As Mom's words echoed in my mind, a suffocating feeling engulfed my room. Seeking solace, I escape to the terrace, my sanctuary of relief.

As I stood on the terrace, I closed my eyes, embracing the cool breeze that envelops me, allowing it to rejuvenate my senses and bring solace to my soul. The gentle caress of the wind brings a sense of tranquility, soothing my troubled mind.

As I dwell on what happened a few hours ago and what the future holds, I can't help but wonder how a mother could act this way. Today, while strolling through the corridor, my eyes catch a glimpse of Aadhira embracing Shraddha aunty with such serenity and love. It's a sight that nourishes my soul, witnessing such pure affection. Meanwhile, my own mother remains oblivious to her own son's existence.

I was thinking all this when I felt a hand on my shoulders from behind , I turned to look who is here at this time .

And here she is Aadhira !

"Hii," she said cheerfully.

"What?" I replied, confused.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, this is my home, so I'm supposed to be here, right?" I said , my face devoid of any emotion

She rolled her eyes and said, "Very funny! But seriously, how did you get here at this time?"

"That's none of your business," I replied, turning away.

But she tapped my shoulders again and stood in front of me, saying, "Well, you're right. It's actually not my business, so I'll focus on what my business is."

Confused, my brows furrowed, and before I could say anything, she continued.

"See, I know we used to fight a lot since childhood. Neither of us liked each other. And as we grew up, we never got to know each other, which only fueled our hatred. But now, being here for your wedding, from your engagement day until now, I've realized that you're not that bad. So, I wanted to say sorry. I don't want to hold any grudges against you. Since you're getting married tomorrow, I wanted to end all of this on a good note from my side."

I stand there in complete shock, trying to process what she just said. And then she asks for my hand again.

"What?" Unable to understand her intentions clearly, I ask again.

"Just give me your hand na," she insists.

What? Is she here to propose to me? No, no, no! Oh my god, I'm not even wearing nice clothes. All these thoughts race through my mind as she waves her hand in front of me, bringing me out of my trance. I mutter to myself, "Calm down, Kabir. Put a full stop to your silly thoughts and let her finish."

She extends her hand and gestures for mine, holding something in her fist. As she opens her hand, she places the ring that I bought for her in the store when it got stuck in her hands.

"Here it is, take it," she replies.

"What? Why are you giving this to me?" I ask her.

"Because you gave it to me, when it accidentally got stuck in my hands while trying it on my hands . Yesterday, it finally came out, so I thought to return it to you. Kabir, thank you so much for your help. I owe you, and here is your ring," she says while returning it with a smile forming on her face

"But what am I going to do with this ladies' ring?" I whisper-yell at her.

"But I can't take it, na. I already told you, you can go and return it to the store," she tries to reason with a pout

"What! Are you mad or what?" I again whisper shouted at her

"I'm not mad, okay? It's just that it's very expensive, and I can't keep it with me, as I told you earlier," she replies, further again ending up making a pout.

"Just shut up, okay? And if anyone asks, tell them I gave it to you. Is that okay?"

"No, it's not okay. Until yesterday, we were fighting like monsters, and now you want me to say that you gave me this ring? Are you out of your mind this time? Also, it's expensive." This time it was her who shouted on me

"Okay, do one thing. Tell them it isn't the original one. It's just the best copy of the original one. Is that okay with you?"

"Umm yeah , it is , but still you need to take money of this from me in installments" she replied after thinking , while tapping fingers on her cheeks . Ooh god , she and her stupid reactions .

"No , not at all , Aadhira just few minutes back you thanked me and here to finish all those our stupid fights and give this all a good start , isn't it" I replied

"Yes so?"

"So keep this ring as a token of our good start okk" I replied while returning the ring again in Aadhira's hand , closing her fist again.

She nervously noded

"Hey, wait! What's wrong?" she asked, concern filling her eyes as she noticed the scars on my knuckles.

As her gaze fell upon my scars, memories of the recent incident in my room came rushing back. Frustration had led me to punch the wall, leaving these marks.

"...Hey, are you okay?" she asked, bringing me back from my thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing. Just forget about it," I replied, trying to brush it off.

"No, wait. I'll be there in just two minutes," she said determinedly.

Before I could respond, she swiftly ran downstairs. And true to her words, she's here in just 2 minutes.

"Now give me your hand," she asks.

