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Vihaan ~

Seeing Shivanya at Mom's boutique was a welcomed surprise. I wanted nothing more than to tell her how I felt, to lay bare my heart and soul before her and confess my love. But I knew the truth – she was in love with Taran, and no matter how much I wished it were otherwise, I could not change that today.

Taran was a good man. But he would never be enough for Shivanya, not when she deserved the world and more. And Taran would never measure up. She was a force to be reckoned with, a woman of strength and resilience, and she deserved someone who would cherish her, someone who would worship the ground she walked on. She deserves the universe which I aim to give it to her.

"When are you going to tell her that you like her Vihaan?" Mom asked as I walked back into her boutique after helping Shivanya with the bags.

My mother's question caught me off guard, she has known about my feelings for Shivanya after Yash refused to keep his mouth shut. "When the time is right, mom." I admitted quietly, my gaze lingering on the spot where Shivanya had stood just moments ago.

She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, her expression filled with understanding. "She has a beautiful heart, Vihaan and I see the way you look at her."

"A heart, I am afraid which neither belongs to her, nor me at this moment." I paused, feeling the weight of my words settle upon me.

"Do you intend on making it yours, then?" She asked, looking at me.

Mom's words hung in the air, a challenge disguised as a question. A spark ignited deep within me, fueled by the familiar burn of defiance. "Make it mine?" I scoffed, the air leaving my lungs in a humorless laugh. "Mom, you know me better than that. Shivanya isn't some trophy I chase after. But," I continued, my voice hardening, "if fate has decided upon it's cruel ways of denying me a chance with the woman I am in love then I refuse to be a pawn in its game. I will just have to take that fate in my own hands to rewrite it."

"Vihaan, just be careful with what you do. You cannot summon love; you have to build it, brick-by-brick, and be very gentle with it because if the foundation is not strong, that building will collapse like a pack of cards," Mom said, her tone laced with wisdom and concern.

"But I am going to make your job easier." She added and then, giving a gentle reassuring squeeze to my hand, went back to her supply room.

Anyone who knew his mother knew she thrived on a little matchmaking, I should have seen this coming.

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Shivanya ~

As I was driving back home, the realisation finally started to hit me.

Radhika and Taran were getting married in 3 days and once again, my brain started to chant those same words which I had been suppressing the whole month - my sister was getting married to the man I have been in love with for almost eight years now.

"No no no please no. Now is not the time Shivanya, please!" I brought the car to a stop just a few minutes away from home.

"Shivanya your sister is getting engaged in two hours and look at you." Mocking myself, I ignited the engine, driving home.

Thankfully, Radhika had texted me that Sunaina, her best friend would accompany her to the salon so that I didn't have to rush home and that's why I found my home empty as I unlocked and walked in.

"I wish you were here mumma, papa. I wish I wasn't doing this all on my own." I walked in front of their photo near the mandir and lit up the evening Diya.

Looking away from the photo, I let out a shaky breath. Dwelling on what-ifs wouldn't change anything, as Papa used to say but tonight, I couldn't just resonate with his words.

"I should get to the salon." I said, typing my hair in a loose bun after gulping down a glass of water. The cool liquid felt like a balm, calming the rawness in my throat. I glanced at my reflection in the hallway mirror, my eyes red-rimmed and puffy. Radhika would notice if I showed up looking like this. I splashed some cold water on my face, willing the redness to fade.

Grabbing my keys, I headed out, the drive to the salon feeling like an eternity. The closer I got, the more the knot in my stomach tightened. I had to put on a brave face, to be the supportive sister Radhika needed me to be.

"Di, you made it!" she exclaimed, rushing over to give me a hug. Her happiness was contagious, momentarily lifting the heavy weight on my chest as I walked in.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it," I said, forcing a smile. "How's it going? Ready for the big day?"

She grinned, her eyes sparkling with joy. "I can't believe it's happening so soon! Everything feels like a dream."

All I could do was smile before handing the dress over to her and her eyes sparkled and when she walked out in that beautiful ivory lehenga, she looked nothing less than a beautiful fairy.

"So beautiful." I murmured, smiling before putting a nazar ka teeka at the back of her ear.

In an hour, she was all ready and so was I. The venue wasn't very far and we reached pretty soon where Radhika and Sunaina went to the bridal suite I had booked for her for the next three days while I walked off to oversee everything as the guests were just about to arrive.

"Shivi finally!" I heard Taran's voice and turned around to find him all ready in a black suit and he walked and pulled me in his arms.

