"Okay, okay...Zoya...relax...breathe honey!" , Riya was saying.

"Let's get back to our rooms", I said looking over my shoulder nervously.

"We should've known!", Zoya wailed as we followed two beautiful ladies, both clad in silk sarees out of the hall which was emptying now. Most people were done greeting the couple and were going for dinner.

"We should've known", Zoya repeated again "I remember Rahul's mother telling us the wedding would be held here. Oh God...if I see Rahul anywhere, I'll die. Ya Allah! How could I've been so stupid? It's all my fault", she looked ready to cry.

"Shut up", I said "How on earth were you supposed to know? Let's just get out of here and you don't have to meet Rahul Saxena at all".

"Oh fuck!", I heard Riya say as about half a dozen aunties, all of them weighing atleast eighty kilos and wearing what seemed to be all the jewellery from Mumbai's Manubhai jewellery waded into our path.

They stood there blocking our way, like elephants.

They were chatting loudly in Marathi and didn't look like they were going to move at all. We were getting desperate. Zoya looked sick with anxiety.

"Should I just kick one of their butts?", Riya muttered angrily.

By the time, they waded off into the dining room, I felt like throwing up, myself.

"Come on. Hurry!", I grabbed both Riya and Zoya's elbows and steered them forward when I heard that voice.

I had heard it in person only once. But it's one of those voices you don't easily forget. Because those voices stand out. Whether they're talking. Or singing.

"Zoya Fakhri?", was what the voice said. But all three of us whipped around.

Rahul Saxena was standing in front of us. He looked flabbergasted to see us. Zoya gripped my arm tightly abd her nails dug into my skin painfully. Riya's jaw had dropped. And it probably wasn't because Rahul was looking handsome as hell.

I might have said something, explained the situation like a sensible girl would do to her best friend's ex boyfriend and eased the tension.

But what I said was : "What are you doing here?"

Yeah, that is what you ask a guy at his own sister's wedding.

Rahul raised his eyebrows coldly. Contrary to the platonic affection that my best friends and Reyansh showered on each other, I and Riya had never had a bond with Rahul. We had met him only once.

All I knew about him was what I had collected from social media and Zoya's narrations.

So he had no trouble being rude to me.

"I might ask you the same thing", he said icily, "This happens to be my sister's marriage", he turned to Zoya, "Is Shaheen Aunty here too?"

"Shaheen Aunty?", Riya asked looking surprised that Rahul should ask about Zoya's mom, "Of course not. She's in Mumbai".

"We didn't come for the wedding you fool", I heard Zoya finally speak, "We're staying here. Come on girls", she grabbed my arm with her left hand and Riya's with her right and like some army commando she led us out of the hall.

The excitement of seeing all the food and the grandeur of the wedding was completely wiped out. It was almost 10 pm when we staggered back to the staff house. The restaurant was still open. Some housekeeping ladies were having a late dinner. I couldn't find Reyansh, Maya or Josh.

"Let's sit down for a bit", Riya said.

"Yes. Shall we have tea?", I asked. Zoya and Riya nodded.

We moved to the counter and ordered three teas.

"Less sugar for me", I said.

"More milk for me", Zoya said.

"With cinnamon for me", Riya said.

We got our tea in steaming tumblers and sat down.

We had barely started sipping when the restaurant door opened and Rahul came in.

"Have you blocked me on Instagram?", Rahul asked.

"No", Zoya said "Why would I block the great Rahul Saxena who has 200K followers? I'm not even active on Instagram. I'm on social detox".

"Heard that you came here for a volunteer camp?"

"What else did you hear?", Zoya snapped at him, "And why have you come here anyway? To shower me with some more hatred?".

"Come on Zoya, I have never hated you. That's impossible. I will always have affection for you".

Hearing that, Riya stepped forward. Whenever Riya steps forward, it's the inauguration of a good drama. Not a pleasant sign, but nothing I could do to stop it.

"Oh Mr Singer Saxena!", she yelled clicking two fingers infront of his face "You did your action, reaction, destruction everything and and now you're starting all over with affection eh?"

"Riya just stay out of this", Zoya said. Riya stomped away?

"I wanted to say sorry", Rahul said abruptly.

"My hero", Zoya crooned "Finally admitting that he was at fault. Asshole! Why are you apologizing now?".

"For leaving you", he said shortly without hemming and hawing.

I fidgeted uncomfortably. It was so wrong for me to stand there anymore. But somehow it seemed like my legs were paralysed and I couldn't move.

"Leaving me?", Zoya asked and gave a high pitched laughter "Who are you to leave me man? You didn't leave me, alright? I asked you to leave. I threw you away..like that", she said crumpling up an imaginary paper with her hands and tossing it on the floor.

"Err..Rahul", I said with as much politeness that I could muster "Could you just leave Zoya alone? She's just really tired".

"Why is your friend asking me to leave?", Rahul asked Zoya.

Your friend. Though he very well knew who I was. Reyansh never addressed Riya and Zoya as 'your friends'. But then, Rahul hadn't hung out with us at school.

"Um..okay.. I'm sorry", Rahul said and as Zoya continued to mutter to herself I saw Rahul turn and walk away.

He turned back once to look at Zoya who didn't look back at him. If she had, she would've seen the longing on his face.

"I don't know...you really should talk with him", I said.

"Oh please Mish. Don't give me any advice. I'm so done playing the nice girl!", Zoya snapped, "Now let me go and have some fun with Josh", she said wresting her hand free from my grip.

I stared at Zoya as she moved away from me. I continued to stand there frozen till someone tapped my shoulder.

"Reyansh", I sighed.

"Where were you?", he asked.

I told him everything.

"Oh my God, Rahul is here?", Reyansh said, "That is crazy".

"I know right", I shook my head.

"Looks like everyone's upgrading their love stories", Reyansh said.

"Which reminds me of a love story which hasn't been upgraded for a while now", I said as I bent over and kissed his lips.

I know people say all the time, maybe it was the alcohol...but why don't they say maybe it was the tea? Because I couldn't find any other explanation as I allowed myself to get carried away a bit with Reyansh.

I didn't stop him when he led me to my room, didn't stop him when he shut the door kissing me, against it, didn't stop him when we both fell onto the bed.

But then my phone lying on the dressing table stopped both of us.

It buzzed most annoyingly, showing a WhatsApp notification.

Out of curiosity, I picked it up to see a new message from Riya. It read :

I'm in the next room and I just want to give a mere warning Mish. That bed creaks.

So much for romance!