Sweet 'n' Sour | ✔

nineteen

19. Ishq mein jaldi, bada jurmana. (Hastiness in love can cost a lot.)

•°•

The skin around my nails was broken and scraped to the point it was bleeding, swollen, and red. I was anxious. And nervous. Actually, both. It was our first night together. And hold on, it has no sexual context. We haven't even kissed yet, there's time before we can let our bodies do the talking. I'm sweating bullets because I'm no longer a single man. My room is no longer mine alone. My bed is no longer mine alone. My thoughts- nevermind, since the moment she has arrived in my life, they'd never been mine anyway. It's strange really, how your thoughts, your dreams, your every moment can belong to someone else, but when it comes to your space, your comfort zone, it makes you uncomfortable. As long as the other person has no idea what they do to you, you're confident and nonchalant. But the moment they invade your private space, threatening to expose all those feelings you've kept hidden, you realise you were faking it all along. I'm that person. And I'm shit scared to enter my room right now. My own room, the one that saw me growing into an adult, the one that had witnessed all my breakdowns, my dreams, my weird habits, that one space where I can be myself without a filter, is now making me feel like a stranger because someone else is in there, someone that has the power to bring me to my knees as well as set me off through the roof by making me overthink every small syllable of hers.

"Are you not going inside?"

I startled.

Meghna leaned against the wall beside my room, a playful smile spreading on her lips.

"Go, get some sleep."

I rubbed my sweaty hands on the fabric of my jacket.

"Leave me alone," I mumbled, looking away from her.

She snickered and walked off after wishing me good luck. That's right, not good night but good luck. Why do siblings know you so well? I hate it.

Post the wedding rituals, she was taken to the room before me. I had to entertain my college friends for a while, and they had talked my ears off about the wedding night, honeymoon, and how things change when the lovey-dovey phase ends. I haven't even begun my wedding life yet and the advice session has already. Fortunately, Vikram had helped me get rid of them, but now I think suffering their bullshit was so much better than losing my mind about entering my own room.

"Just go in. She is not going to eat you." Neelam bua popped in. Great, just what my fate lacked at this moment.

"I'm trying," I muttered.

She chuckled. "You're going to spend your night outside the room if I don't do this,"

I frowned.

"What?" I looked over my shoulder.

"Apni pyari si bua ko maaf kar dena iss ke liye. (Forgive your lovely Bua for what she is about to do.)" She smiled sheepishly, approaching me with soft footfalls. My frown deepened, which later transformed into shock when she opened the door to my room and shoved me inside before yanking it close.

I stumbled in with a gasp, lifting my head with a snap and meeting Priya's startled eyes. I turned around in panic, fumbling with the knob to open the door. It was locked.

"Bua!" I hissed, knowing she was holding it from the other side.

"You're going to thank me later in the future." She mumbled.

I glanced over my shoulder, standing straight awkwardly when I noticed the confusion etched in Priya's eyes. "Hi," with the way I had plastered myself to the door, it might as well swallow me whole.