(If you want, I can link you the lyrics' translation)

******

Then, it was finally the most exciting day of that year. It was the day when we could eat as much as we wanted and not worry about collapsing of a heart attack sometime later in the day. I could dress up as nicely as I wanted, and could make sure that I actually cared about my makeup for once.

I couldn't wait to dance until my feet fell off and Manish had to drive me to the hospital. I couldn't wait to spend one of my last days with Manish, Jen, and almost everyone else that I loved. I knew Irfan's wedding reception was going to be a blast, but with some other things compiled into there as well, which were less than desirable.

There was a general rule of thumb when it came to weddings or receptions as well. Start getting ready at least 2 hours in advance. If you're someone who likes to procrastinate like me, then 2 hours is the minimum amount of time you should set aside when it comes to getting ready.

Even if I was prepared as to what I was going to do in terms of my appearance for the day, there was always something that would go wrong and it would end up adding more and more time to getting ready. And that's what always made me late. Thankfully, my mom, albeit with me whining a bit, made me set out some of my things the night before.

I was eyeing the dress that I was planning on wearing that night. The blood red color added a level of unintended class to the aura, with the fabric shining underneath any kind of light that was present. It perfectly hugged whatever few curves I had, and with the soft, luxurious feel of the material, it was a win win situation. I just knew that I was going to look good in that dress, along with the makeup that I was planning to do.

Well, at least, attempting, and then failing miserably. Then it would involve me calling for my mom as she laughed at the fact that my screwed up makeup made me look like I had gotten punched in the face.

After I had slipped on my dress, draped on my necklace, slid on my  bracelet, straightened my hair without miraculously burning any of my fingers, I grabbed my mom's makeup things. I picked whatever brushes looked right, and then called, "Mom! I need your help!"

My mom, almost knowing exactly why I needed her at that moment, ran upstairs to help me in looking half decent and not looking like I just rolled out of bed and threw on whatever nice looking outfit I first laid my eyes on. "I got it, Ashwini. I'll do your makeup." She grabbed a little chair for me to sit in, and then grabbed some primer so that the shadow wouldn't look like an absolute mess.

She took some on her hand and then dabbed it on my eyelids, while giving me a little bit of a smile. "I know you're excited. You've been talking about it forever when Jen gave you the invitation. Manish is going to be so dazzled when he sees you in that dress."

I gulped a little bit, because I tried not to reflect on what Isha said the other day. I knew that none of her words were true, again, but it still stung like a swarm of bees. Just the idea of Manish never being proud of me is like swallowing a piece of cactus with the spines still on it whole.

My mom saw my apprehension, and then grabbed a little brush to start applying eyeshadow. "You seem super tense. Is this about Isha shit talking about you and Manish's relationship?" I didn't even say anything at that moment. My mom was almost always right about her suspicions, and this was definitely not an exception. I just gave her a slight nod so that I didn't mess up the work she was doing, and then after blending out my eyeshadow, I could hear her set the brush down.

"Ashwini, open your eyes for a second."

I obeyed exactly as that, and then looked up at her. She gave me a reassuring look, and then said, "Isha's words don't mean anything, okay? I can tell how much Manish loves you and treasures your guys' friendship. Isha's just jealous that she can't dictate Manish, okay? Don't worry about her, because she can go bury herself in a ditch, for all that I care. Try to have fun tonight without worrying about whatever the hell she thinks, okay?"

I gave her a smile, as I closed my eyes once more for her to continue the work she was doing on my eyelids. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime."

Her words felt like I had immersed myself in a hot bath after a long day's worth of work. I was so glad that my mom was able to give me some encouragement when it came to dealing with Cactus Nose. But, not taking her words to heart was something that was definitely easier said than done.

I may have had experience with it since I've been pulling out her pointy spines from my ass for the past several years, but that didn't mean that there wasn't some pain when she stabbed a new one through wherever she decided to aim for that day.

