"Love is a two-way street constantly under construction." 

- CARROL BRYANT 

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Dhruv was staring at Aditi with disbelief as she wrapped the black coat around her shoulder. Dhruv's eyes averting towards the lehenga, neatly placed on her bed. He closed his eyes, trying to control the building anger inside him. He wasn't that great at expressing emotions. His furious state, too was kept hidden from the world.

"Today is your engagement, Aditi." Avni reasoned, standing at the entrance of the room.

"I know... but we can postpone it, right?" Aditi glanced at Dhruv for a response, but Dhruv was staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"You are aware that our parents are waiting for us outside. You know how happy they are about this arrangement?" Dhruv muttered, sounding annoyed. He could feel that he would soon lose his calm.

"Yeah, but we can have it done, tomorrow? Only family members are invited so it's not that big deal." Aditi was acting cool as she was searching files on her table.

"You can leave this matter. They will wait, the engagement will require an hour or so..." Avni attempted to convince her.

"I can't!" Aditi groaned, "Mr Oberoi has trust in me, he is an old client. I can't leave him when he is in need. His son is arrested and I need to free him."

"Aditi, that person isn't innocent. He had destroyed a girl's life and you are going to prove..."

"Dhruv, we aren't going to start over it again. He is my client and as a lawyer, it's my duty to provide him with justice."

"What justice are you talking about? He had sexually harassed a person. What kind of justice are you going to provide him with?" Dhruv rubbed his forehead in frustration. He was definitely losing his calm over her. They were similar in their choice of favourites but their values differ a lot. They could never match each other in the values they hold.

"Dhruv, we will have a conversation on it later." Muttered Aditi, grabbing the files. "I need to go..." And without providing a chance for anyone to interrupt her, she rushed out of the room.

"Is she going to walk away from her wedding day as well?" Dhruv mocked, his eyes again glancing at the lehenga on the bed. "I don't understand her even after so many years of friendship. She was always excited about the wedding, she had shopped for hours for this lehenga." He whispered pulling it into his arms. "Wasn't she going desperate to plan our pre-wedding ceremony? She had shown me the cold shoulder for not agreeing to engagement early on." Dhruv shook his head, "and now when the event is before her, she walked off as if the event doesn't matter to her. Why are you girls so complicated?"

"Hey, don't bring girls in between because I too can't understand Aditi." Avni muttered, "sometimes her desires for material goods scare me."

Those words made Dhruv glance at Aditi with a suspicious gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe she is all excited for the wedding, the fairy tale wedding she dreamed of. She values the materialistic stuff, the event that can happen on any day. But she has cut off from the emotion it holds." Avni paused for a minute, "I just realized a few days back that though Aditi had often talked about the wedding she never once voiced about her life partner."

"Where else, rest of you never had enough of your imaginary life partner."

"Exactly!" Avni exclaimed, "she is afraid to lose you but she isn't sure if she loves you. I don't understand why you both are adamant to destroy a beautiful relationship for the sake of this wedding?" Avni shook her head, getting furious.

Why couldn't her friends who were more mature in age could understand that they were destroying themselves? Kiara had walked away as if that could solve the problem. Dhruv was rushing with the engagement as if that could sort his feelings and Aditi? What was she even doing? What did she want from her life?

"What are you even saying? Avni..." Dhruv was going to clarify but Avni interrupted him.

"From how many years do you know, Aditi?" Avni inquired, entering the room. Demanding him to answer her, she folded her arms around her chest. She had dressed in a beautiful lehenga, looking lavishly beautiful. Makeup was used in a decent amount, making her look amazing. "From last ten years?" She raised a brow staring at confused Dhruv. "How many times have you both argued?" She waited for a minute longer.

"Maybe twice... no thrice..." He recollected.

"And from past one month, how much had you both argued?"

Dhruv stared at her in horror, his fear was getting confirmed. "Dhruv, if you both carry on with this relationship. You both are going to destroy the friendship that is built for so many years."

