“Bola tha maine, kitna acha rang chada hai,” Sonia comments, hovering her hand over my mehendi. The deep maroon shade looked almost alive, especially across my palm where Lucas had drawn the design. Ginger who is resting on her lap meows along as if agreeing.

[Translation - See how beautiful the shade is, I told you so]

I hadn’t done anything special for it to turn this dark. No extra lemon-sugar, no covering it up for longer hours — it just deepened on its own. As if the color had chosen to deepen for me.

For the past hour, I had sat in my room staring at it. Wondering. Remembering. Realizing just how much life had shifted in a few months. And the more I thought, the more the tears kept threatening, spilling over until I found myself whispering prayers under my breath. Pleading for this feeling to never fade the way mehendi eventually does.

I had always laughed off that saying — The darker the mehendi, the deeper the love. Never believed it until now.

“Haan, maanta hoon,” I murmured softly, tracing the delicate swan design with the tip of my finger. Everytime I looked at it, an involuntary smile tugged at my lips. My heart jumps just at the thought of him drawing it for me.

[Translation - Yeah, I believe it now]

Charlie meowed beside me, brushing his soft head against my arm as though agreeing with my thoughts. Since I have gotten the mehendi, he couldn’t stop sniffing my hands and curling up in my lap as if he liked the fragrance.

“Jasmine, chal ek baar music settings dekh le—” Maya’s voice chimes in as she steps closer. But her sentence cut short the moment she noticed Sonia holding my hands.Her eyes widens, her smile lighting up. She sat beside me in a quick movement, reaching to hold my hand.

[Translation - Jasmine, check the music settings ones]

“Wah, kitna sundar rang chada hai,” she whispers in awe, her fingers gently brushing over the swans in amusement

[Translation - Wow, the shade came out beautifully]

Sonia smirked knowingly “Kyun nahi chadhega? Jija ji ne jo lagaya hai.”

[Translation - Why wouldn't it? Brother in law is the one who did it]

Heat rushed to my cheeks “Sonia!” I hush her, her teasing always gets me all embarrassed.

“It really did turn out beautiful,” Maya admits with surprise. She wasn’t there when it happened as she has been caught up with work. Typical of her to skip her own mehendi, claiming she couldn’t afford waiting days for it to fade when she had clients to meet.

Sometimes, I forgot she was a lawyer until moments like these.

My uncle, Nikhil and Kunal were back. Yet their faces held an underlying tension that they didn't reveal. I think uncle talked to papa but I think they don't wanna say anything during the occasion of marriage and spoil the mood. But I feel a storm coming already.

“Have you seen where your boyfriend is?” Maya asks, bumping her shoulder into mine. I wince, groaning as her elbow clashed with my arm. “I don’t know—” I started, but she didn’t let me finish.

Instead, she tilts my chin toward the garden.

My eyes narrows instantly. A group of girls — my far relatives were gathered around someone, their laughter ringing loud along with the dangling of their bangles

And at the center of it…was Lucas.

My breath hitches

He is dressed in a white kurta set with an embroidered bandhgala jacket that matches the patterns of my blue lehenga. He looked dangerously handsome, I had to apply nazar ka tika on him the moment I saw him dressed like it.

He stood tall, shoulders stiff, lips pressed thin as if enduring it. One of the girls steps closer and I see  the way his body flinches, the way he immediately shifts back, creating space. His expression sour, eyebrows drawn in discomfort but the girls only laughed harder.

He hadn’t seen me yet.

Why were they so close? Why were they smiling like that, when he clearly looked miserable?

“Gosh, what are they doing?” I snap, jumping to my feet. I feel a sudden wave of annoyance brewing inside me.

Sonia grabs my arm gently “It’s not bhai’s fault. Kavya didi told them to do it”

Her words hit me like a bucket of ice water.

Kavya told them?

What on earth was that supposed to mean?

