"So Bhai...did you find your wallet at last?" Rudra asks with face etching concern before Rohan, his cousin is cackling up, "Or did you forget it at the pharmacist?"

Veer rolls his eyes without replying. If he opens his mouth now, he'll explode. He looks around the sea of people. All this decorations, guests, this whole situation suffocates him. Something burns inside him thinking how he imagined of all this to happen one day but never like this. Never with this girl. Wedding, reception...new beginning all of these he wanted with someone else. Never did he imagine that dream would shutter like this in reality. He dreamt of a marriage of love with the person he loves but here he is, in the middle of a circus, bound with a girl who has no clue of the world or how he's feeling inside. A girl he could never love. Never.

'You're just afraid that your love for that girl will be proved fickle!'

Veer's fists clench as his mind reels back to the last conversation he had with his grandparents before the wedding-

"You guys are nuts if you think I'll marry whoever you shove at me!!" He slammed his hand on the centre table in his grandparents' room.

"Yeah? Then where's the girl that you want to marry? Oh right, she's already ditched you showing you her little thumb, didn't she?" Veer's grandfather's snide remarks came like a knife of sharp ice.

"Singhania sahab!" Veer's grandma admonished her husband looking displeased but Bharat Singhania wasn't having it.

"What? Am I lying?" He held his chin up, "Ask your Ladla who is he mourning for? Ask him is it really worth it ruining himself for someone who doesn't care even a bit about him?"

"Dadaji..." Veer's shakes his head warning his grandfather with red rimmed eyes, "Don't go there."

"She is gone!" Bharat Singhania thundered, "She left you for a better life, better opportunities. Life is not that easy, young man! It's time you understand it too and do what's good for you!"

"And according to you, what's the good thing for me, huh?" Veer sneered, "Getting married to someone you chose? Someone I could never accept? You think you really can control me using someone like this, huh?"

"No one wants to control you, sweetpie!" Veer grandmother came to stand beside him and cupped his face in her both palms affectionately.

"I know that you're hurting. Your pain is valid but..." Her eyes shining with moistened tear as she says lovingly, "Trust me! This will be the best thing that would happen to you! You're going to have such a someone in your life who knows how to find gold into the mud. Someone who doesn't hold grudges. She's as pure as the lotus offered to the goddess. Trust me, she'll make your life so much better...so much worth living!"

"You don't know that. I could never-" When Veer shook his head, his dadi smiled whispering, "Sweetpie... you'll love her."

"That's what he fears, Patralekha!" Veer grandfather sneered staring at him mockingly, "huh! He's just a coward who fears what you just told him will be proved right!" He glared at Veer, "You're just afraid that your love for that girl will be proved fickle just like hers was and you're too uptight to face it!"

"Shut up!" Veer growled; his eyes glistening, "You don't know what you're talking about dadaji! You don't know what we had! What I've been through!"

"I know exactly what I'm talking about!" Bharat Singhania roared striking his walking stick on the ground, "Love, heh! What your generation understand as Love is nothing but empty words. Love isn't everything in life, young man! Stop fooling yourself! You're too proud to start fresh letting go of the past, huh? Then let me tell you boy, what you're feeling right now isn't love but self-pity! And you don't want to give this marriage a shot because you know that your hypocrisy will come off if you do so!"

"Don't listen to him! I know how much you loved Anu." Veer's grandmother turned Veer's face towards her, "Loving someone isn't wrong, Sweetpie! But destroying yourself in someone's love is! True love teaches you how to build, not how to destruct. And trust me, sweetpie..." She looked at Veer encouragingly, "Love can happen more that once. And life becomes much more meaningful when it happens with the right person. You'll understand when you experience it. Trust this old gramma on this!"

"Humph! I told Akki not to let you watch so much cliche movies! Look at these cringe dialogues now!!" Bharat Singhania grimaced making at face of disgust to which Patralekha Devi grimaced back mouthing, "Unromantic hag!"

Veer exhaled in frustration before looking at both his grandparents and grits out, "You think this marriage will change the whole trajectory of my life? That I'll become a whole new man just because of someone "You think" as right for me? Fine!" He runs his finger through his hair breathing in and out harshly, "I'll go through this wedding, live this sham of a marriage and prove you both wrong! No one and I say No One will ever make a change in my life, let alone in My heart!"

