Words Count- 2037
Attached Song- 10,000 hours.
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[Surfraaz Mehta]

"Are you single?"

I was shocked at the directed questions towards me.

"No" I said while, nodding my head as a 'yes'. I was literally struck in a 'do or die' situation.

"What?" This time, it was my Aisha.

"Bhai, are you already married?" She exclaimed as the crowd of audience gasped.

"You didn't even tell us. Not even me." She was shocked. 

"Surfraaz, you too let me down." Maa's face ashened as she sniffed.

"I am not married, Maa." I told her, irritated.

"But, why is my personal life getting discussed here?" I shouted at her Dad particularly.

"Because, you are getting married to my daughter in half an hour." Her Dad said nonchalantly, making me pull out my hair in frustration.

The nerve of this man!

Like daughter, like father. They want all to behave the way, they want.

I wanted to give him a tight slap, and say him that his daughter isn't a product for sale. She is a freaking human being with muscles and emotions, not of stones and straws.

"How can you marry your daughter off like this to anyone you see? What do you know about me? What if, I am a maoist?" I dived forward, towards him. My voice increasing various manifolds.

He held my arms and nuzzled my hair to calm me.

"Calm down, young man. I am aware of everything about you. I wanted my daughter to marry you from the beginning itself, but Smita ji asked Neha's hand for Viraj." He explained, as Maa pleaded me to marry her. I saw the stoned figure of Neha, as the crowd was in anguish and indulged in gossips.

The one, whom I discarded from my life long ago was all set to be my life partner.

It was getting awkward, and awful.

×× ××

Aisha tied the turban perfectly on my head, and did my tilak.

Mom was seeing us from afar, with so much love. She couldn't participate in my wedding as she is a widow.

I blinked my eyes, assuring her that all will go good. Setting up a red shawl on my shoulder, Aisha put on a black dot behind my ear and rotated burnt chillies in rounds to drive all the ne I softly kissed her forehead.

"My Aisha has really grown up." I complimented her, ruffling her hair as she hugged me back.

She guided me towards the wedding altar. Time ratified in anxiousness and staring, while soon I marked her mine with that pinch of red vermillion on her hairline. Her eyes were downcasted, with that tint of redness in cheeks and mist in her hazel brown eyes.

The nuptial chain of my name sat around her slender neck as her delicate skin brushed with my fingers. We orbited around the holy fire during Saptapadi as we took our vows to partake the responsibilities of making our family, cherish and love each other, and to strive for abundance, maturity and wisdom.

Thereafter, exchanging a brief sorrow-stricken goodbye, we were drove towards the Mehtas mansion. Aisha took her to my room, which was now our space.

"Give her some time, Raaz. Thank you for upholding my esteem." Maa voiced out, before retiring to her room in contentment. I was left behind to judge ways to ditch my own room and flee to hospital, my only escape.

I can't believe I got married to her and tonight is our... Stop it, don't permit your mind to wander in that path.

Let's face it!

I came into my room, to see her sitting on my bed with her face solely veiled. I inched towards her involuntarily. I didn't appreciate the veil concealing my wife's charming countenance.

I unveiled her face and scooted more closer to her.

Her eyes were gawking at my advancing face. A red paint bleaching over her plump cheeks under the layers of makeup. Her breath got stilled, observing my actions. My arm arced around her waist and I felt her shuddering at our contact. Her heart was going insanely hyper.

Leaning closer to her in such a way that there was just a low length for the paper to even pass.

Her grasp on my shirt fastened, her inhales were hasty. Slowly, I grabbed a pillow and a sheet behind her. I was about to stride away from her, when she squeezed her face more into my chest.

She was sobbing like a baby in my arms and I patted her back.

"I truly loved him." She croaked out.

"But, he doesn't love me? Why?" She wailed as I sat beside her, her whole body shivering in my hold.

"What was wrong in me that he left me for her in our wedding day? I dreamt so much for our future. I had so many plans for our wedding. But, why did he still leave me?" She kept fretting.

"Was I not good enough for him?" She complained, in between her sobs.

"Sh..Everything will be fine. " I tried to console her,until she was silent. I wriggled out of her grip to go to the balcony.

"Don't go." She said in a clipped tone. I sat there, until she fell asleep. I just put off her heavy jewelleries and bangles. Her supine body cradled in my arm as her hair bun tied in a gajra looked breath-taking, while her baby hairs struck to her creased forehead.

With a face wipe, I cleared her makeup as I was already experienced in it being surrounded by a sister and two girl bestfriends all my life. Finally, opening her hair knot, I let her hair fall free and breath.