"I can't do anything about it, Avni." Dhruv sounded defeated, "walking away from this relationship isn't going to hold our friendship together. Last time, I took the step and you witnessed how Aditi reacted? It will only increase my burden for hurting her as well as my parents. I can't let them be ashamed of me. I can't allow dad to stare at me with those judging gazes."

"Would you be able to meet eyes with yourself?" Avni shook her head, "I wish Kiara was over here. At least she could make you understand that there wasn't anything wrong in choosing yourself over others."

"I wish the same Avni, I wish the same..." muttered Dhruv walking out of the room in frustration.

___

Kiara had anticipated a piece of Bollywood music playing in the background, people rushing in and out of the mansion. Numerous cars parked in the parking lot and a wonderful smile greeting her as she stood at the entrance of the mansion. But a completely different scenario was waiting for her.

A number of people accumulated in the living area that she could count on her finger. Each face was familiar but she hadn't anticipated glancing at such a gloomy face. Kiara shared a look of confusion with her parents as they made their way inside.

It was difficult to convince her parents that she wanted to attend the engagement ceremony. They were stunned on finding her on their doorstep on the previous evening. And had restrained her decision of accompanying them to the event but Kiara had managed to convince them on the matter. As she stood in a familiar mansion, a sudden wave of nervousness crossed her spirit.

What was she going to answer them? How would she reason her disappearance from their life for weeks? Kiara's eyes glanced at Avni that was standing along with the group of ladies. Renuka seemed on the verge of ending up in tears while Amrita was trying to console her. Without waiting for a second Kajal walked toward her friend, glimpsing at her gloomy state.

Rajeev found his way to the group of gents and having no other option, Kiara followed her mother. The minute Avni's eyes met Kiara, they enlarged in amazement.

"Kiara," Amrita squealed, pulling her into a tight hug. "Where were you?" She sounded disappointed yet the inner satisfaction of seeing her overpowered her fury towards Kiara. "I had even thought, you would not attend the engagement." She pulled away from her, glaring in her direction.

"Sorry that I had to leave..." Kiara apologized making Amrita have a small smile.

"How are you, Kiara?" Renuka inquired, brushing off her sadness aside. Masking a smile, sometime Kiara thought that hiding emotion was gifted to Dhruv from his mother. She was looking gorgeous in a beautiful piece of saree that wasn't heavily embroidered but rather was simple.

Kiara had always adored Renuka, she loved her personality. Renuka was much different from people Kiara encountered, someone of her taste. She gave her motherly vibes. Coming from a well-off family, marrying the biggest businessman in the city. Yet Renuka never behaved as superior to the rest of the world. She was decent with her taste. Even after having the capacity to buy from high-reputed brands, she loved shopping on the streets. Her choices hugely differed from the guy, she had married. He was hard to please. Not even the most valuable stuff could fulfil his demands.

Renuka stood before Kiara, cupping her cheek softly. "It had been days since I saw you." She pressed a smile at her. "And Kajal was saying, you are living with your cousin. How is everything going over there?" Another beautiful quality about her was she never judged anyone's decision.

Even after knowing that Kiara had left her job, she didn't inquire further about it. "It's going well. The place is beautiful, it makes you understand nature in a different manner."

"So, it helping you to create some beautiful stuff?" She inquired making Kiara comfortable in her presence. Kiara always felt that Renuka understood her dream better than her mother.

"It is, and that is so rewarding. Knowing that I am able to create something so beautiful."

"I would love to read your creations..." but she was interrupted with a solid, authoritative voice.

"Stop, supporting unrealistic ideas, Renu." Came a displeased reasoning. "You are only dragging her into the hole. She is mature enough to walk up from her non-realistic dreams." Atul muttered sounding pissed off. His stern orbs fixed on Kiara and his wife. He never understood the two women standing before his eyes.