Maya let out a sigh, noticing the way my face grimaced “She is calling it a teasing game. Apparently, she is pulling the same trick on Liam, Nikhil and Veer too. Like some twisted loyalty test”

“Has she lost it?” My voice trembled with disbelief “She is making the guests flirt with men who are already in relationships? What if one of them crosses a line? Especially Liam and Veer, they would snap if a stranger touched them”

Sonia’s eyes widens, realizing the danger. “Shouldn’t we stop it then? Before it reaches the others?”

“They haven’t gone to them yet?” I ask

Sonia shakes her head “Lucas bhai is the first. Veer bhaiya is next.”

Maya adds grimly, “Throwing Liam and Nikhil’s names in the mix was probably just to make it sound harmless. But if you look closely, her real focus is Lucas. And now Veer. On his own sangeet, Jasmine. This isn’t some innocent prank anymore.”

I dont wanna be paranoid or suspicious of my childhood friend and make assumptions blindly. However this is too much and now knowing that she first targeted Lucas and then Veer, shows this is a game. Adding Liam and Nikhil's name is just a cover up. She seems either flirty or dismissive towards Lucas. And now including veer? It's his freaking sangeet!

This is getting out of hand

And if she thought I would just stand by, she was wrong.

This had gone too far. I needed to talk to her.

“Charlie, will you do something for me?” I coo softly, scooping him up from the chair and lowering him onto the grass. I crouch beside him, scratching behind his ears in preparation  “Those girls are annoying me… and Lucas. Why don’t you go and shoo them away?”

“Jasmine, that's not gonna work—” before Maya could comment, it's already too late.

Charlie bolts forward, paws padding silently over the grass sneakily before launching himself right onto one of the girls’ dupattas.

She lets out a sharp shriek as his weight pulls the fabric, his claws sinking in. The group erupts into chaos — girls yelling, a few darting away immediately while others try to help rescue the tattered dupatta from Charlie’s firm grip.

Lucas stands there in silence as Charlie gives out a low growl, tugging the fabric with surprising determination. In the end, the girl manages to snatch back half her dupatta and runs off with her friends trailing behind her.

“Oh. Okay. Wow!” Maya exclaims, clearly not expecting that. “Guess cats are possessive after all.”

I roll my eyes but can’t hide my smug smile as I stride toward Lucas, who is busy untangling Charlie from the shredded fabric. I stop in front of him, arms crossed, my shadow falling over him.

He looks up and gives me a sheepish smile but it instantly falters when he registers my expression.

“Uh oh” he mutters under his breath before straightening up, holding the torn dupatta awkwardly. He lets out a nervous laugh. “Well… I am glad Charlie helped me out. I didn’t know what to do. My ears were literally ringing from all the giggling.” He fidgets with the fabric, clearly uncomfortable.

My eyes narrow onto the dupatta. He notices it and quickly throws it away as if it was on fire “it was only 2 minutes talk”

“So… you were counting the minutes?” My voice comes out almost cold and accusing, which makes him gulp

His eyes widen “No! I mean—”

I don’t give him the chance to finish and turn on my heel with a dramatic huff

“Jasmine~” he calls softly behind me, following with quick steps.

I bite the inner side of my cheek, trying to suppress a smile. I ain't angry,maybe a bit jealous, yes. But it wasn't his fault. Though I couldn't help but put up this act to see his reaction. 

“Milaya” he pleads gently, his deep voice wrapping around my name like silk.

My heart glitches

Oh no

Not the soft voice

I try to keep walking, but his presence trailing right behind me makes my steps falter.

Maybe because I wanted him closer

“Milaya… sweetheart” he adds and my knees threaten to turn into jelly

Oh gosh…

Before I could gather myself, he spins me around suddenly. My body collides with his chest, his hands comes up to my bare waist, squeezing it gently.

“My relatives are watching” I mutter, almost breathless. Yet my hands betray me by resting on his chest without any protest.

He tilts his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes “They didn’t care when those girls were flirting with a taken man”  he murmurs. “I don’t think they have any right to object if I flirt with my girlfriend” He finishes the sentence with a quick kiss on my cheek

I inhale sharply at the warmth of his lips “I am not mad. Just… annoyed” I mumble.

