"I want it to be proper Mayalami wedding," mom mumbled as she was cutting vegetables for the dinner.

"I don't understand why are you acting stubborn? Why we need to match those kundalis?" I groaned at the thought of the stupid ritual. "I don't believe in it!"

"But I do, and for my satisfaction... You need to do it."

"He might have not even made those kundalis," I mumbled in between my breath.

"Just ask him exact date and time of his birth, remaining I can handle."

"And what if it doesn't matches? We are going to back-off from the wedding?" I was fuming in annoyance. How come some stupid calculations of kundalis decide our fate? "I just don't understand why we have to follow the culture. Don't dad come from North India? We are Khurana's not Nair, mom."

"I will always be a Nair, Nivi." Mom groaned at my comment. "We had a proper South-Indian wedding and so shall you. I don't want any argument on the topic."

"Dad," I glanced at dad for help but he shook his head.

"What's the matter with constructing the wedding in a proper Mayalami way?" Jiju inquired seeing my stressed expression.

"His parents want it to be in proper Islamic manner. I just don't understand why are all of them behaving stubborn. Neither mom is ready to listen nor his family."

"What about we have both of it?" Jiju suggested, "South-Indian as well as Islamic. We will get to celebrate it twice and it will be respecting both the cultures."

"She isn't getting married in Islamic manner," mom argued from the corner. "I am not allowing my daughter to turn Muslim."

"Mom! I am not arguing on the topic again!" I groaned in exhaustion. We had being discussing about it from past few months yet mom was adamant not to accept my decision. "Why are you making such a fuzz about it?"

"You want to change your religion and want me not to react?" Mom was groaning in displeasure. "I had accept your decision to marry a Muslim but he will have to accept our culture. The wedding is going to take place in our manner." She was adamant not to listen a word of mine.

"If you want him to accept your culture, don't you think his parents will have same expectation from me?" I inquired, staring at her in a questioning manner.

"So, you're going to walk away from our religion into theirs! You're going to be one of them!" She stood in displeasure, her orbs glaring at me as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Why you had to argue with her?" Shruti shook her head, "why can't you offer her with some time? It's not easy for her to accept a religion she was taught to hate." Shruti was trying to reason-out mom's wide reaction.

"I am sorry," I mumbled as I stood from the couch and walked towards my room. It was always difficult for my family to understand me. I brushed off those emerging tears as I forced myself to concentrate on my work. I placed a laptop on my lap as I made myself comfortable on the bed.

Flashes of those moments kept emerging into my brain. I was attempting hard to act strong. Convincing parents for the wedding wasn't an easy task, I sighed at the thought of it. Sometimes, I felt like giving up. I felt exhausted! Maybe it wasn't in my destiny, I was forcing things into my life.

My cell rang,  bringing me out of my thoughts. I took a breathe as I glanced at the ID. He always had the perfect timing!

"Hello," I attempted to sound my usual self but it came out in a dull manner.

"Hi," his sleepy-rough voice answered from the other hand. "Good morning, sweetheart." His greeting, brought a smile on my face and melted my heart.

"Good morning," I attempted to sound cheerful but I wasn't able to.

"What's wrong?" His tone had turned into a soft one, "why does my Gudiya sounds so dull, today?" I pouted on listening to his baby-cute voice.

"Why are you not here?" I grumbled almost on the verge of crying. Moods-swings were having troll over me. "I miss you," I confessed as I placed the laptop on the bed. I wasn't in a mood to work. "None of them get me! Why we don't run-away from this?" I was exhausted, done with everything in general. Why was it that difficult to convince a parents about love marriage? "Why you had to born in a different caste than mine?"

He chuckled listening to my complain. "Did you had an argument with your parents?" He inquired while I nodded in agreement. "You won't be happy if they are not present in the most precious day of your life, Nivi."

"But they are making it very difficult for me. Your plan of running away seems a better option." I was groaning in frustration.

"You're saying that because you're mad at them for the moment. You won't ever want to humilate them or displease them." He paused for a moment. "What was the argument about?" He inquired.

"Nothing of importance," I grumbled on mention of the topic.

"If it spoiled your mood at such an extent, I want to know the topic of discussion."

"They want a proper South-Indian wedding," I groaned. "Why they have to act so stubborn?"

"What's wrong in their demand?" Faizal mumbled, "if my parents want a proper Islamic Wedding surely your parents will desire the same," he paused for a moment. "I have no problem with it."

"But..." I groaned, "there will be rituals which you won't believe in. Your parents might never agree to it."

"It is a difficult job but we will be able to make it work." Faizal assured, "if you're ready to accept Islam for the happiness of my family why would I have problem with accepting yours?" He questioned, "shouldn't there be equality in this as well?"

I wasn't able to believe my ears. He had no problem in partaking in those rituals. I never knew patience would gift me with such beautiful fruit. The person whom I claimed didn't care about me, or didn't value me to the extent I did, could sacrifice anything for my happiness. He kept me above himself. How did I got so lucky?

