Rain fell in delicate whispers over Kolkata, turning the city into a poem no one had finished writing.
Rickshaws glided like ghosts through the puddled streets. Fairy lights flickered outside cafés where half-drunk cups of cha cooled slowly on chipp...
A/N: Yo😋 hope you are enjoying this story💘 If you are please vote for my story. Your support and help really means a lot to me as a new author😅😍
Happy Reading To All My Dear Readers!!❤❤ __________
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I woke up with a knot in my stomach. Not the cute, butterflies-fluttering kind. No, this was the twisted, too-tight, can't-breathe kind of knot-the kind you get right before a storm crashes over your world.
Last night... Aryan. God, I couldn't stop replaying it in my mind.
His words weren't cruel. They were calculated. Clean. Surgical. Like a doctor making an incision with perfect precision to remove something diseased. Only this time? It was me.
"I think we should maintain distance now." Those words sliced deeper than I expected.
And I get it. I do. He's marrying my sister. My beautiful, deserving sister. And I'm just... Ishita.
The girl who laughed too loud, got too close, hoped for too much.
So yeah, if he wants space, I'll give it. I'll build him a whole galaxy if that's what he needs.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like hell.
I rolled out of bed slowly, every limb aching with thoughts I didn't want to think. Today, there were no rituals, but the house was still buzzing. The elders were meeting to finalize plans for tomorrow-the Mehendi and Gaye Holud.
Two days. That's all that's left before the wedding begins for real. Before Aryan slips that ring on her finger. Before she becomes Mrs. Singha. Before I become nothing but a memory he politely avoids.
I pulled my hair into a messy bun and stared at my reflection.
"You're fine," I whispered. "You're okay. You're unbothered. You're glowing. You're main character energy, babe."
But my reflection didn't buy it. She looked tired. Hollow around the edges. And a little bit in love with someone she shouldn't be.
I walked down the stairs into a living room that was already alive with chatter and chai and relatives who smelled like mogra and opinions.
My London squad was already there, spread like chaos incarnate on our vintage sofas-Annie was arguing with Nina over henna designs, Chad was eating raw mango like a menace, and Leo was... well, being Leo.
And then, across the room, I saw him.
Aryan.
And he didn't look away this time. He didn't smile either.
He just... watched me. Like he hadn't slept either. Like he still wanted to say something, but had stapled his heart shut.
And I? I looked away. Because if I didn't... I might break all over again.
