It was morning.

Akash's mother had sent Anita a saree.

It was crimson with golden embroidery.

After her bath, she draped it over herself then tied her hair into a neat bun and stepped out of the room.

In the living room, she found Akash seated alone, flipping through a newspaper.

His expression was neutral, but his sharp features loosened up when he noticed her approach.

She offered him a warm smile. "Good morning, dearest husband," she greeted cheerfully.

He frowned while lowering the newspaper. "Since when did you start sleeping so late?"

Her brows knitted in confusion. "We came from a long journey yesterday. I was exhaus—"

"Forget it," he interrupted brusquely. "I'm hungry. Mother said I won't have breakfast until you wake up. Well, at last, the Queen of the house has finally graced us with her presence. Shall we?" He rose to his feet and began walking towards the dining room.

She followed him while the corners of her lips curled into a small smile. "If you were so hungry, you could have woken me up."

He stopped and turned to glance at her, his expression still hard to read. "Why would I enter your room?"

"Because I'm your wife," she replied.

He raised an eyebrow at her, his gaze stopping for a moment before he turned and resumed walking without a word.

When they reached the dining room, she immediately went to his mother, who was seated at the head of the table and touched her feet.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, pulling her foot away. "What are you doing? Did I not forbid you from doing this?"

"Good morning," Anita said with a bright smile.

"Good morning, my dear. But please, don't touch my feet again. It makes me feel old, and I most certainly am not, am I?" She glanced at Akash, then back at her.

She chuckled softly. "No, of course, you're not. You look as young as ever."

"Smart girl," she replied with a grin, patting her cheek affectionately. "Now, sit. Let's eat."

She took her seat next to Akash, who was already pouring himself a glass of juice.

"Where is Father?" Anita asked, reaching for a cup and stretching it towards Akash. He looked at her with a frown.

"He's out," his mother replied, setting her napkin on her lap.

Akash gestured towards the table. "The jug is right there. Serve yourself."

"That's very bad of you, Akash," his mother interjected with a disapproving look. "Why won't you pour her the drink?"

Anita suppressed a giggle, watching as he glared at her before grabbing the jug.

His movements were stiff as he poured the juice into her cup.

"Thank you, beloved husband," she replied with a bright smile.

He shot her a brief look of irritation before focusing on his plate and eating in silence.

"Anita," his mother continued, "I've invited your family to join us. After breakfast, you'll all go shopping for the engagement and wedding ceremonies. Akash, I've also invited your friends to come along. While you're away, we'll start planning for tomorrow's engagement."

She took a sip of her tea, then continued, "Your sister's flight is landing around twelve. She'll meet you, Anita, at the store. Does that sound okay?"

"Yes, of course," she replied, glancing at Akash, who still hadn't spoken a word.

"Good," his mother said and her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Everything must be perfect."

"Ma'am, Miss Anita's family is here," a worker announced after stepping into the dining room.

Anita's face lit up instantly. "Let me go to them," she said, excusing herself from the table. She hurried to the living room excitedly.

"Mother!" she exclaimed and rushed to embrace her tightly.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked softly after she pulled back, studying her face for any signs of discomfort.

"I am good," her mother replied with a reassuring smile.

Anita's gaze shifted to her younger sister, and she moved to embrace her as well. "And you? How are you feeling?" she asked as she pulled away.

"Better!" her sister replied with a smile.

Her eyes then drifted to her other sister, but her expression hardened.

The smile on her face faded, and without a word, she walked past her.

Instead, she approached Divya with a soft smile.

"I'm glad I've been given another opportunity to witness your wedding," Divya spoke delightedly.

Anita chuckled.

"I hope I'm the best girl though, right?" Divya asked.

Anita chuckled again while shaking her head. "If you want to, why not?"

Before Divya could speak again, the elevator doors opened and it revealed Akash's group of friends.

"Hello, beautiful ladies!" one of them greeted while the rest walked in.

Akash glanced nervously at Raghav who was the only one in the group who knew about the breakup between him and Anita.

He didn't want his mother or anyone else to find out about it because it would complicate everything, especially the wedding preparations. His mother will think Anita doesn't trust him enough to start a lifelong commitment with him. She would most certainly halt the wedding if she were to find out.

"Well," Akash spoke, interrupting the chatter, "since everyone's here, we should get going before it gets late."

Anita smiled excitedly. "Sure, let's go."

Her mother cleared her throat gently. "You kids carry on. I'll stay back and help Mrs. Kapoor with the arrangements."

Akash's mother looked on at her. "What? No way! Who will do your shopping then?"

Anita responded, "I will do her shopping. I agree with her. She should stay and help you with the arrangements. It's best for her to rest and not move around too much."

Mrs. Kapoor nodded after a moment, "Alright, if you insist. But don't forget to choose something fabulous for her. And don't take too long, there's a lot to prepare here too. Your presence is still needed."

"Sure. Let's go, everyone!" she replied.

After the group started going out, Akash remained and shared another cautious glance at Raghav, who gave him a knowing smirk before following the rest.

