhoot kyu bola? Ki tu business sambhalne aaya hai?” I asked, and he seemed a little taken aback by my question.

(But tell me one thing. Why did lie to my father that day? That you came here for business purposes?”

After a while, he finally decided to speak.

“I have a reason. I’ll tell you everything at the right time. Just wait,” he said, making me frown.

“Aisa bhi kya chal raha hai, Abhi? Tu kyu khud ko barbaad kar raha hai aise? Everybody’s noticed how much you’ve changed lately... And aunty? You didn’t even tell me about her?” I asked, clearly feeling betrayed.

(What is going on, Abhi? Why are you ruining yourself like this?)

He shook his head.

“I wanted to tell you, but you were already dealing with a lot. So I decided to let it go,” he answered.

“Look at you, Abhi. You’ve got dark circles. You smoke the hell out of your lungs all day. What’s going on? I can’t bear to see you like this. And you’re not even letting Shweta take care of you. What are you up to?” I asked, my eyes glistening.

“She deserves a peaceful life. That’s not possible in my presence,” he said.

“So you’re saying she’s happy without you?”

“I don’t want to argue with you today. Let’s just celebrate the day. Waise bhi pata nahi kal kya hoga...” he said, and I narrowed my eyes.

(We don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow…)

“Kya hoga matlab?”

(What do you mean by what's gonna happen?)

“Arre kuch nahi, meri maa. Ani yaar, tu hi sambhal ise,” he said, noticing Anirudh entering the room. I gritted my teeth.

(Arreh it's nothing. Ani yaar, please look after her.)

This isn’t normal. His behavior. The way he talks nowadays. Something is really wrong. And I can sense it.

Anirudh looked a little confused and knelt down to my level as Abhimanyu walked away.

“What’s wrong, baby? It’s such a special day. Kyu stress le rahi hai aise?” he asked, and I patted the seat beside me.

He nodded and sat down, and I kept looking at him like my life depended on it.

“Ani, you know, I feel like something is very wrong... Like something bad is going to happen, and I can’t shake that feeling,” I said, and he stayed silent for a moment.

Then he smiled gently. “Don’t overthink. Kuch nahi hoga. Jab tak main hu idhar, kuch hone nahi dunga.”

(Nothing will happen, I'm here only)

He said, cupping my cheeks, and I nodded.

I don’t know why, but his words gave me a different kind of comfort.

Let’s just hope for the best.

ANIRUDH POV

I cupped her cheeks, hoping my words could give her the strength she needed. She nodded, but I could feel she still wasn’t fully convinced.

Truth is... even I’d noticed the change in Abhi.

He wasn’t just withdrawn—he was disappearing. Bit by bit. The guy who once laughed the loudest, who stood by me no matter what, now walked like a man carrying invisible chains.

I didn’t say anything to Ruhi, but I’d seen him break down once—alone, in his car. I didn’t confront him. I gave him space. But maybe I shouldn’t have.

Now it felt like that space had grown into distance. A dangerous one.

And Ruhi—God, she didn’t deserve to deal with this today. Not on our wedding day.

I looked at her again, her hands folded in her lap, eyes somewhere far away.

I reached out and took her hand in mine. “Ruhi, listen to me. Whatever is going on with Abhi, we’ll figure it out. Together. But for now, just breathe. You’re safe. With me.”

She looked at me and blinked back a tear. I wiped it gently before anyone could notice.

She smiled faintly. “Okay. Together.”

Together. That word meant everything.

But even as I held her close, a part of me couldn’t shake off the worry either.

Abhimanyu was hiding something.

And I had a feeling... time was running out.

I kissed her forehead. And just like that, for a second, the weight lifted.

Just then, the door burst open.

“Yaar! Tum dono bas emotional hi hote rahoge ya party bhi karoge?” Ravi’s voice rang through the room like a badly tuned trumpet.

(Will you stop being emotional and start the party?)

