Falguni's POV:
Morning arrived too softly for what it carried.
The light on my wall was silver and still, the kind that makes everything look quieter than it is. But downstairs, chaos had already started, relatives moving, utensils clattering, the sound of my name floating up every few minutes.
I sat by the window for a long time before I moved. My phone rested on the side table, black screen, silent, but my thoughts weren't.
Last night's words from Aarush still echoed like a heartbeat I couldn't switch off.
"You could smile for yourself."
"You don't sound convinced."
And then... "Choose yourself."
I kept thinking, what even was choosing myself now? The train had already left the station; I was just sitting inside, pretending I liked the view.
When Maa entered my room, the air smelled of sandalwood and new fabric. She smiled softly, holding my outfit, a grey-silver lehenga threaded with tiny pink embroidered flowers.
"It's elegant," she said proudly, "and Devansh's outfit matches perfectly."
Devansh.
The name felt familiar but distant, like a chapter from someone else's story.
The lehenga shimmered faintly in the morning light as I touched it. The sequins caught on my fingers, soft, delicate, beautiful... and heavy.
Everything about today felt like that.
Maa helped me drape the dupatta, pinning it carefully over my shoulder. "Don't move too much; it's fragile," she said.
I smiled. So am I, I almost replied.
My hair, long and dark, had been styled into loose curls falling over one shoulder. My cousin had insisted on adding a few tiny jasmine buds at the back, "It'll make you look like you're glowing," she said.
I looked into the mirror.
The girl staring back was beautiful, everyone would say so.
The silver of the fabric softened against her skin, the pink threads almost shy in the light.
But her eyes... they looked like they were waiting for something that wouldn't come.
Maybe a message.
Maybe a reason.
Maybe him.
When I finally stepped into the car, my phone was still in my hand. No new messages.
For a second, I wanted to text him- I'm leaving now.
But what would I even expect him to say? Don't go?
Would I listen if he did?
The thought hurt more than I wanted it to.
The car hummed softly as we drove away from the venue. My hands gripped the edge of my seat a little too tightly, and my phone sat on my lap, buzzing quietly with notifications I didn't want to see.
A sudden thought struck me, what if my phone isn't with me for some part of the rituals ? What if someone else picks it up, glances at it, sees a message from... Aarush? Panic bubbled up in my chest, sharp and insistent. I couldn't risk it. Not now.
I stared at his name in my contacts. Just seeing it made my heart twist. He was the one I wanted to hear from, the one I wanted to text the moment I was alone. Yet, the thought of even a single message being seen by someone else made my chest tighten.
My fingers hovered over the screen, shaking slightly, before I pressed "Block Contact."
It felt like a betrayal. My thumb hovered for a heartbeat longer, almost pulling back, almost telling myself I could survive the risk. But my heart forced the decision. Strong. Necessary. Cold.
And just like that, Aarush's name disappeared from my phone.
I exhaled, trying to convince myself I had done the right thing. My chest ached in a quiet, heavy way, I needed him more than ever, yet I had chosen distance for safety, for the rituals, for everything I couldn't control.
Even now, sitting here in the car, I felt the weight of the empty space he left behind, a hollow ache no one could see. Strong heart, I whispered to myself, over and over, as if repetition could make it easier.
The garden near Devansh's house was dressed like a dream, marigolds hanging in soft arcs, fairy lights twined along the trees even in daylight. The air smelled of roses, dust, and fresh beginnings.
Everyone turned when I arrived. Compliments poured in.
"So beautiful,"
"She looks perfect,"
"Such a lovely pair."
Perfect.
That word again.
Devansh looked handsome in his grey silk kurta with a silver stole- the kind of understated, well-groomed look families adore. He smiled when he saw me, a polite, practiced smile.
I returned it.
Because that's what you do.
The rituals began, laughter mixing with the priest's chants. Cameras flashed. Somewhere behind all the noise, I kept hearing Aarush's voice from last night, You sound trapped.
Was I?
No. Yes. Maybe.
The sound of claps, flashes, and murmurs around me blurred into a soft haze. My heart thumped hard in my chest, a mix of excitement and something I couldn't quite name. Devansh held the ring, a delicate, gold ring with a diamond hanging on top that caught the garden lights perfectly.
When he slid it onto my finger, it moved loosely. Not tight enough to feel secure.
No one else noticed. Only he and I did.
Our eyes met for a brief second, his calm, reassuring, mine hesitant, uncertain. He smiled faintly and leaned closer, whispering, "We'll fix it later." I nodded, masking the flutter of unease behind a careful smile.
Because somewhere deep down, I already knew-it wasn't just the ring that didn't fit.
Then it was my turn. My fingers trembled as I lifted his ring, gold and elegant, and slipped it onto his hand. It fit him perfectly. The crowd erupted in cheers and flashes, someone even called my name, but the sounds barely reached me.
The rings gleamed, but something inside me felt unbalanced, as if one part of my heart had settled while the other was still wandering.
I forced a smile and glanced at the crowd, feeling the weight of their eyes, their joy. And yet my thoughts drifted, as they always did, to Aarush, to the quiet corners of my mind where no one could follow.
I closed my eyes for a moment, shutting out the world completely, and whispered to God. "I know this is my path... but help me do right. Help me find peace, even if my heart isn't ready."
My fingers brushed over the ring on my hand, solid and real, but my chest still felt fragile, as if I were balancing on a thin edge. Open eyes, calm expression, everyone watching, but inside, my plea lingered:
God, give me strength. Help me love fully, without losing myself.
The applause began, the photographers leaned forward, and I smiled again for the flash.
My cheeks hurt from pretending.
But in the middle of that noise, I could almost hear him, Aarush- like a whisper tucked between all the claps:
"Choose yourself."
For a heartbeat, I wished I had.
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