"Okay... It is happening!" He said to himself when he stood in front of the priest expressionless waiting for his bride's arrival. In this situation, he imagined it multiple times. But when it's happening for real, it gave him some effect in his heart. He felt delighted at the same time tensed. Lumps keep forming in his throat when he stood before the priest stiff and expressionless. During then, he felt he should have spoken to her when they met last time on the channel. What will she think if she suddenly came to know about me switching to groom?

"Shivaay, smile a little. Wedding album speaks. What will you tell your kids if they inquire about the grin on your face while looking at the album?" Jhanvi asked him, it didn't relax him but scared him. Oh my god, parents... Are we coming all this way, anika?

Smiling at his mom, he brought up a tense smile on his face. Sudden gasps in the audience brought him back to his dream world. He knew she was arriving, the eyes wandered in confusion teared up when he felt she was approaching. That situation entirely felt like a dream, he didn't know from when he dreamt for this moment. He thought he wanted to be her boyfriend from the moment he saw her in her pink dotted knee-length frock who stepped down from the car holding a box in her hand. He saw that moment before his eyes when she walked down over aisle holding her brother's arm.

"You realized your mistake, that's enough" He imagined the moment when their friendship started in his cricket stadium.

Her eyes were closed. But the heartbeat raged in him when he turned his direction to her side.

"My lovely sister-in-law," Shivaay held her palm, Anika became stuck and continued looking at him. "Please tell your sister, that she was constantly running inside my mind ever since I saw her in the pink knee-length frock and don't know when it happened, I am in love with your person who broke my two teeth, all I can say was she took off my two teeth along with my heart."

A smile formed along with tears when he saw the uncertainty in her face and tightly held her brother's arm.

"That's it. Don't stress, I have no courage to lose you in my life." Her words and the certainty in her words sparked his heart again.

Saahil stopped walking and gave her hand to him, her eyes which were closed while before now fixed at his shoes, his heart knew, she recognized with whom she was about to get married, tears blurred his vision. But when she held his palm tighter and raised her head, he couldn't stop his tears from flowing. Both cried looking at each other, her eyes didn't leave him even for a second.

"I love you, Mr. Rude cat. Don't break before me like this ever again" Her confession when jhanvi was admitted to the hospital played in his mind. He felt the same chills looking at her smoky eyes. The eyes which took his sleep away.

Her face fell when she saw the tears from his eyes, he nodded no and shrugged it off without breaking their eye contact. Neither did she attempt to break the eye contact. But the priest's word brought them back to reality. In a spark, he asked objections from the wedding couple who smiled at him and nodded no coordinated. Shivaay heard a chuckle from his mom beside him. Then they asked for objections from the guests arrived, everyone fell silent and there were no objections from the guests arrived. He desperately wanted only they were feeling dreamy during the ceremony. Their eyes never left her even though she looked at him without blinking, as if he disappears when she blinks. Even he had that same confusion, he wanted to assure her. He held her palm tighter.

"Anika Sebastian..." The priest called her. She turned her face to him and finally blinked leaving alone tears crossing her eyes.

"I, Anika Sebastian, take you..." She was stopped in the middle again looked at his side, this time, shivaay intertwined her fingers with her finger and held her palm tighter as much he could. He wanted to assure her that every misery in her life ended.

"Take you, Shivaay Singh Oberoi..." She stopped and looked at his side again, his name from her lips heard like a magical spell from a fairy.

"To be my husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death we do part, according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow" He heard vow as a word from the universe saying that they are meant for each other, whatever happens, nothing will stop them for living for each other. She chuckled wider along with the tears when he continuously looked at her without blinking.

"I, Shivaay Singh Oberoi, take you, anika Sebastian, to be my wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death we do part, according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow," He said in one go, he couldn't wait anymore to marry her. That was his patience level when he saw her in that beautiful wedding gown, high bun, and sparkling eyes.

"From now on, you both are pronounced as husband and wife." Priest announced. In no moment, the vibe between the husband and wife changed and he caught her in his arm as he expected her to jump to him for a kiss, their lips met after 8 long years, both couldn't stop themselves. His lower lip drew her upper lip and started kissing her forgetting the entire world. They heard chuckles and gasps from the guests, but they didn't stop kissing. Her lips on his lips and her arms around his neck told him nothing changed between them. They were still that same, crazy teen who spent, cherished, and loved every moment together until fate separate them apart. There were tears in both of their eyes when they broke the kiss and looked each other close after a long time. Over then, he noticed he was holding her by the waist, and her both feet lifted above dreamily. While then, their crazy conversation crossed his mind.