I rolled my eyes. “Tu kabhi serious ho gaya toh lagta hai duniya khatam ho jayegi.”

(The world will be destroyed if you become serious)

Ruhi laughed, finally. That soft laugh I’d been waiting to hear all day.

“Okay let's play spin the bottle everybody?” Ahana asked out of no where.

“Haan yaar boht maza ayega,” Aarvi said.

(Yes, we will have a lot of fun)

“Wait, kids are not going to be a part of this. Ghar jaake so jaao,” Reyansh said grumpily. Aarvi looked at Ruhi and whined.

(Go home and sleep)

“Bhaaaaabhiiii, what is he saying?!”

“Arreh aisa kuch nahi hai baccha, come here and sit with me.” Ruhi made her sit beside her and gently patted her back.

(It's nothing like that baccha)

“What’s the issue, bhai?” Ruhi asked Reyansh. But before he could say anything, Ahana placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around.

“Chhodo na yaar. Ek hi din ka toh baat hai, rehne dete hai use. Hum sab toh enjoy karenge… woh bechari ghar kyu jayegi?” she said. Reyansh looked slightly convinced, and after a moment, he finally nodded.

(Leave it yaar, it's only about one day. Let her stay. We will enjoy, why would she go home?)

But that wasn’t the real issue. The interesting part was Aarvi’s face. Her expression had turned dead serious—like she could kill someone right then and there.

No. It’s definitely not what I think it is. A big no.

“Kuch samajh aa raha hai?” Abhimanyu whispered beside me as we all sat in a circle.

(Did you understand anything?)

“Kaash kuch samajh na hi aata. Kyuki jo doubt mujhe ho raha hai woh sach hua toh—we’re in deep trouble, buddy,” I replied, and he laughed.

(I wish I was nonsense enough not to understand this. Because if whatever I'm assuming is true—we are in deep trouble, buddy)

“Inki story toh main jaanke rahunga… tu bas dekhta ja,” he said, and I frowned.

“What are you exactly going to do, Abhi?” I asked, and he just smirked.

And I knew. This wouldn’t be easy. It was going to be a dhamaka.

Finally, we started spinning the bottle.

The seating arrangement formed a circle: Abhimanyu, me, Ruhi, Aarvi, Shweta, Arhaan, Reyansh, Ahana, Ravi.

Reyansh and Ahana seemed abnormally engaged in their own little conversation.

Of course, the rest of the family didn’t want to be part of our crazy games.

The bottle stopped. On me. ON ME? WTF?

I looked at Abhimanyu, who had spun it. He glanced at me with an innocent “what did I do?” look.

Everyone’s eyes turned to me as the bottle pointed straight in my direction. Of course, Abhimanyu had that mischievous glint in his eyes—as if this was all part of some elaborate plan he had crafted since birth.

“Truth or dare?” Ruhi asked with a sly smile, clearly enjoying the unfolding chaos.

“Dare,” I said, trying to sound confident, though I could already feel the trap tightening around me.

Before anyone else could chime in, Abhimanyu jumped in like a host on a reality show finale.

“I have the perfect dare!” he announced, rubbing his hands together like a villain from an old Bollywood movie.

I groaned. “Why does that sound like a threat?”

Abhimanyu ignored me and whispered. “You, my dear friend, will ask Reyansh and Ahana to switch seats… and Aarvi will sit between them.”

Dead silence.

Reyansh choked on his cola. Ahana’s smile froze halfway. Aarvi raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of dare is this?” Ruhi whispered, looking both scandalized and deeply entertained.

“It’s a social experiment,” Abhimanyu said with a straight face.

I sighed. “Fine.”

“Ahem... Reyansh bhaiya, Ahana… if you don’t mind, can you two switch seats? Aarvi will sit between you guys. Just for fun, you know!”

Everyone stared. Tension built up like that background score before a reality show elimination.

