Sameera's POV:
The wedding day chaos arrived before we could recover from all the chaos of past few days—the decorations, rehearsals, late-night conversations, laughter, arguments, endless teasing. The resort was full of people. Every few minutes someone came running in asking for something that had apparently become an emergency.
I was sitting on the floor while the girls were getting Janhvi ready, surrounded by makeup products, jewellery boxes, hair accessories, and enough mess to make anyone lose their mind. Janhvi was complaining about her hair, Shreya was arguing with the makeup artist about the shade of lipstick, and I was trying to hold a tray of jewellery without accidentally dropping something expensive.
"Sameera, don't move!" Janhvi complained as I reached toward her hair.
"I'm not moving. You're moving."
"I'm sitting completely still!"
"You've moved your head six times in the last thirty seconds."
She glared at me through the mirror.
I laughed.
Last few days have been overwhelming. Saharsh and I had kept things between us quiet after the haldi. Not because there was anything wrong between us. Quite the opposite. After everything we'd finally said to each other, we had both decided that we didn't need to rush into anything. We had years of emotions to understand, years of hurt to work through, and a relationship to rebuild from the ground up. Saharsh had been surprisingly patient about it. He never made me feel guilty for needing time.
And maybe that was what made me fall for him all over again.
We had stolen a few touches when nobody was looking. A brush of fingers while passing something. His hand finding mine for a second beneath the table. A glance from across a crowded room that lasted a little longer than it should have.
That was it. No kisses. No hugs. Nothing that would make anyone suspicious.
Although, judging by the way Saharsh looked at me whenever we were standing too close, I wasn't entirely sure how long we were going to survive that rule. We were both trying. And failing silently.
I was adjusting Janhvi's necklace when someone suddenly appeared at the doorway.
"Sameera!"
I looked up. "What?"
"Your parents have arrived."
My fingers froze against Janhvi's necklace. "My parents?"
The person nodded. "They've reached. Come quickly."
My stomach dropped. I stood up so quickly, nearly lost my balance.
"Wait—what?"
"They're outside."
My heart began pounding. Aai, Baba are here. And the most terrifying thought hit me.
Saharsh.
I haven't told my parents about him yet. Not properly. They knew about the past in fragments, but they had never met him as the man he was now. Aai had seen his pictures once.
What if she recognized him? What if she remembered?
I practically ran out of the room. My heart was pounding too hard. I hurried through the hallway, nearly bumping into people on the way, and then stopped just before entering the main venue.
Saharsh was standing beside Aai. Talking to her. Calmly. Casually. Like this was the most normal thing in the world. Aai was smiling. Baba was standing beside them, talking to someone else, while Saharsh seemed perfectly comfortable receiving them and making sure they were settled.
I stared at them in disbelief. How was this happening? Had my mother recognized him? Was she pretending? Was Saharsh somehow handling this?
His eyes found mine. He looked at me. Then at my Aai. Then back at me. There was something in his gaze. A quiet reassurance.
It's okay.
He simply reached for Aai's bag and handed it to me as he stepped away. "I'll take care of the other guests," he said politely. As he passed me, his fingers brushed mine for barely a second. A tiny touch. The small smile that appeared on his face told me everything I needed to know.
We were okay.
I watched him disappear into the crowd before turning toward my parents.
Aai immediately looked at me.
"Sameera." I knew that tone.
"What?"
"Who was that?"
I tried to look confused. "Who?"
"The boy who was just talking to us."
My heart skipped. "He's... Daksh's friend, helping with the wedding."
Aai raised an eyebrow.
"Is he single?"
I almost choked. "What?"
Baba looked at her and she simply ignored him.
"I'm asking if he's single."
I stared at her. She genuinely hadn't recognized him.
I realized why. She had only ever seen photographs of him years ago. She had never actually met him properly. The boy in those old photographs and the man standing in front of her today were two very different people.
Still, I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling.
"Why do you want to know if he's single?"
I picked up her bag and started walking toward the seating area, hoping she'd forget the question.
She followed me. "Obviously for you."
I nearly tripped. "Aai!"
"What?"
"Why are you suddenly interested in my marriage?"
She looked at me as though I had asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "Because I think it's time."
I groaned quietly.
She continued, completely unaffected. "I know you didn't want to get married before. And I understood that. But you're doing well now. You've found a good job, you're earning well, you're independent, you're taking care of yourself and you're happy." She paused. "So now maybe it's time to find a partner."
I glanced desperately toward Baba.
"Baba."
He immediately looked away.
Traitor.
"Don't look at me," he said, trying very hard not to smile. "Your mother is talking."
"Exactly."
He nodded wisely.
"I think he's a good-looking boy."
I stopped walking.
Aai looked at him. "I thought so too. He is very handsome."
I immediately made a face and looked away, desperately trying to hide the smile threatening to appear on my lips.
Handsome. Yes. He was. Unfortunately, he knew it too.
"And he seemed polite," Aai continued.
I pressed my lips together and looked at the ceiling.
Please stop.
Because the more they praised him, the harder it became to hide the stupid smile growing on my face.
Aai narrowed her eyes at me. "Well... Tell us if you've found someone yourself. We're not against it anymore."
I blinked.
"What?"
"We're more open-minded now." She gently touched my arm. "If there's someone you like, you can tell us."
I stared at her. For a second, I didn't know what to say. Because there was someone. There had always been someone. But I wasn't ready to tell them yet. Not today. Not when I was still learning how to believe that I could have him without fear.
So I smiled. A small, innocent smile. "I'll let you know if I find someone."
