Okay okay, I am already so so sorry for updating late, it's been like a month, so sorry it's because my college they rescheduled the exam's date that's why.

Also a very lengthy chapter ahead, above 3000 words as compensation, sorry [joining hands]

My WP is Glitching very bad so there must be many, mistakes (or whatever it called) so sorry, I am trying from one hour and it's glitching again and again so I decided to publish it (aur wait kara ne se aacha hai)

|||HALDI KI SHAAM|||

The warm golden hues of the setting sun bathed the entire courtyard in a radiant glow. Yellow marigold garlands and jasmine flowers adorned every corner, their sweet scents mingling with the aroma of sandalwood and turmeric. Laughter echoed as the soft notes of traditional music played in the background, creating a mesmerizing symphony that encapsulated the joy of the evening.

In the center of this lively scene, Sara sat on the mandap, draped in a yellow lehenga with delicate floral jewelry adorning her wrists and hair. Aditi sat beside her, ever the cheerful sister, teasing her relentlessly, lost in her own world, but trying her best to look normal, giving everyone a very beautiful fake smiles.

She was lost in her world, nervous, she was definitely waiting for groom who didn't show a single sight of him from the morning Pooja, but was she gonna admit this: NO!

Her gaze discreetly swept across the crowd, searching for someone. But to her dismay, Shubman was nowhere to be seen. Scrunching her nose in irritation, she thought

"Gadha kahi ka, jab nahi aana hota hai tab aa jata hai, aur jab aana hota tab nahi aata!", lovely lines for him echoed in her mind while waiting for him.

As some thoughts empted from her mind, again a flood of emotions entered in her mind, from what she was afraid most.

Her grip on her dupatta tighten, she looked down, her gaze on her hands resting on her lap, but her mind else somewhere she didn't knew where.

She didn't see him entering the mandap, she didn't saw his breath hitching when he saw her sitting on the wooden board table,she didn't saw his gaze lingering on her more seconds than usual while walking up to the stage, she didn't saw him taking his gaze off of her as it was most difficult thing to do, she didn't acknowledged him coming to her.

"Hii", Shubman said sliding next to her without turning his face to look at her, trying his best to sound nonchalant but his voice betraying him.

Hearing him she got out of her world and turned to look at her side and saw him sitting next to her.

Her inner self sighed in relief as now she'll not the only one who'll be pierced by the piercing gaze of the people.

"Tumne toh mujhe majboor kar diya yeh sochne mein ki dulhan mein hu ki tum.",she said giving him a very unpleasant look. He turned to her with a very offended look.

"I am still the groom, okay!",he said again turning his face away from her.

Listening him she let out a scoff, "I aM sTiLl tHe gRoOm oKaYhh!",she said mocking him, "Mein dulhan ho kar tumhara pichle aadhe ghante se wait kar rahi hu.", pure sarcasm was dripping from her voice.

"Toh kya shadi is all about dulhan kya, meri bhi eklauti shadi hai bhale hi, forced hai toh kya?",he said thinking he gave the best comeback (maybe he did), her burrows furrowed in offence.

"What did you just said? Meri eklauti shadi, what you mean by this haan, you-", her anger got cut by the pandit ji who called them for doing Pooja.

They got up and went to him for doing the Pooja, after while in the aarti when their turn was done, Rohit and Ritika were doing the Aarti they both stood back clapping their hands in rhythm.

As they saw eachother, he smirked at her and her eyes flared up in anger, she mouthed ,"Narcissist" slowly, now his eyes blazed up, he was about to say something but again pandit ji interrupted saying the Aarti is done.

Before they could respond much, pandit ji said,"there's still some time for starting the ritual, you all can stroll or do some fun.

Ritika glanced at them with teasing smile, "Hmm, you guys should have a stroll together at the garden, afterall aaj ke baad kal tak nahi mil paoge."

They all hooted making them feel embraced (their cheeks were heating up ahh that's secret-a well known secret tho)

Abhishek hooted more loudly (afterall, he's favourite trope, ahh) Shubman glared at him making him go shut.

Shubman turned to look at Sara, leaned slightly and said,"chal", she looked up and nodded and they both went together at the garden strolling alone.

•
In garden, His hands held back walking, and she was walking next to him slowly, her bangles and anklets were making the soothing noices.

There was slightly comfortable silence, which was broken by Shubman as he saw her adoring her mehendi. Her mehendi ahh, thick dark and very beautiful.

