(A/N: Second update for today. Looks like you guys really like my story. Now this will be the final update before March end. After my boards, I'll again start writing okay? Please bear with the delay for just one month. Sorry for the inconvenience and I hope you guys like this part.)

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"Manik, can you believe it? Tu shaadi karne wala hai! Voh bhi arranged marriage. WOW!" (Manik, can you believe it? You're going to get married! That too, you're going to have an arranged marriage. WOW!) Cabir chuckled hysterically and the others counted Manik's frowns.

"Parents are damn annoying, bro. Trust me. They're very hard to convince and my plans failed miserably. God! This Nandini Murthy, whatever. I hate her man." He spat, as if he meant every word. He set his hair with hair gel and then sprayed some deodorant on.

"Buddy, you don't even know her. Hate kaise?" (How can you hate her?)

"Exactly, pyaar..." (Exactly, love...) Cabir paused to look at Manik and read his expressions. His anger impressed Cabir. "...aur nafrat un logo se hota hai, jinko tum apna lete ho." (...and hate are emotions you feel only for those you possess.) Mukti and Alya pressed their smile. Manik wasn't liking the mess he was stuck in and Cabir was only adding fuel to the fire.

"Cabirrr..."

"Manik, we understand. We all believe in love but if things are destined to happen, they'll happen." Alya added and Manik looked at Mukti for some hope.

"Manik, your parents are in love. They had an arranged marriage. Similarly, you will fall for her and she'll fall for you. Because it's destiny and nobody can change it." Mukti said and Manik rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Enough. Mujhe abhi koi lecture sunne ka koi mood nahi hai. I have to attend my engagement ceremony." (Enough. I'm not in a mood to listen to your lectures. I have to attend my engagement ceremony.) He growled, fixing his tie. He put on his coat and checked himself in the mirror again before stomping out the room helplessly.

***

"Nandu, they're here." Amma called from outside. We were already at the wedding destination and I was getting ready for the ceremony. Everyone in the family was enthusiastic and over the moon for this wedding except the bride.

My room was filled with relatives and cousins, which meant loads of laughter, happiness and fun. How I wished I were like them, carefree and lively.

I was informed that Manik had paced through the corridors but nobody allowed me to even have a glance of him. All the girls from my side were the first to run and peep through the door.

"Wow, Nandu. He's so good looking! Good selection huh?" They peeped further while I was forced to sit for makeup. What the hell! People, I haven't seen the man I'm getting engaged to so please, cut the crap and let me look at him at least. Only if I could tell them that.

Not that I couldn't deny anything because Amma knew I was in love with someone whose name starts with M. She assumed it to be Manik. After all that drama in my life, it would actually be a lot better for me to move on and prove to my best friend that I no longer care. The only concern was if marriage was the right decision.

"Jiju, hi! Aap bahut handsome lag rahe ho." (Brother-in-law, hi! You're looking very handsome.) One of my little cousins, Manvi, approached him. I came to know through my teenage cousins who were drooling over him that he was offended by the word 'look'. He had the pride of being the hottest guy in college. Regardless, he bent down to match her height and smiled.

According to their description, he was a tall, muscular man with stunning features. He was pretty fair, had a stubble, and black gelled hair. The only adjectives I heard over and over were hot and sexy. I could picture through their descriptions a man like Zayn Malik, perhaps. He was apparently dressed in a stunning black tuxedo with a black tie and was accompanied by a few adults and his mother, who looked very young for her age.

"Thank you. You look pretty too." He complimented her and gave her a chocolate. She smiled and fled away excitedly.

"Wow, Manik! Waise, you got that chocolate for your 'ahem-ahem', not to-be-Malhotra of course, hai na?" (By the way, you got that chocolate for your 'ahem-ahem', not to-be-Malhotra of course, right?) Manik turned slowly and dramatically towards Cabir. He gave him a bored look and then grit his teeth together. Cabir chuckled and exited. Manik focused his attention elsewhere. His mother nudged him.

"Manik, don't get carried away. We know you're excited to see her, but relax. It's a ceremony." She said smirking at him and then smiling formally at the people around.

"Mom..." He raised his eyebrows in disbelief and they were interrupted.

"Namaste. Aayiye." (Welcome. Please come.) Amma greeted them and Nyonika smiled. She pulled Manik along with her, despite Manik's protests. Amma led the way to the dressing room while Manik paced behind his mother silently until the two ladies were quite distant.

"Yeh 'namaste' kiske liya tha?" (Who was that 'welcome' for?) He peered through from behind.

"Manik, shut up." Nyonika pulled him to walk faster and Manik turned back, signaling his friends to follow.

"Cabir, do you really think this moron will fall in love?" Mukti put her elbow on his shoulder and looked at him with suspicious eyes. Those two bonded along really well.

"He will. He has to. Otherwise, we'll make him." Cabir said, putting his arm around her and they smirked, chuckling to each other. Manik was taken into another room where he could touch up on his attire. He sat on the couch there, frantically tapping his feet.

"Kaisi life hai yaar! Matlab, abhi abhi jawaani aayi hai aur shaadi. God!" (What a life, man! I just stepped into adulthood and I'm already getting married.) He ran his fingers through his hair while his friends tried suppressing their laugh.