Veer didn't even see Bani properly before their wedding. He didn't feel the urge or need. Not when she came to India. Not when they fixed the marriage with her. All he knew was that one of their family friends have come to visit from abroad and one day his grandfather and dad called him saying that they want him to get married to this girl. He doesn't know what made her say yes to this marriage. However the hatred in his heart doesn't let him ponder on this matter either. All he's to do is bear through this trouble for just few more days. When he shows his true self, the girl will run from here herself. He will make sure she does.

Veer looks at Bani who's sitting in the centre of the hall where guests are coming up to give her gifts for 'Muh dikhai'. The girl is receiving those gifts with wonder in her eyes. That big smile on her face irks something inside him.

When Veer's dadi comes up to hand Bani a gift pack she looks at her wide eyed and mutters, "But you've already seen my face yesterday, day before yesterday and today this morning. Why are you giving me 'muh dikhai'?"

Veer rolls his eyes when everyone present there laughs hearing Bani. Dadi laughs indignantly kissing Bani's face while Dada ji says mischievously, "Silly girl. Why are you pointing that out. Pretend like you didn't recognise her and take the gift. Why miss the opportunity to bag a gift from this old lady!"

While Patralekha Devi makes a ridiculous face at her husband, Bani's smile widens as she looks at dadi beguilingly and says, "Why would I do that, Grammy... You've showered me with so much love just in this few days, that my whole will get spent basking in it. You don't need to give me anything else at all."

Patralekha Devi couldn't help but coo at her granddaughter in-law. She insistently makes Bani take the gift pack. Just then one of Veer's distant aunts who came to the wedding speaks up, "Poor girl, her mother left her after she was born. That Pakistani step mother must have made her life miserable there. Didn't even get mother's love."

Another relative joins her, "Yeah. When we got to know about Dilip Bhai's divorce, we told him to come back India and start fresh. But alas! That scheming lady trapped our poor brother. No wonder he brought her here for marriage but look at the luck, that witch wife of his didn't even let him stay until his daughter's wedding is done!"

"AHH! Rakhi, Surita! Can you people stay quiet?" Shantanu Singhania raises his voices glaring at his two distant cousins. The whole family become profusely awkward in front of Bani while she looks at their face calmly listening to them.

"What's the point of quieting us, Shantanu? Are we lying?" Rakhi counters back, "Dilip Bhai used to come to India with Vinay Chacha so often before his marriage, but later he stopped visiting us. Definitely those women didn't let him visit here. But look now, as soon as the girl grew up, she kicked her out the house, huh!"

"Rakhi!" Bharat Singhania, who was sitting at a corner stands up roaring, "If you speak one more-"

"It's okay, grandpa." Bani turns to look at Dada ji and says in a calm voice, "I don't mind what strangers think about me. They're not true anyway."

"What did you call us?" Surita gapes at Bani, "We....we are strangers?"

Bani tilts her head innocently replying, "Yes. You don't know me and I don't know you people either. So we're practically strangers, right?"

"Also my dad is really not so simple minded like you're thinking. He used to visit here often with Dadu because he had his eyes on some lands here. He was just trying to impress Dadu and convince him to sell them. He stopped visiting when his work was accomplished." Bani adds nonchalantly.

And this time everyone gapes at Bani. They all really took Bani as a shy, naive girl. Never did anyone imagine that a daughter would talk things about her father so casually.

"You..." Rakhi who almost cowered at Dadaji's fury points her finger at Bani, seemingly offended, "How dare you call us strangers? We're extended members of this family. Has none of your mother ever taught you how to talk about elders?"

Bani frowns looking at them, "Why are getting offended like this?" She asks genuinely, "I didn't get offended when you said mean things about my mom unknowingly. Then why are you getting upset now when I'm just stating the fact."

"What do want to say? Were we lying?" Surita bua says heatedly, "If your step mother is so noble, then why isn't she here on your wedding? Shouldn't she have come with you?"

Bani sighs sadly standing up, "I don't understand why you would talk about someone so hatefully who you don't even know. Both my mothers are amazing human beings. In fact for a very long period of my life, I didn't even know that she was my step mom. That's how much love and care she has raised me with. My dad left because a business deal seemed more important to him than sending off his own daughter. My mom didn't call him there; nor did she ask him to bring me here."

