They Don't Know about Us

Chapter 25 - Highways & Heartbeats

Chapter 25 – Highways and Heartbeats

The morning after the mehndi felt softer than it should have — sunlight filtered through thin curtains, catching the faint glitter left on the floor from last night's chaos. The house was already alive again; trays clinked, laughter echoed from somewhere down the hall, and the smell of chai and ghee-soaked parathas carried through the air.

Riddhima looked through the windows as she made her way to the lounge. Everything looked calm, untouched — as if the night before hadn't happened. But her mind refused to quiet. Every now and then, it dragged her back — the whisper of his voice, the weight of his gaze, the way time had stopped for a second too long. The way they had been together, feeding Anjali kheer, doing the rasam together, as if they were a couple. It all felt so surreal.

Downstairs, the living room was a mosaic of morning chaos. Ananya sat on the couch surrounded by sarees, gift boxes, and her never-ending to-do lists. A few aunties hovered nearby, giving half-hearted opinions no one asked for.

On the carpet, Muskaan and Sneha were assigned the impossible task of assembling party favors together. The haldi and sangeet were to be held in a day and they had to pack more than a thousand boxes, each for both events. If anyone else looked at them, it would seem fine — just two girls working side by side. But Riddhima noticed the details — the tight smiles, the stiff silence, the way they passed things without meeting each other's eyes. They were both only working together because of Anjali – that girl could make stones break in two with how stubborn she was, so them two working together was no big deal.

Ananya, oblivious, kept chatting brightly. "Riddhima, beta!" she called the moment she saw her. "Good, you're up. Come have some breakfast — these girls look like they'll faint before lunch!"

Riddhima smiled politely and walked over. "Good morning, Aunty."

"Morning, sweetheart. You were such a help yesterday after the event. I swear, we'd be lost without you." She took Riddhima in a side hug when she sat next to her on the couch.

Riddhima murmured a soft "thank you". Her eyes flicked briefly toward Anjali, who sat a few seats away, scrolling through her phone — serene as ever, as if she hadn't publicly snapped at Riddhima the night before. Everything she had said to her yesterday had been playing in her mind since last night. Over the years, Anjali had said a lot of things to her, mean things. Yet, the ones from last night did not sit well with her.

The room felt too loud and too quiet all at once. Muskaan's bracelets clinked sharply every time she reached for a favor box; Sneha exhaled just a bit too loudly in response. And over all of it, Riddhima's thoughts hummed with the weight of everything unsaid. Anjali was too busy looking at her pictures from the night before, selecting a few for instagram.

Deciding that the moment was right now, she set down her cup. "Anji, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Anjali blinked up, surprised. "Uh... sure."

"Outside," Riddhima added softly. They slipped away to the smaller sitting area near the garden — the air heavy with the faint scent of jasmine, wind chimes whispering above them. Pale sunlight filtered through the lace curtains, cutting patterns across the marble floor.

For a moment, neither spoke. The air between them held an old, familiar tension — but this time, something about Riddhima's stillness was different. She didn't fidget or lower her eyes; she stood steady, calm in a way that felt almost foreign.

Anjali sighed, folding her arms. "If this is about last night—"

"It is," Riddhima said simply, her tone measured.