"We should get ready," Rohini said, breaking the silence.
I nodded.
Not because I was ready…
but because I didn't want her to notice I wasn't.
The room slowly filled with noise again.
Makeup pouches opened.
Outfits spread across the bed.
Shakshi already complaining about "nothing to wear" even after shopping.
"Just wear whatever you prefer the most ...you will look like a diva in anything u wear..." Rohini winks at Shakshi.
"Bro ! U will never change " Shakshi grinded
Rohini burst out laughing.
For a moment… it felt normal.
Like nothing had changed.
Like he wasn't here.
____________________________________
"Ananya…"
Rohini's voice softened.
"Tu kya pehen rahi hai?"
I looked at the outfit lying quietly on my bed.
A soft yellow suit.
Simple.
Nothing too loud.
"Yeh," I said.
"Simple?" Shakshi raised an eyebrow. "Aaj ke din? Seriously?"
I shrugged.
"Main simple hi theek hoon."
Rohini didn't say anything.
They just looked at me.
Like she knew.
She always knew and Shakshi....
__________________________________
Time passed faster than I expected.
Music started playing downstairs.
Laughter echoed through the villa.
Voices. People. Life.
Everything felt so alive.
And I felt… stuck somewhere in between.
"Chal, ready?" Shakshi asked, adjusting her earrings.
"Hmm," I nodded.
But my fingers were cold.
We walked downstairs together.
Step by step.
With every step, my heartbeat got louder.
Stupid heart.
Why now?
The moment we entered…
Everything was chaos.
Flowers. Lights. Music. People dancing.
Rohini's family everywhere.
"Yaar this looks so pretty!" Shakshi said, already excited.
Rohini was pulled away instantly by her relatives.
Bride duties.
Left behind…
just me.
And my thoughts.
"Ananya."
That voice.
Again.
Soft. Familiar. Dangerous.
I froze.
Slowly… I turned.
Subho.
Standing a few steps away.
Looking at me.
Not smiling this time.
Just… looking.
"Tum… achi lag rahi ho," he said.
Simple words.
But they didn't feel simple.
"Thanks," I replied.
Too fast.
Too careful.
Awkward silence.
God, I hate silence.
___________________________________
"Tum… dance nahi kar rahi?" he asked.
"I don't dance," I said.
He smirked slightly.
"Jhooth."
I frowned. "What?"
"School mein…" he paused, "tum dance karti thi."
My breath caught.
He remembers?
After nineteen years…
He remembers that?
"I stopped," I said quietly.
"Why?"
Because of you.
I didn't say it.
Instead, I smiled.
"Bas… mann nahi karta."
For a second…
It felt like he wanted to ask something more.
But he didn't.
"Chal na, ek dance?" he said suddenly.
My heart dropped.
"Subho—"
"Just one," he said.
"Friends?"
That word.
Friends.
It hit harder than anything.
I hesitated.
Every part of me said no.
But something…
something stupid inside me whispered yes.
"Okay," I said.
And just like that—
I placed my hand in his.
Big mistake.
His touch was warm.
Familiar.
Like nothing had changed.
Like nineteen years didn't exist.
Music got louder.
People disappeared.
And for a moment…
It was just us.
My heart.
His presence.
And everything I tried to forget—
coming back all at once.
Maybe some stories don't end…
They just wait for one moment—
to break you all over again.
~To be continued...