That was the only problem.

*******

I've always loved mysteries. They were something that could keep me guessing for the whole night, and then when I get to know what the result was, then I'd either slap myself because of how wrong I was, die of shock, or just be so pleasantly surprised that I don't have that bad of a reaction.

That night definitely had some mystery to it. For one, I didn't know how Jen was going to look. I had a general idea of what her dress looked like, but coupled along with the jewelry, her hair, and makeup made for a rather intriguing mystery altogether. I knew she was going to look great either way. There was no doubt about it.

The second mystery was Manish's reaction. I had two ideas in mind. One was that he was going to squeal from total happiness on how good I looked, according to him, and how he was excited to see all the guys start to come to me and ask me out. The other reaction was that he was going to nearly faint out of just pure shock.

I really hoped it was the former, because I didn't want to have to take care of his unconscious body at that time. One, I would've fallen over and probably fallen unconscious on impact, and two, explaining that to Rajiv Uncle and Sandhya Aunty would be something that would result in a lot of amused confusion.

But either way, I had my purse, my water just in case I got weirdly thirsty, and my gift for Irfan and Mallika. I was waiting for Manish to come pick me up so that we could go together. Ananth insisted on driving himself, for a reason that I still don't fully understand, but if it meant that I could go with Manish, then it made everything a lot better.

I sat on the steps, looking through random comments on random YouTube videos that had popped up in my recommendation feed. Then, as I was looking through another weird comment, I heard the doorbell ring. Like a jack in the box with the crank wound to the right amount for it to spring out, I sprung up from my sitting position to go see if it was Manish at the door.

I looked out of the peephole to see if it was Manish, and surely enough, I got a close up of his kind face. He had a big, jolly smile plastered all over his face, which only made me a little bit more excited as to what was about to come. His hair was combed neater than I've ever personally seen, with a dress shirt and fancy slacks slapped on him. The smallest amount of stubble pricked his jaw, which added a pinch of masculinity to his adorable face.

I unlocked the door, and then swung it open to greet Manish formally and not while looking out of a peephole and spying on him. When I swung open the door, I could almost feel the warmth of his smile hit me like a breeze, even though the night was crisp and refreshing. When he saw me standing there, the smile melted off of his face, and his jaw fell open in shock. I gave him a slight smile, while praying silently, Don't faint. Don't faint.

After some indecipherable sounds came out of his mouth, he finally got the energy to form decipherable words and phrases. "Jaya.... Wow..." he stuttered, as I chuckled slightly.

"Good to see you too, stranger. Ready?" I asked, as Manish still stood there, with the look on his face not fading off.

After hearing my obvious confidence, he finally, although invisibly, wiped some of the shock off of his face and then looked at me with a slightly more confident look on his face. "Yes, I'm ready. You look beauti- I mean," he said, while straightening out his outfit and standing up a little bit straighter, "You look great, Jaya."

I gave him another small chuckle, and then my mom called from above, "Have fun, you two!" I walked out of the house, and then closed the door behind me.

I turned around, locked it, and then faced Manish once more. He held out his arm, and then said, "May I?"

I did nothing but give him another slight smile, and then I held onto his arm tightly, as he led me down the steps of the porch of my house. When we got to the bottom, he started to walk to his car, and as we were walking, he looked me straight in the eye and said, "Without being a total goof, Jaya, you look absolutely amazing tonight. And I mean that in every way possible." He opened the car door after unlocking it with the remote, and then opened the passenger side door for me.

"Thank you, Sunny. You don't look half bad either. I can't wait for tonight." I sat inside of the car, and then Manish leaned inside to help me get my dress inside so that it wouldn't get in between the doors and end up becoming a mess before we could even get to the reception site itself.

He closed the door, and then got inside of the car on the driver's side so that he could start driving. I turned on the little light on the roof to make sure that my makeup looked okay and that I didn't look like a melting panda before I even got there.