He hums softly, "I can clearly see that. Smiles suit you better than frowns, milaya” he says, reminding me of his previous words. I sigh, relaxing my shoulders a little. “A few more things have been bothering me too but I don’t want to overthink right now.”

He nods knowingly, his gaze softening “Then how about something sweet? That usually lifts your mood”

My face lights up immediately at his perfect suggestion “That actually sounds perfect”

We walk toward the buffet stalls spread across the garden. Guests haven’t fully stepped out yet, they are probably lingering inside until the sangeet begins. The stage stands ready in the center with rows of seating on both sides for the groom’s and bride’s families.

My stomach growls embarrassingly at the aroma. My eyes scan the food tables until they land on a fresh pile of jalebis dripping with syrup.

“Oh this is perfect!” I exclaim, picking up a bowl eagerly. Lucas raises an eyebrow in amusement “that's quite a swirly choice” he comments, watching me break a circle and popping it into my mouth “it's my favorite. Once I start, I can't stop”

He chuckles at my words, grabbing my arm and guiding me under the shade of the lounging area “All sweets are your favourite” he points out

I shrug at his words, not disagreeing because I can't resist sweet things.

“Try some” I say, holding a piece of jalebi for him to try. I know he doesn't usually like sweets but I wanna offer. He would most probably reject it as he had a black coffee with his brunch. I still don't know how and why.

I also realised that he is bad at measuring sweetness, with his attempt to make tea everyday and yet not finding the perfect balance. I can't bring myself to correct him.

My whole family pretended to like the tea made by him this morning.

It's cute that they are supportive and moreover accepting him. His efforts are being seen. We just need to make sure he doesn't taste the tea.

He smiles, shaking his head politely at my offer. I pout, then keep munching happily, fully aware this much sugar will leave my throat sore later. But — kuch paane ke liye kuch khona padta hai. Food first, regrets later.

[Translation - to gain something, we need to lose something]

“Actually…” Lucas starts off slowly, making my attention divert to him.

“I do wanna try it” he admits. His words sparked an excitement inside me “Yeah? Sure!” I quickly pick out the best piece for him but before I can feed it to him, his hand comes up to tilt my chin.

His thumb brushes the corner of my mouth, wiping away a streak of syrup. My breath hitches.

And then, he kisses me.

It’s sudden, warm and syrup-sweet. A soft gasp escapes my lips as his mouth claims mine, his hands sliding to cup my cheek. His tongue pushes past my lips, he moves slowly, tasting the sweetness, taking his time like the world around us doesn’t exist

When he finally pulls back, my head is spinning. He smirks at my dazed expression and licks the syrup from his thumb.

“Very sweet,” he murmurs.

And honestly? So was he.

Yeh banda 16 Somvaar ke vrat rakhne se bhi nahi milta mujhe.

[Translation - I wouldn't find a guy like him even if i fasted for 16 Mondays]

✄┈┈

The seating arrangement didn’t exactly go as planned. The bride’s side decided it would be “fun” to seat all the girls on one side and the boys on the other like some kind of school function. Unsurprisingly, not a single couple was happy about it.

Nikhil even threatened to wear a wig just so he could sneak over to Nyra’s side, while Liam was sulking like a grumpy golden retriever because he was seated way too far from Stella. Honestly, I would probably be annoyed too, if Lucas wasn’t staring at me from across the room, his gaze locked on me like I was the only person here.

Throughout all the sangeet performances, he somehow managed to pick a seat that gave him a direct view of me. And if anyone happened to block his line of sight, he would casually switch seats.

He leans back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, his posture lazy but his eyes anything but that. His gaze traced every movement of mine, making my heart stutter in that annoyingly dramatic way.

I let out a helpless sigh, shaking my head at him. Stella caught me mid-eye roll and shot me a teasing grin before turning her attention back to the bride's side dancing.

