For the haldi, Mounika took out her favorite pastel pink lehenga and blouse and her dupatta. She was really excited to wear it. Sandhya was in her yellow kurti, because she was going to get yellow anyways.

Everyone came and were all in the backyard and were chilling out with the bride-to-be. Even Mounika went and started laughing and goofing around with Sandhya.

The environment was so happy, and Mounika forgot all her tensions with college, Aakarsh, and everything else on the planet. All she had in mind was Sandhya's marriage with Ashwin.

The haldi function started, and everyone came to put some turmeric paste on Sandhya, in the order of importance and the closeness of Sandhya and the people. Everyone came, even their grandma and grandpa, who had stayed with them for a few days by then. And then came the friends, who "scrubbed" her face with turmeric, including Mounika. The elders poured water from a decorated "plate with holes" as Sandhya called it, while the friends got some carbonated water (because champagne was not allowed by the parents) and splashed it on her, and it became the sister game of Tag, Splash.

Everyone was enjoying, and then was the bachelorette of Sandhya, strictly for the friends to enjoy. Since Sandhya was not allowed to see her fiancé, Ashwin didn't come. They were blasting some old and some new dance songs, to which everyone danced to, especially Mounika, who doesn't dance too often but showed everyone that she could dance. Everyone was having a blast. And then was the day Mounika was waiting for, Sandhya's wedding.

Mounika opened her closet and got out her brand new dark green floral dress with a netted dupatta. She took out her pearls choker and matching earrings, her favorites. She looked simple but pretty.

"Sandy, are you going to come or something?"

"Mouni, my braid isn't setting, I can't come so early, it's going to take more time."

Mounika rolled her eyes and said, "Is your braid more important than your wedding?"

"Is the venue more important than me?"

She found out. I really wanted to see the venue. "Hehe, I'll go then," and she escapes.

She set her right leg to the venue and saw the many flowers on the stage. The bar was in a red and white theme, and so was the stage, with red and white flowers surrounding it. It was all so pretty.

"Mounika, where's Sandhya?"

"Her braid and beauty Ashwin."

"Darn, isn't she fine the way she is?"

Mounika started teasing him. "Aha, aww, waiting to see Sandhya after two days? That's so sweet!"

"Oh no..." And Ashwin tried to escape, but Sandhya's friends/cousins and Ashwin's friends/cousins caught him and teased him to death. Among everyone there, there was a familiar face, someone Mounika saw and knew.

That dude. Uday.

He was in shock, just like Mounika was. They looked directly at each other, but broke the gaze so that nobody would see it.

"Wait, Mounika, you go to MIT right? Even my cousin goes there too! Uday, come here!"

He smiles, nervously. "Hi Mounika."

"You guys know each other, Uday?"

"Yeah, Bhaiyya."

Mounika was in shock. So is he supposed to be that relation of mine? Oh shoot!

"Umm, yeah Ashwin, we're in the same class."

They all heard a new, extremely loud voice from the back. "What?" It was Nishita.

Uday whispered to her, "Dude shut up Nishita!"

"She's Mounika?"

"Yeah. Keep quiet."

"She is much prettier in person than the picture you took while stalking her."

Ashwin's mother called him from the back, so he left. "You guys sit down, I'll be back. Mounika, try calling her."

Mounika went to the back of the hall to try calling her, but the call was directly going to voicemail. God, Sandy just pick up your phone idiot.

Meanwhile, Uday was slowly turning red and was on "fire". Nishita was right next to him, trying to make his condition out. "Bhaiyya you are burning!"

"I feel like I'm going to get a fever soon, and the thermometer might explode."

"Dude calm down, you've talked to Mounika, legit last week."

"Still, you'll never understand."

"Fine, I'm going to give you a test," said Nishita, but it was more like a plan to see the fun. "If you have the guts and the love towards Mounika, then go up to her and talk to her, and you guys should be sitting together six minutes after going up to her."

"Why six?"

"Um, my birthdate, remember?"

"Oh right."

"Now stop diverting the topic and go!" Whoops, she found out.

Uday was nervously going towards Mounika, who was severely under tension. Uday looked back at Nishita, who was mouthing, "Go!" He didn't know how to escape, and he had no other option.

"Hi, Mounika."