Unknown P.O.V I

"I promise I'll wait for you."

I leaned forward, sinking my head against the tough punching bag, willing the madness to stop, but like a stuck record, those words continued to echo in my mind over and over again, taunting me, reminding me every second, of the deception, the emptiness... the hate that now resides within me. Reminding me that everything I had tried so hard to attain was now completely worthless.

"I promise I'll wait for you." Those unprincipled words echoed again.

I don't know how much more of this I can take! I thought, giving the sturdy bag one last vicious punch before moving to sit on the single black couch that rest in the corner of the quiet gymnasium. I fisted my shaking hands into my dark hair, pulling at it, once again feeling the rage rise within me.

No matter how hard I tried to will those words away, it only managed to sink itself deeper into my soul, along with all the other traitorous memories burned into my psyche. The one sentence that had kept me fighting, kept me motivated was now a meaningless pile of letters, and the one who had uttered those once beautifully potent words failed to comprehend the real significance behind them, rendering it completely useless.

Get over it! My inner voice screamed. She has moved on!

No! She can't do this! I thought, shaking with anger. I won't let her!

Pragya Arora has made a mockery of my love.

Now she will pay...

**********

Unknown P.O.V II

We were scheduled to leave home in a little while and I hadn't even begun to get dressed yet! I had previously taken a bath and was now "modelling" around the room in my favorite blue towel, shaking the remaining water droplets out of my hair. My clothes were already laid out in a neat fashion on my bed, now it was just the matter of finding myself in them.

I hoped my bride wouldn't be too peeved if we were just a tiny bit late.

My bride... I thought with a smile.

She was the kindest, most pure-hearted soul I ever had the good fortune to cross paths with. We had known each other since we were kids and our bond never seemed to fade.

She was like sunshine, so full of light and warmth, and just like the sun, she could burn you to the ground with her scorching temper and quick wit.

There were thousands of words that could be used in description of her, but to put it simply, she was basically a badass with a good heart.

Though her life was no bed of roses, she tried extremely hard to never let her sadness affect anyone but her, and to me that was beyond anything else.

Her family and friends were her everything, yet she never let anyone completely in. When she did share a little about herself, it made you feel like she had told you alot, when in reality she hadn't even begun to scratch the surface.

It killed me to see her hide behind fake smiles, when it was so clear to me that she was hurting.

https://youtu.be/u4k1Qy-BmnM

Sometimes, when she thought no one was paying attention to her, she would drift off into her own little world. The expressions that crossed her face told their own story.

Why did no one else notice her unhappiness? Were they so wrapped up in their own worlds they failed to see through her pretense? Or did she become so skilled at hiding her feelings, everyone thought that was the real her?

Well, I've had enough! She needed to realize that there was more to life than hiding behind her feelings for everyone else's sake. The minute we become husband and wife, her life would be getting a serious make-over.

Time to turn that frown upside down, Gorgeous!

I looked up at the wall clock, realizing that time was running out, thanks to my little trip down memory lane.

Dude! You better get ready before Dadi comes pounding on that door! I thought looking over to where my white and gold sherwani suit lay. How embarrassing would it be to get scolded on your wedding day, and by your grandmother no less!

I hurriedly got dressed and still managed to look totally dashing, as if I'd been getting ready for hours. I guess you could call it one of my superpowers.

Was she ready yet? I wondered, looking around the room for my phone.

It was usually frowned upon for the bride and groom to have any contact whatsoever before the marriage took place, and in this family those rules were strictly enforced...especially by my Dadi, but I decided to leave her a message anyway, hoping she would reply.

I quickly found my phone and began typing...

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

Pragya's P.O.V

"The most beautiful bride in the world."

That was what my teary eyed mother had called me and I could neither agree nor disagree with that statement. I was her daughter, she'd say that no matter what.

Well to be fair, I did clean up pretty good wearing a baby pink and gold lehenga, accessorized by matching make-up, a pinned up hairstyle hidden underneath my overly embroided veil, and a full set of bridal jewellery consisting of earrings, necklace, bangles, hair and nose pieces. My hands and feet were painted to the nines in henna, while my gold shoes sparkled just as brilliantly as the jewellery I wore.

Glancing up at my reflection in the mirror once again, I took a long, deep breath.

This was it.

The final countdown.

One more hour before Pragya Arora becomes Pragya Mehra.

Unlike most brides who suffered from jittery feelings and all round nervousness, I was completely absolved of all that.

I was about to spend a life with my best friend, who loved me unconditionally and would do just about anything for me so what was the need for anxiety?

Together we would live a life filled with love, laughter and happiness, with our family and friends by our side.

The sound of my phone cut through my reflective thoughts, indicating that a message had arrived. I retrieved my phone from the nightstand and a smile crept to my lips as I saw the name of the sender.

Opening it, I began to read.

Hey Gorgeous!

Thinking about me?

I know the elders would throw a fit if they knew we were communicating before our nuptials, but you know I've always had a hard time playing by the rules.

Just wanted to check up on you, make sure you haven't made a run for it.

Can't wait to see you. I'm sure you look absolutely stunning...like always.

Leaving in a while. I am so looking forward to becoming Mr. Pragya Arora. ;)

Love you!

PS. Hope you like the surprise.

This idiot! I thought, as I laughed at his silliness and proceeded to type a reply.

Who will I think of, if not you, my handsome husband-to-be?

Rules were made to be broken.

Dammit! I was actually just about to climb down the ladder outside this window, but you caught me in time. Oh well, guess you're stuck with me now.

I'm all dressed and waiting. Don't take too long else I'll marry the first eligible bachelor seated out there.

Mr. Pragya Arora, it has a nice ring to it lol... I will let everyone know you are changing your name instead of me. XD

What surprise? It better not be one of your glitter bombs, else I might have to spend our wedding night tying you to a railway track!

A knock on the door came while I was typing his reply.

That must be my surprise, I thought, curiously wanting to know exactly what he had gone through all this trouble to send.

"Come in!" I called and turned to complete the rest of my message.

"Flowers for the bride." A deep voice spoke.

Flowers? I thought, as my head shot up in surprise.

He would never send me flowers.

He knew how much I hated them.

But before I could turn around to take a look at my visitor, a hand containing a piece of cloth was clamped over my mouth and then after a futile struggle, I was submerged into darkness.

**********

Hi All!

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The next update will be on the 29th by the person in the dedication above.

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Till then...take care.

-trisha (WackyWriters)