"Heyyy!!" I try to sound excited as I open the door.

"Hellooo..." Jasprit says slowly while he looks slightly confused as the room is a mess behind me as he hugs me, giving me a kiss on the cheek. Shefali manages to clean up the sofa in time.

"Hi." He waves at Shefali. She smiles back slightly.

Jasprit's smile lessens as I just stare at him. Oh God, why am I not saying anything. I just look at him and smile stupidly.

"Are you okay?" I say. What the hell am I doing?

"I should be asking you that question" he looks suspiciously at us both.

He is now not smiling as he examines my face, my loose hair strands, my red eyes. The one minute wash didn't help. Or maybe his love was too deep to be fooled by a half hearted bun and some makeup.

He puts a hand behind my neck and I close my eyes. He strokes my hair and then tucks the strand of hair behind my ear, now looking at me in concern, trying to pull me closer. I refrain.

"Hey - what's wrong?" He speaks above no more than a whisper.

"Nothing at all!" My voice is suddenly sheepishly high pitched.

"Have you heard yourself?? You sound like a clown, almost like - you've been ... cryi..."

"Jas why don't you just come in and sit, yeah?" I hold his hand and drag him, making him sit down on a sofa by the foot of the bed.

"Let me just quickly finish doing my concealer...." I get up to face away from him but he grabs my wrist so suddenly that I am forced to sit back down on the bed with his hands clutching my shoulders tightly. He gives them a tight squeeze as I stare at him with my lips slightly apart; scared, worried, scarred.

His powerful strength dominating my shoulders seems too heavy. His grip is too tight for me to hide anything.

"No matter how much concealer you splodge onto your face, it's not going to hide your pain."

I can't help myself but to cry. His eyes are so imposingly piercing into mine, almost causing the tears to condense out of my sockets immediately.

I can't look at him anymore with loyalty. I dig myself into his chest, the safest place in the world, and sob like a child. Yet another embarrassment, but this time he seems to understand. He places a hand on my back and strokes it.

"So there is something." He looks quickly at Shefali who is looking down at her feet nearby.

"Would anyone be kind enough to share? Go on. Don't be shy." He says, becoming slightly impatient.

"Jas. I'm getting married." I say through sobs.

He takes his hands of my shoulders and turns himself to face away, placing his hands on the edge of the bed for support, rocking back and forth.

"And I'm going back to India tomorrow morning." I whisper.

Jasprit seems frozen. After what seems like a decade of silence, he finally speaks.

"I'm flying back to Australia tomorrow morning too. For a match." He says.

We both look at each other.

"It's your birthday tomorrow, Jas."

Jasprit looks down at his lap and smiles helplessly, biting his bottom lip in confusion.

"Happy birthday. For tomorrow. We might not see each other after this." I say, barely able to talk, hoping what I was saying wasn't even half true.

He gulps and stands up, causing me and Shefali to stand up.

He gives me a hug and tries to walk past me.

"Why - why don't we try and run away? Just take me with you to Australia. I'll come with you, can you ask Virat Bhai, Jas please please please, take me with you." I say desperately, crying again, grabbing onto his arm.

"Shanaya, calm down. Stop it. SHANAYA. Stop!" Jasprit grabs my wrists and gives me a look that shuts me up immediately.

"It's your father's choice. You need to respect that. I already know what it feels like not to get a father's advice." He breaks eye contact.

"Jasprit my father is cruel! He's just marrying me off for his own profit, please don't ruin my life!"

Jas looks at me slowly, placing his hands on his hips.

"No. You are not to come with me."

"Who are you to decide my life?!" I scream back at him. I had no idea whether we'd break up after this conversation.

"It's Abhi, Jaspreet. He's marrying me to Abhi." My legs give way and I sit back on the bed.

"We can figure something out." I say, hopelessly, not having confidence in what I was saying.

Jasprit seems to have reached a final decision.

"Shanaya. Look, you have a career. I have a career. Even if we run away, where are we going to go? Your father will find you, your career will be destroyed, so will mine. We will never be able to live peacefully." He sounds like he is going to cry.

I know he's right, yet I click my tongue in exasperation.

"So, this means goodbye?" I say barely above a whisper.

He just about nods.

I fling onto him, thrusting my lips onto his, like it was the end of the world. Our first and last kiss. It was the end. Who would have thought it would finish like this? Officially. I didn't care who was watching. The door was wide open. I didn't care if Shalu was watching.

He tries to pull away from me, yet I refrain and give him one last hug.

He finally manages to pull away, and leaves without saying a word.

I fall onto the floor.