Pick and Mix

Wedding Blues

Cast:

Anushka as Alizeh.
Ranbir as Ayan.
Fawad as Zayn.

*based off Channa Meriyan attire and ADHM cast*

I slide down, bringing my knees up to my chest. The frantic knocks start up again and I let my head fall against the wooden door with a sigh. "Alizeh! Kol eh darwaya! (Open this door!)" My mother yells at me.

With a mehdi coated hand, I wipe away a slipping tear. Suddenly, I hear her footsteps walking away. "Alizeh, I beg you, just open the door," she says again, her words sounding soft. The words only bring more tears to my eyes.

"She's not in there."

As soon as I hear his smoothing voice, I let out a breath I was holding. My heart starts hammering again and I strain to hear my mother's footsteps. A few seconds later, I hear her saying something. "You're such a good kid," she says, disdain evident in her voice. She was obviously comparing him to me.

Suddenly, I hear someone sliding down onto the floor. I could see it all clearly; Ayan sitting down on the tiled floor as his back lies against the door. Despite the barrier between us, I could swear I felt his heart hammering to escape like mine is.

Another tear slips through my brown eyes and I look up. The mirror stands beside my bed. My bloodshot eyes watch me back. All the makeup applied carefully to my skin had slipped off, washed by my tears. The makeup artists had watched me in disapproval - my bloodshot eyes that lacked sleep was impossible to cover up well.

"Alizeh," he says. His voice is less than a whisper but it still makes my heart flip over. "Everyone is looking for you."

"I don't want to see anyone."

"Please." His voice carries so much emotion and a wave of sadness washes over me. That one single syllable sounds so heartbroken. I wrap my hands around my knees and I hurry my face in the legha.

"Just do it for me -"

"Why do you want me to marry someone else?" My voice stumbles around the sentence. It all comes out too fast, too frantic to be heard yet he still sighs upon hearing them.

"Alizeh."

That's all he says. Two simple syllables. The words sound perfect on his lips as if they were crafted for him to call out. Despite being so in love the way he manages to call my name, my heart shatters slightly.

"He can give you everything I can't," he finally finishes off. A wave of anger gets me rising. I stumble but I manage to get myself on my feet. The legha twirls around as I watch the door filled with anger.

"Can he love me? Can he make me happy? All he can give me is money -"

"And I can't. Alizeh, you deserve so much better. You deserve to be always dressed in jewels fit for a queen, happiness and everything. You deserve your family. If you marry me, they'll never look at you the same."

I open the lock on the door, the sound sending a click through the wall. After that, I don't bother to open the door. Instead, I fall to the ground as tears overrun my emotions. The door swings open and a familiar scent of cologne is happily greeted to me.

His arms wrap themselves around me and I burry my face into his kurtah-claded chest. Ever since I opened the door, the clutter of the mess downstairs could be heard. Music plays loudly, chatter and the scent of food is everywhere.

The chaos downstairs will soon find me here. Here, where I'm burried in the arms of my lover with nowhere else to go. "Mujhe azaad karo. Free me. Take me away from here," I croak. My eyes feel dry after all those tears.

In response, he simply hugs me tighter. The thoughts of the future run through my mind. We could run away. I'll sit in the passenger seat of his open roof car and we'll sing terribly to Bollywood songs. We'll be us - Ayan and Alizeh. Childhood best friends, lovers and horrible singers.

We'll run until they can't even see us anymore. Run. Faster than we've ever had.

For a moment, I let my eyes close and take in the bittersweetness of the moment. I try my best to memorize the way his arms wrap themselves around my body, the way his lips press against my forehead and his familiar scent.

"Alizeh."

The sound snaps me to reality and I look into the doorway. I frantically move away from Ayan and for a moment, Ayan watches me with heartbroken eyes. Zayn stands in the doorway, his eyes watching the scene. From the way his eyes glisten with sadness, I know he was standing there long enough to tell that I didn't love him.

Finally, he takes a long look at Ayan and takes a few steps towards him. In automatic response, I move a hand infront of him. Zayn has this huge anger and I didn't want Ayan to be a victim of it.

His eyes snap to mine and they soften. Either way, he holds out a hand to Ayan. Ayan looks at it carefully and takes it in his. Zayn helps him up to his feet and smiles at him. The smile doesn't quite reach his eyes.

Zayn's eyes downcast onto his own hand and he laughs. "Why do I have this?" he questions, watching the wedding ring with a look of pain. He twists the metal off his finger and holds it out to Ayan.
Ayan's mouth falls agape and Zayn laughs again. His laugh bounces off the wall. Zayn's wedding attire is amazing to look at, the golden threads capturing the all the light in the room. "You deserve it," Zayn nudges.

Finally, Ayan takes the ring. "Why?" he asks, his eyes just as widened as his mouth.

"Because I don't ever want to be a villain in a love story or marry someone who doesn't love me," Zayn admits. His eyes take a glance at me and he puts up a small smile. "No matter how much I love her, you'll always love her more."

Ayan wraps Zayn into a hug. At first, Zayn raises an eyebrow but then he openly embraces him as well. I stand up. For the first time in days, I let a smile appear on my lips and I take another step closer. Ayan has let go of Zayn now.

I wrap my arms around Zayn's torso. His body radiates heat. "Thank you so much," I whisper, leaning my head against his shoulder. I take a step back and he nods. For a moment, I was convinced he had tears in his brown eyes.

Ayan's hand slips into mine and I take a look at him. My eyes do an one over of his features. I take my time doing it despite the fact I know that I'll have the rest of my life to do this.

All I could possibly say is thank you over and over to Zayn. He accepts them all, never letting his facade of a smile slip away as I smile broadly at Ayan.

□

How was the chapter?

The story can end off in three ways:

- Ayan turns out to be evil and is in a gang. In order to save her own life, Alizeh runs away and finds Ayan.
- Ayan and Alizeh happily end up together.
- Zayn turns out be super jealous and kills Ayan. The story becomes Alizeh's journey on how to get revenge.

give me your theories!

Vote?

- Maya.