"It's looking beautiful.",he said slightly nervous, she shot her eyes up to him, her brows raised in playful manner, "tumhe pasand aayi?",she asked a playful smile tugging on her face.

He rolled his eyes at her and said, "Haan, mehendi pasand aayi sirf, jisne laga rakhi hai vo nahi pasand.", he turned his head again at other side he wasn't able to look at her, god knows why his face flushes whenever he sees her wearing traditional.

Sara tried her best to sound offended, trying hard to suppress her laugh, "haww Shubman that's rude.", he looked at her with done look and she bursted in laughter.

She stopped laughing,
and bend little back to take a look at his hands and said,"Tumhari mehendi ka rang bhi chada chada lag raha hai,kya likha hai?"

He looked at her, his brows furrowing and then brought his hands front to take a look and saw she was right it was dark, he saw her looking at his hands while bending a little so, then he put back his hands back at his pockets hurriedly.

"As if you don't know, ki kis chudail ka naam likha hai.",he said with poker face and she acted offended, while she was not - surprisingly!

There was again silence, she looked at him with corner of her eyes and saw him looking front, she decided to break this silence again with playfulness in her voice.

"Waise....I have heard that if your mehendi colour is dark...then it's means something... I am not able to remember it.", she said trying to look innocent while keeping her finger on her chin to act like she's remembering something.

He looks at her with done face,his cheeks heating up little,"Shut up haan, kuch bhi bolti hai, aur waise bhi I have heard that is something related to bloodcells-"

"Pata hai mujhe, us class mein, main bhi thi."He rolled his eyes on her reply.

Their was again silence, peaceful one? They themselves are confused.

"Kitna aacha hota hum agar abhi bhi college mein hote.",she let out a breath,"na ye shadi ka tension hota."

Then from somewhere gods knows Yash appeared making them startled.,"Shadi toh hoti chahe tabhi, ya fir abhi per hoti, tenth se sunte aa raha hu mein.",he said calmly, a annoying smile (for them) stucked on his face.

"Tu kya kar raha hai, yaha?", Shubman asked after finally getting his heartbeats calm.

"Aap dono ek dusre ka gala na dabado, isliye Cheeku bhaiya aur Nush bhabhi ne bheja hai."

"Abhi toh filhal, tera gala dabane ka maan kar raha hai bol daba du?",she said smiling dangerously, keeping her arms crossed and with raised brows.

His smile dropped as he gulped hard in fear, "Na..nahi.",he said and Shubman laughed in background.

They started walking again in silence, which was interrupted by Shubman now,"Waise teri tenth na?", he asked

Yash again flashed his annoying smile again and said,"Nahi aap dono ki tenth.",he said cheerfully.

They both stopped at their tracks only and turned to look at his face, who have now furred brows with confusion. Further when they tried to ask him, they were called back to the mandap by the family.

•
At the mandap both were seated separately, Shub on the right and Sara on the left side.

According to the ritual, groom has to apply haldi first, then his applied haldi should be applied on the bride.

After the formal haldi application was done, chaos erupted.

Abhishek and Ishan were the first to make their move, their hands full of haldi as they crept towards Shubman. His eyes widened in alarm as he tried to shield his face.

"Dekho, dhang se lagana-samjhe na!" Shubman's voice wavered, but his protests went unheard. Virat and Rohit quickly held him in place while Abhishek and Ishan smeared haldi all over his face.

"Main dulha hoon, gadho!" Shubman shouted, struggling against their grip, but his protests only fueled their laughter.

Meanwhile, on the bride's side, Anushka and Ritika were busy applying haldi to Sara with unmatched enthusiasm. "Aaj toh tumhe hum pura yellow bana kar hi rahenge!" Ritika teased, smearing haldi generously on Sara's cheeks.

Meanwhile, Aditi made her way to Ishan, who was seated on a small stool near the chaos. She had a playful smile on her face, holding a bowl of turmeric paste.

"Ishan, tujhe haldi lagane ka time aa gaya," she said sweetly.

Ishan, already nervous, blushed furiously. "Main theek hoon... haldi ke bina bhi glow kar raha hoon, dekho!"

"Nonsense," Aditi replied, leaning closer. She gently applied the turmeric to his cheek, and the poor guy turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Aditi," Abhishek teased from the side, "zara dheere kar, ladka gir hi na jaye."