I froze.

Then I quickly gathered myself.

"Leave her Taran, you are ruining her saree!" A voice rang in my ears and I turned my eyes to find his parents along with Sangeeta Aunty, Aman Sir and Mr. Birdbrain.

He looked like his jaw would break if he clutches it any longer as his eyes locked with mine and I was taken aback by the intensity in his gaze.

"Shivanya, you look beautiful," Taran's mother said, pulling me into a gentle hug. I returned the embrace, murmuring my thanks as I tried to steady my racing heart.

"Thank you, Aunty," I replied, stepping back. My eyes inadvertently found Vihaan's again. He was a man of few words, his expressions often hard to read, but the way he looked at me now made my skin tingle.

"Let's get you a drink," Taran suggested, guiding me towards the bar. I nodded, grateful for the distraction. As we moved through the crowd, I felt Vihaan's eyes follow me, a burning presence at my back.

Was he mad at me or something? What did I do?

We reached the bar, and Taran handed me a glass of sparkling water. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern flickering in his eyes. "You seem a bit off."

I forced a smile, taking a sip of the water. "I'm fine, just a little overwhelmed. It's a big day for you and Radhika."

He nodded, his expression softening. "Yeah, it is. We're both very lucky to have you. You're always looking out for us."

I glanced at him, a pang of sadness twisting in my chest. "Thanks, Taran."

Soon enough, the engagement ceremony began, and I watched as Radhika and Taran exchanged rings, their faces glowing with happiness. Applause and cheers filled the room, but all I could hear was the deafening silence of my own heart breaking. I stood off to the side, clapping mechanically, my smile plastered on my face.

All the memories I had with Taran began to flash before my eyes. From the first day we became friends in the tenth standard, our study sessions, our shared rants, our everything. Each moment, each laugh, each look – it all came rushing back like a flood.

And then it switched to Radhika, how she would react if she found out my feelings for Taran. She would grow to hate me and I couldn't have that.

The applause faded into a distant hum as my heart hammered against my ribcage, threatening to burst free. My palms turned clammy, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead despite the warmth of the room. I tried to focus on the scene unfolding in front of me, Radhika and Taran exchanging rings, their smiles radiant with happiness. But the world seemed to spin around me,  in a dizzying blur.

Tears blurred the room lights into shimmering ghosts. Eight years. Eight years of stolen glances, of laughter that sent butterflies erupting in my stomach whenever Taran was near, all crashing down upon me.

The familiar and unfamiliar faces around me morphed into nothing as my world shrunk to the size of a box. Panic, cold and slithering, wrapped around my insides, squeezing tighter with every frantic beat of my heart. It thumped against my ribs like a trapped bird, desperate to get free.

Feeling a desperate need for air, for space, I fled from the suffocating confines of the hall, I stumbled out, but the cool night air didn't help the fire burning in my chest. My legs felt like wobbly sticks, and I lurched back, grabbing onto one of the benches of the lawn for life.

The world spun. The fairy lights turned into dizzying balls, their reflections shattering in my eyes. Black dots filled the edges of my vision, threatening to swallow everything whole. A choked sound, like a whimper, escaped my lips. I couldn't breathe. I had to get air in, but every gasp was shallow, leaving me even lighter-headed and more scared.

A sob, raw and primal, ripped from my throat. It shook me to my core, a sound that felt foreign, like it didn't belong to me. My chest hitched, every breath a fight for air that had thinned and vanished entirely.

This couldn't be happening. Not now, please god, not now.

But the truth hit me like a truck. The air whooshed out of my lungs in a gasp. I crumpled onto the rough pavement, the cold ground a stark contrast to the storm inside me. Tears streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable, mixing with the cold sweat breaking out on my skin. My ragged breaths were tiny whimpers, a scared counterpoint to the pounding of my heart.

One word, a desperate plea, echoed in my head, a lifeline thrown to a drowning person. Breathe. Just breathe, Shivanya.You can do this. But the world spun, the words lost in the roaring wind of my fear. For a terrifying moment, I wasn't sure I could.

"Shivanya, stay with me."

I blinked through the tears, struggling to focus on the figure kneeling beside me. It was Vihaan, his voice filled with concern as he reached out a hand to touch my shoulder, pulling me up from the pavement.

"Sir," I managed to choke out, my voice barely a whisper.

His hand moved, cupping my face.  "Shivanya," he repeated, his voice a low rumble, a command I instinctively wanted to obey. "Focus on me. Breathe."

