Chapter — 11 : Behad Khubsurat Hain Woh

"Okay, everyone kal raghav ki haldi hain, so kal time se sabhi ready ho jana", dad said and we all nodded.

(Okay, everyone, tomorrow is Raghav's Haldi, so everyone get ready on time tomorrow).

"Okay doctor, as you wish", we all said and he laughed.

I nodded and headed upstairs.

He was walking in front of me and I was behind him, playing with my dupatta.

I stopped in front of my room's door. My hand rested on the knob, but I couldn't make myself turn it. My eyes betrayed me and I looked at him.

Same time, he was looking at me too.

Strange.

"Good night", I said.

"Good night", he replied with that I went inside. I closed my room and sit on my bed. The nervousness made me to do it.

The thought alone made my chest tighten in that familiar, aching way. It was stupid - just a closed door - but my heart didn't care about logic. It only knew that behind that wood, behind that silence, was him.

The same him who'd unknowingly rearranged my whole world.

I wondered if he could feel me standing here. If he ever glanced at my door the way I glanced at his. Probably not. But good, a part of me wished he did.

Inside, I leaned against it for a second and exhaled. The room was empty. Natasha had gone out with her sister. The quiet felt heavier without her.

I grabbed my towel and went into the bathroom. The shower was quick, cold water washing off the day. But it couldn't rinse away the way my pulse still raced from that one glance at his door.

I changed into my most comfortable clothes - a kurti that fell to my thighs and soft pajama pants. Nothing special. Just something that felt safe and comfortable.

I sat on the edge of my bed, towel-drying my hair, and stared at the wall we shared.

He was right there. Breathing the same air, separated only by brick and a locked door. And somehow, that felt like both too much distance and not enough.

I took a sip of water that was present on my nightstand.

I glanced towards at the lilies that was still so refreshing. I even remember, he brought them without knowing that I love them. But yesterday he brought them knowingly - that I'll kept them again in my room.

Cute.

A chuckle escaped from my mouth.

I looked at the moon, perhaps it had never looked so beautiful. It was my habit to look at this moon but, after his arrival, it has increased even more.

I sat on the couch, but my eyes did not move from it. But his thoughts are not leaving my mind — not even for a second.

Today he looked handsome, I wanted to tell him, but this shameless heart of mine doesn't allowed me to do.

Tujhe jitna dekhun, aur bhi khubsurat lagta hain tu. Aisi kya khass baat hain tujh mein ?

(The more I look at you, the more beautiful you appear. What is so special about you ?).

I let out a sigh. Just then someone knocked, and I gave the permission to enter. It was not other than — Natasha.

"You don't have to take my permission to enter", I said and she nodded.

"Waise itni chup si kyun baithi hain ?", she asked, sitting beside me.

(By the way, why are you sitting so quietly ?).

"Nahin kuch nahin", I replied and looked down.

(No, nothing).

"Mujhse bhi chupayegi ?", she asked and I looked at her.

(Will you hide it from me too).

I looked at her and her eyes shows hope.

"Probably, thinking about him", I said and her lips curved into a small smile.

"Tou aaj keh kyun nahin paayi, ki acha lag raha tha woh ?", she said and I widened my eyes.

(Why didn't you tell him today, that he was looking good ?).

"Lekin tujhe kaise pata ?", I asked.

(But how do you know ?).

"Sun liya tha", she said.

( I heared ).

"Dil nahin mana", I replied and again looked at the moon and she chuckled.

(I did not agree with my heart).

"Sun haldi function, shaam ko hain okay ?", she said and I nodded.

( Listen the haldi function is on evening okay ?).

Then I decided to get some sleep. The day had been heavy, and my head felt full.

Natasha lay down beside me. The bed dipped a little under her weight. I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would come quickly, but it didn’t.

His thoughts wouldn’t leave. They kept circling back — his face, the things he said, the way he didn’t say others. I turned to my side, then back again. My mind was loud even though the room was quiet.

The ceiling fan hummed above us. I counted the rotations, trying to distract myself. It wasn’t working. Every time I almost drifted off, his words would pull me back.

"Just tell him tomorrow", Natasha said.

I looked at her. Her eyes were still closed. She wasn’t even facing me. She hadn’t moved at all. But somehow she knew exactly what was running through my head.

