The Best Friend of the Bride (COMPLETED)

Chapter one

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Chapter One

Samaira took a deep breath. She shivered at the thought of what she was about to do. Never had she dreamt of doing something like this, and if it wouldn't have been for Aarti's insistence she surely wouldn't have had the courage to stand here at this precise moment. She was up next. It was Aarti's Sangeet function, a pre-wedding party where family and friends have various dance performances, let their hair down and enjoy themselves to the beats of the music.

Samaira wondered why she had conceded to her best friend's request. It's not that she couldn't dance. Just that she felt really conscious to be able to dance in front of a few hundred people, if all eyes were on her. At first glance, one would say she's shy; but once you get to know her, you realise that you harboured a misconception. She was a far cry from being reserved, as others often perceived her to be. Aarti's puppy dog face had convinced her to heed to her request; the same puppy dog face that she was used to giving in to over the years.

So here she was. She had prepared a special rendition as the best friend of the bride. Well, since she was doing it, why not let go of all her inhibitions and make it a performance worth remembering? Aarti would expect a simple dance. But Samaira being Samaira had an enigmatic surprise planned for her. She was definitely going all out. Hell, it's not every day that your best friend gets hitched!

Letting out the breath that she didn't realise she was holding, she made her way to the mammoth stage that was set up in the ostentatious ballroom of the Taj Palace Hotel, Mumbai. Slowly, all the lights in the room dimmed and two spotlights positioned themselves on her, ready to tail her every move. Praying that she wouldn't fumble and make a fool of herself, she slowly started tapping her feet as the music began to play.

She had planned well, chosen songs that depicted Aarti and her fiancée Sagar's love story. She would re-enact the entire six years of their courtship in a matter of twenty minutes. She started her performance with a slow song which spoke of a young girl looking for love. An absolute silence fell in the room as everybody's attention fell on her. With each gesture she made, every click of her bangles, every flick of her tiny wrists, each step her long legs took, the movement of her lips as she sang along and every expression portrayed in her deep brown eyes, the spectators were mesmerised.

As the first song came to an end, another one began, this one speaking of first love. In the background, a slideshow of Aarti's and Sagar's pictures was played which enhanced the beauty of the act. As the songs progressed and the story turned romantic, Karan, Aarti's brother joined Samaira on the stage and together, they enthralled the audience. Their moves were so well synchronised that an onlooker could assume that there was something going on between the two. Nobody could take their eyes off this pair. When the last song ended, they were so close to each other that the proximity was unnerving. The chemistry between them was incessantly growing as the performance progressed and now it was on the verge of explosion.

Realising the awkward situation, Samaira quickly hugged Karan as he bent to kiss her cheek and ran off the stage, blushing profusely. The thunderous applause that reverberated all around did nothing to calm her nerves and resulted in her turning a deeper shade of scarlet.

With her thoughts solely on making a quick escape, she didn't realise when she darted into someone's hard chest. Looking up, her eyes locked with stormy grey ones as the stranger held her strongly, in his arms, stopping her from falling backwards. Never had she seen such an exquisite pair of eyes, full of concern staring down at her. What enamoured her most, she had never seen such a lovely colour on an Indians eyes before.

"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed as she continued to stare into his eyes. The stranger's eyes glinted and he smirked.

"Are you alright, Beautiful?" he asked. He was used to having this effect on people. But something about her eyes kept his trained on them. He couldn't quite figure what it was; he'd have to worry about that later. The smell of her perfume ignited desire deep within him.

Realisation dawned on her. Nodding her head, she muttered a hurried sorry and thanks before running off in the opposite direction than she'd intended to. Thank god her Saree didn't get stuck to the buttons on his suit. That would've been too cliché. She sighed with relief as her heartbeat finally slowed back to normal. Looking around, she spotted a few of her childhood friends and went by to talk to them. Everybody congratulated her on the stellar performance and once again, she flushed automatically.

It was past three am now. For the last few hours, she had been dancing and reconnecting with her friends. It had been a very long evening and all she wished for was the comfort of her soft bed. Scanning her surroundings, she was a little disappointed when she couldn't locate any grey eyes. She hadn't even had the chance to look at his face, as his eyes had grabbed all her attention. She found Aarti and Sagar trapped in an embrace, dancing to the latest Bollywood love song. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. They had been dating for half a dozen years now, but by the way they behaved around each other, one would assume that they had just begun. They really did make a cute couple.

The long flight yesterday and the resulting jet lag had Samaira's body screaming for rest, coupled with the hours of dancing in those goddamn heels all evening. She'd be meeting Aarti the next morning for the Mehendi function anyway, so she saw no need to bid farewell and interrupt her merriment. Aarti would understand. Besides, she was pretty occupied at the moment.

As quickly as her tired feet could carry her, Samaira made her way to the exit and handed the valet the card for her keys. After a brief wait, her Audi A4 arrived and she got in after tipping the valet and thanking him. While fixing the seatbelt, her eyes wandered to the Hotel's posh entrance, where she spotted those spellbinding grey eyes again. Momentarily transfixed, she came back to her senses only when a horn blared behind her.

Driving off, her mind continued its reflection of those strange pair of eyes which had managed to captivate her. When she reached home, she was too exhausted to ponder anymore. After changing out of her outfit into comfortable pajamas and speedily brushing her teeth, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
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Meet Samaira, a 21 year old girl, born and brought up in Mumbai. For the last few years she had been living in the USA, studying and rooming with her elder sister and highly acclaimed model Ankita Khanna, a showstopper for the biggest fashion houses in the world. The sisters were very much alike in beauty and brains, the only things that differentiated them were their age and passion. People often mistook them to be twins. However, while the world of glamour appealed to Ankita, Samaira didn't think much of it, preferring to work hard and study to take over their father's enormous business empire. She was back in India for a week, to attend Aarti's wedding and would be off to New York again as term started after Christmas break.