"Tell me" Pari spoke when there was no response from Ruhan even after five minutes of her questioning.

He squeezed his hands. He wasn't sure what is he gonna say now. He can never fool Pari when it was about his emotions. Because once she got an idea of reason she did not needed forever to understand him.

Over the time she had become one of his bestest friends he ever had all his life.

"Pari... I...." he fumbled.

"Just tell me... " she demanded.

"It's just..." he could not get right words to tell.

"I... "

"You love her" Her one sentence just stopped his heart from beating and it jumped to his mouth.

"You love her"  she smiled at him sadly as the tears dropped down from her eyes.

Ruhan's mind was still not forming words.

"Why didn't you tell it?" Pari bent to him.

"What am I supposed to say Pari?" he asked gulping the sore lump down.

"I love her. I love her.... She is the only girl I ever loved. She is the only one who makes me feel that I'm alive. She is the only one who makes me feel my pain and she is the only one who makes me feel my happiness. When she is around I feel every nerve of mine but when she isn't I feel dead. I feel nothing" he collapsed on the bed.

"I love her Pari...  I love her" he burst into a bitter cry.

"But she is not in my fate" he looked at her sadly.

"Why?" asked he.

"Why did I even fell in love with her when I knew she will never be in my life. Never" he nodded his head.

"Ruhan" Pari placed her hand on his shoulder.

"My love will be incomplete. Forever" he smiled sadly.

Pari could not see him that broken.

She pressed her lips hard and controlled her emotions.

His pain was intolerable.

"How were you even behaving so normal all these days. Hiding such huge pain" she cupped his One cheek lifting his head to look at her.

"She taught me one thing Pari....  To be strong." he smiled through his tears.

"But One thing she did not taught me" he looked down.

"What?" she asked softly.

"To live without her" he bit his lip and looked at her and his pain pierced her too hard.

She hugged him and patted his back to console him.

"To live without her" he whispered and Pari closed her eyes feeling his pain.

***.****

Ruhan gathered a lot of strength when he finally decided to walk out of his room and reach the mandap down.

He wiped his face where tears were continuously travelling down his cheeks.

"Damn" he heard her curse and his legs stopped.

He took a deep breath and walked towards her room to check if she was okay.

As he stood near the door and watched her all dressed in the bridal Lehenga and all the ornaments his eyes remained wide and mouth half open.

She was trying to wear a necklace whose hook was stuck to her bridal chunri.

"Arghhh" she gritted Her teeth and her eyes fell on the mirror where she found Ruhan's image.

She was about to blurt when Ruhan spoke "Sorry. I think you need help. I will tell Pari" he started walking from there.

"Em. Excuse me"
He stopped hearing her .

"Can you please help me. It's Muhurat time and I will miss it" she pleaded him bringing all her remaining politeness and manners for the first time and she wished that should be the last time.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"You want me to use a lifeline like in KBC?" she couldn't control her sarcasm though.

He walked to her slowly as she nodded her head rolling her eyes.

Ruhan held the hook and released it from the hold and tied it to its right place.

Mishti sighed deeply and looked at him while he stared her face through the mirror and time looked dead.

"Thanks" she brought him out of his trance and he nodded his head approving and was walking from there.

"Damn" she cursed again when she saw her earring stuck with the hair.

Ruhan turned and found her annoyedly trying to release it.

She finally released the hair strand it hurt her a bit.

"Are you fine?" he asked her and she just nodded lightly and continued to adjust her Mang Teeka.

"Mishti" she didn't realise how her name which was so simple felt special and how could she feel butterflies in her stomach suddenly.

She moved gaze and looked at his image in the mirror where he stood with a weak smile.

"Life is not a mess. You might feel it is but it's just your jitters. You are stronger than you feel. Wiser than you know and happier than you realize. Only when you know that you can do anything to achieve it. Be brave and move forward. Life will not be easy but life will be worth fighting for" he spoke and suddenly every word of his made sense.

She kept looking at him while he walked from there leaving her in her own world of thoughts.

Why did she never realized this side of Ruhan. Was she blind all this time. Was Pari right that she over reacts when it is about Ruhan.

A small corner in her heart was feeling a weird pain like it felt the pain in Ruhan's voice.

She shuddered when she heard foot steps.

"Mishti Dee." Tani came to her room.

She brushed her thoughts and smiled at Tani.

"Let's go. It's time the rituals will be starting" said she and assisted Mishti to reach the mandap down in the society lane.

She was taken aback while she reached the lane where the people had gathered around something.

As she neared she found flames as high as 7 feet.

She panicked and rushed towards the crowd.

"Veer" Ruhan was ready to jump inside the huge fire circle created around the mandap which was a result of a mishap when the pandit ny mistake dropped the burning sandalwood plank in the Agni kund on the silk platform beneath it..

Veer helped everyone to escape the fire while he got trapped inside it.

"Veer. Don't worry bro. I got you" Ruhan was about to jump in.

"Veer" he heard Mishti's voice.

She was running towards the burning mandap.

He had no idea what to do now.
One side it was Mishti who was about to jump in the fire and on the other side it was Veer.

***.***
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