Ae dil hain mushkil - shivika ff

2.The Mask Man

Anika's POV:

I looked at the girl before me. She wasn’t the girl I knew years ago. She was totally transformed. She slowly trained plastering a fake smile over her face while holding a dozen scars inside her. She had faced and struggled with her battles.

And finally she had learnt supressing her pain beneath her smile as if she was alright. And I was proud that she grasped it so early because happiness was never meant for her. Never. I inhaled deeply and the girl did the same.

I wore a pink Georgette saree for a sequined dark blue blouse with a minimal make up on, just perfect for the occasion. Yet I felt imperfect.

The ‘missing piece' clicked my mind when I scanned myself in the mirror  again. I sighed, pulling out the stone studded sindhoor box from my desk, before putting a pinch of it in my hairline. That completed me.

I had started doing the ‘married woman’ things again for my little girl. Because she had a million dollar question 'Why wasn’t her mom wearing them? While she had seen her friends mothers wearing mangalsutra and sindhoor.

I somehow escaped the situation saying that I had forgotten. Because I can’t tell her exactly what was between me and her dad. She was too little to handle this.

I turned around and stared at her, her face so quiet and calm. She was the only one I have in this huge world. The only one with whom I could live not bothering about my sorrows. She was the only reason of my existence here.

Suddenly, Karthik’s voice boomed in the whole mansion which pulled me out of this never ending thoughts. I quickly kissed her and ran out of the room.

As I reached, I saw Mom and Dad already waiting in the car for me.

“Kitna der lagati yaar?” Karthik said impatiently, his engine roaring.

“Sorry,” I said, sliding into the passenger seat beside him. “Let’s go”
..................................

As soon as we reached the venue, my mouth fell open and my eyes widened at that breath taking sight. I was rooted at the entrance grasping every inch of the beauty. It was all decorated with roses, tulips and lavenders.

There were hundreds of lamps hanging from the ceiling illuminating the centre of the stage.  That was where we would soon dance with our bride and groom. It just appeared as a fairy land. I never imagined I could see something like this in my life.

Sweet music hit my ears when I slowly took my steps. Nandu would surely love this. Why not! Every girl would certainly dream for such a moment in her life. It’s just that you should find a guy who could make your dreams come true.

My heart swelled when Nandu hugged Karthik and thanked him a million times for this amazing surprise.

Behind the stage, there was a big banner on which “Karthik Weds Nandini” was scribbled. I was so glad that they were together. They were meant to be.

Suddenly I went back to the days when I had done all these rituals for my wedding. There were the few days of my life, I lived happily. After that major misunderstanding between us, I felt fortunate only when I first touched my baby, when I first kissed her.

My stomach churned and I felt nauseating at the mere remembrance  of the past. My eyes prickled and I comforted myself. I don’t want to think about this anymore.

I glanced around when I sensed someone’s gaze on me and found Karthik staring at me. He raised his eyebrows with a 'what-happened' expression. I shook my head vigorously and ran up to them.