Torn Heart's

chapter 19

Arjun carefully jumped onto the balcony, carefully so as not to make a sound. He had a strong feeling that she might already be there,he found on her swing, her eyes closed, lost in thought.

As moved closer, he noticed the dried tear marks on her delicate face. His heart ached at the sight. Slowly, he raised his hand and gently touched her cheek

Ridhima blinked, her eyes fluttering open.She quickly straightened up, trying to regain her composure,

"Arjun" she whispered, and fresh tears began to spill from her eyes.

"What have you decided" she asked

"Why are you crying?" he asked gently, wiping away her tears.

"I—I…" Ridhima tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she just kept crying.

"Pri… Prisha" Ridhima asked about her

"I just wanted to clear things between us.Somewhere deep down, I feel like I’m the reason behind her pain."he said

Ridhima looked up at him, "But… what about us. If you feel responsible for her pain, does that mean you're having second thoughts about us"

"No, Ridhima, not at all. I love you, and I want to spend my life with you. But I can’t ignore the fact that Prisha is hurting, and I think I owe it to her to make things right. Ridhima, nothing will change how I feel about you. You’re my world. Clearing things up with Prisha isn’t about choosing her over you"he joined there forehead

"Shhh, Ridhima, stop crying.We’re going to get married in a few days, and if you keep crying like this, you’ll end up looking like a witch," he teased, wiping away the fresh tears that rolled down her cheeks.

Ridhima’s soft whisper, "I love you, Arjun,"

"I love you too," Arjun replied.Their eyes met, and Arjun slowly leaned in, closing the gap between them. He could feel her breath on his skin as he gently pressed his lips to hers.

When they finally pulled back,Ridhima hugged him tightly.She had been longing to hear those words from his mouth

"Now just stop crying.Tomorrow is our haldi, and I don’t want you to look like a ghost. Get some sleep. We have to wake up early in the morning." He leaned in and kissed her forehead

Next day

Ridhima stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the last piece of her flower jewelry. The yellow lehenga made her looked absolutely stunning. The floral garlands adorned her hair and wrists, completely her look

As she admired herself in the mirror, her friends gathered around,

"Wow, Ridhima, you look stunning" one of them said

"Arjun is going to be speechless," another teased, nudging her playfully. "He won’t be able to take his eyes off you"

Ridhima blushed, a soft pink hue spreading across her cheeks. "Stop it, you guys," she mumbled, though the smile on her face betrayed her,the thought of seeing Arjun's reaction made her blush from now only

Ridhima's friends helped her down the stairs. The hall was separated by a net curtain, with the groom's family on one side and the bride's family on the other.

They guided her to a small stool. Ridhima nervously glanced towards the other side of the curtain. Though the curtain was there, the netting allowed them to see each other clearly.

As Arjun caught sight of her, his heart skipped a beat. Ridhima looked like a flower fairy,in her yellow lehenga and floral jewelry. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, completely captivated by her beauty.

Ridhima felt his gaze on her, and when she saw him staring, a shy blush spread across her cheeks. Unable to handle the intensity of his gaze, she quickly looked down

Slowly, one by one, everyone began to apply haldi on Ridhima and Arjun.  The elders, having completed their part, blessed the couple and stepped aside, leaving the younger ones to take over the fun.

With the elders moving away, the youngsters decided to remove the curtain that had been separating Ridhima and Arjun.As the curtain came down, someone called out for them to pose for a picture.

Ridhima and Arjun moved closer to each other, but as soon as they were side by side

"Get ready, Arjun" one of his cousins shouted with a grin, grabbing a bucket of haldi

Before they knew it, haldi was flying through the air, and both Ridhima and Arjun were completely drenched in the haldi

Arjun chuckled, wiping some haldi from his eyes. "I knew this was coming" he said, looking at Ridhima, who was trying to wipe her face with her hands

"Let’s have some fun" someone shouted,everyone broke into dance, moving to the beats

While everyone was caught up in the music and dancing, Arjun noticed Ridhima standing nearby, he gently took her hand and pulled her away from the crowd.

"Arjun, what are you doing" Ridhima as he led her to a quiet corner, away from the noise.

"Just wanted a moment alone with you," he whispered in her ear

Ridhima blushed,"And what do you plan to do now" she asked

"Everyone got a chance to apply haldi on you, but I didn’t," he said quietly. He then reached over to the table and slowly grabbed some of the haldi

Gently, he brought his hand to her face and began to apply the haldi. He continued to apply the haldi, gently moving from her face to her arms. He dipped his fingers into the turmeric paste and began spreading it slowly over her skin.As his hands traveled down her arms, Ridhima felt a shiver run through her.Arjun's hands moved to her back,she closed her tightly

Arjun’s hands finished applying the haldi, and he let them rest gently on Ridhima's waist

Ridhima’s gaze drifted to his lips, and she slowly leaned in,her lips brushing gently against his.It was the first time Ridhima initiated a kiss

Ridhima pulled back"I love you, Arjun" he murmured

"Love you too"and again pulled her in a passionate kiss

They quickly pulled apart when they heard footsteps. It was Ridhima’s cousin.

“Arey, you both are here.Come on, it’s your turn to perform,” she said and dragged them to the dance floor.

As they stood there, the music shifted to a romantic one

Arjun pulled her close, and they danced together
______________________________________
Stay tuned for next chapter