"𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔? 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓?"
••••
"Only five months. Five months into this marriage, and we'll part ways."
"You're-you're joking, righ...
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Finally, she was married. The feeling was strange yet deeply wholesome—a blend of excitement, nerves, and disbelief.
Was this how marriage was supposed to feel? The thought made her almost laugh at herself.
It felt surreal.
During the vidai, she hadn’t even cried. She had always imagined herself shedding a few tears no matter what, but they never came. Maybe it was because, deep down, she felt ready for this step.
Yet, despite the calmness she projected, a pang of longing lingered—she missed Amara terribly. Her best friend. They had spoken on the phone earlier, but the ache of not having Amara by her side was persistent.
And then suddenly her cheeks flushed without warning. Why was she blushing? It felt silly, yet inevitable. She knew what tonight symbolized,it was their wedding night, and the thought was both thrilling and intimidating. Was she ready?
The idea of sharing her life, her heart, and her every moment with her Ansh ji sent a fresh wave of butterflies fluttering through her chest.
Perhaps she was already halfway in love with him—or was she falling in love at that very moment?
She glanced around the room, her nerves bubbling as she wondered where he was. He should have been here by now, she thought, feeling the minutes drag on. Her mind raced with questions. Was he nervous too? Did he need time, like her, to let everything sink in?
Just as her thoughts began to spiral, the soft click of the doorknob turning broke her reverie. Her heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t seated on the bed in the traditional way, veil pulled over her face. Instead, she sat on the sofa in her wedding attire, nervously clutching the gift she had picked for him the day before.
She wanted their first real moment together to feel genuine. When he stepped inside, her face lit up with a bright smile. But her joy faltered as she noticed he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
He seemed distant.Strange.
Determined to understand, she reached out, her fingers gently brushing his bicep.
"Ansh ji, are you okay? Is something bothering you?" she asked softly.
He shook his head, his hand lightly brushing hers away. The tenderness of his gesture only made the distance between them feel sharper. A faint frown creased her brow, but she told herself not to overthink it. Perhaps he was just as nervous as she was, struggling to find the right words or unsure of where to start.
"Nothing. We should change and then go to sleep" he said, his voice carrying an unfamiliar edge.
It wasn’t the tone she knew—the warm, reassuring tone that had always been her comfort. Something was wrong. Unease began to settle in her chest, but she reminded herself of who he was to her.