"You're too skinny, how will you hold me to you and kiss me during our wedding? I want to lift my legs on the air like every heroine does while kissing the hero..." She cried at him innocently, when he measured his weight on the weighing scale.

"Kissing in marriages allowed in India?" He asked her instead gulping his smile.

"I don't know about that but when I kiss you, you will have no choice other than to reciprocate it. Can I show a sample?" She asked, looking at her widened eyes and lips, he was afraid, and he ran away from the place.

"You, coward. Where are you running?" 17-year-old anika followed him running beside him in the school till he slows down on the empty corridor of the school. As he expected, she caught him and pushed him across the wall, and startled him. But she was panting looking at his face straight. But instead of pulling her away, he held her waist and pulled her close to him until their body touches. She stopped painting and looked at their merged uniform.

"Mark my words, you will be the one who initiates the kiss at our wedding." She said, before she could take any other word, he placed his lips above her lips and kissed her, he couldn't stop himself from tightening the grip in her waist when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to more to herself. In no moment, he held her upwards, and she lifted her legs on the air. She broke the kiss when she felt her legs lift in the air.

"Woah..." She exclaimed in happiness. He continued to smile when he saw her excited.

"I think you don't have to wait till marriage to lift your legs while kissing me." He whispered while holding her in his control. She didn't say anything but kissed him again on his lips.

***

Anika was still in a dreamy state when he placed her back on the floor after their prolonged kiss. She had no idea how long it lasted but feeling the breathlessness and looking at his red face, she guessed it, they would have kissed for a long time. And her eyes never left him, she felt so embarrassed to face the guests beside him. Out of a sudden, he pulled her to his side and placed his warm palm on her waist, her skin broke to goosebumps when he touched her again. And they faced the guests together who looked at him with a teasing smile. She purposefully avoided eye contact with her brother and Jhanvi. But when they hugged them, she couldn't stop blushing. Across, she saw her therapist with a wide smile on his face.

"I know it's unprofessional to say this but believe in magic." It was his words when she cried to him helplessly. She mouthed him thank you. He blinked his eyes and gestured to her 'all the best.

"Finally married" Jhanvi whispered while wiping off the tears in her eyes.

"I told you, it will be a shock for her in the parallel universe, not in this universe," Saahil said to him while giving Shivaay a warm hug. She was still spellbound. She looked at Shivaay, who was sheepishly smiling like her. Why was she hidden from this news that he's the groom? But she couldn't ask. After eight long years, something happened according to her wish. While then, Shivaay's phone from Jhanvi's hand rang flashing Tej's name on the screen. Jhanvi rolled her eyes to him and waited for Shivaay's response.

"I will come back in a while." He said to her kissing her forehead and taking the phone from Jhanvi's hand.

"What happened?" Anika asked Jhanvi more like a whisper.

"Nothing serious. Ignore it." Jhanvi said and hugged her back.

"Sure?" Anika asked while hugging her. She knew her fate won't let her feel the happiness full-fledged. And she expected the same.

"Come on. My daughter-in-law. Behave like a newlywed. Whatever it is, believe in Shivaay, he will never let anything trouble you." Jhanvi assured her while placing her palm on her cheek. While then, Shivaay walked towards her holding the phone in his hand.

"Anika..." He called her and held her palm as soon as he reached her.

"Dad wants to speak to you." He said with a smile and forwarded the phone to him. With much hesitation, she held it from her hand even after getting unusual looks from Jhanvi to Shivaay. But Shivaay's smile said something else to her. But she held the phone to her ear.

"Hello," She spoke out with much hesitation.

"At last, victory. I know all are the same, left my son when he had nothing and fused with him when he built a name for him. Congratulations on your victory, Ms. Sebastian." Tej said those words hit her heart straight, but she kept a straight face and happy face. She heard a beep sound while then, she said thank you and acted like disconnecting the call.

"What did he say?" Jhanvi asked her.

"Congratulated," Anika replied with a smile. When her eyes matched with shivaay, her fake smile became wider. She didn't know the happiness she felt while before could fade away without leaving any trace.

****