"Where's my outfit?" - A twenty-year-old man asked his friends who were messing with him by passing his bow tie with one another. He was frustrated when they continuously played with one another leaving him like a fool in the middle. 

"I asked, Where's my outfit, Rudy..." - He again asked his collegemate and his bestest friend. They both share the same age. They became inseparable when they met for the first time in college. He came to his marriage with his little brother, Atharv and his elder cousin sister, Aarohi. 

"Dude, We are in 2043, Ask Siri to find your outfit..." - Rudy said casually to him while passing his bowtie to his little brother Atharv. Atharv chuckled to see his condition. 

"Shivaay Bro... I have a better option, Why can't you ask your bride, Who is getting ready for you?" - Atharv said and chuckled. Shivaay who was only in his shorts over that time took his phone. 

"Hey Siri, Share the 'Goa Album' With Rudy's father..." - Shivaay announced while giving his killer look to Rudy. 

"Bro..." - Rudy stared at him shockingly. 

"Username of Rudy's father, Shivaay?" - Siri questioned him. 

"It's Avinash B Nair in IG..." - Shivaay announced back looked at Rudy in his fake pity face. 

"Siri... Cancel... Stop sharing..." - Rudy said in a hurried tone. 

"Give my Outfit..." - Shivaay asked for the outfit with a winning look. 

"Done, Bro... Please don't share it with my dad... You know, Right... He will bury me alive when he saw the picture of me with cigars..." - Rudy exclaimed to shivaay. 

"Siri... Hold on..." - Shivaay said and asked for his outfit. He rushed towards the closet and brought his outfit to him. 

"Siri, Abort..." - Shivaay announced to Siri. 

"Sharing Goa album to Avinash B Nair was successful..." - Siri said in return. 

"SHIVAAY..." - Rudy shouted and started to chase him.

"Ru... Ru... I can fix it...  Trust me..." - Shivaay uttered when Rudy started to chase. He stopped chasing when they heard the doorknock. 

"Killer is waiting outside of the door" - Seri said again. 

"Wait... Wait... We will deal about this later... My Killer, I mean, My friend... My fiance... My Anika is waiting outside... Ru, Please..." - Shivaay started to stammer when rudy chased him continuously. He stopped chasing. 

"My Anika... Progress..." -  Rudy smirked when he claimed anika for the first time. He knew about Anika because of shivaay, who was his childhood friend. Sometimes got annoyed as she took more advantage over him. But eventually understood they had some special connection with each other. Whenever he told about this to shivaay, he never accepts that. 

"Yeah, She's waiting outside..." - Shivaay rushed outside without even recognizing that he wasn't even wearing pants. 

"I know, You both will get married soon, Spare us, Bro... Wear your pants..." - Atharv chuckled looking at him. He recognized and wore the pant. Both laughed hysterically while cupping their mouth. 

"Why you're in so much hurry?" - Rudy questioned him. 

"If i didn't open the door within ten seconds, She will get tensed and her nose become red along with her eyes, If any of that affects the wedding story, Assume I am dead for my rest of the lifetime..." - Saying so, He opened the door and his whole world stopped for a while when he saw her in his room doorstep with a wide smile in her face.

"Hi... Didn't get ready, yet?" - She asked him when he stared at her continuously without any expression. 

"Yup... WHAT... Yeah... Even you didn't get ready, Yet..." - Shivaay said without meeting her eyes, as it was too attracting. 

"Shall i come in?" - She asked. He gave her the way. 

"Bride... Missing your groom?" - Rudy asked her while winking his eyes. Atharv laughed. 

"Guys... Privacy..." - Anika said and widely opened the door for both of them. 

"Only with one condition..." - Rudy asked. 

"What?" - Anika asked while crossing her arms. 

"You have to save me from my Hitler dad... This idiot sent the goa album to my father..." - Rudy asked her. Anika shrugged. 

"Out, or else I will share the Srilanka album with your mom, This idiot (SHIVAAY) said she's more dangerous than your dad..." - Anika said coldly. Atharv couldn't control his laughter, He went outside. But Rudy stayed stand-still. 

"Hey, Alexa..." - She switched the earbuds in her ears. 

"Stop... I am leaving..." - Rudy went outside. It was expected for shivaay, she born with this bitchy behaviour. She turned towards him when they left the room. She tried to start the conversation but she couldn't. She was struggling. 

"Wait, Are you going to kiss me? Before marriage..." - He asked and She chuckled immediately and he cleared the pressure in the environment. 

"Okay..." - She turned her face other side and took a deep breath. 

"You're looking cute..." - Words uttered from his mouth without even his knowledge. She turned her face and stared at him shockingly. 

"What the hell happened to you? Are you drunk?" - Anika asked in an instant. 

"I think someone spiked my juice..." - Shivaay managed to say. 

"Wait, What's there in your face?" - Shivaay asked. 

