【Sushant Singh Rajput as Parth Ahuja 】

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Why is it difficult to sit in a car wearing a full-out Indian outfit? 

A salwar or churidaar is manageable, but layers of choli, heels, the frail and the dupatta, with heavy jewelry and bangles is not as easy to slide in the seat. Then, it is also expected that one drives all the way to the destination.

Maahi Kaur was thinking all of this and making her best attempt to not get irritated. Ten more minutes. She convinced herself. Unfortunately for her, the bride's house was an hour drive. Add morning traffic to the mix, and it makes for an easily frustrated person.

The navigator announced, "In one mile, take exit 42B and remain in the left lane."

"Finally." She muttered and started to change from fast lane to middle lane. With half a mile left, she switched over to the exit lane. 

Five minutes later, she pulled up in front of the house. No, scratch that. It could be compared to a mansion, with its grand entryway and four-door garage. Maahi knew that Nikita's parents were both doctors and so they lived in a big house, with quite a lavish lifestyle, but she had never visited. To say, their hometown was the same, but they had met in college two states away. It was the first time Maahi was visiting her house.

Even though the wedding was granted to be a huge debacle and the complete Indian madness, the pre-wedding rituals were open to few close friends and relatives only as Nikita wanted atleast some part of the wedding to be intimate and at the house she grew up in instead of in a banquet hall.

Maahi stepped out of the car and stomped her feet one after the other so the bottom of the outfit was proper. She then leaned inside and grabbed the shoulder clutch before locking the car. Behind her car, another car, a black BMW convertible, pulled up. She couldn't see through the tinted glass, but she reminded herself to put on a smile as she walked up the driveway to the front door.

It was left open and she took the liberty to enter the house. The entryway was empty, and she looked around. She could hear chatters, but couldn't tell how to get there. Neither did she feel comfortable wandering around the place when it was her first time there.

From behind her, a voice called out, "Looking for someone?"

She turned to face the voice and gave a polite smile to the guy in front of her. He was dressed in a dark blue sherwani, but it wasn't the outfit that impressed her. It was his dashing looks. Those deep eyes paired with a faint stubble and sharp jawline yet something playful about his face.

"Hi, you must be Nicki's friend?" When he spoke again, she remembered he had previously asked a question.

She nodded, "Yeah. Maahi. I didn't want to just barge in. Do you know where she is?"

He offered a smile back along with his hand, "Parth." She placed it in his as he commented, "And please, don't be silly."  He nodded her to follow him as he took her through a hallway adorned with photo frames of the family. "Maahi, hmm. Pretty name for a pretty girl."  

She noticed him in a lot of them and assumed he had to a family member. At his attempt to flirt, she was tempted to roll her eyes. She should have known most good-looking guys never left a chance to flirt and act as a douche. 

Seeing she was trying not to cringe, but wasn't as successful, he changed the topic smoothly, "Nicki's talked about you a lot. By the way, if you didn't already figure it out by these photos, I'm her older brother."

Maahi didn't get a chance to respond as Nikita saw her and ran over to give her a tight hug. "Maahi! About time. I'm so glad you made it."

Grinning, having missed her, Maahi too hugged her with as much enthusiasm. "Sorry Nick, traffic."

Nikita pulled back and rolled her eyes, "Ugh, Maahi, atleast don't call me that today." She never did like it when Maahi teased by her calling her Nick. Then, she swatted Parth's arm and spoke in a slang, "And who you calling older?"

Parth rubbed his arm, as if it hurt when Maahi knew that Nikita's swats never hurt. The girl couldn't even hurt a fly. "I am older."

"By fifteen minutes! You may as well be years younger compared to me in maturity."

Parth pulled her cheek, "Whatever, sis. Now, all your friends are here. I'm done with guard duty. Have fun. I'll be in my room."

Just as he was going to take a step away, she grabbed his collar and pulled him back to scold, "Oi, your one and only sister is getting married and you're too busy with your videogames? Shut up and follow us."

Parth grumbled, "Nicky, you can't tell me to attend this haldi and then not even let me flirt with your friends. Do you realize how boring it will be for me?"