Right when I turned on the light, Manish turned it off almost immediately. "Don't even think about it, Jaya. You look absolutely stunning, and I'd let you know if something was wrong." I gave him yet another smile, and then looked over at the road to make sure that he's not getting into any accidents.

How was I supposed to dance at the reception if I had broken bones?

I held onto my gift a little bit tighter, and then looked over at Manish, who just looked so excited for everything. I was excited too, because not only was it one of the last opportunities I could spend with him and enjoy ourselves, but because it was one that was guaranteed to be filled with fun.

As soon as he parked in the parking spot for the venue, I gathered my purse and gift for Irfan and Mallika, as Manish got his gift and scrambled out of the car to help me up. He opened the passenger side door, then held out his hand to help me. I took it, and then he helped me stand up, because balancing in heels wasn't something I had a Master's Degree in.

He gave me his usual A+ smile, and then closed the door behind me, being careful not to get my dress in the way. Not letting go of my hand, he led me towards the actual building, while looking extremely nervous.

Then, I realized something important. I realized the lack of cactus spines shoved in my back, which was obvious as there was no pain in my backside that evening. Curious as to who she decided to make miserable that night, I asked, "Sunny, where's Isha?"

As we were closer to the entrance, he said, "She got a ride from someone else. Don't know who, because she wouldn't spill, but I think she'll be fine. She should be here soon."

I feel sorry for whoever that is, I thought to myself. Manish leaned over and then opened the door for me. He held it open, and then beckoned for me to go first.

I gave him a flattered smile, and then walked inside. "Why, thank you, Mr. Chauhan,"  I said, and then he closed the door behind me and held my hand once again.

"My pleasure, Ms. Balakrishnan." I gave him a slightly weirded out look, because he was never this formal when it comes to me. He gave me the same look, and then we just burst into a fit of giggles.

Up to this point, everything just didn't seem normal, and now that we were both realizing it, it just made things a lot funnier. "Oh, that was funny. Come on, I want to go meet Jen and then stuff my face with food and drinks until you have to give me CPR."

I snickered, and then surely enough, we entered the reception hall. When our eyes caught an image of the hall, both of our jaws fell open in shock.

I could tell that Jen's parents definitely went all out with this. The golden tint from the lights made it feel like I was in a fancy ballroom. I could hear the little clicking of my heels against the tile floors, with the extremely faint scent of fresh flowers perfuming the air. There was a huge chandelier standing in the middle of the hall, and everyone in the hall looked like a million bucks, with their fancy suits and lavish dresses. The only thing that was missing was the $24 million paintings made by Van Gogh in the 1800s.

I craned my neck in an attempt to find Jen, her parents, or her siblings, and surely enough, near the front, Irfan and Mallika were standing and greeting guests. Keeping that in mind, we made a beeline for them. We travelled through a sea of guests that were running around and trying to find other people to say hello to, so that we could take pictures and remain happy.

Once we made it through the last riptide, we finally got to Irfan and Mallika. When I got close up, I was amazed at how much of a goddess she looked at that moment. She was wearing a dress that made her look like a gorgeous disco ball. Light pink lipstick shone on her lips, with a golden eyeshadow look complemented by a sharp winged eyeliner that looked like it was going to take off and fly to Bulgaria anytime soon.

Irfan's slightly thinning hair was combed back, with a black suit and tie fitted on him perfectly. A shiny silver watch was gripping his wrist, along with a glimmering wedding ring on his finger.

Irfan and Mallika caught sight of us, and then Mallika flashed us her golden smile. "Ashwini! Manish! Hi!" she joyfully greeted, as she walked over to give me a loose hug. Irfan bro hugged Manish, as the latter handed the former their gift.

Mallika gave me a loose hug, and then I handed her the gift. "This is for you," I told her, and she took it with a gracious smile. "Thank you, thank you! Come in, let's get a picture."

