CHAPTER 1 BEAUTIFUL ACCIDENT

Randeep's Pov

We were waiting for the priest to get us married, I just want to get over with its five in the morning and I'm tired as hell. Director sir is also annoyed and is shouting at every person on set, currently at my co-actor Ashi, and if he says one more word I swear I will rip his head apart no matter if I'm a jobless person, then I hear him "Ashi, bloody focus looks like-" I interrupt him before I kill him for shouting at a girl "sir, we can do this in next shift" I shout at him, and he flinches slightly sacred of my mood, I internally smirk. Poor girl was just completing her assignment in her makeup room before shoot, she looks pale already making that artificial blush on her prominent, I know she is also exhausted, yet is trying to keep up.

"we cannot we are already behind schedule, if we delay more, we wont have our jobs to do anything" he rubs his forehead "just few more things, another hour and we will be done, if we can arrange any other priest."

I can tell he is also exhausted, I am currently in Goregao east, film city, Mumbai, where Yeh Un Dino Ki Baat Hai my current projects set is based, we are shooting for main leads - Sameer and Naina - wedding, only holy rounds and rituals are left, it is last and obviously main part of Indian wedding, but the actor playing priest has cancelled and staff is looking for any other actor.

I look at my elder brother - Mrinal Rai - smiling at his surroundings, he has for the first time visited my set today, to witness shoot of typical 90s era marriage, he looks amazed and happy, he is a businessman, who along with my father - Anil Rai - runs a successful textile enterprise in Jhansi my hometown, he is visiting me as he came to finalize his own house in Mumbai.

I turn, to find a boy, whom I recognize as Rajat - one of the spot boys, walking with a man in priest costume, finally now our shift can end, now that we can start shooting, I turn back to my director "sir, Rajat brought the priest, now we can start". He turns to Rajat who is taking long rushed strides towards us.

Soon shoot begins and everything is going good so far, only rounds and vermillion filling ceremony to go, we - my co actor, Ashi and I - start walking around the fire, 1 - 2 - 3, I hear priest saying, "now girl will be ahead of groom" and we switch our positions, ashi in front of me, and start again, but wait this is 2nd or 3rd round ?, I still keeping rounding along with her, and after 2 we hear our director - Jaladh Sharma - saying "Randeep smile, last round", and I plaster my smile, getting back in character when Ashi, I mean Naina smiles at me and I wink at her which she returns but it made something in my heart flutter.

I am weird today, from the moment I have seen her in bridal attire, I cant take my eyes off her, from past month, this wedding sequence shoot has made my mind fussy, and also I am not keeping well maybe thats why, what else can it be, not attraction or infatuation, I have a strict policy of 'dating my co-actors - not' so definitely it cannot be that.

I hear "cut", and I am back on earth, all clap as director says "perfect shot", relief so evident on his face, but then I notice panic and slight frown on my brothers face, before I can comprehend, he says "Randeep why didnt you stop? It was 5th round", a chill runs down my spine as words register in my mind, 5th ? that means but .... how..., everyone else was counting werent they? Also our director was there. I look at him and answer trying to form words "I - I lost the count, I was waiting for him to say cut" I look at my director, who has horror on his own face.

"I was immersed in shot and didnt count", he says in shaky voice

I turn to see Ashi standing there, still as a statue; she looks scared and shocked at the same time. For solid 20 minutes we all were just standing there looking at each others faces. Soon I find myself sitting beside Ashi who has moist eyes, as we all wait for our producers to reach set, I dont know when they were informed or how am I sitting here, all I can see is the girl who will probably pass out any moment now, I wait for few moments but she shows no such signs, she just looks around at everyone, and I dont know why seeing her like this my heart clenches. A moment later, I see a man and woman walking - to the aisle - where we currently are, they are our producers - Sashi and Sumeet Mittal - worry etched on their faces.

They are the most considerate people I met in this industry, they are always warm to us, this project is their story, they experienced everything in their reality which we portray onscreen, as they near us, Sashi maam is first to speak, "Jaladh, how can this happen on your watch? How come you didnt notice, you think this is a joke, they could have been married?....."

Wait, could have been, what does she mean? Im not.....? Were not.....?

"they already are, this priest was enchanting actual spells" Jaladh sir replies in guilty tone "Rajat, the spot boy brought a real priest".

"what do you mean?" Sumeet sir asks calmly

Before he could answer I interrupt, "Ayesha, take ashi back to her makeup room please, she is tired". I'll be honest, I was observing her the whole time and she is becoming even more worried as the conversation about OUR marriage is going on, and I cant bear to see her like this so its better if she stays away from this.