When those two didn't find anything else to refute with Rakhi turns to Pratibha snarking, "Wah bhabi....you were saying your daughter-in-law is very quiet, nice girl. But now it seems for a new comer she surely knows more talk than girls from here."

"Yeah...we wouldn't have come if we knew we would have be insulted like this by a new comer." Surita joins pursing her lips.

Pratibha scowls at them but tries to remain polite since they're guest from in-laws side. She stands beside her daughter-in-law to show her support instead. However Patralekha Devi steps up.

She comes ahead staring at the two, "You're right. We thought our new bride is very naive but now it seems she is upright too. She knows how to stand up for herself and her family. Good that she talked it out herself or else if I had to meddle into this, then I would have to kick you two out of my house in this auspicious day. Thanks to Devi ma that she has blessed us with a wise daughter-in-law."

"Badi ma!!" Rakhi and Surita gasps while Bharat Singhania looks like he just enter from outside and stands in front of his wife facing those two.

"But I can't slack like you, Patralekha! I've a responsibility as the eldest of this family" he growls grimacing, "So my beloved nieces, thank you for coming. Send my apology to my cousins that I invited you two. The driver will send you home."

Bani glances at Veer to see him staring afront with a poker face. When their eyes meet Veer frowns, an annoyance painting on his face. Bani sighs looking away. This guy reminds her of those teenage kids from her sophomore year who looked as if they were so done with their lives all the times.

"Wow bhabi.....that was epic!" Ankita whispers nudging Bani excitedly.

"I know right!" Riya whispers from the other side, "Like the choti bahu in those 90's films."

"Was I?" Bani's eyes pop hearing that, "Oh my god tell me which movie you are talking about!!! I will watch it too! I was right!! Indians make their movies so much realistic!!"

"What, you like Bollywood movies too, bhabi?" Rudra asks her shocked.

Bani nods her head fiercely muttering, "Of course! The easiest way to know about one's culture is to watch their movies. I have been watching Hindi films since my wedding got fixed to know your tradition better." She says looking immensely proud of herself.

"Don't worry Bhabi.... We'll make you watch the best movies of ours!" Riya says squinting her eyes as if she's on mission, "And not just movies, I will show you something that will get you the best 'desi bahu' of the year award with the highest trp! Just wait."

"Thank you, so much!" Bani whispers gratefully, "You guys are so much better than those husband's brothers and sisters they show in the movies!"

Veer couldn't bear anymore of this nonsense. The whole family has gone crazy with this girl's arrival. If he stands there another more second he'll surely lose it, so he leaves.

------------------------------------

"You're here." Veer's hand stops midway hearing Bani's voice behind him.

He lowers the whiskey glass down closing his eyes and snaps, "Yes, and?"

"I mean, why are you here when everyone is downstairs?" She stares down at the fleet of whisky bottles on the floor beside Veer. There will be at least a dozen of them.

"Exactly. EVERYONE is downstairs. That's why I'm here" he replies irritatedly, "But god forbid I should die before breathing alone!"

"Why are you drinking so much? You didn't have dinner?" Bani asks.

Only if Veer could smash this bottle right now! Even better on her head but alas! He gobbles up the glass of whiskey and glares at Bani growling, "what the fuck is your problem? I'm in my room, minding my own business! Why the fuck can't you do the same?"

"I was." Bani replies frowning, "Minding my own business until your one got in my way."

When Veer almost gets up in rage she speaks, "Your family is calling you to take some couple photos of ours. They even called a photographer."

Veer runs his hand through his hair in despair and says in cold voice, "Tell them I'm already in bed. I'm not going there now."

Bani sighs, "I won't lie to them. If you want you can tell them that yourself."

"For fuck's sake! Can I have just a single moment of peace?" Veer bursts out throwing an empty bottle, "Yesterday wedding, today reception, now
photoshoot!!! fuck! Will this mockery ever stop? Will you for once stop pestering me?? Jaha bhi jata hu shamat banke aa jati ho whi!" He shouts, "DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH?? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FEELS TO BE LIKE A FISH WITHOUT WATER IN THE MIDDLE OF AN OCEAN?!"

