Rewrite the Stars | A Ruturaj Gaikwad Fanfiction

Rakesh does (not) bail out (Rakesh's pov)

The Taj, June 2025 (Past Flashback 15)

After a week of marriage ceremonies, on the eve of the actual wedding day, the full magnitude of what he was going to do hit Rakesh like a lightning bolt.

They were playing Bluff on the terrace, Aditi, Rutu, Mahati and him, at the same place after four years, and things had changed so much from their college days. Aditi was, now, finally Rutu's official girlfriend, and social media couldn't have enough of them. That Aditi was a space scientist, which everyone seemed to know without the couple ever having mentioned, added to the public's love for them.

Opposite Rakesh, Mahati was dealing out the cards, face gleaming in the moonlight. Though she had changed out of her lehenga as soon as the guests had dispersed for the night, there were traces of makeup left on her face, which made her look strange but beautiful.

"What's the score?" Aditi asked.

"8 games to MC, 7 to you and me, 3 to Rutu," said Rakesh.

"Naturally. Rutu can't win at Bluff."

Aditi and Rakesh laughed at Rutu's expression. Mahati's smile, Rakesh saw, was strained. To be honest, both Mahati and Rutu were strained, being pulled together for the wedding ceremonies. As far as Rakesh knew, they had hardly had any contact with each other for years, whose reason no one knew. The awkwardness was no suprise to any of them, and the two of them had avoided addressing each other directly except sometimes in formal tones.

Mahati was laughing at something Aditi said now. Rakesh wondered if there was any way to get out of wiping away that smile from her face tomorrow, but even he knew there was not.

***

Next day...

The whole place was hustling with last minute preparations, people shouting out instructions, the make up guys from the salon yelling at theie clients to keep still, the flower supplier arguing with Mahati's dads about the specification and colour of the flowers he'd ordered.

"Oh hi, Rakesh," said Mrs Chaturvedi, spotting him. "Do you know where Mahati has got off to? She needs to be here right now..." She pointed at one of the women from the salon, who was supposed to put on Mahati's makeup.

"I was going to look for her myself," muttered Rakesh, fleeing.

"Rakesh!" Aunty called after him. "Don't run, you'll trip!"

 He found Mahati without tripping after all, hidden in a tiny room.

"Oh, thank goodness it's you," she said, laughing. "I've been evading ma, she hired a makeup artist for me, can you believe it? I'm not going to be done up by a makeup artist!"

Rakesh almost grinned back and said something normal and friendly like 'Aunty wouldn't let you go.' But it was too late, and he'd gone too far...come too far to back out now.

"I don't think this is a good idea," he said, his throat going dry.

Mahati turned. Her enormous earrings clinked against the necklace.

"What isn't a good idea?"

"This...this marriage."

Mahati laughed. "I expected better jokes today to cover the nervousness, Rakesh."

"I'm-I'm serious, Mahati."

"What do you mean to say?" asked Mahati, bewildered. "We shouldn't get married at all? You mean call off the wedding? Why on earth would we do that?"

"It's been too sudden," he said unsteadily. "I don't think...I don't think either of us are ready..."

"Of course we are!" cried Mahati, looking scared now, maybe because he sounded so serious. "We've been planning for months...we are ready, Rakesh. Please just trust me, we are."