"Hey!" Diya greeted giving her friend with a tight hug.
"Hello, I'm so glad you are here."
"Come on. I promised to stay by your side for every moment till you get married." Diya pattern her back.
Khushi Mehra, Diya's best friend since college days. Khushi and Diya had not lost contact even after they graduated from college.
The bond between Diya and Khushi had been more like sisters than best friends. Since day one they had been close friends and now too they had the habit of sharing things or news with each other.
It had been years since those days had passed. Khushi was getting married. And Khushi needed Diya even more than her own mother by her side for all the rituals and ceremonies.
Diya had already bought with her her strolly bag containing her stuff for the week. At the moment they had decided to meet at a cafe post which Diya would head with Khushi to the latter's house.
"Hello." The next Diya greeted was the groom, who was none other than Khushi's college sweetheart Omkar.
"Hello." Omkar too gave her a hug. "How are you?"
"I am good. How are you?"
"I'm good too."
The three of them took their seats at a table.
"Honey, what will you have?" Omkar asked looking at Khushi.
She read through the menu. "I'll have a latte... and ummm..." She glanced at him. "Would you share a slice of cheesecake with me?"
"I'm going to share my life with you, why would I not share a cheesecake?"
"Omkar." Khushi looked at him. "I am marrying you in a few days. You now have me already. You can take the cheesiness of your lines a step down now."
"Alright," he said as he flagged down the waiter. "But remember these were some of the lines that bought us and kept us together."
"What will you have Diya?" Omkar asked.
"I'll just have a cappuccino."
Omkar ordered as he handed the menu cards back to the waiter. "Two cappuccinos, one latte and one cheesecake please."
"Okay Sir."
"Thanks."
"So... did you ask him?" Diya asked once the waiter left.
"Yes." Khushi replied.
"And?"
Khushi and Omkar nervously looked at each other.
"What?" Diya asked confused. "Let me guess he refused." Diya Looked away with disappointment and leaned back in her seat. "I knew it... I unnecessarily kept false hopes."
"Whoa hold on!" Khushi exclaimed making Diya look at her. "He agreed."
"What? Really?" Diya asked with a broad smile in her face. "Then why were you looking at each other like anxiously?"
"Just some fun." Khushi winked.
"Khushi..." Diya chuckled and shook her head. "But thank you so much. I know it must have been really difficult to convince him."
"It was." Omkar agreed.
"But Omkar did it." Khushi touched his arm. "After all he could convince me to marry him. Convincing Rohit must have been a piece of cake."
"Okay, you need to stop mocking me." Omkar looked at Khushi. "I am going to be your husband in a few days."
"You knew what you were marrying into when you proposed." Khushi chuckled.
"It's good that I love you." He gave a grumpy look.
"Come on." Khushi cupped Omkar's chin and pulled his face towards her to give him kiss on the cheek. "You know I love you too."
Omkar smiled and rested his arm on on the back of Khushi's chair.
"So Diya, what's your plan?" Khushi asked.
Their order had arrived by then. Khushi tore open a sugar packet and poured it in her coffee. She did the same for Omkar. "Thanks babe." He glanced at her as he stirred his coffee with his left hand.
"I don't have one." Diya pulled her cup slowly towards herself. "Frankly I did not even expect that he would agree to attend your wedding. But now that I know he is going to be there, I think I need to come up with something."
"Diya, are you sure that you want to win him back?"
"Yes Omkar, you know I love him."
"But Diya, you heard him that day... I meant at the farewell... and it has been so long since then."
"I agree with Omkar." Khushi added. "And top of that he even insulted you. He does not love you anymore."
Diya took a sip from her cup. "He does love me."
Omkar frowned. "How do you know?... When I went to invite him, he asked me if you were going to be present? I said yes and asked him if it was going to be a problem. He replied that he did not have any feelings for you anymore, so you being there or not did not matter to him."
"He lied." Diya replied. "I know him."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because five years back. I was the one who made the mistake."
This time Khushi and Omkar looked confusedly at each other. Apparently there was something more to the story that their friends had kept hidden. Something they had no idea about it.
***
Rohit handed his car keys to the valet as he stepped out of his car. He took his bag from the rear seat and shut the door. He pulled up the handle and dragged the bag behind him as he walked inside the farmhouse.
It was Omkar's farmhouse where the couple had decided to get married. While all relatives, colleagues and other guests were invited only for the main wedding ceremony, just their close relatives and friends were invited for the ceremonies three days prior to the wedding.
"Rohit. Welcome !" Omkar greeted as Rohit stepped inside the house.
Rohit took off his glares before giving his friend a big smile followed by a typical bro-hug.
"Glad to see you man... Now my best man is here."
"I had to be here. It is my good old friend's dooms day. How could I miss that enjoyment?"
Omkar laughed.
Rohit's attention was then diverted to the girl shouting.
"The flower garlands were supposed to be put up for decoration by now. What are you people doing?" Diya shouted. "I want these to be put up in half an hour." She ordered sternly.
"She has been really helpful." Omkar said.
Rohit glanced at Omkar as he continued. "Diya has been looking after all the arrangements since months. She has been discussing with us for our choices, with our parents for their budget and then has been making sure that all the bookings have been made in time. We didn't even need a wedding planner. Isn't it great?" Omkar asked with a broad smile.
Great? Yeah? But who's that guy she's so happily talking to?
Rohit noticed Diya was speaking to some guy. She was laughing at some joke the guy said. She then even slapped his chest playfully.
