Invisible Strings

01

Chapter One: The Metro Ride

Bhavika Grover tapped her foot impatiently as the Delhi Metro hummed along its tracks, the cool air-conditioned breeze a stark contrast to the sweltering heat waiting outside. She adjusted her short yellow kurti, smoothing out the fabric over her jeans. The day had been long—lectures dragging on and on about corporate law, leaving her brain fried. But that was life in law school, and she had no complaints. Well, mostly.

She glanced at her reflection in the metro door—minimal makeup, just enough to keep her looking fresh but not overdone. Bhavika liked to keep things simple. It wasn’t that her life was boring, it was just…routine. College, home, the coffee addiction she had and that desire to carry forward her father's legacy. It was safe, predictable, and mostly uneventful.

“Karol Bagh,” the automated voice announced. Her stop was coming up soon. Home sweet home in West Delhi. Bhavika grabbed her bag and squeezed her way through the crowd. A typical Delhiite, she navigated the bustling metro station with practiced ease, dodging the hurried commuters, autorickshaw drivers shouting for rides, and vendors selling everything from cheap sunglasses to golgappas.

Within minutes, she was in a rickshaw, the city buzzing around her as she made her way home.

---

The smell of fresh rotis greeted Bhavika the moment she stepped into the house.

“Aaj college kaisa tha?” Her mother called out from the kitchen, her voice muffled over the clatter of pots and pans.

“Wahi boring lectures, kuch naya nahi,” Bhavika replied, kicking off her sandals and walking into the living room. Her father was sitting on the sofa, reading the evening newspaper, glasses perched on the tip of his nose.

As she sat down next to him, her mother emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. There was a look on her face—one that Bhavika knew all too well. It was the same look every time there was some social event looming.

“Beta, ek shaadi ka invitation aaya hai. Hume Mohali jana padega,” her mother started, her tone casual but eyes glinting with anticipation. “Tumhare papa ke dost ke bete ki shaadi hai. Ek hafte ke liye waha rukenge.”

“Mohali?” Bhavika raised an eyebrow. “Punjab ja rahe hain hum?”

Her dad folded the newspaper and chimed in, “Haan, Sukhbir ka beta hai. Bohot accha ladka hai. Shaadi ko miss nahi kar sakte.”

Bhavika sighed internally. Weddings. The endless band, baaja, and barat that came with every Indian shaadi were not really her scene. The dancing, the dressing up, the relatives asking awkward questions about her future—it was exhausting just thinking about it.

“Main jaa rahi hoon kya?” Bhavika asked, already knowing the answer.

“Of course!” her mom said, beaming. “Tumhare liye to bohot accha mauka hai. Kuch nayi dresses le lo, Mohali ke weddings bohot lavish hote hain. Shaadi ke kapdon ka abhi se intezaam karna padega.”

---

Across the border in Mohali, Shubman Gill tossed his duffle bag onto his bed, stretching after a long day of practice. His schedule was jam-packed, not just with cricket but now with the upcoming wedding of his cousin. The house was already buzzing with excitement—decorations being put up, relatives bustling in and out, and his mom going on about wedding prep.

“Shubman, beta, kal tumhare kapde final karne hain! Cousin ki shaadi mein tumhara bhi toh dhang ka dikhna zaroori hai!” his mother shouted from the hallway, clearly stressed about the dozens of details still left to arrange.

Shubman grinned, shaking his head. “Maa, main bas ek suit pehen lunga. Aur waise bhi, it's not my wedding,” he said, walking out of his room to find his mom standing with a long list in her hand.

“Tumhari shaadi bhi aise hi hone wali hai,” she muttered under her breath, busy writing down yet another list of tasks for the wedding.

Shubman laughed. “Meri shaadi ke liye abhi bohot time hai, Maa.” He had bigger things to worry about—matches, tournaments, training. Love and marriage were the furthest thing from his mind. But for now, all his attention was on making sure his cousin’s wedding went off without a hitch.

Little did he know, this wedding would change a lot more than just his cousin’s life.

---

As Bhavika prepared for what seemed like yet another traditional Indian wedding, she had no clue that it would be anything but ordinary. Two lives, from completely different worlds, were about to collide in a whirlwind of celebrations, misunderstandings, and maybe, just maybe, something a little deeper.