Shaadi Mubarak!✔️

Chapter 5

Shaurya speeds through the traffic, his heart racing faster than his car. 

He isn’t quite familiar with this feeling. 

This mix of fear and victory. A mix of hope and hopelessness. 

It’s the first time since they have got to know each other that Rati has called him. It’s the first time she asked them to meet. He is so happy. So happy that he might and die. And he is so scared, so scared that he might die. 

What if this was a goodbye call?

What if those words, the ones that her maasi had said to her… what if…. It’s all his fault. Maybe he was too eager. Maybe she thought that indeed he was one of those men who would do anything to get close to their partner before marriage and would do the opposite after. Maybe he scared her. 

He would never forgive himself if that would be the case. 

He loves her. God, he really does. And he doesn’t quite know how he would react if she were to cancel their wedding, and with it, all his dreams. 

And so, it’s with the final verdict of hopelessness that he gets out of the car. 

He doesn’t bother fixing up his dishevelled appearance. His loosened tie, his messed-up hair or the bags under his eyes. 

The evening moon stands tall in the sky while he stands in a total contrast outside her house. 

And just as he thinks of making his way up to the balcony, ready for the first and last heartbreak of his life, the door to the house opens and out runs her, the girl of his dreams, closer and closer until she is standing right in front of him, heaving quick breaths. 

He sees the bags under her eyes that seem deeper than his, her hair that seem even more messed up than his and the way her eyes inhabit that melancholic sheen. 

“Sh-Shaurya…” she says her voice sounding broken. 

He has the sudden urge to step forward and take her into his arms, shielding her from any sort of pain that has resulted in that sadness on her face. Instead, he stands there, brows knit together in worry and helplessness. 

He always knew that she was shy and had a reserved nature but never not confident. And today she looks just that, hesitant, closed off and just… sad. 

“Rati… what’s – what’s wrong?” he asks but the girl doesn’t answer and instead turns her face away from him, not so discreetly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. 

When she looks again at him, a small and a strained smile rests on her face. “Ah, Shaurya… I think I was – was just being stupid. Sorry you had to come –”

He takes a step forward. “No, Rati. Please don’t say that. It – It makes me feel like a stranger. I don’t want to be stranger to you.” He says and hesitantly reaches for her hand. 

She lets him hold it.

“Please tell me what’s –”

“I’m sorry.” She says again, cutting through his words. This time her tone is different than before. She’s not sorry for calling him here this time. She is sorry for something else, something that makes Shaurya think, is this it then? For them? Has he finally become a stranger to her? 

“It’s – It’s ok… I understand –” he says, losing his grip on her hand. 

She looks up at him with wide eyes, holding back his hand.  The action surprises him.

“I’m sorry if I have done anything wrong.” She murmurs. The words shock him. 

Shaurya freezes on spot, words freezing with him.