"Then you should tell your friends to hurry and get here instead of being lazy asses." She commented, least caring about her brothers' boredom. Hooking her arm with Maahi, she pulled her towards where everyone else was and introduced her to her mother before going out to the backyard where haldi was set up.

Maahi met their other friends, and like Nikita had said, she was the last one from the groups, but she still prided herself in making it to haldi before it began. Speaking of, within minutes, Nikita was seated at her spot and the ceremony began. Her mother was the first, followed by her grandmother and aunts. When it was Parth's turn, he took his revenge by applying a huge chunk of haldi on her face. Maahi, along with others, laughed as Nikita fumed and tried to slap him but he was quick to dodge.

"Mumma, can I?" Nikita asked permission and Mrs. Ahuja laughed, nodding. Nikita spoke, "Girls." Her friends along with Maahi, getting the idea, rushed to grab him and grinning, she scooped a bunch in her fingers and walked in his direction. Understanding what was going to happen to him, he tried to escape.

Maahi held him by his upper arm, "Hurry up, Nikita!"

Parth pouted, "Oh, come on girls, I thought we were friends." Alas, no one listened or released him. He squeezed his eyes shut when Nikita spread the paste over both his cheeks. When he opened his eyes, everyone was laughing at his expense. He glared at his sister, as if to make a silent promise of getting back to her later.

"Aww." Nikita poked his nose with her index finger, resulting in a yellow spot of haldi there as well.

"I hate you." He commented and as the girls released him, he stumbled back. It had been unexpected for him. Thus, he lost his balance. His cheek pressed against Maahi, spreading haldi over to her cheek as well. Parth was going to apologize at first, until he changed his mind and chuckled at her gaping expression. He dipped his hands in the huge bowl of haldi and announced an attack on the girls.

Mrs. Ahuja let them goof around for a few minutes before calling out to stop them so they could continue with the ceremony. Alas, by then, the four girls and Parth had haldi spread all over their faces, arms, and necks.

Maahi, not minding the haldi on her face, was about to go sit back where she had been before when she started to feel the burn. She smelled her fingertips. Rose water. To confirm, she asked, "Aunty, does this have rose water added in it?"

Mrs. Ahuja answered. "Yes, ofcourse."

Nikita muttered, "Oh shit. I totally forgot."

"Why? What's wrong?" Mrs. Ahuja questioned.

Maahi informed, "I'm allergic to certain flowers, roses being one of them."

Nikita apologized, "I'm so sorry, Maahi."

Maahi shook her head, "No, it's okay. I'll wash it off. Where's the washroom?"

Parth offered, "Here, I'll walk you."

Nikita spoke, "I'll come too."

Maahi convinced her otherwise, "It's fine, Nikita. I can manage. It's your wedding ceremonies. You stay."

"You sure?"

Maahi nodded, a final sign of convincing, and then followed Parth back inside the house. He opened the nearest bathroom, which happened to be connected to his room. Maahi was about to turn on the tap to wash her face when he stopped her.

"Wait." He pulled out a tissue from the Kleenex box. "Here, wipe it out first. Hopefully it'll burn less."

"Thanks." She took it and proceeded to do just that. The sensations of the burns were overwhelming and causing her to tear up. "Damn it." She muttered, not wanting to cry in pain. He stepped up to her and with his hands on her shoulders, turned her to face him.

"Here, let me." She hesitated, but he had already taken the tissue back from her. "Close your eyes and try not to think about it."

She tried, but her mind refused to wander. He started to wipe away, using one tissue after another. Amidst it, his finger found its way under her chin. Involuntarily, her eyes flew open and registered their proximity. As a result, a smudge entered her eye and she hissed at the contact.

He chided, "I told you to close your eyes, love."

She listened, but commented as well in a passive attempt to scold him, "Are you really going to flirt while I am having an allergic reaction?"

He let out a soft chuckle, but given how close he was standing to her, she heard it. "Sorry, not one of my best habits." He carefully wiped around her eyes and then returned to her cheeks. "Okay, um, do that thing you girls do with your lips."

She pulled her lips in and he wiped her chin and upper-lip.

"There." He whispered, finishing and she opened her eyes. They met his, and in that one moment, it turned intense. Her breath faltered seeing his face so close to hers, gazing into those dark brown orbs. There was a weird flutter in her stomach. It surprised her, and she took a step back.