He was beyond pissed on discovering that Rajeev had allowed Kiara to choose writing. How could a parent be so stupid? Writing had no future, wasn't he aware of it? Atul always thought that Rajeev was extra soft towards his daughter. Allowing her to decide on her own. Even allowing her to leave the most amazing job, she could ever manage. Atul rolled his eyes glancing at Shubham, Aditi's father. He gestured to him and both walked out of the living area, not interested in any of the dramas.

"Don't listen to him. He never understood the magic of art and he wouldn't ever." Renuka attempted to cheer Kiara up but her mood shifted.

Topic related to her dreams. Her decision was a topic of the target for her. Kiara had often doubted herself enough. She was aware that her friends were flying up in the sky with their chosen path and those who were just starting had taken those steps which weren't questioned much. But she had to choose something different, she had to listen to her heart than her mind. She chose her peace over building capital. But at the same time, she was clueless where she was heading herself? Why was her path still blurry?

"Kiara," Avni soon stood next to her and on finding Kajal engrossing Renuka in her conversation, she slowly dragged Kiara away from them.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned on finding they were a distance away from the ladies. "You had decided to cut off, I never thought I would be able to glance at you so early." She expressed her sadness, staring at Kiara with concern.

"Neither I had planned, but I wasn't able to hold myself back." Confessed Kiara, offering a smile at Avni. "How are you and the rest?" She inquired sounding concerned with the negative vibes surrounding them. "Is everything fine?"

"Nothing is fine." Avni shook her head in frustration. "Aditi left to attend a case on the day of her engagement." Kiara widened her eyes in astonishment at the information.

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't understand, I guess she was mature enough to understand that isn't a way to act." Avni was grumbling trying to hold her displeasure in check. "She can't keep choosing her work over Dhruv. That's not how a relationship works."

"I know..." Kiara admitted, "but that's Aditi we always knew. She was always goal-oriented, Avni. Choosing her studies over us, exams over any distraction. Wasn't that the reason she topped every examination? She knew when to have fun but she was always calculated. Even her relationship with boys was calculated. There weren't any feelings involved. We had never seen her busting in tears after her breakup."

"And I guess there aren't any feelings involved in the developing relationship." Avni's statement made Kiara's eyes burst out of her socket.

"We aren't going to start the cycle of the same conversation." Kiara warned her, "there are feelings involved. Dhruv had confessed it around us." Kiara used the tone as if expressing to Avni that she better shut the topic.

"We are talking about Aditi over here." Avni sounded determined not to brush the conversation off. "Dhruv can't always make up, sort things between them. For a relationship to work, two people need to work on it. Dhruv is going to get exhausted after a time. So, it would be better if they don't end up into a relationship that can turn toxic within a few years." Avni was reasoning out facts.

Kiara ignored Avni's gaze, concentrating on the people around the living area. "That stuff should be taken into account by Dhruv, not us." Kiara was on the verge to walk off from the conversation but Avni grabbed her wrist.

"You know how he is." Avni was pleading with Kiara to listen to her. "He won't choose himself over others."

"We can't do anything about it, Avni." Kiara sounded distant, "he won't allow us to interrupt." The flashes of that evening in Dhruv's cabin crossed Kiara's mind. He had shoved her away, he wanted his space. "And what if Dhruv's selfless nature makes Aditi love him back. It isn't like she holds feelings for someone else so their relationship isn't going to be that complicated. Arrange marriage works, Avni."

"They are two different worlds, Kiara. Their values don't even match."

"They had survived their friendships, they will make their relationship work as well." Kiara paused staring at defeated Avni. "Where is Dhruv?"

"I don't know but he hadn't walked out of the mansion," Avni answered, lowering her head in annoyance. Why wasn't any of her friends understanding her? Why they have to act so stubborn? This wedding was going to destroy them not bond them together. What if this wedding makes them hate their friendship? What could she do to stop the mess? She was clueless.  

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AUTHOR CONFESSION: None of the characters in the book is perfect, and little difficult to understand. You will have to deal with it.