Chapter XV
"A Sister's Truth, A Heart's Stirring"
After dropping my friends off at home, I set out alone — this time on a quiet, personal mission.
To pick up Shruti.
Sita's younger sister didn't live with her parents anymore. She had her own little apartment in a peaceful neighborhood, away from the noise, away from the chaos — just like Sita would've liked it too. That made things easier for me. I didn't have to worry about answering too many questions from family, especially the kind I wasn't quite ready to answer truthfully yet.
As I parked outside her building, the sun had begun to dip lower in the sky, throwing long golden shadows across the pavement. I walked up the steps, heart beating with a strange nervousness I didn't fully understand. This was Sita's sister — someone she loved deeply, someone who knew her in ways I still didn't. Bringing her into our space, even just for tonight, felt like a quiet, sacred responsibility.
I rang the doorbell.
And within seconds, the door swung open.
Shruti stood there, blinking at first in surprise… then her whole face lit up in recognition. "Vedu!" she gasped.
Before I could even smile, she flung her arms around me in the warmest, tightest hug — the kind you don't expect but never forget. I hugged her back, laughing softly, touched by how genuinely happy she looked.
"You have no idea how glad I am to see you," she said as she stepped back, her eyes shining.
I smiled. "Come on, Shruti, you say that like I haven't invited you to a party. I'm not here to take your exams."
She chuckled. "Still, I wasn't expecting you to come pick me up yourself."
I shrugged, brushing it off casually. "I wanted to. Besides, you're important to Sita — and that makes you important to me."
She paused, her expression softening, her eyes scanning my face. And then, quietly, she said something that stopped me cold.
"You know, Vedu… Sita's always been like this — quiet, reserved. She doesn't share much. Even with me. But the day she chose you… the day she fought with the family and stood by that choice, I knew… you weren't just anyone to her."
I felt my breath catch for a second.
Because in that moment, it hit me — Sita hadn't told her about the contract marriage.
Shruti didn't know.
To her, this was love — pure, real, defiant love. A bond strong enough to push Sita into standing up to her family, something even I knew wasn't easy for her.
I didn't know what to say. My heart twisted, half in guilt and half in something far more confusing — a warmth, a pull, a weight.
Did Sita really stand by this marriage in front of her family like that?
Why?
Why would she protect it like that… unless some part of it meant something to her?
I didn't dare ask aloud.
Instead, I gave Shruti a soft smile and reached out to take her small overnight bag. "Ready to go?"
She nodded, still beaming. "Let's go. I can't wait to see how surprised Didi(It means elder sister in hindi language) will be when she sees me there."
We walked down together, side by side — the sky now deepening into hues of orange and rose, the city slowly turning its lights on.
As we drove home, Shruti chattered happily beside me, sharing stories about Sita I had never heard — tales of her childhood, her quiet bravery, her stubborn silences, her secret smiles.
And with every word she spoke, I found myself falling just a little deeper into a story I wasn't supposed to be a part of.
But somehow… was.
And the truth I was running from?
It was growing harder to ignore.
Because maybe this wasn't just a contract anymore.
Maybe, somewhere between the fake smiles and teasing words…
I had begun to hope for something real.
"The Unexpected Praise"
As I pulled up outside the house with Shruti beside me, the quiet in the car shifted into something more electric — the kind of buzz that comes just before a surprise, before something beautiful is about to unfold.
I took a deep breath, glanced at Shruti, and smiled. "Ready?"
She nodded eagerly, clutching her small purse like it held all her excitement. We stepped out and walked toward the house, the lights from the windows casting a golden glow that made the place feel warmer than ever.
Inside, I already knew who was waiting.
Not just my friends — but her people.
Sita's closest friends.
Minaci, Dhanvi, and Avika — the three women who had stood by her through everything, the ones she trusted enough to keep close even through silence. And tonight, they were here… not just for the party, but for her.
As I opened the door and stepped inside with Shruti at my side, a burst of voices and giggles met us instantly.
The moment Sita's friends caught sight of me, their expressions turned from casual smiles to wide-eyed surprise.
"Oh my God… Vedehi?" Minaci gasped, her mouth hanging open in a dramatic little 'O'. "You're even more handsome than what we heard!"
I blinked, then let out a soft laugh, my cheeks instantly warming. "Handsome?" I repeated.
Dhanvi grinned. "Obviously! With your energy and that confidence? No one could ever call you just beautiful. You're beyond that. It's giving… main character energy!"
Avika added with a teasing smirk, "Seriously, when did Sita's taste level shoot up this high? She always liked calm and quiet types. You? You're like… fire in human form."
I chuckled and raised both brows. "Well, if Sita's looking amazing lately, it's only natural her choice would be just as great, right?"
That earned a collective squeal from the girls. They began laughing and teasing all at once, voices overlapping in that chaotic, warm way only friends can manage.
"Ohoo, look at that!" Minaci teased, nudging Dhanvi. "The girl is gone, folks. Officially smitten."
"Praise for the wife already?" Avika giggled. "Barely a day into marriage and you're already enchanted. What spell did Sita cast on you, hmm?"
"Must be a powerful one," Dhanvi said dramatically, placing her hand over her heart. "Because you're glowing, girl. Like glowing glowing."
I laughed, throwing my hands up. "Alright, alright — enough roasting for today. You all are too much!"
But secretly… my heart was full.
Hearing this from Sita's friends, watching them joke and giggle like this — it meant more than they could know. It felt like a quiet acceptance, a warm welcome into the world Sita had lived in long before me. A world where her laughter had echoes and her presence had a history I was only beginning to understand.
Shruti, meanwhile, stood quietly behind me, smiling and trying hard not to give away her excitement. I leaned toward her and whispered, "Now listen — don't say a word. Sita has no idea you're here. I want this to be a surprise."
She nodded quickly, putting a finger to her lips with a sparkle in her eyes.
"And you three," I turned to the girls, pointing at Minaci, Dhanvi, and Avika, "please keep your voices down. Don't ruin the surprise. She'll be here any minute now."
They mimed zipping their lips, though they were clearly struggling to hide their excitement.
The house buzzed with a soft, waiting energy.
Sita hadn't arrived yet, but everything — everyone — was falling into place.
And I couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she stepped into a room filled with the people she thought she had left behind for just a few hours… only to find they were all still here, waiting for her, just like I was.
To be continue....