For a second I didn’t answer. My throat felt dry. Part of me wanted to pretend I was already asleep. Part of me was glad she’d said it first.

I exhaled slowly and let my eyes shut again.

"Okay", I replied.

The word came out quieter than I meant it to. It hung in the air between us.

Natasha didn’t say anything else. She didn’t need to. Her breathing stayed even, like she was already half-asleep, or like she was giving me space to sit with it.

I kept my eyes closed after that. The thoughts were still there, but saying okay out loud made them a little lighter. Maybe tomorrow I actually would.

_______________________________________________

The next day, I woke up and Natasha was still sleeping. For a moment I just stared at her. Her hair was messy across the pillow, her breathing slow and even. I thought about how lucky I was to have her in my life. Someone who knew what I was thinking without me saying a word.

I shook her a little. "Natasha."

She stirred, frowned, then opened her eyes and blinked at me. "It’s too early", she mumbled, but she was already half-smiling.

After a quick shower, I got ready and went downstairs.

Bhai and all the guests were already at the table. Plates clinked, someone laughed, the smell of hot parathas filled the room. But one thing was off.

Shreyansh wasn’t there.

I glanced toward the front door and saw him coming in from his morning walk. His hair was damp with sweat, pushed back from his forehead. He had on a plain black T-shirt that clung a little from the walk, and tracks. His face was calm, but his eyes looked sharper, more awake than anyone else in the house. He had that look — quiet, steady, like he’d already settled something in his head while the rest of us were just waking up.

Then he went upstairs to shower and came back down.

The dining table was packed. Every chair was taken except one. The one beside me.

He walked over and sat down right next to me. No pause, no glance around. Just sat.

The space between our arms was small. I could feel the faint coolness coming off him from the shower.

Natasha caught my eye from across the table. She gave me a look — a teasing one. The kind that says I told you so without words. She raised her eyebrows just a bit and then went back to her plate like nothing happened.

Unknowingly, Aarush was looking at him too. Still smiling, like he’d noticed something but wasn’t going to comment on it. His eyes flicked from Shreyansh to me and back again, that easy smile staying put.

I picked up my glass of water to do something with my hands. The conversations around the table kept going, but I was suddenly very aware of how close Shreyansh was, of the way his sleeve almost brushed mine when he reached for the bread.

"Can you pass the butter ?", he asked, voice low, like it was only for me even though the table was full.

I passed it. My fingers didn’t touch his, but it felt like they almost did.

Under the table, I felt a sudden nudge against my shin. Natasha.

She kicked my leg lightly and leaned in just enough so only I could hear.

"So what did he say ?", Her voice was low, barely above a whisper, but the curiosity in it was loud.

I didn’t answer right away. I glanced toward him instead.

Shreyansh was eating peacefully. No rush, no tension in his shoulders. Just calm. He cut into his paratha, took a bite, and chewed like the entire table wasn’t full of people and noise. Like nothing around him could touch whatever was in his head. That steady look from his morning walk was still there — unreadable, grounded.

Then my eyes flicked to Aarush. He was eating too, but differently. There was a smile playing at the corner of his mouth, like he’d caught onto some private joke. His gaze kept drifting to Shreyansh, then to me, then back to his plate. Like he knew something we didn’t. Like he was waiting to see what would happen next.

The kick came again, sharper this time.

"Natasha", I mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear. "Shut up".

She didn’t even flinch. Instead, her lips twitched, fighting a grin. She picked up her glass and took a sip, all innocent, but her foot stayed pressed against mine under the table. A silent I’m not done with you yet

I turned back to my food, pushing the dal around with my spoon. My appetite had gone weird. I could feel Shreyansh beside me with every small movement — when he reached for his water, when his elbow shifted, when he set his fork down. The space between us wasn’t even an inch, but neither of us moved to make it bigger.

God doesn't want me to have my breakfast in peace. Like he looked at me for a second and then back to his palte.

Usne dekha, aur dhadkane tej ho gayi. (He looked, and my heart beat faster).

Natasha’s foot nudged mine again. I kicked her back, gentle, a warning. She finally pulled her leg away, but the teasing look in her eyes didn’t leave.

I exhaled quietly and took a bite, tasting nothing. The table was full of chatter and clinking spoons, but under it all was this current — me, Shreyansh, Natasha’s knowing eyes, Aarush’s quiet smile.

