On the Brink of falling in Love (On Hold)

"You never have to ask"

~ Mujhe yakeen hai ki mein sirf isiliye janma hoon ki tumse pyaar kar sakun. Aur tum sirf isiliye, ki ek din meri ban jao ~

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"Haaye, my little girl has grown so big today that she's going to soon be married off!", Sushma squeaked as soon as she saw her niece enter her house. Srishti shyly smiled at her aunt's comment and gave her a tight hug, trying to hide her tomato face from the others. Weeks had flown by in a wink of the eye and there she was, in Mumbai, with just two days left for her engagement with Akash.

Though the engagement function was to be held at Akash's house, Sushma and Harsh had ensured that their house was also decorated with lots of flowers and lights, to set up the festive mood. The entire day passed in last minute shopping and decorations. Srishti was left annoyed as she wasn't allowed to help anyone. She was asked to simply rest and enjoy. She freshened up and spent the entire morning texting her friends and Akash.

In the afternoon, Srishti got her hands filled with henna, a sign of prosperity for the bride. Her aunt had arranged a few artists who sat around her and worked on her hands and feet, drawing intricate designs. At the end of it, Srishti was very tired and decided to hit the bed. She woke up in the evening to Vivek's impatient voice.

"What is it Vivek?", she spoke groggily. "Srishti, come. I'll take you out on a ride. We can have some snacks and meet Ishika too"

"Fine, give me five minutes" Srishti spoke in a tired voice as she dragged her feet to the bathroom. She suddenly looked back at her brother who was still near the bed and spoke, "I hope it is your Ishika this time."

Vivek smiled as he heard her comment and shot back, a teasing smirk pasted on his face, "Well, if you had been desperate, then am sorry to break your bubble. It is not "your" Ishika this time."

Srishti blushed at the emphasis of "your". She turned to walk into the bathroom, muttering a loud "Whatever."

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The long drive had been much more fun than Srishti had expected. Ishika was a very sweet and down-to-earth person. The two girls had bonded well, much to Vivek's relief. By the end of the evening, the girls had teamed up against Vivek, Srishti revealing all his embarrassing stories to Ishika. The girls would then crack up into a series of laughs, leaving the poor lad to frown at his own state.

Once they bid bye to Ishika, the brother and sister dropped by the nearby store to get ice-cream home. Once Srishti had completed her 'Ishika-is-amazing' speech, Vivek asked her in a serious tone, "Srishti, are you seriously happy with this alliance? Are you sure about Akash?"

Srishti was not taken aback by his questions. She had somewhere expected such questions from her over-protective brother. She simply smiled and spoke, her voice as confident as ever, "Yes Vivek. Am more than just sure of this. I guess, Akash is the best thing that's going to happen to me."

Vivek simply smiled and nodded as they drove back home. That night, the dining table was occupied for longer than usual as everybody sat, discussing about the engagement and the necessary preparations that were to be done. Srishti smiled inwardly as she saw her family fight over petty decorations and gifts, each one trying to convince the rest with their ideas. She was brought out of her thoughts when she was nudged by Vivek. She looked around to find everyone staring at her blankly. When she raised her eyebrows in question, the others started laughing at her.