The locality we were passing by were crowded making it extremely difficult to move the vehicle. We somehow managed and Zain stopped the car, I raised my head to glance at our surrounding. "Come," he muttered opening the door and walking out of the car. The children got out while I and Siddhi passed each-other a nervous gaze.

I unlocked the car and got out; Siddhi followed me while Aiza kept staring at us with her innocent-puppy orbs. I smiled as I bended, extending my arms at her. "Aren't you coming?" I inquired, staring at her in adoration.

"We will take it," Siddhi walked towards Zain who was struggling with our luggage.

"Come on!" I motivated Aiza to walk towards me. "Don't you want more candies?"

Her orbs sparkled in excitement as she rushed towards me. I grabbed her waist and pulled her into my arms getting her out of the car. "You're so cute," I pulled her cheeks while she smiled at me.

"Nivi!" Siddhi called for my attention from the small kid. "He isn't listening," Siddhi was staring at me for help.

"I have been ordered to treat you both well," he justified his actions. "Come, inside! Before I am being rewarded with another call." He sighed in exhaustion while I smiled at his behavior.

We followed him while people around were staring at us with curiosity. "Who are they?" An elder figure asked Zain.

"Zoya's friend, specially had come from south." The lady got curious on being provided with the information, she passed us a smile and we returned it.

"Where on the earth were you?" I heard a very familiar-angry voice and my orbs darted at the direction. He stood there, glaring at Zain with his stern-black orbs. A smile broke on my face, he was on the verge of killing his cousin. Wrapped himself in a sky blue sherwani, his hair styled backward, he looked cute. I was aware that he was taller than me but I hadn't imagined we would share such a height-difference. My heart did leap out of my ribs at the sight of him, present just few distance away. My orbs weren't ready to believe that he was for real. The person I always stared on mobile screen was standing before my orbs.

"There was traffic..." Zain was going to reason-out but Faizal interrupted.

"I had told you to take another route but why would you ever listen..." At that minute his orbs turned to the bags in Zain's hand and then to us. I would have imagined it but his orbs soften, the minute he glanced us.

"He had gone to pick Zoya's friend." The old lady came in Zain's support but as if Faizal didn't notice her or opted to ignore, he walked towards us.

"How are you?" Before he could complete, Siddhi wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

"How are you, bhai?" She wasn't able to hold back her excitement. "I can't even believe that you're standing before my eyes."

"Neither can I," he caressed her hair. His orbs glanced at me when Siddhi broke the hug.

"How are you, Miss Khurana?" He had a teasing smile playing on his lips. His hands had reached up for a hug but I eyed Aiza in my arms. "You have already made her in your team?" His orbs raised upward as a smirk played on his lips.

"She likes me," I muttered pressing a kiss on her cheeks. Though he was rolling his orbs but he wasn't able to mask the smile.

"You know them?" We heard a curious voice of Zain, making us realize that we have audience around us.

"Obviously," Faizal kept it short, taking Aiza from my arms. She reluctantly went into his arms, showcasing the candies I gifted her. "Oh, so this is the reason," he faked a glare at my side while I giggled, softly.

"But, how?" Zain was curious to get answer. "As much as I am aware they never came here." He turned towards us for confirmation.

"None of your business," Faizal scoffed. "Get back to the pending work you had tired to escape in the name of picking them up."

"You asked me to pick them!" Zain defended himself.

"Because you were avoiding works," Faizal glared at him as a warning. Zain though weren't planning but backed off.

We kept following them in silent as Zain excused himself a minute later. "You have a really big house." Siddhi praised glancing around, various curious orbs were fixed on us but we choose to ignore but Faizal wasn't granted with the privilege.

"Beta, how are you?" That was the frequent question exchanged among them. It would either be Faizal or another initiating the conversation.

"All good, how are you, Taiji?" He muttered, standing before her. I passed a glance and Siddhi while she was suppressing her giggle at my annoyed expression.

"Who are they?" That forced us to pull our attention towards the interrupter.

"Friends," that answer, made the lady to pass us their judging orbs. "Zoya's..." he corrected himself and she passed a smile at us in apologetic manner.

I could clearly understand while Faizal was against the idea of introducing us as his friend. He did it to make us comfortable because people around us were judgmental in nature.

"Where had you been?" We heard an authorative voice coming from the corner and my orbs turned in the direction.

Faizal stopped in his track while I lowered my head in nervousness. The figure approaching us was the person Faizal had the least interaction in his life yet respected the most. I raised my head slowly in a hope to have a proper look. I had glanced him in the clip and pictures Faizal had sent me before but never in person. He had a powerful aura surrounding him, as if he demanded to be respected. His stern-black orbs were fixed on Faizal.

"It's your sister's wedding." His orbs were screaming of the disappointment he hadn't vocally expressed. "I had expected that you would behave responsible," he huffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

Faizal stood there bowing his head in respect not attempting to defend himself. His dad's orbs glanced at Aiza in his arms. "I hope you're not turning her like you," his voice was laced with disgust.

I felt the inner-urge to walk forward and defend Faizal. How could he talk so rudely to him when others were around?

"I promise she won't be a disappointment to her parents." Faizal uttered softly and my heart ached as those words rolled out of his tongue.

He wasn't a disappointment! He never will be! Mr. Qureshi huffed as he walked away without sparing us a glance as if we weren't even visible to his orbs.

We heard some murmurs but it soon faded away and Faizal started moving, while we followed him. He soon stopped in front of the door; he pushed it open. "This shall be your room," He walked inside while we followed him.

