The night had finally wrapped itself around the house like a soft shawl—warm yet comforting. Strings of fairy lights blinked gently across the courtyard, their soft glow casting shadows on the now-quiet space that had been roaring with laughter and music just hours ago.
Sanvi's mother insisted Mehak to stay with them tonight as it was pretty late and she agreed because her parents were also out of town at that moment.
Everyone returned to their respective place after spending a splendid time with their loved ones. Sanvi bid adieu to Vedarth while a bittersweet smile lingering on their faces unsure if they meet again. Whilst Mahek and Raghav didn't conversate but their eyes never leaving each other for a moment.
It was midnight and everyone fell asleep accept the two besties. Sanvi sat cross-legged on her bed, still in her saree but having ditched her heels the moment she entered her room. Her earrings lay on the side table, one of them clumsily unhooked, the other still swinging by a thread from her ear.
Mehak barged in, not bothering to knock, in true best-friend fashion.
"Sanvi!" she whispered dramatically, collapsing on the bed beside her, her dupatta slipping off her shoulder.
Sanvi raised an eyebrow, not turning her head. “Kya hua ab? Phir se kisi aunty ne tumhe future bahu keh diya kya?”
(What happened now? Did another aunty call you the future daughter-in-law again?)
Mehak groaned, covering her face with a pillow. “Worse. They literally dragged Raghav to meet me like it was a freaking swayamvar. Sanvi, I swear... I wanted to vanish into thin air.”
Sanvi finally turned to look at her. “Raghav? Vedarth ka bhai? Acha voh isliye tumhe dhundh raha tha!"
(Raghav? Vedarth’s brother? Oh that's why he was looking for you.)
Mehak nodded miserably. “Haan. And bro—he just stood there like some lost puppy. Mujhe laga koi usse zabardasti kheench ke laya ho. I was about to say bhaiya aapko kaun bula ke laya yahan, but then he smiled. Like, really smiled.”
(Yeah. And bro—he just stood there like some lost puppy. I thought someone had dragged him in against his will. I almost said, brother, who dragged you here, but then he smiled. Like, really smiled.)
Sanvi grinned despite herself. “Toh... kya smile mein dard tha?”
(So... was there pain in his smile?)
Mehak hit her with the pillow. “Shut up. Stop being poetic. Main serious hoon.”
(Shut up. Stop being poetic. I'm serious.)
Sanvi chuckled, then softened. “Okay. Tell me everything.”
Mehak sat up dramatically, hands flying. “Okay so... sab log ek jagah baith ke kha rahe the, aur tabhi ek aunty ne mujhe bula liya. Mujhe laga koi chat chhod gaya hoga plate mein, par nahi... ekdum full setup tha. Aur tabhi yeh Raghav enter karta hai. Dheere se, hands in pocket, like he’s walking into a board meeting.”
(So everyone was sitting and eating when an aunty called me. I thought someone had left chaat in their plate or something, but no... it was a full-blown setup. And then Raghav enters. Calmly, hands in pocket, like he's walking into a board meeting.)
Sanvi bit her lip, trying not to laugh. “Classic.”
“And you know what? Jab aunty ne kaha ‘Raghav, yeh Mehak hai’, woh sirf ‘Hi’ bola. Bas. One word. Like some hero entry moment. Aur mujhe samajh hi nahi aaya main kya bolun. Maine bhi bas ‘Hi’ bola. Itna awkward silence!”
(And you know what? When the aunty said ‘Raghav, this is Mehak’, he just said ‘Hi’. That’s it. One word. Like some hero entry moment. And I didn’t even know what to say. I just said ‘Hi’ back. So awkward!)
Sanvi giggled. “Tum dono ke beech mein hawa kaafi thandi thi shayad.”
(Maybe the air between you two was quite chilly.)
“Shut up,” Mehak said, smiling anyway. “But he... he was kind. Mischief, but not rude. And when the relatives finally left us alone for two minutes, he actually asked me if I was okay with all this circus.”
That made Sanvi blink. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah,” Mehak said. “He said, ‘You look like you’d rather be anywhere but here’.”
Sanvi’s eyebrows shot up. “Hmm. Insightful. Handsome bhi hai?”
(Hmm. Insightful. Is he handsome too?)
“Shut. Up.” Mehak said again, but her smile betrayed her.
A pause fell between them, the kind that only comes when the laughter simmers down. Sanvi leaned back against the headboard, arms folded across her chest.
