10 ~ Engagement #2
"What are you doing, Chahat..." I murmured under my breath, shaking my head slightly.
Get a grip.
He's not some random guy from a club anymore.
He's not just Kartik.
I inhale sharply.
He's your sister's would-be-husband.
My fingers curl tightly around the edge of my dupatta as I force myself to look away from the entrance.
My sister stands a few steps away, surrounded by relatives, her lips stretched into a polite smile as she talks to someone. Anyone else would think she looks happy but I can see it.
The faint exhaustion in her eyes.
The way her shoulders are just a little too stiff.
The way her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes.
A strange heaviness settles in my chest.
She doesn't want this but that doesn't change anything.
The moment their cars pulled up everything inside me stilled.
My fingers tightened around the edge of my dupatta as I stood there, near the entrance of the banquet hall.
They were here.
My breath slowed on its own.
Don't look at him.
Don't.
I fixed my gaze slightly to the side, anywhere but him.
And slowly they stepped in and my eyes landed first on his grandmother then the rest of the family.
I saw more faces this time.
His grandmother walked forward with a warm smile.
Mukti di immediately stepped ahead and bent down, touching her feet.
"Jeeti raho," she blessed her, her voice full of affection. "Bahut sundar lag rahi ho."
(Long live the day. You look very beautiful.)
She pulled her into a soft hug and she forced a smile.
Mumma nudged me lightly.
I stepped forward, bending down, I touched her feet as well.
Her hand came to rest gently on my head.
"Khush raho," she said.
(Be happy.)
She turned slightly, extending her hand toward a lady standing beside her.
"Ye Kartik ki chachi hain Seema. Aur ye chachu Devendra. Us din Mukti ko dekhne aa nahi paayi kyunki seema apne maike gayi hui thi."
(This is Kartik's aunt, Seema. And this is Uncle Devendra. They couldn't come to see Mukti that day because Seema had gone to her parents' house.)
They greeted politely, folding their hands.
"Namaste."
(Hello.)
Mumma and Papa responded warmly.
But her eyes they weren't warm, they scanned Mukti from head to toe then her gaze shifted to me.
"Aur main Krish," a voice came, light and casual.
(And I'm Krish.)
I looked up slightly.
A guy around my age stepped forward with a small grin.
His grandmother smiled. "Ye Seema ka beta hai."
(He's Seema's son.)
He glanced at Mukti first then at me.
Beside them stood a woman with a little girl holding her hand.
"Ye Kavita hai Seema ki beti aur Krish ki badi behen, aur ye uski beti Shrishti," she added.
(This is Kavita, Seema's daughter and Krish's elder sister. And this is Kavita's daughter Shrishti.)
Shrishti peeked shyly from behind her.
Everything felt... normal. Like a typical family gathering.
Then came the introductions from our side.
"Ye Mukti hai," Mumma said softly, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Aur ye Chahat, meri choti beti."
(This is Mukti. And this is Chahat, my little daughter.)
Compliments started.
"She's beautiful." they said looking at Mukti.
I stood there silently when I felt a hand on mine.
"Kya hua, Chahat?" Dadi's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
(What happened. Chahat?)
I blinked, realizing I had gone too quiet.
"Nahi... kuch nahi," I said quickly, shaking my head but it wasn't true because everything felt like too much.
(No... nothing.)
The crowd, the expectations and most of all...
Him.
Even without looking I could feel his presence and it made my heartbeat uneven.
I shifted my gaze around the hall trying to distract myself.
Trying to breathe normally, that's when I spotted familiar faces.
Ayaan and Ishika.
Standing a little away, talking to each other casually.
I wished I could be like that.
I noticed the hall was loud.
Voices, laughter, music...it all blurred into a distant hum as I stood there, trying to look normal, trying to act like everything was fine when nothing inside me felt steady anymore.
I had just managed to pull myself together after everything that had happened when I noticed a sudden shift near the entrance.
