Fire In Hearts

Chapter 15

Sara sat at the edge of her bed, staring at her phone. It had been a day since she'd returned from Mumbai, where Kartik rejected her, leaving her shattered. She thought she had gotten through to him, but his resolve had only hardened. The weight of their last conversation still lingered heavily on her chest. And his leaving without informing was killing her. She knew that he was there in Delhi and with no surprise, they had to meet again for business purposes.

A loud knock at her door broke her thoughts. Her mother, smiling brightly, entered the room. She quickly changed her expression.

"Sara, you need to get ready. Aaryan Family is coming for dinner?"

"What? Kartik..I mean Kartik's family. But ese achanak?"

"Haan...tumhare papa ne invite kar liya"

Sara blinked in surprise. "Paar kiu?"

"Kuch khaas nahi baas get together so wear something nice," her mother said, patting her hand before leaving the room.

Sara's heart sank as anxiety tightened around her. She didn't want to face him and couldn't ask her mother if he was coming or not.

Confused and unsettled, Sara got dressed in a simple yet elegant traditional outfit. As she prepared, her mind raced with questions. Did Kartik know about this dinner? Would he come?

Ibrahim came to Sara to convince her to talk to Palak to come. Sara sighed and did that.

Sara took a deep breathe before going downstairs when Kartik's family came. They were sitting on the living room. Sara scanned the room, her eyes landing on Kartik. He was sitting on the couch like the shyest kid ever. She got down and took blessings from his parents but didn't look at him.

Families were busy in talking and lovers were busy in making two pathetic lovers nostalgic about what they used to do and missed.

Stolen glances and heavy heartes were all they had then.

During dinner, not so coincidentally, they sat together. The exciting thing was when she choked water, Kartik's panicking was worth enjoying. He patted her back and made her drink water without caring about parents' sitting there.

After dinner, when they sat like some round table meeting, her father clapped his hands together, beaming with excitement.

 "Ab asli baat karle?" he said, "let's discuss the real reason for this dinner"

Sara frowned, her heart picking up speed. The real reason? She exchanged a nervous glance with Kartik, who was now looking equally bewildered.

"Hum sab bohoy dino se soch rahe the but with how busy both of you are, it was hard to find the right moment. Now that we've made arrangements, we wanted to surprise you both with the good news" Kartik's father added.

"Kesi good news? Kis baare main?" Kartik asked.

"Tum dono ke baare main ke baare main" Kartik's mother smiled.

"Humare baare main?" Sara asked

"Making it official kiuki tum dono to apne kaam se fursat nahi loge apne baare main sochne ke liye isiliye" Sara's mother smiled equally.

"Yes," her father continued. "We're arranging your marriage with Kartik. Isn't it wonderful? You two will make a perfect pair!"

Sara remembered her father asking her if she liked someone or not a few days ago which she declined. His eyes saw her and remembered his mother negotiating him about marriage.

Sara's world tilted. Her head spun as the weight of her father's words sank in. Her marriage... to Kartik? The very person she had spent the past year in emotional turmoil over? And now, their parents, blissfully unaware of their complex history, thought it was a perfect match.

Her eyes darted to Kartik, who stood frozen, his expression unreadable but clearly shocked.

Kartik glanced at Sara, and for a brief moment, their eyes locked. In that instant, she could see everything he wasn't saying—the guilt, the frustration, the love he was still trying to bury deep inside.

That's it for today guys. Got a day off between exams and thought to treat you guys a bit. I hope this tiny chap didn't make u upset a lot. Will come back with longer ones very soon.