“What about you?” Mehak asked suddenly. “You and Vedarth?”
Sanvi stiffened. “There’s no me and Vedarth.”
Mehak frowned. “Don’t even try. The way he was looking at you during the ring ceremony—girl, we all noticed.”
Sanvi looked away, focusing on the shadow dancing on the wall from the window. “He was just... being polite. Flirting a little. It’s normal.”
“Normal?” Mehak raised an eyebrow. “That man had hearts in his eyes. That’s not normal. That’s Disney level.”
Sanvi laughed dryly. “Stop it, Mehak.”
“Sanvi... what’s going on?”
Sanvi let out a long sigh, picking at the embroidery on her saree.
“Yeh sab flirtation... I’ve been through it before,” she began, voice soft. “Log sweet bolte hain, cute messages bhejte hain, compliment karte hain... and for a moment, I think maybe this time it's real.”
(This kind of flirtation... I’ve been through it before. People say sweet things, send cute messages, give compliments... and for a moment, I think maybe this time it's real.)
Mehak’s face fell. “Sanvi...”
Sanvi shook her head. “But every time, they end up finding someone better. Prettier. More confident. I become the side character in my own story. The second choice.”
“Tu second choice kabhi nahi thi, aur na kabhi hogi,” Mehak said firmly.
(You were never the second choice, and never will be.)
Sanvi smiled sadly. “Mujhe toh ab yahi lagta hai. So when Vedarth flirted... I smiled, I played along. But in my head I kept telling myself, don’t fall for it. Because falling hurts.”
(That’s what it feels like now. So when Vedarth flirted... I smiled, I played along. But in my head I kept telling myself, don’t fall for it. Because falling hurts.)
Mehak reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “But what if this is different?”
Sanvi looked at her, her eyes tired but gentle. “Then he’ll have to prove it’s different. Mere liye ab shabd kaafi nahi hain. I need actions. Consistency. Respect."
(Then he’ll have to prove it’s different. For me, words aren't enough anymore. I need actions. Consistency. Respect.)
Mehak nodded. “Fair. Lekin tu toh already thoda si pighal gayi thi na, jab usne tujhe help offer kiya tha basket uthane mein?”
(Fair. But you did melt a little when he offered to help you carry that basket, right?)
Sanvi scoffed. “Pighli nahi thi, bas thoda sa muskura di thi.”
(Didn’t melt, just smiled a little.)
They both burst out laughing.
After a beat, Sanvi added, “He was amused. Mujhe laga woh mujhe challenge kar raha tha. Uski aankhon mein mazak tha, lekin uska tone soft tha. Jaise woh mujhe samajhne ki koshish kar raha ho.”
(He was amused. I felt like he was challenging me. His eyes were teasing, but his tone was soft. Like he was trying to understand me.)
Mehak tilted her head. “See? That’s not random flirting. That’s noticing. Woh tumhare andaaz mein dilchaspi le raha tha.”
(That’s not random flirting. That’s noticing. He was genuinely interested in your ways.)
Sanvi sighed. “Maybe. But I’m scared to believe again.”
Silence lingered between them again, gentle and safe.
Mehak nudged her shoulder. “You don’t have to believe instantly. Just... don’t shut the door either. Leave it open, thoda sa. If he’s real, he’ll walk through it.”
Sanvi smiled at that. “Aur agar nahi?”
(And if he doesn’t?)
“Then we eat chocolate, binge-watch sad movies, and curse all men together,” Mehak said with a smirk.
Sanvi laughed. “Deal.”
Outside, the wind rustled through the trees. Inside, two hearts sat side-by-side—one bewildered, the other bruised—but both slowly, cautiously, beginning to hope again.
*****************************
Some conversations are soft, like whispered truths shared under a night sky—raw, honest, and vulnerable. Tonight, Sanvi and Mehak shared one of those. Amidst the sparkle of fairy lights and echoing laughter, they found a corner of quiet—where fears were named, hopes peeked through cracks, and past wounds gently breathed again.
Sanvi isn’t broken—she’s just guarded. And maybe Vedarth, with all his unexpected gentleness, is exactly the kind of chaos her heart needs to believe again.
And Mehak? She wasn’t looking for a spark... but sometimes, the most unexpected entries leave behind a lingering warmth.
Stay with me as these hearts stumble, heal, and discover what it means to truly see and be seen.
Until next time—
With love,
– The Author. ❤️✨
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