Before he could warn her to be careful, her head had already bumped into the wall behind her. "You okay?"

She nodded, "Thanks." She turned towards the sink to splash cold water on her face. Before that, she tied her hair up. After she dried her face and looked in the mirror to see if her skin had turned red, she noticed him staring at her. At first, she was clueless. He looked at her, and tried not to stare at her back. The top was tied back with merely a few strings. Her hair had been covering it all along and until she put it up, probably no one had noticed the scandalous nature of it.

Maahi, looking away from him, untied the knot holding her hair up. She looked back at the mirror and noticed the lack of makeup along with her mascara spreading a little. She reached for the Kleenex box again when he walked towards her. Standing almost right behind her, he opened the top cabinet and pulled out makeup powder.

Revlon. She knew it couldn't be Nikita's. It wasn't her room, and neither would she use that brand. She knew her friend was particular of what she used on her skin and Revlon products were not on her approved list.

To lighten the mood, she spoke, "Let me guess. One of your ex's left it behind?"

"Ex's? What if I only had one?" He teased, not taking offense that she had judged him and assumed based on his flirting.

She grinned, "Then I would say I am not naïve to fall for that." She opened the lid and applied it lightly.

He grinned along. He didn't know her personally, just from Nikita mentioning the name now and again over phone calls. He didn't know what to think of her, but from what he was finding out, he was starting to be impressed. She may look naïve, and stunningly pretty, but she was right. She wasn't naïve. She was smart and quick on her feet. She did not easily blush at his compliment the second they had met like many other girls he would have randomly flirted with.

"Just out of curiosity, how many?"

He said, "Ex-girlfriends? I'd rather not say and spoil my impression." truly not knowing how she would react.

She questioned, not willing to let it go so easily. "Single digit or double?"

"Dangerously single."

"9 then." She guessed and checked. When he didn't deny, she knew. He didn't seem too proud of it based on his expression. She assured him, "Don't worry, it's a lot better than my initial guess."

He started to defend himself. "Hey, I know I flirt a lot, but that doesn't mean I..."

She briefly turned and placed her hand on his chest, "I know, dude. Relax."

Dude? He repeated in his head. No one had quite referred to him as one of his guy friends would. To him, she didn't look like a tomboy either. He knew she had definitely felt the attraction earlier when he had as well. There was no other reason she would have been too quick to move back and put some distance between them.

"So, commitment-phobic?"

He shook his head, "No, I wouldn't say that. Just... haven't found one worth sticking in a relationship for." She remained silent at the answer, fixing her eye makeup. "What about you, babe?" He asked, turning the tables on her.

This time, she didn't hold back on cringing, "Please, flirt all you want but don't call me that word."

"What's so wrong with the word?"

She looked down to close the powder box and return it in the cabinet, "Brings up memories I'd rather forget."

The playful atmosphere had turned serious. "Ex?" He asked, knowing he was treading on thin waters, for they didn't know each other at all.

It was as if she heard the seriousness in his tone. She could tell he was genuinely asking. Her eyes found his through the reflection in the mirror. After gulping, she answered. "Something like that."

He gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. He didn't know why, but it did surprise him that she had atleast one. Unlike other girls, she didn't deny or try to hide that. Usually, he knew Indian girls to want to keep their past relationship in secrecy to escape scrutiny.

She inhaled sharply, pushing aside those memories, and turned to face him. "Anyway, Parth, thank you." She stressed on the words, and then asked, "If you could do one last favor, do you have any anti-allergy pills? Just in case."

"Sure, love." He answered, walking into his room.

She thought to ask as she followed, "You do know my name is Maahi, not love?" mentally counting the number of times he had called her by 'love' and only once as Maahi.

From his dresser, he pulled out a first-aid box. "And? I like the English translation." He casually shrugged as he found the bottle and handed it over. Then, he got a bottle of water from the mini-fridge set in a corner of the room and forwarded it.

After gulping down the pill with water, she thanked him again while she glanced around the room. "The size of your room is ridiculous."

He boasted, "You haven't seen my game room yet."

While laughing, she shook her head, "Oh, I can imagine. Men and their toys." 

