"You can't come here" I whisper yell to Kiyansh on the phone.

"As if anyone's going to stop me." He answers complacently.

"Kiyansh.... Nani is going to be there." I take her name , hoping he would be threatened by her.

"Look." He sighs. "I....I promised you when we were kids. I promised you that I would be there whenever you will feel nervous. And I know you, you must be on high of nerves and I just want to be there. Like atleast for today."

Every voice coming from downstairs subdues and all I can hear is just him breathing from the other side of the phone.

"You won't take no for answer." I say more as a statement than an answer.

"No" he says indomitably.

"You.....you... are an idiot" and my best friend and I also want to kiss you and just like cling to you for the rest of my life, although I don't say this out loud.

"Let me see you first okay? Passage 109?"

I laugh, my heart melting like ice cubes in warm weather. "You still remember it?" Passage 109 is the name of  back of my yard near a big beak tree.

"Yeah now come downstairs" I can hear him smiling.

"You are already here?" I stand abruptly and move left and right pronto.

"I am waiting" he says and cuts the call.

I start to formulate the plan in my head. The power to renegade authorities have always been my forte. You are behaving like it's a heist Shanvi.

Let's get the game on.

I dodge out of the bedroom seeing left and right. Hallway- clear.

I just have to take the backyard stairs and pray there isn't someone. But the backyard stairs goes from Ayan's room.

I wince as I knock on his room.

The door clicks open with his grinning face. "Missing me?" He winks at me. "Oh oh someone's looking beautiful." He says sizing me up and down.

"Stop being a pervert and let me through your room I have to be somewhere." I hiss and shove him aside.

"How defiant," he prants on "your Nani would be so amused to find you in another man's room just before the ceremony. "

I pick his sprawled pink Kurta up from the bed and throw it on his face, as I move to the balcony door. "Get dressed and be prepared to cover me up if someone asks about me."

"What cover?" He says voice muffled from trying to get into the Kurta. "What are you doing?"

"Don't ask questions and just cover up okay?" I say crossing the threshold and opening the lock of iron stairs that descend to the backyard.

"You are an arse." Ayan shouts as I start walking down towards the passage 109.

**

I find him standing under our beak tree. His patched pocket mustard kurta threw light on him like he was some knightley prince. I almost topple over as his brown eyes meets mine and a dimple comes over his face.

"What are you doing here?" I whisper, taking his arm and pushing us back into the shade of tree.

"To meet my best friend." He was still smiling.

"Kiyansh." I chastise. "Can you follow the traditions once in your life?"

"No." He says grinning. And then the grin disappears from his face, "How are you doing?"

"I am doing okay. We were together two hours before. Why you asking?" I ask.

"We were, but two hours before, you weren't engulfed with numerous amount of people in your home."

I heave out a breath as something trickles inside my chest. "How did you-Okay, I am okay."

He takes my hand. "Everything's fine with your mother?"

I nod my head, my fingers aching to touch his face, my chest trampling. "Yeah, she's really making efforts, I think, I think we are getting fine."

"Okay good." He smiles. "No freaking out?"

"No freaking out." I confirm.

We stay silent under the tree for minutes as we look at each other. His fingers move on my hand, my move over his, without even knowing we fall into a rhythm of breathing, and I feel my nerves dissipate.

"We'll be okay." He whispers.

"We'll be okay." I repeat.

He smiles and touches my forehead with his.

And then I say, "Nani would be delighted to meet you."

He groans and steps away from me.

And I giggle, clutching my stomach.

Whoop. Whoop. A voice sounds up above from the balcony.

"What is that?" Kiyansh asks peeking up from under the tree.

I push him back. "That is my signal to go. See you later, bye." I start to move forward and a hand grabs me and pushes me back.

I lose my breath as my steps stagger and I wallop against Kiyansh's chest. His hand covers mine, as his lips moves on top of my ears, raising goosebumps on my flesh. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

I close my eyes. "Kiyansh.."

"No you don't have to say anything." He kisses my earlobe. "Go, they are waiting for you."

"Kiyansh." I turn in his arms and look into his soft brown eyes. How lucky I can be?

He smiles and touches the pendant he gave me. "Just remember I am here if you feel the panice get at you okay?

I nod wobbly.

His warm lips touch my forehead and he lets me go.

*****************************

The whole wooden staircase is decorated in yellow coneflowers and white tulips when I reach the end of the hallway. The living room downstairs buzzing with people from all around the world.

"Nervous?" Prisha asks from beside me.

I think of Kiyansh's face under the beak tree, and smile, "Just a little."

Kritika takes my other arm. "Let's go then." She waves to Ayan and Rohit who stick their tongues out at us from downstairs holding the Haldi plates.

"Okay." I exhale.

Chatter stops as we stop at the bottom of stairs.

Rohit and Ayan join our group, and Nani from the throng of people narrows her eyes at them.

"Looks like your Nani is going to murder us." Ayan says under his breath and I burst out in a soft laugh.

"I am so glad to have you all here." I say to my friends, and they all at once leave my side and face me in half a circle.

And then Rohit and Ayan and Kritika and Prisha scream, "This is for you." And the stereo blasts in our living room.