Reyansh looked at Ahana. Ahana looked at Aarvi. Aarvi? She looked like she’d just been handed the nuclear codes.

“Umm... sure,” Ahana said, casually, as she got up. Reyansh followed, expression unreadable. Aarvi didn’t say a word—just got up and sat right in the middle, folding her arms like a queen ruling over a kingdom of awkwardness.

Abhimanyu leaned in toward me. “And now… observe.”

A few minutes passed as the bottle kept spinning, and the others got distracted, but my eyes were glued to the trio.

Everybody could feel that something was wrong with Aarvi when Reyansh and Ahana were totally unbothered by the switching of their seats.

Then came the moment.

The bottle landed on Reyansh.

Everyone screamed in delight.

“Oh hooo! Bhai! Ab toh sach bolna padega!” Arhaan said, rubbing his hands gleefully.

“Truth or dare?” Shweta asked.

“Truth,” Reyansh muttered.

Perfect. Just what Abhimanyu was hoping for.

“I have the question,” Abhimanyu said, with the confidence of a lawyer in a courtroom drama.

“Oh God,” I muttered.

“If you had to pick someone in this circle as a date, I mean a short date… who would it be?”

Gasps.

Reyansh blinked. Ahana gave a polite smile but was clearly holding her breath. Aarvi looked at Reyansh like she was expecting him to say something which wouldn't dissapoint her.

The entire group went silent.

“Uhh…” Reyansh cleared his throat. “I mean… if it’s just a retreat, then I guess… maybe Ahana?”

He said it like a question, and even he wasn’t convinced.

But Aarvi? She slowly turned to face him, raised one eye brow like her whole world turned upside down.

Abhimanyu clapped like he was watching a live TV show.

But he wasn’t done yet.

Because just then, the bottle spun again. And landed on...

Ruhi.

Everyone went silent again. This time, no tension.

“Truth,” she said without blinking.

Arhaan stood up theatrically. “Perfect. So, why did you suddenly stop singing?”

Ruhi smiled. “since Anirudh stopped coming to my performances”

And I looked at her. Shocked? Amazed? I don't know what to call it.

“Wow. High School Romance, I see.” Abhimanyu mocked and Ruhi just rolled her eyes.

Now Shweta's turn. “Truth” she said.

Ahana came up with a question. “First kiss?”

And Shweta's face changed. Me and Ruhi looked at each other like something nostalgic hit us.

Abhimanyu's gaze fixed to the ground the whole time.

“Abhimanyu.” She said calmly. No hesitation.

Everybody went silent again. As if they got to no a big secret.

But before anyone could react Aarvi spoke. Not having eye contact with anybody. “Uhm, I think I'll just go home and take rest. I don't feel well. Bye everybody. Good night.”

She said and went outside. No. Ran outside.

Abhimanyu and I exchanged looks. I understood everything. Literally, everything.

Reyansh looked like he regretted every life decision that brought him to this moment.

“Okay! Okay! Game’s over!” Reyansh shouted, standing up.

And that’s when Abhimanyu whispered to me, “Bro, this is better than Netflix.”

I nodded. “You’re evil.”

He grinned. “But entertaining, right?”

It felt like a college reunion, not a post-wedding night.

Ruhi had her head thrown back in laughter as Ahana started with their old Canada stories. For the first time today, she looked entirely free. And seeing her like that?

It made everything worth it.

Later, as the room finally quieted down and everyone slowly left to crash, I helped her out of her heavy bridal jewellery. We didn’t speak much—just shared quiet smiles.

She rested her head on my shoulder as we sat on the edge of the bed, her hand in mine.

"You okay?" I asked softly.

She nodded. "Better. Thanks to you."

I kissed her hand. “Anytime. Forever.”

The night wrapped itself around us gently, like a warm hug. Outside, the world had its chaos, its unanswered questions. But in this room, tonight, there was peace.

There was love.

And for now... that was enough.