"What?" - Anika tried to wipe them off from her face but he dragged her to the mirror and made her look at the reflection. 

"Everything is fine... What you're asking?" - Anika asked. 

"Can't you see the hesitations in the face, That too, With your Annoyer... Isn't it abnormal?" - Shivaay asked while looking at the mirror. She turned towards him with a low face. He immediately engulfed to a hug.

"You usually open up everything to me in this posture, Right... Okay, Speak up, Kiddy..." - He asked her. She hugged him back. 

"I heard, You refused the offer from National geo... Why?" - Anika asked while hugging him in a low tone. He kissed her head but didn't say anything. 

"I am asking you..." - She said while pinching his arm. 

"Ouch" 

"I wanted that job to travel the world, And I thought... It's not the right time..." - He said. She broke the hug. 

"When will be the correct time, Fifty?" - Anika asked in a high tone looking at him, Her rage reached the peak in a fraction of second. 

"Probably!" - He said but she again pinched him in his arm. He yelled in pain. 

"Don't say, You are doing everything for the cause of this wedding..." - Anika asked him. 

"The thing is, I am feeling this is the correct time for this... This wedding..." - He said while kissing her palms. 

"And that's not the only way to travel the world... We will earn enough money in the next five to seven years and take a huge break for four years and travel all the seven continents... Isn't a good idea?" - Shivaay asked her. Anika chuckled. 

"You're forgetting, We are wealthy enough to travel the world now..." - Anika asked him while wrapping her arms around her neck. 

"But.." He wrapped his hands around her waist and slightly pulled her closer. "That's our parents money, Not us... Even it's your money, I won't think once before spending it," He said. 

"Point..." - She pouted sadly. 

"Hmm..." - He nodded seriously. Both hugged again. 

"Shall I ask you something?" - Anika asked. 

"Ask" - He asked. 

"Why did you say 'yes' to marry me?" - Anika asked him. 

"Simple! I can imagine my life without anything but not you... That terrible feeling pushed me to say 'yes'... What to do? All fate..." - He said in disbelief tone. 

"Fate? Bounding to one another..." - Anika asked him.

"I think our destiny bound to one another because of that we had to travel in the same path by holding each other's hand..." - Shivaay said. They were surprised to see Arohi, Rudy's cousin sister in the doorstep and approaching them. But they didn't break the hug.  

"Wow... Poet... Will you please spare the bride, She's going to get married in three hours..." - She asked while pulling anika to her. 

"She's the real villain... Why you even come to our wedding?"- He asked in a fake angry tone. 

"Oh... Baby! Hurt... Sorry! But I had to come when my parents and Rudy's parents insisted me to come with them... Otherwise, I wouldn't have come..." - She said with a fake pity face. 

"Your parents came?" - Anika and shivaay both asked in a chorus. Both were delighted, They knew about their parents for three years but never met in person. Khushi, Arushi, Avinash and Ritwik entered the room one after the another with a smiley face. Arushi and Khushi wore saree and their hair tied up like a messy bun and they didn't look too old for there age. On the other hand, Ritwik's hair was dyed in black colour and Avinash was in his salt pepper look. Along with him, Rudy and Atharv entered in a low face. Shivaay and anika became unconditionally happy when they saw them over there. They have no idea, Why they are this much happy. 

"Mom... Mami... This is Anika and Shivaay..." - Arohi introduced them to Arushi and Khushi. Arushi and Avinash couldn't take their eyes off from them like Shivaay and Anika. But they controlled them from breaking down in happiness. They never thought they will witness their parents wedding in this life. 

"Hi..." - Both Khushi and Arushi said in chorus, Anika acknowledged them with a wide smile. Arushi couldn't stop herself from hugging both and congratulated them.  

"Excuse me... The bride didn't get ready yet... Mom... Mami..." - Arohi brought them back to reality. 

"Yes... What are you doing here having your wedding in the next three hours?" - Khushi asked them and took anika from the room back to the bride's room where Avinash and Ritwik stayed along with Rudy and Atharv who was in the tensed state. Shivaay understood the reason. Avinash left with no words but Ritwik started the conversation. 

"Isn't twenty, too early to get married?" - Ritwik asked while helping him with wearing a turban.

"Anyhow, I will never have second thoughts in marrying her, She's the one... So why do i waste the time, Sir?" - Shivaay asked Ritwik was taken back when he called him sir. But he stayed silent. 

"I don't think that's the only reason..." - Avinash said suspiciously to him. Shivaay stayed silent for a while and decided to open up.  

"She lost her mom in her young age, Over then, She felt so alone, Even i was there by her side Every second... I couldn't make her feel that... And now, After getting the news about her father health condition... I just..." - Shivaay's voice trailed off. Ritwik, Avinash and Rudy looked at him shockingly. 

