Author's pov
"Kahani, beta, jaldi uth jao. Aaj tumhari sagai ka din hai," her mom said softly as she nudged her awake. Kahani blinked her eyes open, trying to shake off the sleep.
(Kahani dear, get up. It's your engagement day today)
"Already, Maa?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
Her mom smiled gently. "Haan, beta. The day has finally come. Now get up quickly; there's so much to do."
Kahani sighed, pulling the blanket tighter around her. "I don't know if I'm ready for all this," she whispered to herself, but her mother overheard.
"Everything will be fine, beta," her mom reassured her. "This is a big step, but you've always been strong."
With a soft nod, Kahani sat up, her mind filled with a mix of excitement and nerves as the reality of the day began to sink in.
Kahani sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her mom had already left the room to check on the preparations. The excitement of the day hadn't quite hit her yet-only the weight of it.
She brushed her fingers through her hair, her thoughts racing. The engagement. The expectations. The changes that would follow.
A soft knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts. It was her best friend, Meera, peeking in with a smile. "Hey, bride-to-be! How are you holding up?"
Kahani forced a small smile. "Honestly, I don't know if it's a good one or a bad one."
Meera walked in, sitting beside her. "Cold feet already? Come on, you've been waiting for this, haven't you?"
Kahani shrugged. "Yeah, but now that it's here, it feels... overwhelming. Am I really ready?"
Meera squeezed her hand. "You're more ready than you think. And hey, you've got all of us by your side. Plus, Randhir adores you. He's going to be the happiest guy in the world today."
Kahani smiled a little more at that. The thought of Randhir did calm her nerves a bit. "I hope I can live up to all of this."
"You will," Meera reassured her. "Now, let's get you ready. There's no way I'm letting you look anything less than perfect today!"
Kahani laughed softly, the tension in her shoulders easing as Meera's positivity rubbed off on her. "Okay, okay. Let's do this."
As they started picking out the clothes and accessories, Kahani felt her nerves slowly melt into a quiet excitement. The day may have felt like a whirlwind, but she knew deep down, she was ready to face it-one step at a time.
As Meera helped Kahani drape her engagement saree, the room filled with a quiet excitement.
"Waah," Meera said, stepping back to admire her. "Randhir toh bas tumhe dekhkar hil jayega!"
Kahani blushed slightly, smoothing out the saree. "Sach mein?"
(Really)
"Bilkul," Meera winked, handing her a jewelry box. "Yeh Randhir ki maa ne diya hai. Unhone kaha tha ki tu aaj ye pehenna he."
(Yes. Randhir mom gave this. She told me that you should wear this today)
Kahani carefully opened the box to reveal a stunning traditional necklace with ruby accents.
"Randhir ki maa... unhone humesha kitni achhai dikhayi hai," Kahani said softly. "Lekin ab bhi lagta hai jaise unke baare mein bohot kuch hai jo mujhe nahi pata."
(Randhir's mom also shown so much of goodness. But I still think that there is alot that I don't know about them)
Meera started to fasten the necklace around Kahani's neck. "Yeh normal hai. Tum ab unki family ka hissa banne wali ho. Dheere-dheere sab kuch samajh aayega. Relationships time lete hain, par maine dekha hai tumhe kaise dekhti hain woh, they already love you."
