The Great Indian Wedding Romance

33. Rooftop Rendezvous

Siddharth had been having trouble falling asleep ever since he had gotten to the Haldar haveli. He had barely slept more than a few hours every night. Tonight was no different, he was lying on the bed with his earphones plugged in and blaring music.

He was trying hard to get the image of Chetna in the yellow lehnga out of his head. He was failing.

He thought about the relentless way he had been pursuing her since he got here. Maybe he was being overbearing and crossing boundaries that he should not have. He had always considered himself to be respectful of everyone especially women he dated.

In his dating history, he had either been the initiator of the breakup or always very respectful of the wishes of the girl. Yet, he could not seem to let this go so easily.

He knew why. That was definitely no mystery. He knew what he had with Chetna was deeper than what he had with those women. Not because they weren't special to him but because they weren't Chetna. He knew they shared something special. They were meant to be together

There was a faint sound in the background that he was not sure he heard owing to the music. He paused the song that was blaring in his ears. The knock on his door startled him. He took both his earbuds out of his ears and sat up. Confused about who it could be while still being hopeful that it wasn't just Veer checking up on him he walked over to the door and opened it.

Chetna stood outside. His heart skipped a beat. 

She was clearly anxious and in a hurry. 

"Meet me on the rooftop in five minutes. Make sure no one sees you. We need to talk."

A wave of nostalgia hit him when he realised that they were going to meet at their usual rendezvous spot. Their time on the rooftop was always special. He was holding out no such hope this time considering the circumstances but it still somehow felt special.

He waited for a few minutes on the bed, impatiently and then disconnected his earphones from the phone and looked in the mirror one last time before quickly heading out. Thankfully, he had learnt his way around the house and knew where the stairs to the rooftop were situated.

Siddharth opened the door to the rooftop and stepped into the darkness. The cool breeze ruffled his hair as he did and he instantly spotted Chetna in the far corner.

"Just like old times," he said with a hint of irony in his tone, "us on the rooftop, sneaking around in the night."

"Siddharth, you have to leave," Chetna said with no preamble, completely ignoring his comment.

Siddharth was expecting this pushback from her so he was not surprised when she blurted this statement out.

He kept mum and allowed her to elaborate. When Chetna could not take any more of his silence and that look in his eyes, she went on.

"I am serious. I do not know why you came here or what you were expecting from me. I think I made my intentions very clear to you when I told you we cannot be together."

"Then why are you so nervous and unsure? If you are convinced that we aren't meant to be then why are you so unsettled? Treat me like every other guest in your house. I am here to attend a wedding."

"I can't," Chetna said, surprising both of them with her honest admission.

Siddharth took a step towards her.

"Why?" he demanded.

He took another step and a startled Chetna looked up at him.

"Is it because you know you're fooling yourself?"