Ayesha, Ashis onscreen cousin, takes her away, I see Ayesha taking her with Kristina, her onscreen best friend and Madhushree her onscreen following. They are all friends and care about each other, anyone can tell, I see tears freely falling on her right cheek as she is being taken away.

I turn my attention back to others, I am way more relieved sending her away, my mind is functioning and Im really out of shock, in a manner of saying

"but everything was fake, how?", Sumeet sir continues in disbelief

"mister, I am a real priest, I had to get a couple married so I took lift from one of your collogues, then this man came to me saying, bride and groom are waiting for me, so I followed him, these days weddings are lavish so I didnt think this could be a shoot of some daily soap" he pointed at Rajat, and we all turn to him

"we were in a rush so I didnt check thinking he is the actor we called for" his voice small.

"now what?" Sashi maam asks

"now we will finish shoot as maybe we are married but shoot was halted, so we complete it" I say confidently. I know I must sound crazy, and honestly I don't know but I still want to shoot and complete my job, all complied to my surprise and I dont know why they did so, but maybe they are thinking I have lost a few screws or I'm traumatic but at the moment I don't care.

After the rituals of departure of bride are also completed, finally our shift has ended and I cannot say, I am done as things have just started and I have feeling this is not ending anytime soon, oh the irony, I wanted to end this and suddenly something even more disastrous has started.

Next we all, Sashi maam Sumeet sir and Jaladh sir along with my brother, go to seats placed nearby the aisle, to discuss 'this' further, and believe me when I say I have no idea about what. As all of us are seated, Sumeet sir asks me "what do you want to do now?" and I have no idea what is he talking about.

"what does that even mean, you expect them to stay married what are you saying Sumeet? Obviously we have to find a way out and soon on that" Sashi maam answers and she has my vote on that so I just nod, but this talk goes on and on, countering and weighing pros and cons of every solution, my head has started hurting and if this doesnt stop maybe my head will explode, but thankfully it does when Sashi maam says the final words "it is the mistake of the unit hence our responsibility, so we will compensate both you and Ashi, and also your divorce will be applied and taken care of by us" I sigh in contentment.

"Thank you" I say "we have to tell ashi about this" I feel a slight uneasiness as to how she will react when I tell her

"yes, we should, lets go" to her she says

"no I'll be here, its better for us to not face each other now"

"I'll just go to inform her", a sympathetic smile on her face, with that she leaves, and Sumeet sir comes to me "you should go and change Randeep, have some rest, itll all end soon" his voice held warmth but rest is nowhere near me as I all can see is eyes with tears and a face holding fear, her face. It is her I want to see at the moment and make sure she is alright.

In case you still havent figured out, according to Indian custom a man and woman are considered married after only 5 rounds of the sacred fire element and thus united in a bond of vows called marriage, so we all lost the count except for my brother who kept his mouth shut and let me take 5 whole rounds and get actually married to ashi, yes in REAL LIFE, so Im a married man now and ashi is my wife also I completed the other rituals as well, also to add further to your knowledge, I was not in any relationship, until now. But it still doesnt set right with me, I was in shock but now Im fine as if nothing happened, keyword here is was and question is why?

Well Im 26, to be of 27 this june, maybe thats the reason, I have to handle this situation and I know I can but how will my 21 year co-actor take it?

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Ashis makeup room:-

Ayesha and others were trying to console a profusely crying and now a sniffing ashi. Madhushree took her hands in her own and said "its not your fault ashi, look at me" slowly ashi eyes lifted to make contact with madhushrees and she continued "you didnt do it purposely, so you dont worry you will go out and live just as you were doing yesterday or any other day".

"Also Randeep and others are out, they will make a way out of it" Kristina said next. As his name came up ashi was alert, the realization hit her, again - he was her husband.

"Randeep ? How is he? Please go and see, what is going on?" she was worried for herself but also for him, he was also dragged into this, his mother also was looking for suitable bride for him as rumors said.

Just as ashi was babbling about, sashi entered the room, everything went quiet, slowly sashi approached ashi and sat in front of her and asked 'how was she' to which she replied by nodding, then sashi went on to explaining their agreed solution and asked, "so is it okay with you? Or you need something else, dear?"

Ashis hands were cold, she was slightly shivering then hesitantly asked "what do I tell mumma papa? All this how do I .. ?" this left sashi speechless for a moment she knew and understood Ashi's condition for she too came from a typical Indian family, this was huge for a girls family, then she composed herself and said "we'll talk to them, dont worry". Squeezing ashis hand and warmly smiling at her she left the room.

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I I will appreciate your thoughts and also if no. Of views and comments are same. Do tell me even if u r against it. Also this story will go by randeep's pov entirely and of you haven't figured after pov info readers should know is there after chapter love you all
Yours lovely sakshi
And this will be separate, soulmates will be left untouched