Shreyansh had looked at me for once, but felt like it didn't affect him at all. He just kept eating, peaceful, steady, like he had all the time in the world.

I was sitting just next to her.

It happened with me once back in college — sitting beside someone, feeling the whole room tilt a little. But this time, now, the distance between us had shortened. Back then there was a chair, a bag, something. Now there was nothing. Just an inch of space and the faint smell of her shampoo.

I kept my eyes on my plate. Paratha, sabzi, routine. Chew, swallow, repeat. Calm. That’s what I do. But I could feel her there. Every time she moved to pick up her glass, every time she set her spoon down. The table was loud, but my focus had narrowed to that one empty inch between us.

I looked at her for once. Just a quick glance.

I could sense it — her nervousness sitting right under her skin. The way her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her plate when she thought no one was watching. And yet, her calmness too. That same steady thing I saw in her yesterday. Like she was holding two things at once and not letting either win.

Aarush was glancing at us the whole time. Not even subtle about it. He’d take a bite, smile into his food, then look up again. Like he’d pieced something together and was just waiting for the rest of us to catch up. His smile wasn’t teasing, exactly. More like he knew something we didn’t, and he was enjoying the wait.

And Natasha. Guess what — she wasn’t leaving any chance.

I saw her foot move under the table. Saw Ishani’s jaw tighten just a little. Heard the mumbled "Shut up" that was only meant for Natasha. So teasing. Natasha would ask something low, eyes dancing, then pretend to be busy with her breakfast like she hadn’t just set something off.

Ishani kept hiding her blush. I noticed that. The way she’d look down quickly, take a sip of water, tuck a strand of hair behind her ear even when it wasn’t out of place. She thought she was being smooth about it. She wasn’t.

"Can you pass the butter ?", I asked. Kept my voice low. It wasn’t on purpose, but the table was loud and she was right there.

She passed it. Our fingers didn’t touch, but the space between them felt charged anyway. She pulled her hand back a second too fast.

I went back to eating. Peaceful. That’s the look I give the world. But inside, I was aware of everything — the way her breathing changed when Natasha kicked her, the way Aarush’s smile grew when I sat down, the way that inch between us felt like less than an inch.

College me, I would’ve moved away. Made it easier. This time, I didn’t. I just stayed, ate, and let the distance stay shortened.

I just don't want to ruin this precious moment.

Breakfast ended like it always does in the Malhotra mansion. Chaotic. Loud.

And then, like clockwork, everyone scattered. 

Everyone got busy in their own works.

I stepped out with my tea. The lawn was already occupied. 

All the cousins. A sea of silk robes and half dried hair. Bangles clinking. Laughter sharp and bright under the 10 AM. 

What are you wearing tonight, Seher ?", someone asked, like a family discussion it is.

"I think emerald. It makes me look fairer".

"Ugh, I’m so confused between the pink lehenga and the red one. Shreyansh bhai, you tell! Which color suits me ?", trisha said.

I gave trisha a distracted nod. Mumbled "red". 

Because I wasn’t looking at her. 

I was looking past her. 

She sat on the edge of the stone bench. Separate from the huddle, but not excluded. Just... quiet.

Ishani. 

While everyone else fought for attention, she folded into herself. A pale purple cotton kurti. Hair still damp from her bath, left open to dry. No jewelry. No makeup. 

She wasn’t part of the discussion about outfits or jewelers or which cousin would dance with which boy. 

She just sat there, watching a butterfly on the roses. Like the function tonight had nothing to do with her. 

And that’s the problem, isn’t it? 

She never wants attention. 

But somehow, she always gets mine. 

My tea went cold in my hand. The cousins chatter became background noise. 

Because every time she tucked her hair behind her ear, something sharp rose in my chest. 

Every time she smiled, small and private, at that damn butterfly, my lungs forgot how to work. 

Trisha snapped her fingers. "Bhaiya! You’re not even listening".

I wasn’t. 

I was too busy memorizing the way sunlight caught the wet strands near Ishani’s neck. 

Too busy wondering how someone so quiet could make so much noise inside me. 

I cleared my throat. Stood up. 

"Wear whatever you want", I told trisha, voice calm than I intended. 

I walked back inside before I did something stupid. 

