Not Around The Corner

Sparks Fly

It is amazing how one little conversation can change things forever. ~Anonymous

Akash had messaged very late last night. He told me he was okay and he wished me a safe journey. He still hadn’t told me what was on his mind. I would have to purge it out of his mind when I was back next week. Right now I was helpless.

We reached Singapore in the afternoon. Both of our parents Gaurav’s and mine, were overjoyed. I was meeting my parents after ages and it felt good to be here with them.

I was very excited for Anushka and Gaurav. Anushka and I left two days before Gaurav and Jai. She had to check all her fittings.

Anushka and I went shopping on both of those days. We were spending all the time we had in prepping her up for her wedding. We spent both the days having a blast. She would be busy after the wedding and we wouldn’t get as much time to be together then. All the days leading to the wedding had been busy. We were busy organizing and arranging all the details regarding the wedding. The major portions of the wedding decorations were already done. Gaurav’s, Anushka’s and my mother were taking care of all those details. Gaurav arrived yesterday morning. We had had the ‘Sangeet’ ceremony last night and we all had fun. I mostly hung out with Nikhil. Since I was meeting him after a month, we were catching up.

The wedding was day after tomorrow and we were relaxing in Gaurav’s parents’ house in Singapore. Anushka was staying here with her parents, for that matter the entire bride’s family was staying here at Gaurav’s house. The groom’s family was staying at my parents’ house. I being a member of both the clans was shuttling from one location to the other.

Today as I entered the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee Gaurav and Jai walked in the house. They weren’t allowed in the house till the wedding. Fortunately for them none of the elders were home.

“Where’s my bride?” Gaurav shouted.

“Are you drunk?” I asked him from the kitchen.

“Hey sis,” he said happily. He wasn’t alcohol-drunk, he was love-drunk.

Jai smiled and winked at me. Wow, somebody’s in a good mood, I thought. I just smiled back.

Just then Nikhil and some of our other cousins came in the house. All the young guns under one roof. Gaurav went looking for Anushka. Jai approached me while the others were busy chattering.

“Hey,” he said.

“What’s going on?” I asked looking at everybody.

“Everybody’s bored with this whole division nonsense. You both here and all the other young guns there, “he laughed at his own use of the words ‘young guns’. He was so peculiar.

“We thought we could have a little bit of fun before the wedding. And Mr. Gaurav couldn’t live without meeting his darling Anushka,” he said teasingly. I laughed.

“So whose side are you on? The bride’s or the groom’s?” he asked.

“Honestly, I am confused,” I said.

“Choose us,” he said simply.

“Why?” I asked curiously.

“Because she’s coming over on our side in two days,” he said.

“Lame,” I said. He had the weirdest logics. Though what he said somehow made sense. We could have the most childish conversations sometimes.

He just shrugged. Nikhil came in then. “Where’s Gaurav?” He asked.

Jai had a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Rhea and I will just go and look,” he said trying to feign innocence.

He wanted my help to catch Gaurav and Anushka in the act. Nice, I thought to myself. They were always kissing each other and it was fun to embarrass them. Though Anushka was a bit shameless, Gaurav was an easy target.