My eyes were on the ceremony starting, but my mind wasn't ready to forget the incident taken place a minute back. "Thank god!" Shehbaaz took a breath of relief, glimpsing at Sana. "Why didn't you inform, paji?" Showing disappointment gazing back at his sister.

Before I could express a word, he got busy with questioning Sana only to meet with silence. "Where was she?" Later, realising his mistake, he darted his gaze back to me. He was searching for his cell, and again I was interrupted by a not pleasing creature.

"Baaz! You too know him?" He walked towards us, playing with his hair back in position. His mischievous eyes on me, disliking towards him, were growing with each passing minute.

"Oh! She was with you," Shehbaaz shook his head. "We were simply stressing ourselves. Why you didn't inform us earlier?"

"Were you in a condition to listen? Too engrossed with groom's sister... I wonder if you..." He was shut by Shehbaaz, he eyed him my presences. What was it about Sara? He better stay away from my family and those close to me, glancing at Sana.

"Hi! I am Kunal Chatterjee..." I was taken back, he was Indian. His golden hair and fair skin indicated vice-versa.

"Kunal? Indian?" Confirming it.

"Hahaha..." Shehbaaz laughed at my words, "everyone gets baffled at knowing it." Side hugging him, "he is Indian... his father is... a Bengali. Born and brought up in England," he paused. "His mother is a foreigner, and he had settled in Canada."

"You forgot to mention one thing," objected Kunal. "Now settling to Mumbai, the city of dreams." He was happy expressing it but neither was I. "I love to travel around!"

"And Sid stays in Mumbai too," informed Shehbaaz. Not appreciating his move, what was the need?

"Really?" I nodded unwillingly, Shehbaaz escaped himself with a call. "It would be great! We can meet often, and I am no longer alone in an unfamiliar city." I pressed a smile; I was never going to pay a visit to him. Nor would appreciate him doing the same. 

"How do you know Gill's?" He inquired as I had shut the topic, he was offering a smile to Sana on an equal interval. The notion that she was comfortable with Kunal more, pissed me.

"Raghav is my friend," informed turning him embarrassed.

"Oh! The talk we had earlier..." he was recalling about mentioning Sara in their conversation. Trying to justify his acts, his no excuses were going to turn my views against it.

"Thank you!" I heard a sigh of relief coming from Sara as she pulled Sana in a hug. Shehbaaz followed her, maybe he went to inform her. "You're fine!" Cupping her face, "I was so stressed out. Searched you in every corner," shook her head. "Why didn't you inform me?"

"She was with me Sara," explained Kunal. I was stunned, Kunal knew Sara?

"But you needed to conveys us, Sid was going mad over me." Complaining to Kunal, I glared at her.

"You deserved it!" Rolling my eyes, she was going to open her mouth but Preethi di called her.

"Sara! Come!" She turned facing her, nodding in agreement.

"Sana... will you..." she was going to speak further, I objected it.

"No need! Sana is not moving an inch, you leave." Sounding rude, but who cared? She stamped her foot in annoyance while moving from there. I had insulted her in front of outsiders, but she had acted in that manner.

"Come as the haldi ceremony had started," Shehbaaz walked along with Kunal. I wasn't stepping any further, Sana was staring at me from the corner of her eyes.

I ignored it, "I want to go..." she was pleading like a small kid afraid to ask her parent. I had a smile as she hadn't voiced a word out properly, it was our first conversation in a normal way after two years.

"There is a huge crowd, you will get lost. And you don't like people, right?" I inquired, I desired to know the reason behind her turning aloof.

She shook her head, "I like them." She paused for a second, bowing her head. "They dislike me..." I stared at her keenly, trying to know what those words meant.

"Fine, let's go." We walked towards Shehnaaz, as she would be interested in applying haldi to her. I was staring at her face; her eyes were shining on seeing her sister applied with the yellow paste. But confusion grew over her face, as she saw people were applying that paste.

"Sana!" Shehnaaz happiness grew seeing her sister standing at a few distances. "Come! Apply it!" Gesturing her to step forward, Sana peeped at me. I gave a nod, and she stepped towards her.

She was an inch away from her, "what is this?" Her innocence was radiating from her innocent questions.

"Haldi!" Mrs Gill answered, "applying it increases one beauty." Provided her with the basic information one given on the day.

She took the paste from the bowl, and instead of bending towards Shehnaaz. She turned herself towards my direction, I was stunned. A minute later, she applied it to my face. The yellow turmeric paste was all over, I was dazed to react.

"What had she done!" A yelled came from the woman surrounding, "why she acted in such a manner?" Sana who was cheering her act suddenly turned sad. She was staring at the woman accumulated not understanding, how she had affected them?

"Mr Gill why even you allowed her to attend the wedding?"

"She spoiled the function with her foolishness..."

Her glowing face was turning pale, I could get meaning behind her earlier statement. "They dislike me..." They disliked her! Her actions, her innocence. They were stupid to understand her motive, blinded by norms.

Meri jaan mein har khamoshi mein...
Tere pyaar ke naghme gaaunga mmm....

"I don't think she spoiled anything," Shehnaaz stood from her stool. "She had questioned, got an answer and acted in that manner."

"Absolutely! The haldi made one brighter, and she applied it on that person whom she wants to see handsome." Answered Shehbaaz, "nothing wrong in it!"

"What rubbish are you speaking?" Yelled an old figure in the crowd, "Gill are you going to speak? Or like always they are appreciated for their disobedience."

"They are not uttering anything wrong," paused Mr Gill. "My daughter too has the privilege to enjoy her sister's wedding. And she had done..."

"Your freedom had been the cause for her such condition. She was given the freedom that became the reason behind her mental state, why you provided her with the freedom to hold feeling for someone? That age was to study not to end up an affair with a stranger..." What rubbish was she uttering? Who was she to question about someone character? And why even Sana's family was tolerating her?

"Stop it!" Infuriated by her statement, "I consider you as my mother. I had never disobeyed you, but that doesn't give you the freedom to label my children. Who they are, what they are, is known to my wife and me. They don't need to prove it to the outsiders," he halted in between.

"Outsider! Now I am an outsider," she turned sad. "I never knew, you would insult me in front of the crowd."

"You're too insulting his daughter in front of the same crowd, Dadi Ji." Remarked Shehnaaz, she was pissed with her statement so was everyone.

"If I am not valued, why even I should be present?" Saying so, she walked from the hall in exasperation. Mr Gill paid no attention to it; his eyes were lowered. That insult was not on his daughter but on himself as well, he was questioned about his upbringing.

"Let's continue the ceremony," voiced Shehbaaz. Shehnaaz was denying it, but he encouraged her to walk forward, things started once again but the earlier glow was missing. Each individual was pressing a smile but it wasn't the genuine one. Sana's mere act had destroyed the party setting.

I felt a ticklish feeling and found her, pulling the kurta I had worn. I raised a brow at her, she signalled me her haldi filled hand. "Wash?" She nodded, and I took her away from the crowd towards the washroom on the ground floor.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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