I settled them into their seats, made sure they had everything they needed, and then immediately took my chance to escape.
"Okay, I'm going."
"Where?"
"I was getting Janhvi ready. Now I need to get ready myself."
Aai laughed. "Go, go."
I turned around quickly before she could ask another question. I had barely taken three steps when I looked across the hall. And found him. Saharsh was standing near the entrance, talking to some relatives. But he wasn't listening to them. He was looking at me. Our eyes met. And there it was again. That smile. Only for me.
I smiled back.
Then he glanced toward my parents. His eyebrows lifted slightly, silently asking if everything was okay.
I nodded.
His shoulders relaxed.
I walked back toward the girls with a smile on my face and a strange warmth settled deep inside my chest.
Saharsh's POV:
Finally the wedding ceremony began, the entire venue seemed to have transformed into something out of a dream. The mandap was covered in flowers, warm lights hung above the gathering, and the soft sound of shehnai floated through the night air. Everyone had gathered around, waiting for the bride to arrive. Daksh stood near the mandap, pretending to be calm while everyone around him kept teasing him about how nervous he looked.
There was laughter everywhere, cameras flashing, relatives whispering excitedly. But I wasn't really paying attention to any of it. I was waiting for someone else.
Sameera.
Didn't even realize how often my eyes had moved toward the entrance until Daksh nudged my shoulder. "Bro, the bride hasn't even arrived yet. Stop looking at the entrance like you're the one getting married."
I laughed and shook my head, but I didn't bother denying it. Because he wasn't entirely wrong. I was waiting to see her.
The music changed. Everyone turned toward the entrance. Janhvi appeared beneath the beautiful phoolon ki chadar, surrounded by the girls. She looked absolutely radiant, her bridal outfit shimmering beneath the lights, her smile bright with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Everyone immediately started cheering, and Daksh's face transformed the moment he saw her.
But my eyes didn't stay on the bride for more than a second. Because right beside her was Sameera. She was one of the girls holding the phoolon ki chadar above Janhvi, walking slowly toward the mandap, and the moment I saw her, everything else around me seemed to blur.
She looked mesmerizing. There was no other word for it. The lights reflected softly against her outfit, making her look like she belonged to the night itself. Her hair framed her face perfectly, completely unaware of the effect she was having on me—that made it impossible for me to look anywhere else.
The bride was shining, no doubt. But I couldn't take my eyes off Sameera.
As she walked closer, her eyes found mine from beneath the flowers. For a second, she stopped looking at everyone else too. Her lips curved into the smallest smile. I smiled back, and she immediately looked away, pretending to be far more interested in making sure the flowers above Janhvi were perfectly held.
She was blushing. I could see it even from where I stood. When the girls finally reached the mandap, Sameera helped Janhvi settle into place before stepping back with the others. I watched her move away, but my eyes followed her automatically until she took her place nearby. She caught me staring.
Again.
This time she raised an eyebrow.
I mouthed, What? She shook her head, trying not to smile.
I mouthed back, You look beautiful. Her cheeks immediately turned pink. I couldn't stop smiling. She looked away, pretending she hadn't heard me. But I knew she had.
The wedding rituals began, and everyone settled around the mandap. Daksh and Janhvi were surrounded by family as the priest began the ceremonies, but every now and then my eyes found her again. She was sitting with the girls, listening to the rituals, occasionally laughing at something someone whispered to her. And every time she smiled, I found myself smiling too.
At one point, she came closer to help with one of the rituals, and for a brief moment she ended up standing beside me.
I leaned slightly toward her.
"You know you're making it very difficult for me to pay attention to this wedding, right?"
She looked at me, clearly trying not to laugh. "This isn't your wedding."
"I know."
"Then behave."
I lowered my voice. "I'm trying."
She gave me a look. "You're failing."
I smiled. "Well that's because of my beautiful distraction."
She shook her head, but the smile she was fighting finally appeared.
The priest called for everyone to move around the sacred fire for the next ritual. As Janhvi and Daksh began their pheras, everyone gathered closer, watching them with smiles and cameras ready. Sameera ended up standing beside me. Close enough that our shoulders brushed. Neither of us moved away.
As I watched Daksh and Janhvi take another step around the fire, something inside me settled with a certainty. I glanced at her. She was watching them too, her expression soft and thoughtful. Completely unaware of the storm of thoughts running through my mind.
I looked at her properly. Not as the girl I'd lost. But as a women standing beside me now. The woman I wanted beside me tomorrow. And the day after that. And every ordinary day that came after. My heart gave me the answer before my mind could even question it. I wanted to marry her.
The realization didn't scare me. It didn't feel rushed or like some impulsive thought brought on by watching someone else's wedding. It felt strangely peaceful. Like something inside me had finally found its place.
I glanced down at our hands. They were only inches apart. For a moment, I imagined what it would feel like to see a ring on her finger. And the thought made a smile slowly appear on my face.
Sameera noticed. She turned toward me, her eyebrows lifting questioningly.
"What?"
I shook my head. "Nothing."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're smiling."
"I know."
"Why?"
I looked at her for a few seconds. There were a thousand things I could have said. Instead, I simply smiled wider.
"Just thinking."
"About?"
My eyes dropped briefly to her hand before returning to hers.
"About what it would look like if we were the ones walking around that fire." Her eyes widened. Then the most beautiful blush spread across her cheeks. She looked away, trying desperately to hide her smile. And I couldn't help but laugh softly. Because, while everyone around us was celebrating Daksh and Janhvi finding their forever, I knew exactly what I wanted mine to look like.
It looked like Sameera.