The warning came too late. Ishan, flustered by Aditi's proximity, tried to scoot back on the stool but lost his balance. In his panic, he reached out to steady himself-grabbing Abhishek's arm and pulling him down in the process.

"Arey, Ishan!" Abhishek yelped as he tumbled down. Unfortunately, Abhishek's fall set off a domino effect. He landed squarely on Shubman, who was seated beside him, mid-protest against Yash's latest turmeric assault.

"Aur gir gaya dulha," Yash announced dramatically, clutching his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably.

Shubman groaned from under the pile of Ishan and Abhishek. "Tum log mujhe shaadi se pehle maar doge kya?"

Virat walked over, trying to stifle his laughter. "Yeh toh shaadi ka asli glow hai, Shubman. Layers mein aa raha hai!"

Anushka and Ritika joined in, laughing so hard they had to hold on to each other for support. "Poor Sara," Ritika said, wiping tears of laughter. "Iska dulha toh haldi mein hi toot gaya."

Shubman somehow managed to come back to his seat, as they both were laughing, both of them were neither getting up themselves, nor were they allowing him to get up.

After this Shubman and Sara were seated together, as one by one every guest were coming to apply haldi to them.

When the guest were done. Yash and Abhishek again barged into the scene now carrying two massive tubs of water mixed with turmeric.

"Announcement!" Yash yelled, standing on a stool. "Ladies and gentlemen, dulha aur dulhan ki Haldi poori duniya ke sabse special honi chahiye."

Abhishek added, "Aur isliye humne socha, kyun na unhe ekdum peela kar diya jaye. Jaise Pikachu!"

Shubman facepalmed. "Yash, tujhe kisne bola dulha banate waqt comedy show karna zaruri hai?"

"Chup reh, bro," Yash replied, smirking. "Aaj tu bas baith. Baaki hum sambhal lenge."

Without waiting for approval, Yash and Abhishek picked up their tubs and started pouring the turmeric water over Shubman and Sara.

"Arey, RUKO!" Shubman yelled, trying to shield himself as a waterfall of yellow cascaded down his head.

Meanwhile, Sara shrieked. "Yash! Tum sach mein pagal ho! Yeh mere kapde hain, designer ke banaye hue!"

Anushka and Ritika clapped their hands, laughing. "Designer kapde ab designer haldi wale kapde ban gaye, Sara!"

Virat and Rohit joined in, smearing more turmeric on Shubman's face and arms while teasing him mercilessly.

"Dekho Shubman ka glow!" Virat said, holding his chin like a fashion critic. "Yeh ladka toh ek ad mein fit ho sakta hai: 'Glow like a groom in Haldi only with Virat's special recipe!'"

Rohit added, "Aur Sara toh pehle se ready hai. Shubman, tu bhi ready ho ja. Competition tough hai!"

"Competition kaunse angle se tough hai?" Shubman muttered, trying to wipe haldi off his face, only for Yash to dump another handful on his head.

And by the time they were turned all yellow, not only them but everybody.

Amidst the chaos of the Haldi ceremony, Shubman adjusted his kurta, now thoroughly smeared with yellow. Laughter filled the air, a mix of good-natured teasing and chaotic energy.

Across the courtyard, Sara stood slightly away from the crowd, her arms crossed and a neutral expression on her face. She seemed content to stay on the sidelines, observing the madness with a quiet sense of detachment.

Then, their eyes met.

For a moment, the noise around them faded into the background. Sara's gaze, steady and composed, met Shubman's, who looked more exasperated than anything. His brow twitched, his lips parted slightly, as if he was about to say something before deciding against it.

Sara raised her brow subtly, almost like a silent question: "What now?"

Shubman exhaled, his shoulders relaxing slightly, and gave her a small, almost imperceptible nod. His expression softened-not into a smile, but something calmer, something that said, "We'll get through this."

Sara held his gaze for a second longer before looking away, her lips pressing together in what could have been a faint acknowledgment. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

The chaos quickly resumed around them-more laughter, more splashes of yellow-but for that brief moment, they had shared something quiet, something unspoken.

Shubman turned his attention back to the crowd, brushing the haldi from his face. Sara stood still for a moment longer, her thoughts unreadable, before stepping back into the safety of the crowd.

And just like that, the moment was gone.

•
The moonlight seeped through the curtains of Sara's room as she sat cross-legged on her bed, folding her clothes into her suitcase. Her movements were slow, almost mechanical, as though she was trying to distract herself from the ache in her chest. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she blinked them away, refusing to let them fall.