Obeying, I got closer to her, and she put her arm around me. Mallika put her other arm around Irfan, and Irfan put his other arm around Manish. The photographer points his camera at us, and with a blink of flash, a new memory was made.

After smiling, Mallika and Irfan let go of us, and then they said, "There's some drinks in the back. Help yourself. We'll get started on the dancing soon," with a wink following right after.

I gave her yet another smile, and then Manish came over to my side. "You can go get a table. I'll get you some drinks." I gave him another smile, and then found an empty table to sit at and wait for my drinks to come. I pulled out my phone to keep myself kind of busy for the time being, and then I felt a pair of hands rest themselves on my shoulders.

I looked behind me, and surely enough, Jen was right there, looking dazzling. She had a bright blue outfit on her that was embedded with jewels, and her hair was in perfect loose curls. She had the most perfect makeup that was dusted on her face. I gave her a smile, and then she pulled up a seat right next to me. "Looking good, Jaya. Where's Manish?" she asked, and before I could answer, I saw someone set down a glass of water right in front of me.

I saw Manish's arm go around Jen, and then Jen looked over at him with a huge smile on her face. "Speak of the devil. A really good looking devil."

Manish pulled up a chair right next to me, and then sat down to talk to the both of us. "And here I am, looking like a pile of dirt next to goddesses. You guys ready for tonight?"

Jen nodded her head vigorously. "Manish, this is the highlight of my summer. I know you both are ready to dance. Well, more like Ashwini starts dancing like she's drunk, and then she drags you in, but same difference."

We all started to laugh, and then I took a sip of my water. Lemon water. Refreshing, I thought. Jen checked her wristwatch, and then quickly got up from her seat. "It's gonna start soon. I'll see you guys in a bit."

She hurried off to go tend to something else, while I looked back at Manish. He was sipping his water, and then looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Do you actually want to dance tonight?"

Manish gave me a shrug, and said, "I'll think about it."

********

It felt like everything came straight out of a fairy tale at the couple's slow dance. As I sat eating my Tunisian food, which Jen very gracefully pleaded for it to be vegetarian, I watched as Irfan and Mallika seemed to be completely drowned into each other. The amount of romance that they seemed to be bathing in was just envy worthy.

I watched as Irfan gracefully held Mallika as he gently danced with her, as their souls and movements had been joined together and were one now. Granted, they were one couple now, but the way that they seemed to be completely immersed in each others' eyes made me want to have a relationship like theirs.

After a while, the music stopped, and then they went back to their chairs to take a little bit of rest, as other people got up and helped themselves to more food. As they were getting more food, I was just giggling with Manish about random things and jokes that we would've discussed growing up that made things even funnier now.

"So when my mom turned up the AC, my dad got annoyed and asked her if she was born or raised in Shimla. My mom replied with, 'Yes, Both actually. How can you not tell by the accent?' My dad, being born in Ambala and then relocating back to Jodhpur when he was a teenager, was used to weather hot enough to burn your hair off. Yeah, my mom still brings it up after over 26 years of marriage."

I chuckled, wondering how Rajiv Uncle couldn't pick out Sandhya Aunty's slightly different accented Hindi. It still made me laugh to that day, and for some reason, I didn't know why.

As we continued to laugh about jokes like these, the MC announced, "Okay, everyone, it's almost time for the slow dance! Gather your significant other and start dancing!"

I shot a look at Manish, who swiftly got up and looked around the hall to find the special someone to ask to dance. I gave him a cheeky smile, and then asked, "Who is that special lady that you're going to ask, Manish?"

Manish pretended to look around for a little bit longer, and then looked back down at me. He held out his hand, and then looked at me with a genuinely excited look on his face. "Jaya, may I have this dance?" he asked, slightly coyly, as I stared at his hand in shock.

My jaw was open, also because of shock, and then I said, "Manish, I thought you were going to ask a special lady to dance with you."

"I just did."