Like walk over to that stone bench and ask her why silence from her feels louder than everyone else’s laughter.

"Can I sit here ?", I asked and she nodded.

"Yes", she replied.

"Why are you sitting so quietly ?", I asked and she pass off a smile.

"Because, I feel peace here", she said and I looked down.

I looked up to her and ended up staring at her. My elbow was placed on my lap and I stared at her with an unknown smile on my face.

Kehna chahta tha usse jo kal nahin keh paya.

(I wanted to say to her what I couldn't say yesterday).

"What are you wearing tonight ?", she asked and I stepped out of my world.

"Maybe a yellow kurta", I said.

"Why maybe ?, it's a haldi function you should wear yellow", she said and I nodded.

"What are you wearing tonight ?", I asked and she looked at me.

For some second, none of us spoke a word. It was a complete silence, and I'm having my most insane eye contact with her.

Aaj pata chala, niharana bhi khubsurat hota hain.

(Today I came to know that looking at someone is also beautiful).

"Something yellow", she said and reality hits both of us.

And just like that, the discussions begin again.

__________________________________________________

The Malhotra mansion is drowning in yellow. As I told her, I wore a yellow kurta, all traditional. Hairs were nicely combed, wearing an wrist watch.

Marigolds choke every pillar. Thick garlands of lotus and roses hang from the balcony, drip over doorways, frame the courtyard like fire. White drapes with gold borders billow in the wind, tied to bamboo poles across the lawn. Rose petals were, nicely being dropped.

The air is heavy. Haldi, wet mud from the garden, and fresh mogra. Dhol players tune their drums under the mango tree. Yellow cloth covers the chairs.

Every servant, every flower, every damn yellow ribbon reminds me why we’re here. 

Her brother’s haldi.

Bhai's haldi.

And all I can think is how this color will look on Ishani’s skin. 

How quiet she’ll be in this chaos. 

How I’ll still find her, even in a crowd dressed in yellow.

I was standing in the hall. Then I saw raghav bhai.

"You're looking really handsome bhai", I said and he hugged me.

"You're too", he said and I smiled at his kind gesture.

Jur then mom, came to me and put a dot of kohl behind my ear.

"What's all of this mom ?", I said.

"To protect you from evil eye", she said and I laughed.

"Aunty mujhe bhi laga do, please", aarush said and mom smiled.

(Aunty, please apply it to me too).

And then she applied the kohl behind his ear too. Just them aunty also came with the kohl on her finger. And she applied on the another ear of his.

"Mom.... Aunty already did", aarush said and aunty laughed.

"It's okay, now no will dare to put an evil eye on you", mom said and he nodded.

Just then aunty flicked her fingers on my head.

"May god protect you double from the evil eye", she said and laughed.

"Thankyou aunty", I Said.

"I know you don't believe in these, but don't remove it", her voice felt like a command to me, which I don't ignore.

"Kya baat hain bhai, bada sohna lag raha hain", aarush said almost rushing to me.

(What's up brother, you are looking very beautiful).

"Tu bhi lag raha hain", I replied.

(You are also looking).

"Yarr tere muh se tarif sunke acha lagta hain, kiya kar", he said and somehow I laughed — This Silly Boy.

(Friend, it feels good to hear praise from you, you should say it).

The dhol got louder. Someone yelled "dulhe ke behen aa rahi hain".

(The groom's sisters are coming).

I turned without thinking. 

She was on the stairs. 

Ishani.

With her sisters, laughing at something, hand light on the railing. 

Yellow saree. 

Not the loud, glittery yellow everyone else wore. This was soft. The pallu pinned neatly, but a few strands of hair had escaped and stuck to her neck. 

The haldi in the air, the marigolds, the drapes. Everything yellow. 

But she made it look different. 

I forgot to drink it. Forgot the noise. Forgot why I was standing in the Malhotra courtyard in the first place. 

Her sisters were talking. Someone called her name. She looked up for a second. 

And my chest did that stupid thing again. 

I’ve seen women in designer lehengas. In diamonds. In reds and emeralds and silks worth lakhs. 

None of them ever made me forget how to breathe. 

She wasn’t even trying. 

She just walked down those stairs in a simple yellow saree, bare feet. Minimal jewelleries suits her well.

And I stood there like an idiot.Jaw clenched. Throat dry. Because how does someone look like that without even knowing it? 