"Stop bothering your mind early in the morning, we will have our way out." He was attempting to build hope.

"It's not easy, Faizal. Mom is yet not convinced of the wedding neither your parents are going to accept her demand. I feel as if it's turning next to impossible," I sobbed as I wiped those emerging tears.

"Nothing is impossible," Jiju muttered as he walked inside the room, shutting the door behind. "I didn't wanted to interrupt but I was worried after the conversation downstairs," he pointed at the door. "Things are difficult but not impossible." He mumbled as he walked towards me. "And you had known it, convincing your parents won't be easy. It just the beginning, you can't give-up now." He pressed a smile, sitting beside me. "You both have to put efforts to make it work. Nothing in this world is gifted without struggle," he attempted to encourage me with his words but I wasn't in a mood to be convinced.

"Efforts! That what I had being trying from past few months. What more is remaining to be done? She is adamant not to listen," I groaned in displeasure. "She is never going to be convinced, she doesn't want an Islamic marriage and Faizal's parents won't agree without it. We aren't meant to be together," my voice choked at the end as I was attempting hard to stop those tears from rolling out.

"Just because they aren't getting convinced doesn't mean we aren't meant for eachother, Nivi." Faizal objected, "we are much beyond this! The thing I share for you or you share for me is ..." He wasn't able to form a proper word as he paused to reconsider his statement. "You have become a part of my existence. How can you even comment that we aren't meant to be?"

"If we were made of each other, things wouldn't be this difficult! I doubted about this at each phase of my life. From realising my feelings to your confession. I was never sure about it, I never allowed my heart to ever accept it. I was always in the fear. Scared that maybe it was my mistake, my imagination and in the end, I would destroy myself." I confessed, "and I still have that fear. What if it destroys us?"

"It won't destroy us," he mumbled. "I assure you, the love you have for me won't be the reason of your destruction." He promised, I didn't had the courage to question him on the confidence he had about the future. As if he had it planned!

"And I am going to help you in the path," Jiju interrupted in our conversation. "I truly believe that soon they will understand his worth," he blinked his orbs in assurance.

•••

"Hello!" I sounded uncertain as I called Zain. I needed answer to my question and only he could answer it without hiding a fact from me.

"I can't believe this! Did you dialled me by mistake?" He teased as he picked my call on the second ring.

"Good morning to you as well," I rolled my orbs at his dramatic greeting. "I called you because it was urgent or I would have never disturbed you."

"You can disturb me as much as you desire," he was flirting.

"Should I just call Sarah and inform about your flirting skills?"

"Bhabhi Jaan, thoda rehm farkmaiye," he pleaded.

His Bhabhi-Jaan had the powder to melt my heart. "I won't mention a thing to Sarah if you promise to keep this thing among us." I muttered, "I want your clear views on situation happening in Qureshi family."

"You mean about the drama unfolding in Fufo's house?" Zain sounded stunned, "Faizal Bhai could offer you with clear information but we both know him well, so I better start with my narrative. Bhai is attempting hard to convince his family. It isn't like they hate or dislike you but accepting you as their daughter-in-law is rather a tough decision for them."

"Zoya have wholeheartedly accepted you much before Bhai even decided to marry you. Zoya could see your importance much before he accepted it, himself. Farya di had tough time but your presence during the wedding and your bond with Azia did the trick of making her heart soft and remaining work was done by Ahmed Jiju," Zain chuckled.

"I had soft spot during our initial meeting, that's the reason I love flirting with you. I always knew you were off-limit but I had never imagined that your online-crush would turn Faizal Bhai. I won't lie that I wasn't upset on receiving the information but later I accepted that Faizal wouldn't have being a good choice for Aahana. He had never seen her in that manner and she wouldn't have being happy marrying him yet Aahana still have hard time accepting it." Zain sighed, "it's complicated over here."

"Is she heartbroken?"

"She is and I can't blame her for it. She had always dreamt of becoming daughter in law of Qureshi's. She wanted to be wife of Faizal, she liked him. Accepting that he wants his future with someone else is going to be difficult for her." Zain paused for a moment longer, "Fufo and Fufa had treated us as their own children. Sometimes, I am convinced that they love us more. They really don't want to hurt Aahana and that's the reason they are having hard time accepting the decision Faizal had made for himself."

"I had never thought that you would accept their demand of accepting Islam." Zain sounded impressed, "going against your parents for Faizal."

"I am not going against my parents and neither he is going against his parents. We want to spent our life together but not by hurting any of our parents feeling. It's going to be by their choice."

"Do you believe it can be possible? Your parents won't ever allow you to change your religion, they would glance it as if you're humiliating them and Fufa won't ever agree until you're one of us."

"We are all the same, that's what I am going to convince both of the families." I whispered with determination.