Easy for him to say. My lungs felt like they were on fire, each ragged gasp a desperate fight for air that seemed to be thinning by the second. Tears streamed down my face, blurring his features, but his voice cut through the fog and yet, at the moment, all I could think about now was him seeing me so vulnerable, so weak. No, I couldn't have that.

The urge to argue with him, to tell him I wasn't his concern, died on my tongue the moment his eyes met mine. There was a depth in them I hadn't seen before, a well of emotions that mirrored the turmoil within me.

Before I could even blink, his hand shot out, gripping my wrist gently but firmly. He pulled me towards him, and before I could register the movement, I was enveloped in the warmth of his embrace.

His chest pressed against my back, solid and reassuring. It was a stark contrast to the chilling fear that had gripped me moments ago.

"Shh," he whispered, his voice a low rumble against my ear. "Just breathe, Shivanya. Breathe with the rhythm of my heart."

Then, right in his embrace, a memory surfaced. Mumma's calm voice, as clear as day, "Slow breaths, Shivanya. Like you're smelling a flower." It was a silly image, but I clung to it. Inhaling slowly, counting to four in my head. Holding for four. Releasing for eight, feeling the tightness in my chest ease a fraction.

Those were the very same words Mumma had uttered the first time a cruel jibe about my weight had echoed through the classroom, shattering my world at fourteen. That was the first time the darkness had threatened to consume me, the first time I had grappled with a panic attack that stole my breath.

Vihaan's voice rumbled in my ear, a low counterpoint to the frantic hammering of my heart. "Good," he murmured, his tone steady and grounding. "Just keep doing that. Slow, deep breaths."

I clung to his words, repeating them in my head like a mantra. The tightness in my chest loosened slightly, allowing for slightly deeper inhales. My ragged breaths turned into shaky pants, but it was progress. Tears still streamed down my face, but they felt less like a storm and more like a cleansing rain.

The world didn't magically stop spinning, but it slowed its dizzying pace. The fairy lights remained blurry, but the black spots at the edges of my vision receded. A choked sob escaped my lips, the sound less raw than before.

In the suffocating silence that followed, I became acutely aware of the way Vihaan held me.

My body, drained from the panic attack, leaned into his warmth unconsciously. Shame burned in my throat – here I was, a mess, at the celebration of my sister's happiness, and a man I barely knew was the one calming me down.

"Thank you, sir." I whispered, my voice thick with emotions.

He didn't pull away immediately. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his gaze searching mine. "I need you to sit here Shivanya, do you understand?" There was a hint of something else in his eyes – concern, maybe even a flicker of understanding as he made me sit on the bench, finally letting go of his hold on me.

All I could do was slightly nod as he walked away, only to return a minute later with a glass of water in his hands.

I took the glass from him with trembling hands, muttering another "thank you" as I brought the cool water to my lips.

Vihaan remained standing in front of me, his expression unreadable. The silence stretched, and I felt an urge to fill it, to apologize for breaking down in front of him, a near stranger. But the words wouldn't come. Shame still choked my throat ,and the memory of his unexpected embrace sent a shiver down my spine.

Suddenly, the sound of the music from the hall seemed to return full force, reminding me of the party I'd abandoned. Panic threatened to rise again, but I forced it down. I couldn't stay here any longer, not like this.

"I should get back inside," I mumbled, feeling a strange sense of responsibility tug at me.

Mr. Raichand nodded curtly and followed me inside, a few steps behind me.

"Di! There you are! We were searching for you!"

It was Radhika, a panicked crease between her brows as she rushed towards me. Relief washed over her face as she saw me, but her concern lingered.

"Di, what happened? Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes flitting between me and Vihaan who remained a few steps behind me, his posture vaguely defensive.

"I am sorry for stealing your sister for a moment Radhika. She was just attending an important work call." Vihaan lied on my behalf and I turned around to give him a thankful look, only to find his eyes on Radhika and Taran with the smallest of smiles.

Radhika looked from me to Vihaan, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her features. But for the moment, she seemed to accept his explanation.

"Come on, Di," she said, taking my hand. "Everyone's asking for you."

I cast a grateful glance at Vihaan, who offered a curt nod in return, turning into my saviour when I needed the most.

Shivanya's Look ~

Hey guys! This is the next chapter. I hope you all like it. Do tell me what you feel about it through the comments section. I love you all. Until next time. Byee!!