Veer's eyes sting as his throat clogs up. The air around him suffocates him. The feeling of being trapped since the past 5 years have destroyed him from inside. Nothing feels good. Nothing helps. Neither alcohol, nor drugs or some meaningless fuck. The only thing constant is the grief of losing the most important person of his life. Veer closes his eyes to stop the tears from coming out. Suddenly he feels a weight shifting beside him.

"You're right. What do I know about feeling like a fish out of water in the middle of the ocean. As if my dad hasn't just dropped me off the other side of the world, among a bunch of unknown people! All alone." Bani says calmly sitting beside Veer on the floor. The lahenga becoming hard to manage sitting like this.

Veer opens his eyes turning his head to look at Bani. His brows furrow looking at Bani's calm face as he asks, "How do you feel about this? How can you still act like this isn't a big deal? Don't you feel angry towards your father, my grandfather for doing so dirty to you? This cannot be the life you must have imagined for yourself?"

Bani sighs again. A small smile marrying her face as she speaks in her usual calm tone, "Who do I get angry at? My dad? He won't understand what he did wrong. Then what's the point of being upset with someone who has no sense of conscience about what they do? Isn't it just hurting yourself more in the process?"

Veer stares at her face as she continues, "I know that it is a big deal. But getting mad at my father is pointless and there's no reason for me to get mad at your family because they've been nothing but good to me. On the other hand, you....." Bani looks at Veer as if mapping him, "I can understand ki ye shadi tumhari razamandi ki nahin hein. Par woh tumhara maslah hein, main uss par tabsarah nahin karungi."

"Tabsarah?" Veer cocks his eyebrow, "Razamandi? What are these? Urdu vocabulary contest?"

Bani takes a bottle of whiskey and gulps down a mouthful looking away, "I learnt speaking my mother-tongue, well technically my step mother-tongue after growing up. My father doesn't speak Hindi much and I felt guilty that I couldn't speak my own mother's language. At that time I couldn't tell the difference between the two languages."

Veer watches her drinking from the bottle and mutters, "You're weird."

To that Bani smiles a little and meets Veer's gaze saying, "I've heard that a lot but I'm glad that at least me being a weirdo flattens the crease between your brows."

Hearing that Veer frowns again instantly and gets up spitting at Bani, "God! You're insufferable as well!"

Hearing Veer Bani scowls getting on her feet too and spats back flatly, "And still you're the one drinking the liquid of sin here like Thor in endgame; when everyone is waiting for you downstairs."

Veer swiftly turns back making Bani almost bump into him and mutters, "Do You think everything is like cinema? You think people, their emotions in real life are that simple, huh?"

Bani halts looking at Veer's face before she replies shrugging, "Well, they don't seem to be much different anyway."

"There is!" Veer grabs Bani's arm pulling her gravely to him and growls on her face, "I don't care what dumb fantasy you breed inside that head of yours, but listen carefully, you better not try to make me a part of it! My family may treat you as the apple of their pie all they want but to me this marriage is a prison and you're nothing but a stranger who I am to share this prison with. So you better know your limit! Or else-"

"Bhai....bhabi...!" Veer flinches letting go off Bani and looks at the door in panic.

"Shit!" He curses turning his gaze at the bottles on the floor. If Rudra finds out that he's still drinking, everyone will get to know about it as well. And given how much he has drunk just now, he can't even go in front him to say anything.

Bani stares at Veer's troubled face for a moment before walks up to open the door. She senses Veer's muffled protests meanwhile but ignores and opens the door just enough to show her face.

"Hi." She smiles at Rudra leaning her head over.

"Umm...bhabi, you came to call brother but then got lost yourself?" He teases, "So this time Chachu sent me. Where is Bhai...call him. Bhai!"

Bani looks back before saying, "Actually, your brother can't come right now."

"Huh?" Rudra frowns in confusion, "Why can't he come? Let me talk to him!", Veer almost curses when he tries to go inside but Bani blocks his path.

"No!" She says quickly, "There's something inside that you shouldn't see."

Rudra's frown deepens as he looks at Bani suspiciously, "What can be the thing that I can't see? And why are you just poking your head out instead of getting away from the door, huh?"