She found herself walking towards an arrangement of frames on one of the walls. In one, Nikita was being playfully strangled by Parth as kids. Next to it, the roles were reversed. Nikita was the one with her hands around his neck. In the frame, they looked to be teenagers.

Maahi further smiled at their loving relationship. A brother might be annoying when kids, but growing up, Nikita was definitely having her revenge bossing him around. It was also obvious that Parth didn't mind, despite pretenses. He loved having a sister.

He came to stand next to her, "That was a few weeks before senior prom. I was annoyed that whole week when she made me go shopping with her for 4-5 hours every single day. She must have tried dozens of dresses and finding something or the other wrong with every single one."

Maahi chuckled, "Oh, I can imagine." It happened to be the reason Maahi had stopped going shopping with Nikita. It would be one of her worst nightmares. "It's a nice 'then vs. now' picture."

He nodded, and then let out a sad sigh. "Yeah. I'm going to miss her."

Maahi turned her head in his direction. There was a somber expression on his face, lost in memories. She could very well connect to the emotion. "Yeah, I feel you. It's hard at first to be away from family. I mean, you know, you see them every day growing up, and suddenly, you only see them during birthdays and holidays."

"Speaking from experience, I take it?"

"Yeah." She exhaled and looked away from him, starting to walk towards his desk. "I'm an only child, so I don't know about siblings getting married and moving far from home. But, my parents, yes. My sophomore year in college, they decided to move back to India. It wasn't as bad when I was in university. First Bachelors and then Masters. I had classes, part-time job and friends to keep me busy. Coming back now and living in an empty home... some days are hard."

She looked back up at his, surprised. She didn't even know the guy, and she was pouring out her heart. For some reason, she felt comfortable enough to do that to someone she had just meant. 

She inhaled sharply and plastered a smile on her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes, "Anyway, it's why I've decided to sell the house. Moving away from there should help."

"But you have all your childhood memories there." He pointed out, not understanding how she could sell away their house. He could never imagine moving out his things from his room, or anyone else living in this house he grew up in. To say, it was a house. But to him, it was also a part of him.

"Yeah, but how long am I going to hold myself back? It's time to move on. Besides, a 3-bedroom house is too big for just one person."

He suggested without a second thought, "You could always rent it out. My friend's mother is a realtor. If you want, I can give you her contact information. She finds the cheapest places. She can find you a good deal. You could move into something smaller, but the house still stays with you."

She was starting to see how it could work out. "I'll talk to them, but yeah. That sounds great, thanks."

"Sure."

She pointed towards the door, "We should go back out." He nodded, but stayed in place. "Okay." She said, and started to walk away.

He gently held her back by the wrist. "Hey, love?" She faced him quizzically with her brows raised. With a smirk on his face, he made it known. "You need to give me your number so I could text you her contact info."

"Yeah, right." She felt silly for having thought anything else. He released his hold and pulled out his phone from the pockets of his sherwani. After unlocking, he handed it to her. "It's some way for getting a girls number." She commented, seeing right through his sly method.

He laughed along with her, "Hey, benefits both of us. I get your number. You get to buy your own apartment and rent your house."

"Win-win. Right." She handed his phone back with an innocent smile on her face. He checked it and understood why. She had saved her first name as 'Maahi' and last name as 'Not-Love', as a subtle taunt for the way he kept on calling her by the endearment instead of her name.

"See you around, Maahi." He bid her, purposefully stressing on the name. 

Shaking her head, she left his room and managed to find her way back to the ceremony. Nikita did give her a questioning glance, for the two of them had surely taken a longer time than necessary just to wash out the haldi. 

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【authors note; 】

Hello, everyone! I hope you like this first chapter. No prologue, introduction, etc. Getting straight to it ;) Let me know your thoughts!

If anyone is looking to compare timelines, this chapter takes place one year before Arjun and Sanam meet. There will be a couple more chapters before there will be a leap to when they met again - as the description of the book goes. 

PS: Yes, I do know how Parth & Maahi meet at a wedding just as Arjun & Sanam did. One of the many reasons I have named the series Grooms. ;) Parth & Maahi take it a step further and the next couple I have in mind for the third book will be even more ^_^