We glanced at the room. The wall was covered in sky-blue color. A king-size bed was placed at the corner with a wardrobe at the end. His picture, him wearing the white shirt was placed on the wall right above the bed. I smiled; it was my favorite one.

He had clicked it maybe more than a year back when he had gone on a trip with his colleague, to some of the beautiful places. He was standing in front of the railing, waterfall in the background, his back towards the camera, as his arms were raised in the air. Cute but annoying Idiot! It was hard not to grin widely on seeing that picture.

"It's your room," Siddhi objected. "We aren't staying in your room."

"I am not planning to keep you in hotel." His voice was stern, "so my room is the last option."

"But what's wrong in staying in hotel?" I argued, "your house is already packed with guest. We will only turn into a burden." I attempted to change his mind over the matter.

"I had promise you that I will give you the best treatment and I am just keeping the promise," his orbs were locked on me.

"Not on the cost of sacrificing your comfort. We really don't want to burden you with more responsibilities," I tired to reason-out. Faizal shook his head making Aiza seat on the bed. "You weren't able to complete your work because you were stress about our arrival. Our visit should be a piece of comfort to you not a sense of pain."

"Stop visualizing that I would be so concerned about you," he rolled his orbs walking towards his wardrobe. "There are some clothes," he sighed. Removing it and putting it at the last shelf. "Don't be bothered by it!"

"I didn't argue with you about the picking up but I am not going to allow you to dominate. We aren't living in the room!" I was glaring at his back.

"Fine!" He sighed and turned towards me. "Do whatever you want to," he grunted and my heart sank. Why he had to be like that? Why couldn't he act less stubborn? He knew, I couldn't handle his sadness or anger.

"Faizal!" I whined grabbing his attention at me. His orbs soften at my pout but he acted least bothered. "Where are you going to stay?"

"Cousin's place," he muttered as he walked towards me.

"If I had knew you would be so stubborn, I had never agreed to attend the wedding."

"I would have travelled to Kochi to get you here," his orbs were filled with determination.

"And someone had the audacity to claim that he didn't miss me." I rolled my orbs at him while a smile was playing on my lips.

"Who said that I do?" I glared at his response. Could he ever agree, for once?

He shook his head as he walked to Aiza and carried her in his arms. "Get yourself ready for the function." He patted Siddhi's head as he walked out, a hint of smile playing on his lips.

"Is there something, I am missing?" Siddhi sounded curious.

"What?" I wanted to hide my blush.

"You both behave different," she sounded confused. "I mean, you both always had your cute banter but it's more than that..." she shook her head. "It's different from how it was before..." she kept it incomplete.

A lot had changed after our group drifted apart. We weren't only three members in the group but five of us. I was the last one added to the group by Siddhi. At the beginning, I always felt like an outsider and I really didn't have a great view about the members of the group except Siddhi. She was the reason that I didn't leave the group and as a result I was blessed with Faizal.

As our group drifted apart, only the friendship I had with Siddhi and Faizal survived. Things had changed a lot, as our interaction turned one-on, Siddhi was quite shocked with our change in interaction. We had both grown as person as well as in friendship.

"It had been years we interacted as a group." I explained her.

"And also, I am not close to him as you're. I sometimes think he wouldn't have invited me if you weren't close to me. We would have drifted apart as well." The person who was most upset with our friendship drifting apart was Siddhi. We had moved on from it yet Siddhi hoped if things could go back to normal.

"It isn't like that; he still wishes you on your birthday."

"Because you remind him as you remind me of his birthday. If it weren't of your efforts to keep us connected, we would have never been in contact."

"Siddhi," I shook my head. "It's not your fault. People get busy and drift apart. I had always told you, the group survived so long due to you. The minute you stopped making efforts, it crushed."

Siddhi passed an unconvinced smile. "We will get ready," Siddhi muttered as she moved the luggage inside. Zain had kept it outside the room.

___

"Sangeet," I muttered walking out of the room. I was dressed in baby-pink lehenga with combination of white, my black wavy hairs were pulled down, with slight makeup on the face. It was getting difficult to manage the heavy lehenga.

"That color really suits you," Siddhi compliment walking beside me. She was of the view that the lehenga won't look good. We had shopped together, online shopping for the wedding, discussing about dresses and she was against the idea of me buying the dress but I wanted to, as if was my favorite color.

"You aren't looking bad yourself." I passed a smile at her. She was wearing a red lehenga, looking glamorous as she had pulled her hair into a bun. The red lipstick playing on her lips were making her smile look breath-taking. "I guess many are going to have crush on you."

"One is already added to the list," we were interrupted by a voice and our head turned into the direction. "I am just hoping that you both are younger than me. I don't want my heart to be broken," he kept a hand on his chest to add dramatic effect.

I really found Zain, adorable much oppose to the views Faizal had for him. Faizal didn't shared a good opinion about Zain. We shared a shy-smile among us. "Come on! Just because I interrupted you don't have to act shy. I like making new friends," he stared at us with a hopeful gaze. He waited for us to initiate a conversation but upon being met with silence, he continued. "Zoya wanted to meet you both, soon she will be busy in the function so she won't be able to." Zain informed, directly the room towards the bride.

"Zoya? What am I going to speak to her?" Siddhi nervously muttered in my ears.

"Don't worry, she is very friendly." I attempted to assure my nervous-introvert friend. The reason we were able to carry our friendship for so many years were the understanding we shared among us. We were similar in nature, so we never had to adjust much or had to put efforts. Understanding each other came as a second nature.