"Umm...." Bani searches for words before saying, "Something wrong with my dress. How about we quit the idea of photoshoot, huh? It's late already."

"Something I shouldn't see....something wrong with the dress...bhai what are....-" Rudra's eyes widen comically as if in realisation and he grins, "Oho That!!! Bhai could've just sent a message if he had 'This' in his mind, Damn!!!"

"Shhh!" Bani puts a finger on her lips signaling Rudra to shut up and whispers hyperventilating, "I can't say this to your brother or else he will kill me but I can't keep this to myself either so I'm telling you, Rudra.... your brother just delivered the exact same lines from a movie I watched last night with the finest micro expressions! He should've become an actor, you know!"

"Last night...?" Rudra looks at Bani mischievously and says, "Okay bhabi, you guys continue. Don't worry, I'll handle it there." And then he grins calling after Veer, "Aur Bhai....Damn yarr aap to chupe rustam nikle! All the best, bhabi!" saying this he hops downstairs in no time.

Bani stares at his retreating figure for a bit before closing the door again getting inside. As soon as she turns back she's faced to an angry looking Veeranshu. Bani rolls her eyes muttering, "See, your brother said he would have handled it if you texted him earlier. Why were you in panic then just now? You could've just told him yourself. I'm sure he'd understand."

Veer bites his bottom lip in frustration breathing in and out for a few times before he utters each word very diligently, "I want to believe that you're not THIS dumb but still....do you have any idea what you just did?"

Bani looks at him as if thinking, "Well, I told him that you can't go downstairs right now. And to make your fact believable I compromised myself and did not go there either. So if it's your way of saying thank you, then you're welcome!" saying this she pats his shoulder before walking towards the dressing table.

"Oh god!" Veer runs his both hands through his hair, "Are you really such a Dumbo? He thought we were...." He stops biting his cheek and glares at Bani exasperatedly, "That we are doing something inside!"

Bani looks side way and states calmly, "We WERE doing something, weren't we?"

"Oh God!" Veer curses again closing his eyes in anguish.

Bani presses her both lips together to stop herself from smiling and says while taking off her earrings, "Isn't it better that he thought we are having sex inside?"

Veer freezes as she continues, "This way not only him, but others also won't come to check on you. Otherwise, someone surely would have come up to check what's going on and your little drinking game would've been exposed to all."

Bani meets Veer's shocked gaze through the mirror and says, "The way you panicked hearing Rudra that time, clearly you will be in trouble if anyone knows about this, No?"

Veer hates how that girl is staring at him as if he's some rebellious child. He mutters looking away, "Shut up!"

Bani hums, "I will, once you help me get out this dress and the jewellery like last night."

"W-what?" Veer sputters in shock.

When Bani says nothing he growls raging at her, "You must be insane to think I will do anything as such!!"

Bani turns towards him staring calmly, "What? Do you want your sisters to come here, then? And discover your little secret? It's either you help me out or I call your sisters for help. Now set your priorities, Singhania."

Veer's nostrils flare as he grits out, "I told you last night was a mistake."

Bani rolls her eyes, "I was talking about getting me out of this lahenga and taking off this complicated jewelleries of me. For someone who keeps calling it a mistake, you certainly brought up last night's sex more than necessary. I wonder why that is...!"

"Oh just shut up!!" Veer snaps irritatedly, "every time you open your mouth, some bullshit comes out!"

"I will shut up, but come on!" Bani looks at him pouting, "I don't know how these jewelleries work. And these pins...where did they go, I can't find them. Come on! Help me. Please."

Veer huffs in annoyance and walks up to her muttering, "This is the first and last time I'm doing this for you! After this I won't even look at you!"

"Yeah, yeah..!" Bani mutters in bored tone, "I don't like you either."

"Good that the feelings are mutual!" Veer mumbles while trying to work on the hook of her waist chain. Bani busies herself with the bangles as in not to focus on how tingly Veer's touch feel.

As Veer works on the pin of her dupatta, Bani stares at him through the mirror and calls in a soft voice, "Also, Veeranshu..."

"Hmm?" Veer mumbles not looking at her; brows concentrated on the removing the hair pins.

Bani lips curves into a tiny smile as she replies, "I don't mind being your prison mate."

Happy reading
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