Unable to take it anymore, I grabbed my phone and typed off a quick text: “Stop staring at me. It’s so obvious.”

Almost instantly, Lucas pulled out his phone, the notification lighting up his face. A second later, I received his reply: “Alright”

It was that simple?

But when I look up in relief of being free from his gaze. I find him putting on sunglasses, his head in the same direction of mine.

This man.

I press my lips together, trying not to laugh and groan at the same time.

Of course he would find a loophole

I am trying my best and failing miserably to focus on the performances

I really am

Lying to myself.

There is Nikhil and Kabir on stage right now, absolutely energetic while performing ‘Badtameez Dil’ His shirt is half unbuttoned and hair all over the place. He is flexing his moves and grooving with full confidence.

The amount of times I have heard these songs being played around the palace has made me memorize the names and a few lyrics

As Kabir gets off stage, Nyra joins him for a small couple dance on ‘Aalia re’. They have done the steps perfectly despite the less practice time.

The crowd is loving it. I am supposed to be watching and clapping

But nope

My eyes keep drifting back to her.

Jasmine. Sitting there in that dark blue lehenga. Her hair is curled, brushing against her shoulders every time she turns her head. Her bangles catch the stage light.

I shift in my seat, leaning forward as if that will help. The sunglasses are a good disguise to hide my stares but she knows my sneaky tactics.

The next group jumps on stage, Mira’s friends starting the performance with ‘Gallan Goodiyan’. The contiguous tune makes everyone sing along, clapping and cheering for the group.

Aryan came up to Jasmine as sehr was on stage. Jasmine picks him up and makes him sit on her lap — which he happily accepts, snuggling into her with his toy dinosaur.

She laughs softly along with him, bouncing him on her lap as he waves at his aunties.

It was quite a surprise when Aryan got called on the stage to dance on kala chashma along with his aunties. Everyone goes in a moment of awe and the spotlight is taken away by a cute little star.

The lightning changes up, flashing colourfully as Kavya, Maya and Sonia stage creating the vibe before the performance,the music to ‘Radha’ starts slow. My heart races with anticipation as I see Jasmine joining them in the middle.

There's a small solo of Sonia dancing on ‘wah wah ramji’ and then maya joining her for the ‘yeh ladka hai Allah’.

Then starts playing ‘rock and roll soniye’, Maya grabs Jasmine's arm and Sonia grabs Kavya's arm to pull them together. All of them start dancing, nailing the hook steps and in perfect sync after all the practice they have done. But my focus remains solely on her.

The others slowly step back, diverting the spotlight to Jasmine when she performs on ‘navrai majhi’

The spotlight hits the stage, and out walks Jasmine… dressed in the most breathtaking royal blue lehenga I’ve ever seen.

The sequins on her dress catches the light, making it sparkle like tiny stars. The skirt flows around her as she walks, clicking her bangles together.

Her movements are fluid and graceful, hips swaying with the rhythm, bangles chiming like musical notes. She does a playful twirl and her dupatta flares, catching the golden light.

Without wasting a moment, I grab my video camera to capture her.

Everyone is cheering mixed with the music  but I can’t hear any of it.

All I can see is her.

Her gaze finds mine across the crowd. Between the lights, the crowd and loud music, everything blurs as she moves towards me.

“Hey” I breathe out, seeing her standing in front of me. She smiles softly, her eyes crinkling in the corner with genuineness, her breathing still heavy from the dancing.

The music slows down, transforming into a much softer one

[A/n y'all can imagine any song<3]

Jasmine tilts her head, extending her hand towards me. I look around to see people stepping back leaving behind couples.

I take her hand, sliding my other arm around her waist, pulling her gently closer. Her palm rests against my chest, right over my heartbeat.

We start to sway slowly, completely out of sync with everyone else but it doesn’t matter.

Her eyes hold mine like a spell

I take a step back and spin her under my arm, her lehenga flaring around her and when she comes back into my hold, I rest my forehead against hers. Our breathing and heartbeat in a rhythm now.