I gave him a big smile, and then took his hand. This time, the smile on his face grew to be even wider and brighter with each step that we took to the dance floor. By the time we had gotten to the dance floor, he had the most promising look on his face. He gently took his hand and placed it on my waist, while he took my other hand and held it gently in his. I placed my hand on his shoulder, and then the DJ started the slow song.

Gently, he started to lead me, and then I followed through, and there was one thing that shocked me. It was how smoothly the dance was going. Our movements were almost fused together, and we moved together like the water in a river. It was almost surprising how good we worked together, considering how many times he stepped on my toes in the past couple of weeks.

"Jaya, I'm so sorry I was acting so cold towards you. I just couldn't hold in my excitement. I wanted to dance with you for so long, but I didn't want to give away the surprise. I wasn't mad at you, I promise."

I gave him another smile, this time reflecting on how sweet Manish was for wanting to surprise me. I knew that he loved to surprise people, but this was one that I never saw coming. But, I knew to treasure it. This was one of the last times that I was going to be dancing and having a tender moment with Manish. I was just glad that it was one especially memorable and one that I could treasure for a long time.

******

I still felt tingly from his gentle touch on me after we had danced. It was just something so majestic and I didn't want to stop dancing with him. Truth be told, I never did. When the fun music came along, I, along with Jen, started to shake it on the dance floor.

Manish, being the shy little cinnamon roll, didn't want to come to the dance floor. After I begged him enough, he came, and was tight at first. Then, when he loosened, that's when the fun started. He spun me around, smiled at me, and was having so much fun, which is what I was glad about. We stayed like that for a while.

After a while, I got tired, and my throat felt like someone had rubbed it with sandpaper. The night was going to end in an hour, and I didn't want to go to the hospital because I passed out from dehydration.

After the song was over, I straightened out my clothes, and then turned to Manish. "I'm gonna get some water. Be right back," I told him, and off I went to the back so that I could have a nice, tall glass of water to hydrate my parched throat.

I swiftly walked to the drink area, grabbed a decent sized glass and filled it up to the top. I tried to go as fast as I could because I wanted to keep on dancing with Manish. As I finished up, I could hear the footsteps of the devil approach me from the background. The sounds were so demonic, and they reminded me of a lion stalking its prey, ready to strike and maul their victim to death.

I turned around, and Isha was standing there, with her signature devilish look on her face. I placed the cup in the trash, and then stared her down in an attempt to see what the hell she wanted to do to me that night.

"Wipe that innocent look off of your face, Jaya. It's making me sick."

I rolled my eyes, knowing that there was always something about me that pissed her off. "Fuck off, Isha. I'm trying to enjoy tonight, and you butting into my business isn't something that I am in the mood to deal with tonight."

Isha just continued to stare daggers at me. "Well, I am. I'm seeing how my brother is somehow happy with you, Jaya. I know that's fake. He's never going to be happy with you. And we both know that. He's just putting up with you until the very last minute that he gets away."

"I could say the same about you. I think Manish is also waiting until he gets away from you. It will do wonders to his mental health, I'm telling you."

Isha walked closer to the entrance, where you go out and go back to the dance floor. She looked down there, and then we both saw Manish, who was having fun and dancing to the song. The happiest look was on his face, and it made me even happier to see that. "You see that? You're not around him, and that's what is causing him to be happy. Now that you're away from him, he's actually smiling, and he's having fun. He never got to do that when you were around. He's doing himself and you a favor by moving across the country. And I'm glad that he's happy when you aren't around."

She swiftly turned on her heel and walked away to wherever she wanted to burn. When she finally got away from me, I took a look back outside to see how Manish was doing with everyone else.

I just wanted to see if he was truly happy without me, and having the time of his life out there. And sure enough, he's dancing, smiling, having fun, like Isha had said. He just looked so happy, and since I wasn't there, it all made sense. It made sense that I wasn't there when he was happy.

Without wasting another minute, I made my way back to the dance floor, but not without Isha's words weighing on my mind.