Him.
Kartik walking in with two people beside him.
A man wearing formals and a woman wearing a black saree. She was looking beautiful and they both looked comfortable with him.
They must be his friends.
"Kabse wait kar raha hoon... ab aaye ho," Kartik's voice carried through the space, calm, familiar and so different from his behaviour I had witnessed.
(I've been waiting for so long... and you arrived now.)
My brows furrowed slightly.
I'd never seen this side of him before.
He turned towards the women, his tone softening just a little.
"Tara, kaisi ho tum?"
(Tara, how have you been?)
Her eyes instantly filled with tears, her lips trembling slightly before she stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"Aapki bohot yaad aa rahi thi hume, bhai..." her voice cracked, emotional, genuine. "Aap ghar kyun nahi aaye hume invite karne?"
(I missed you so much, brother... Why didn't you come home to invite us?)
Bhai.
The word echoed in my mind but as far as I remember he doesn't have a sister.
He didn't look irritated like he usually get whenever someone comes close to him.
He didn't pull away and let her hug him.
And for a moment he didn't look like the same man who's always giving me glares and an expressionless face.
"I was busy... sab kuch itne jaldi ho gaya," he replied simply, his tone controlled but not harsh.
(I was busy... everything happened so quickly.)
She pulled back, wiping her tears quickly, trying to compose herself.
"Apni hone wali wife se toh milwao," she said, a small smile forming despite the lingering emotion in her eyes.
(Introduce me to your future wife.)
Kartik gestured ahead, leading them towards Mukti di.
She was standing with some relatives, engaged in conversation.
"Congratulations..." the man beside Tara said as they approached me.
Before I could say anything Tara's gaze shifted to me.
The way her eyes lingered for a second longer than necessary.
Like she was noticing something.
She leaned slightly towards Kartik, her voice low but not low enough.
"Umar mein kuch chhoti nahi hai tumse?" she mumbled, her eyes still on me.
(Doesn't she a bit younger than you?)
My fingers curled into my palm. A strange discomfort crept in.
Not because of what she said but because of the way Kartik reacted.
"Tara... ye hone wali dulhan ki chhoti behen hai," he replied.
(Tara... she's the bride-to-be's younger sister.)
My chest tightened slightly at the label.
I nodded faintly, acknowledging the introduction without saying much, my eyes briefly meeting Tara's before I looked away.
I got to know the man was Samarth. He's Kartik's childhood friend and the woman named Tara is Samarth's wife.
They congratulated Mukti and began to talk with each other.
I could feel his gaze again, not on Mukti or on them.
But on me.
And no matter how much I tried I couldn't ignore it.
Samarth and Tara left early because of some emergency maybe.
Before I could gather my thoughts, the announcement was made.
Engagement.
Everyone gathered closer. Smiles widened. Phones came out. Blessings filled the air.
And they were asked to come forward.
They stood facing each other.
Perfect.
Exactly how it was supposed to be but nothing felt right because he wasn't looking at her.
My eyes lifted on their own and he was looking at me.
Not at the girl he was about to get engaged to.
My breath faltered, and I immediately looked away, my fingers clutching the fabric of my outfit tightly as if that could ground me.
Stop it... just stop it, I told myself, forcing my gaze anywhere but him.
But it didn't matter. I could still feel it...
his stare, heavy and unwavering, like it was burning through every layer of distance I was trying to create.
"Ring," someone said softly, breaking the moment.
Mukti picked it up with slightly trembling hands.
She didn't look at him, she just did what she had to do, she took his hand and slid the ring onto his finger.
Applause followed along with smiles and blessings.
Then it was his turn.
A small box was handed to him.
He wasn't moving. The ring was in his hand but his eyes were still on me.
My heart slammed painfully against my ribs.
Why?
Why is he doing this?
His father stepped closer, his expression tightening slightly as he placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Kartik," he said quietly, but there was authority in his tone. "Do it."
To be continued...