Behad khubsurat hain woh.

(She is very beautiful).

Then she saw me. 

Mid step. Mid laugh with her sister. Her eyes found mine across the courtyard and just stopped. 

No one else noticed. The dhol was still beating. Her sisters kept walking down. But she froze for a second on that last stair, fingers still on the railing. 

She didn’t look away. 

She just looked. 

Everyone wears yellow today. The whole mansion is drowning in it. But on her, it wasn’t just haldi. It was light. It was the first thing you notice and the only thing you remember. 

And maybe I’m an idiot for thinking it, but the way her eyes stayed on me. 

The way her lips parted slightly, like she forgot she was supposed to look down. 

Maybe she thought I didn’t look so bad either. 

My kurta is simple. Off yellow, nothing special. But for that one second, with her in yellow and her gaze locked on me, I felt like I’d dressed up for someone.

Someone called her name from the lawn. 

She blinked. A faint color rose to her cheeks. Then she looked down and walked to her sisters, adjusting her pallu.

But that second stayed. 

She saw me. And she kept looking.

"Bhai barabaad ho chuka hain tu", aarush said and I smiled shyly.

(Bhai, you are ruined).

"Unke liye tou hone bhi chahta hun", I muttered under my breath enough him to hear.

(I want to be for her).

"Ab tou maan le, ki kuch tou hain", he said, hitting me with his shoulder.

(Now you accept that there is something).

"Nahin aisa, kuch nahin hain", I replied with a serious expression and be filled his eyes.

(No, there is nothing like that).

And with like that, the haldi function begins.

The house is chaos in the best way.

Yellow everywhere. Marigolds on the walls, dhol in the corner, and kids running around with haldi on their hands like they’re on a mission.

Today is Raghav bhai’s haldi.

He’s sitting in the center on that decorated stool, kurta already stained, face resigned like he knew this was coming. The aunties are taking turns, each one more aggressive with the haldi than the last.

"Tum tou lga do", bhai said to Ishani, and she handed that thaal to Natasha.

"Congratulations", she said.

I’m standing a little to the side, watching it all. Ishani’s running around with the thali, making sure no one misses their turn.

Raghav bhai spots me and grins, all yellow and mischief. "Shreyansh, aa ja. Sirf dekhega kya ?".

(Shreyansh, come. Will you just watch ?)

I laugh and step forward. Take some haldi from Ishani’s thali. She doesn’t even look at me, just holds it steady. Professional as ever.

“Lo Raghav bhai,” I say, and smear it on his cheek. Properly. Like a brother should.

He grabs my wrist and returns the favor, smudging haldi right across my jaw. The whole crowd hoots. Someone yells “shaadi kab hai teri” “When is your wedding ? and he just winks.

I step back, wiping my face, and catch Ishani watching. She’s smiling. That real one. The one she saves for family.

Ohh my heart....

After Raghav bhai’s haldi, the backyard is a full buffet.

Yellow and white drapes hang from the neem tree. Marigolds line the tables. The setup is in an L shape.

Left has the chaat counter. Aloo tikki sizzling on the tawa, golgappa shots in glasses, imli and pudina paani in glass jars.

Center is the main buffet. Silver dishes with paneer lababdar, dal makhani, jeera rice. Live naan from the tandoor, butter melting as it comes out. A small board reads “Raghav Bhai ki Haldi Special” with marigolds around it.

Right side is dessert. Jalebis dropping straight into chashni, gulab jamuns under a warm light, kulfi on sticks in a matka full of ice.

Yellow tablecloths, banana leaf plates, maroon uniform staff moving quick. The whole place smells like ghee, tandoor, and celebration.

This is Raghav bhai’s haldi. Loud, yellow, and more food than we can finish.

Now we're sitting on a table,

"I'm tired", Ishani whispered, but gladly I heared.

"Take this, you'll feel relaxed", I said, handing her a glass of water.

"Thankyou", she said and I smiled.

And just like that, the function begins with loud chatters and chaos.

_______________________________________________

Okay, so now I never wrote a chapter with this much words. I feel peace to write this one 😅.

I know, this one is a big chapter, but I hope that you all enjoyed this.

Tell me your thoughts about the chapter, and don't forget to vote.

Have a happy evening.

Yours author riitu

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