I give her my hand, and she gently applies ointment, carefully cleaning it with antiseptic. She looks so cute, making faces as she tends to my wound, as if the pain is in her hands, not mine. May be she was actually right , we really misunderstood each other all these years.

"What happened to your hand?" she asks once she's done.

"Nothing," I replied to avoid

"Don't lie. You can share with me if you want to, otherwise it's your choice. I won't force you. Just take care and sleep early because you're getting married tomorrow. Now, I'm leaving. Sorry for taking more than 5 minutes of your time." She said

Saying this, she picks up the first aid box and starts to move, but before she could move , I quickly grab her wrist from behind, making her stop in her tracks.

She turns around, looking at me with curiosity in her eyes.

"What happened? Are you okay?" she asks, gesturing towards my hold on her wrist.

I loosen my grip on her wrist and say, "Wait, I want to tell you something, ......

Only if you don't mind." I added further

"No, I don't mind, but be quick, okay? Tomorrow is your wedding, so you can't be late," she replies, a playful smirk on her face.

But the mention of the wedding frustrates me so much that I can't hold it in any longer. I blurt out, "Stop it, please! Just stop it!"

"What?" she asks, her voice filled with fear.

"Using that word 'marriage,' for God's sake! I know I'm getting married tomorrow despite all my efforts to cancel it," I explain.

"But why? Why don't you want to get married?" she asks, clearly shocked.

"It's because I don't want to get married, not now at least, especially to a complete stranger, a girl about whom I know nothing," I confess.

"What? How is that even possible?" Her shock is evident in her reaction.

"This is possible, just the way it's happening," I reply, a forced smile upside down on my face.

"See," Aadhira says, taking my hands in hers, "I know what you're going through isn't good, and you didn't like it either, but you tried your best to stop it, right? I'm sure you did, anyone would have. But sometimes things just get out of our control, so at that point, all we can do is surrender ourselves to the Almighty. He always has the best plan for us, so don't stress yourself too much. I'm sure everything is going to turn out for the best."

Hearing her words, I felt a sense of calm wash over me . Now, I don't feel as bad as before.

"Okay," I replied with a grin.

"Alright, it's already late. I think I should go and sleep now." She replies with a grin on her face as if it is saying "it's okk , everything will be alright"

"Yeah" I replied and then I feel the grip on my hands loosen and I see Aadhira's fading figure before my eyes as she goes downstairs. We both retire to our rooms.

And then I realize that I was holding her hands, which makes me feel so strange yet beautifully overwhelmed at the same time.
_______________________________________

I wake up to the sound of hustle and bustle outside my room. I check my phone to see the time, it's 7:05. I rub my eyes to shake off the sleep and quickly step out of my room to see what's going on.

I open the door and see everyone gathered in a circle around the sofa, probably surrounding someone important. I approach to see who it is, and then I see...

"Dadi!" I exclaim, shocked and filled with happiness at the same time.

"Hmm, my naughty child," Dadi replies, rolling her eyes at me.

"How did you get here?" I ask her.

"Why, can't I be here? What did you think, you won't tell me so I wouldn't find out?" She proudly replies.

"Nahi, nahi Dadi, aisi koi baat nahi hai. Main aapko batana chahta tha, lekin aapki tabiyat ki wajah se rehne diya," I explained, trying to clarify the reason to her. (No grandmother it isn't like this , I wanted to tell you about this , it's just that because of your health , I didn't told you about this)

"Haan, haan, sab pata hai mujhe ki kiski wajah se rehne diya tha tune," she said, more like tauntingly, as she glanced at Mom. (Yeah , yeah , I know very well because of whom you didn't let me know about this)

I went over to her and touched her feet, to which she lovingly caressed my head, giving me lots of blessings and embracing me in a hug.

It was truly a heartwarming moment for me. Dadi is someone who knows me well and loves me the way I've always wanted Mom to love me, but...

"It's okay," she said, her voice filled with understanding.

______________________________________

Everyone went to their rooms, including me. I quickly took a bath and finished all the tasks I had postponed earlier so that I could spend quality time with Dadi. Today is the wedding, so I won't have time soon.

I went to Dadi's room and her eyes lit up when she saw me at the door. I approached her and we chatted until Mom called me to get ready for the rituals. Everyone else was busy with the preparations, except for Kiaan, who has been missing since morning.

♡♡♡○♡♡♡

So guys finally the wait is over and the wedding is here !
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Love from the author
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