"Happy Married Life, Shivya Pathak" I weakly smiled seeing my condition, mangalsutra dangling in my neck, vermilion in hair and both hands filled with gold bangles.
"Come out quickly or do you want me to break the gate," my husband knocked again...
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"When did you start smoking cigarettes again?" Ashray asked, glancing at his friend, who was leaning against the tree. "I do, occasionally," Vedant replied without bothering to look at him.
"If your grandparents saw, then my sister-in-law would be a widow soon." Vedant shot him a glare, taking another puff. "Bolna kya hua, Devdas jaise kyun behave kar raha hai?" Ashray pressed, but Vedant remained silent.
Tell me what happened, why are you behaving like Devdas
"Give me one too," Ashray said, his tone shifting from concern to mischief.
Vedant paused, eyeing Ashray with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. "You really want to start this again?" he asked, finally turning to face him.
"Why not? If you're going to do it, might as well share the misery," Ashray replied with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.
"I don't have one," Vedant hesitated, then reluctantly handed over the half-smoked cigarette. "Fine, but don't blame me when you start coughing like an old man."
As he passed it, Ashray accepted it with a grin. "I'll take my chances. Just don't forget, I'm the one who'll have to deal with your grandparents' wrath if they find out."
The air between them shifted as they both stood there, a mix of camaraderie and concern hanging in the balance.
Vedant chuckled softly, the tension easing slightly. "Yeah, well, maybe I should just stick to being a Devdas then."
"Or you could just talk to me about what's going on instead of hiding behind smoke," Ashray suggested, keeping the cigarette between his lips and taking a slow puff. The smoke curled up into the air, mingling with the cool night breeze.
Vedant looked away, his mind swirling with unspoken thoughts that felt heavier than the smoke surrounding them. The silence stretched, thick with tension, but Ashray didn't push him. He understood that sometimes, words were hard to find.
"We were smoking from the same cigarette; our lips probably touched the same spot. Does that mean we kissed?" Ashray teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Vedant's eyes widened in disbelief, and he playfully kicked Ashray's leg. "Bloody rascal, get lost!" he shot back, trying to suppress a smile.
"What??" Ashray shrugged, clearly enjoying the banter. "Remember? This is the same word Ekansh said when we tried a cigarette for the first time. It was such a disaster!"
Vedant couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. He recalled how they had fumbled with the lighter, the coughs that followed their first inhales, and how Ekansh had dramatically declared he would never touch another cigarette again. It was a bonding moment, a rite of passage that felt both silly and significant.
They stood in silence for a moment until Ashray broke it. "I love your wife," he said, and the next second, he found himself being held by his collar while Vedant glared at him.