"I am marrying her just to made her feel one thing... Whatever happens in her life, I will stay with her forever..."- Shivaay said. 

"That's why you both made for each other..." - Words escaped from Avinash's lips and his eyes welled up. 

"I will promise you one thing, Until, We are here, She will never feel alone..."  - Ritwik said. He smiled confusingly but never failed to notice the impatience in Rudy's face.

On the other hand, Arushi and Khushi helped her in wearing her lehenga. By then Arohi checked on her pieces of ornaments which weren't even matching along with her outfit. 

"Anika, Do you want to look like a clown in your wedding?" - Arohi exclaimed while looking at her ornaments. 

"How dare you to call her by name, Apologise to her..." - Arushi said in an instant when her daughter called Anika by her name. Anika looked at Arushi shockingly. 

"Mom... She is younger than me..." - Arohi cleared her mom and eventually got confused. Khushi pinched Arushi.

"My bad... What you were saying?" - Arushi said. 

"I said, She will look like a clown if she wears these pieces of ornaments along with this outfit..." - Arohi said. 

"Don't worry about that..." - Anika heard a familiar voice from her back and surprised to see Jahan with a box. 

"Why are you late? We waited for you..." - Khushi asked her as soon as she came inside. Anika was confused. 

"You both know each other?" - Anika asked out of confusion. 

"Meet my younger sister... Jahaan..." - Arushi introduced her to Anika who in turn told about the incident happened in the cafe before three days. Even though they knew it before, They acted like hearing it for the first. 

"Jewellery, Problem sorted... I brought some of your... I mean my mom, I mean our mom jewellery... I think it will go with your lehenga..." - Jahaan said and placed it in front of her. Anika had no idea why she was feeling so familiar with this jewellery but she felt like they brought everything that she needed. She took the ring which was upside down. She took the ring and shocked to see that ring matches with her engagement ring which shivaay bought for her. 

"That ring, my father brought for my mom when i was born..." - Arushi said. 

"Unbelievable..." - Anika whispered. 

"Guys... We are getting late..." - Jahaan hurried them. Anika shrugged off and wore most of the jewellery. 

"You're the prettiest bride in the world..." - Arushi exclaimed when they saw her in the outlook. Khushi gave her kaala tika. Even though everything happening in reverse, They were happy after a long time to witness this. 

"Girl... Sandles..." - Jahaan made anika wear her sandles. 

"Thank you..." - Anika said over then shivaay's real parents, Jhanvi and tej arrived and very delighted to see anika. 

"Come..." - Jhanvi wrapped her hands around her shoulder took her to the mandap. She saw her father nearer to the mandap. Tears welled up in her eyes. But that didn't escape from her eyes when Arushi held her left hand and accompanied to the mandap. She couldn't control her tears when she saw her father made her sit on the mandap. Shivaay held her palms and smiled. She smiled. There was no sort of worries in her face. 

"Why they are giggling like this?" - Anika asked shivaay when she saw her classmates smiling like a manic. 

"Maybe they are discussing our first night..." - Shivaay whispered back. 

"What's so special in that? It just a night..." - Anika said without even thinking once. Shivaay was shocked. But he clearly understood, she was playing and decided to play along with her. 

"Yeah, I have seen you nude many times... What's so special in it?"- Shivaay said casually. Anika's eyes went wide thinking about when did that happen. Then she realized the awkward situation happened in their second grade while changing clothes for drama competition.

"But over then, I had nothing... But I have many things than you could imagine..." - Anika said, Shivaay spellbound in shock, But he didn't accept the defeat. 

"Even I have evolved, Many things ground beyond your expectations..." - Shivaay said. Anika controlled her laughter. 

"I hope you won't disappoint me..." - Anika whispered back. 

"WHAT?" - Shivaay exclaimed in shock where everyone looked at him perplexed. He masked a smile but Anika couldn't control her laugher. Arushi and Avinash felt complete when they saw them happily getting married to each other. They finally got married. 

"Do you think they will remember about their past?" - Avinash asked Arushi. 

"I don't want them to remember anything... The pain, The sacrifices... Let them live their life for themselves at least now..." - Arushi said. 

"You're right... di" - Avinash said. 

"I don't know why Atharv, Rudy and Arohi failed to recognize them they have seen their pictures many times..." - Jahaan asked them.

"Don't know, But I think, Everything happening for a reason..." - Arushi said.

"You know the funny part, My father-in-law called me sir..." - Rithwik said to Arushi. All chuckled at the same time. By then, Avinash's phone beeped. He opened all the notification along with the one which shivaay sent to him about Rudy. 

"RUDRU... COME HERE..." - Avinash called Rudy in thundering tone. Shivaay hid behind Anika who laughed hysterically to see his condition. 

********

(A/n: Thank you, everyone, who supported this story and being a part in this craziest journey. Keep showering your love, Guys. 

With love,

Akshaya)