It was pretty amusing to everyone except the two of us. It was such an impromptu marriage. We were making one of the biggest decisions of our lives with people we hadn't met and we were claimed to be in 'love'.

"It's good this way. You'll be strong enough for some action." Cabir dramatically showed his muscles and Manik smiled sarcastically.

"Saale! Your jokes are as cheap as you are. You can do better." (Idiot!) He spat sarcastically. There was no questioning his annoyance and disapproval of the situation. Nyonika came back into the room and adjusted Manik's clothes a little, with motherly affection.

Amma and Appa also entered the room and Manik stood up to greet them and pretend to me the nice 'son-in-law' to-be.

"Manik, Nandini's parents. You must be knowing." Nyonika winked and Manik smiled nervously.

"Uhh-not really. Namaste." He greeted, almost forcefully because of his mother's deadly glares. Nevertheless, he was respectful to people elder than him.

"The ceremony will begin in 20 minutes. Please be ready." Amma said and smiled at Manik. Manik smiled back at her and then watched her exit as she walked into my room. After the coast was clear, he growled loudly.

***

"Stupid wedding. Nahi karna mujhe usse shaadi." (Stupid wedding. I don't want to get married to him.) I complained to myself as I managed to sneak out and see a man similar to how he was described by my cousins, sitting with a zillion girls around in the opposite room. They were all chilling like long lost cousins, who met once in a couple of years for a family wedding. I'd not seen his face yet, but I was apprehensive already. I did judge too quickly.

I propped myself on the chair and closed my eyes as I had eyeliner on. 15 minutes later, I was informed to go to the mandap, the platform where the bride and groom stood over to perform ceremonious rituals. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time, after I was all dolled up and took a deep breath. You can do this, Nandini. You're doing this to move on. Forget everything else.

I looked ethereal honestly. I never thought I'd look that good in lehengas. Lehengas weren't outfits South Indians wore often either. Half sarees are something else, but lehengas... damn! Concentrating on carrying out the outfit without tripping and dying, I left the room carefully, accompanied by a few little kids. It was customary of flower girls and flower boys to be present at white weddings, and the Malhotras made sure this 'wedding' was no less, status-wise. There were many children from Manik's side who accompanied me, especially his toddler niece, Zyrah.

I was told he was already seated on the mandap. I bent and tried to have a glance at him but no. He wouldn't turn only. He was busy chit-chatting with his friends. Dreading the event, I sat on the chair meant for me and finally we looked at each other at the same time, unexpectedly. Finally.

"What the hell?" He muttered under his breath loud enough for me to hear.

"Huh?"

"You are real?" He looked a little surprised, shocked and all the more creeped out. What the actual hell?

"Excuse me?" I made a hysterical expression and he huffed. He was exceptionally rude, alert number one.

"Forget it." He managed to plaster a fake-smile, as cameras clicked. Good, at least he was mature enough to understand the purpose of that marriage. Appa was so happy to see me sitting there, as a bride. I didn't want to disappoint him. I smiled formally and tried to talk to Manik, just to pretend like a couple in love.

We exchanged rings and acted, yes just acted a little informal. We didn't want either of our families questioning us. It would stop the wedding or create chaos, which would appear like something we wanted but Indian weddings don't happen that way. It would also ruin what we were trying to cope with. The guests gave us some gifts and we received them with some gratitude.

Zyrah was overjoyed to be an important part of a family event. She took most of our gifts and began to stack them together and make a tower out of them. After the arrangement collapsed a couple of times, Manik tried to bring her to him but she was having the time of her life and listening to him was the least of her priorities. Typical spoiled toddlers though.

Just then, I saw Madhyam and Navya near the entrance of the hall. They were clearly pacing towards us. It made me feel a little uncomfortable and given the circumstances, things weren't in my favour. Manik, being as oblivious as ever, didn't pay heed to my guests either.

They came up on stage, while I took a step sideways to distance myself from them, accidentally bumping into Manik. He gave me a look, but then thought against saying anything about it. After all, we were going to get married, so bumping was the lowest amount of physical contact that we'd be sharing henceforth.

"Congratulations Nandini." Navya smiled faintly and passed over a gift while Madhyam shook hands formally with Manik and gave him some death stares. Madhyam then shifted to me, making me step away from Manik. Given the fact we didn't know each other's full names properly, he didn't even care. Madhyam then walked without saying a word to me.

"Manik, ja yaar. Baat kar usse." (Manik, go dude. Talk to her.) Cabir nudged Manik and Manik's arm brushed against mine. Manik made apologetic faces and muttered abuses under his breath.

"Cabir, tujhe choddunga nahi. Dekhna." (Cabir, I won't spare you, wait and watch.) He gritted his teeth and threatened.

"Buddy, you are going to have dinner with her. Are you gonna act all stranger-ish in front of your families?" Cabir questioned and Manik looked at me again.

"Honestly, she isn't that bad. I mean, she's gorgeous." He confessed, looking at me stealthily while one of my cousins had come over to whisper something into my ears.

"Oho!" His friends synchronized and teased him. He nudged them as I turned towards the little chaos beside me.

"But that doesn't mean I'm okay with this wedding or whatever." He gritted his teeth and whispered.

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