I couldn't risk my life by changing her bridal attire, so left her to be in that outfit only plucking out a few safety pins to loose the lehenga choli duppata and made it to cover her front. My forefinger and thumb brushed with her nuptial chain as I placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I will be always there whenever you need me. You will be free to follow your heart. I can only hope that the road of your heart leads to me at the end of the day."

I whispered to myself, hugging her as my eyes locked with the ring, dazzling in her ring finger. I laid her on the bed and set out to the balcony.

Arranging my place in the balcony, I laid down hugging a pillow, only to be invaded by her dreams.

 [Neha Mehra]

I mustered up all my courage to face the scenario, that everyone detailed me off.

What was the reason for this sudden mess?

My fist curled my designer lehenga as I padded to the wedding altar all alone. The whole crowd was so indulged in gossips that no one even noticed me.

My Dad's shouts and Smita Mom's pleading filled in the main lobby. Their words echoed all around as my eyes landed on Viraj, crying in despair in Raaz's arms.

Did Raaz do all of these things to stop the wedding?

"My kiara attempted suicide." I hearrd him plead, as Raaz coaxed him.

Which Kiara was he talking about?

The Kiara Kashyap, his business partner.

Wasn't she the one, who wished us on our engagement day?

From that day too, he started behaving weird. He tried to ditch our meetings all the time. He always seemed frustrated and sounded annoyed.

"You can't back out now, Viraj." Maa tried to make him understand.

"Please Mom, I beg you. I can't marry. Please, she is fighting with death. Let me go." His voice was vulnerable. This voice seemed similar to that of the day of our first coffee date.

"What makes you happy?" I asked.

"Every little things make me happy. But, I believe that there always exists a person who is the reason of your happiness. Your 'happy candy'." He mused.

" Have you found yours?" I found myself, amused and excited.

" Though,it has to be you for me." I chirped, to which he laughed humourlessly.

"Finding your 'happy candy' is easy, but holding onto them is difficult. But, who remains with you, fights for you, loves you till your end is your soulmate." He described, as I found myself admiring his thoughts.

" So, do you consider me as your soulmate?" I asked, with my fingers crossed.

"Maybe or maybe not." He mumbled with a laugh, gulping the glass of wine down his throat.

"Neha, whenever you feel like you can't imagine your life without a certain person in it. When the absence of a particular one in your life makes it void, just know that he is your 'happy candy'. Your soulmate. Never, I repeat, never let them go off your life because it will leave you with nothing but lots to regret of not letting them love you." He told me, with a myriad of emotions swirling in his eyes.

"Done." I clapped my hands to which he smiled.

"Go and save her." I found myself voicing out. I saw him running to thank me.

"I owe you, Neha."

I saw him, hurrying out of the Lavez Hotel premises to the parking lot.

I saw Raaz shouting for some reason. When no one stayed by my side, he supported me. My parents didn't even bat an eye before swapping Raaz instead of Viraj. I was stoned as my voice seemed lost somewhere.

As we rounded the holy pyre, I told to myself, "If Kiara doesn't deserve him, no one can stop me from getting him in my life."

The whole marriage carried out in a blur, as we proceeded to Mehta's Mansion. But, not with the one I desired to reach there.

In a daze, I did all the post-wedding rituals. I could feel Raaz's eyes checking on me once in while. I was grateful to his hand holding me, or else I would have fell on the floor already.

I kicked the rice pot, and walked on a white cloth after dipping my feet on the mixture of water and vermillion, leaving imprints of my feet. I was too drained to do anything else.

"Let's leave it here." Raaz voiced out, that showed the finality out of his tone.

I was sitting still on the bed. Before I could comprehend what was happening around me, I saw Raaz's advancing face. Involuntarily, I fisted his shirt but he withdrew after grabbing the pillow and sheets. I trusted him enough to share my thoughts, maybe that was the reason I cried in his arms but got no tears while departing from my own parents.

He was always my source of calmness, however bad I treat him. He was my bestfriend, whom I couldn't hold onto. I was complaining about my life as I slipped into oblivion.

I recalled nothing the next morning as I woke up with a throbbing headache. My eyes were puffy as my skin looked pale. I bathed for the longest time as the hot water rinsed off my sorrows, turning it into normal water I stayed under it a little longer for the pores of my skin to close.

I wore a yellow silk saree with intricately designed handcrafted pink lotuses on its border. I was drying my wet hair with a white towel as the plug of hairdryer didn't fit the plug holes of main switch board.

I padded to the balcony seeing few ornamental plants from outside peeking through the wooden window as my silver anklet ringed with my movements and my toe ring clicked on the tiles.

I saw the supine figure of Raaz hugging himself as he faced the opposite side. I brought a blanket and covered him. He came here last night.

What did you expect?

I strolled down to meet Maa to ask her what I was needed to do.

•••

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The Chapter 5 is out. How was it?

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