Her phone buzzed beside her, lighting up the dim room. She reached for it, her brows furrowing slightly as she read the message from "Akdu Narcissist"

Mujhe pata hai ki tum nervous ho. Mein bhi hoon per khair chodho vo. Ye Ghar aur vo Ghar alag toh nahi hai, ye toh tumhe pehle se hi pata hai toh..ye bolne se nahi chalega Ik, dekho maine tumse zyada baate nahi ki hai, kiya hai toh bas jhagda. Aur usse itna toh pata hai mujhe ki tum ro rahi hogi kyu?![I know everything] chodho ise meri narcissistic side baar baar wapis aa jati hai.

Toh kaha tha mein...Haan toh bas itna hi kahunga ki tu udas mat ho, tum jitni waha khush utni yaha rahegi, I'll manage to co-ordinate [I'll try my best] aur yaha bhi tumhe sab bohot jyada pyaar karenge[already hi karte hai, mujhse bhi jyada] isliye don't think much about it, ab jo hona hai vo toh hoga hi. Just hear one thing, hame hi un cheezon ko aacha karna hoga, and I promise ki mein tumhare sath rahunga, I know bada alag sound kar raha hu per still.

Mein tumhe mujhe Narcissist bhi kehne dunga
Bas kal apna fake smile mat lagana, warna sab samajh jayenge ki tum mujhe kitna pasand karti ho. Okay ab mein itna hi bol sakta hu, zyada baatein mein kar nahi sakta naaa, toh Good luck, dulhan ji!"

A lump formed in her throat as she read it again. The unexpected tenderness in his words made her heart clench. Before she realized it, a soft, emotional smile crept onto her face. She wiped the corner of her eye and turned to look at her window to see atleast a sight of him from his balcony.

Her breath caught when she saw him.

Shubman stood in his balcony perched casually on the railing, wearing a sehra over his head. The sight was almost comical-his casual clothes clashed hilariously with the ornate headdress. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips as she grabbed her phone and dialed his number.

He picked up on the first ring.

"Tum kya kar rahe ho, Shubman?" she asked, her voice a mix of amusement and disbelief.

"Chup raho, pehle dupatta lo aur sar pe daalo," he replied in a mock-serious tone.

"Ab kyun?" she questioned, raising a brow even though he couldn't see her.

"Pandit ji ne bola tha shaadi tak ek dusre ko dekhna mana hai. Main yahan hoon, aur tum dikh rahi ho mujhe . Toh, please, dupatta pehno," he explained dramatically, though there was a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Shaking her head, Sara reached for a dupatta, draping it loosely over her head. "Theek hai, pehn liya. Ab bolo, kya chahiye?"

There was a moment of silence before he asked, softer this time, "Ab thoda better feel kar rahi ho?"

Her lips curved into a small smile as she replied, "Haan, ab theek lag raha hai."

On the other end, Shubman let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Phew, ab aur kuch bolna nahi padega mujhe!"

Sara chuckled lightly. "Waise tum kya yeh shadi mein pehno ge?"

He cringed his tone turned defensive. "Chii, nahiii yeh Ishan aur Abhay le aaye the, mujhe chidhane ke liye isliye aur abhi is situation mein isse jyada kya hi kaam mein aata."

She laughed at his frustration, shaking her head at the mental image. "Achha hai tum pehen nahi rahe ho shaadi mein, warna mujhe toh sharam aa jati."

"Thank God tum samajhdar ho," he quipped.

A comfortable silence stretched between them for a moment before Sara broke it. "Shubman... thanks."

"Bas theek se so jaana," he replied, his voice quieter now, carrying a warmth she hadn't expected.

They stayed on the line for a few seconds more before he said, "Chalo, ab phone rakho. Pandit ji ko hum dono ne already disappoint kar diya hai."

Sara let out a soft laugh. "Goodnight, Shubman."

"Goodnight, Sara," he replied.

She hung up, placing the phone back on her bedside table. For the first time that night, the tension in her chest eased as she looked out the window once more. The moonlight bathed the empty railing where he had stood moments ago, but his words lingered, leaving her heart a little lighter than before.

Thank God, finally this chapter completed.

Hope you liked it.

Also, ignore the grammatical mistakes.!!

Alsooo, did you guys noticed something'!!