"Come on." Omkar said making Rohit look back at him. "I'll show you to your room. You can freshen up if you want to."
"Do I need to dress up? Any function?"
"If you wish to. The mehendi ceremony will start in an hour or so. All ladies will be busy then."
"You aren't going to apply mehendi?" Rohit asked.
Omkar laughed. "Oh please. No Bollywood influence on me. Anyway, I'll introduce you to some of my cousins."
"Cool."
Rohit had one last glance at Diya before following his friend. She still was busy with that guy.
"This is your room." Omkar said as he opened the door. "This floor is for the groom's relatives and the below second floor is for Khushi and her relatives."
"Okay." Rohit entered the room and placed his bag on the small table at his right. "Thanks."
"So, I'll see you downstairs in an hour."
"Sure."
Omkar shut the door as he left.
***
The beautician and her assistants had arrived to apply mehendi to the ladies of the house.
"Wow !" Aayushi commented. "Amazing design Khushi." She said appreciating the mehendi design on the bride to be's hands and legs.
"Thank you." Khushi replied with a smile.
"You need to wait for about an hour and a half till it dries up. You may stand up then." The beautician instructed.
"Okay. Thank you."
The beautician had applied mehendi to Diya as well. But it was just a small design of flowers on her palms. She did not like applying mehendi very much, but agreed on the insistence of Khushi.
"Diya, when are your parents arriving?" Khushi's mother, Sheila asked.
"Aunty, only my mother will be attending the wedding ceremony day after tomorrow."
"Why? What about your father?"
"Actually my grandpa has not been keeping well since the past month. Mom and dad are taking care of him at Bangalore... Dad has to stay back but mom will fly in tomorrow."
"Ohhh, how is his health now?" Sheila asked concerned.
"He is feeling quite better now."
"And what about Chirag?" Khushi asked.
"He will arrive with my mom."
"Good."
"I am feeling hungry now..." Khushi whined.
"I had asked you to eat earlier itself." Sheila said. "All the ladies had their lunch before applying mehendi."
"But I wasn't hungry then..."
"Actually even I am hungry..." Diya said.
Sheila frowned. "You two girls... Wait, Khushi let me see if your father is done with his lunch."
"Aunty." Omkar stood before them with a plate of food in his hand.
"Hey Omkar." Khushi smiled. "What have you bought?... Feed me."
Sheila stood up. "Have you had your lunch Omkar?"
"Yes aunty."
"Sit here." She stood up to leave. "I'll check with the other ladies."
"Thanks aunty." He said taking her place. He broke a piece of bread, dipped it in the curry and fed her.
Diya too was about to stand up. "I'll see you both later."
"But what about your lunch?" Khushi asked.
"I'll have it later."
Ahem
The three of them looked up.
"Hi guys."
"Devesh." Omkar said greeting his cousin. There was a plate in Devesh's hand. "Didn't you just have lunch with us?"
"Actually this is for Diya."
"Ohhh..." Omkar was a little surprised.
"Yeah... I just thought to help her. She has been busy since morning in preparations."
"That's so sweet of you Devesh." Diya smiled.
"So if you don't mind may I?"
"Sure." Diya gestured to the seat beside her.
Omkar looked at Khushi but she just shrugged her shoulders and opened her mouth for the next bite. They got to talking.
Devesh sat beside Diya. She was looking at the design on her hands. He scooped a spoonful of rice and lifted his hands to feed her. "Diya..."
Clink. Clink. Clink.
Before Diya could even open her mouth the spoon was thrown off Devesh's hand. Diya looked at the dropped spoon and then up. The four of them were surprised to see standing Rohit before them.
"What the..." Devesh stood up as he glared at Rohit.
"You were about to feed lemon rice to Diya." Rohit said sternly.
"So?"
"It has groundnuts. Diya is allergic to groundnuts."
He remembers.
"Ohhh..." Devesh looked at her. "I am so sorry Diya. I had no idea... I'll get a new plate for you."
"No need." Rohit said. "Diya, I have bought a plate for you... Come let's sit at that table... Let's give the couple some privacy as well."
Diya nodded and stood up. As she followed Rohit she turned back once to glance at her friends. Omkar have her a thumbs up and Khushi smiled.
Diya took her seat and Rohit placed is chair close to her's so he could feed her easily. Rohit placed the plate of food in front of her.
The plate was filled with plain rice, curry, some slices of salad and two pieces of sweet.
Rohit mixed some curry with rice and scooped a spoonful of it. He held it up to her mouth. She looked at him as she ate the bite. His face was stoic, void of any emotions.
She remembered the times when the sat together, held hands, held each other's gaze, not wanting the other person to leave anytime. They would spend endless hours talking about anything and everything.
But now the situation was just plain awkward. She yearned to listen to his voice. She wanted him to share about himself, about his college, about his work and about his life at London.
How can that happen if he doesn't even look at me?
He just concentrated on the plate of food, toying with it. He just made eye contact with her occasionally when he fed her. But Diya could not take her eyes of him. It had been too much long since she had seen him so close.
But she blocked his hand with her forearm. "Rohit..."
"Just eat." His voice was soft but stern.
Towards the end as he fed her the sweet he even took a few bites himself.
She missed the earlier fun loving, casual but straight forward Rohit. She knew his emotions were currently hidden somewhere in his heart, she had to just resurface them. She knew that there was no one better than him for her.