••••

"I want to go with Akash, Divya," Anita whispered. "Ever since Raghav told him that I feel like I'm just another woman in his life, someone he'll discard, our relationship hasn't been the same. I want us to reconcile, but look..." She glanced ahead, where Raghav stood beside Akash in the midst of their other friends, leaning casually against Akash's car. "Raghav isn't leaving his side. Please do something. I feel embarrassed, so I don't want to face Raghav."

Divya followed Anita's gaze and sighed, folding her arms. "Well," she inhaled deeply, considering, "I'll see what I can do. Though to be honest, I really don't want to get involved in anything related to Akash. Sorry, but he's not a friendly person."

Anita frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"When you went missing and I called to inform him, he threatened me. He said if anything happened to you, I wouldn't see the sun rise again, as if I intentionally made you disappear!"

Anita's lips curved into a wide smile. "Come on, yaar. He's nice. He just gets protective."

Divya snorted while rolling her eyes. "Sure, to you. But not to the rest of us, unfortunately."

Anita chuckled lightly and gave her a pleading look.

She shook her head and walked ahead.

When she reached him and his friends, the conversation between them came to an abrupt halt and their gazes shifted towards her.

The attention made her chuckle nervously, and she muttered, "Hello. We're getting late. Can we proceed already?"

Akash's eyes moved towards Anita, who gave him a small wave.

He responded with a blank stare and she immediately dropped her hand awkwardly.

"Well," he started, glancing back at Divya, "we're not going in the same vehicles. You all carry on. The driver is waiting inside the car for you."

Divya smiled. "We're going to be there for a long time. Why should we bother the poor man when we have capable gentlemen like you to drive us?" she heckled.

Before he could answer, Raghav reacted, "For your information, that's his job."

Her smile remained, though her tone cooled a bit. "I'm perfectly aware, Raghav. I'm not dumb. But I still see no point in making him wait for hours while we have you to drive us."

"If you can drive, take yourselves there," he shot back curtly, "We're discussing something important here, so leave."

Her jaw tightened and she muttered a soft curse under her breath.

Her composed demeanor returned and she forced a smile at him sweetly. "Dear Akash's friend," she began, "you should know better than to keep a woman waiting. I feel Akash should go with his soon-to-be wife. Who knows? Maybe there are things they haven't discussed yet because they didn't get the chance. Going together would create that opportunity, wouldn't it? Don't be the third wheel in their relationship."

Akash raised a brow, "Did Anita send you here?" he asked.

Before she could deny it, one of his friends smirked. "The girl's got a point. Go with her, Akash. We'll take her friend and sisters with us."

The group nodded in agreement, and Raghav added, "Come on, man. We'll survive without you for a little while."

Akash looked at them, then shifted his gaze to Anita, who was watching from a distance with hopeful eyes.

With a resigned sigh, he muttered, "Fine. Let's go."

Divya winked at her before stepping aside, allowing him to walk towards her.

"Raghav, accommodate her in your car. We'll take her sisters," Mukesh said, and he nodded.

"Let's go," he muttered and started walking towards his car.

She followed behind but stopped just by the door, crossing her arms.

As he moved to the driver's seat, he noticed her standing there.

"It's open. Get in," he informed her plainly.

"I know," she replied. "But I'd rather not, because a gentleman should know better than to open the door for a woman."

His gaze swept over her, taking in her stance and attitude before he chuckled in disbelief. "Does this look like a movie to you? Why should I?"

She rolled her eyes. "What was I expecting? A man who causes problems for his friend wouldn't understand courtesy."

His brow furrowed and she opened the door herself and slid in.

"What are you talking about?" he asked after he got in.

"You know exactly what I mean. You came home and said all sorts of things to Anita. You intentionally caused a rift in their relationship. What kind of friend does that?" she asked, fixing him a pointed glare.

He started the engine while letting out a long breath. "I told Akash the truth because he deserved to know. If there's a rift, it's not my doing. It's because their relationship wasn't strong enough to handle it."

"Or maybe it's because you couldn't keep your opinions to yourself," she retorted, her voice filled with frustration.

He glanced at her briefly, his jaw tightening, but said nothing and they pulled out of the driveway.

In Akash's car, he continued speaking on his phone, "Like I said," his voice rose, and Anita flinched at the tone.

"I want the minutes of the December 11, 2022 meeting emailed to me within the next thirty minutes. If it's not done, don't bother finishing today's work," he ordered coldly.

"Akash," Anita whispered, trying to get his attention, but he didn't even glance her way.

Frustrated, she leaned over and grabbed the phone from his hand.

"Hello," she said, her tone warm as she spoke into the phone. "This is Mrs.—I mean, soon-to-be Mrs. Kapoor." She smiled while her voice softened further.

The secretary hesitated before responding, "Oh, hello, Ma'am."

"Please don't stress yourself," she continued politely. "I understand it's urgent, but take your time. Just make sure it's sent before the end of the day, okay?"

"Of course, Ma'am. Thank you," the secretary replied, relief evident in her tone, and then hung up.

Akash's jaw tightened as he focused on the road. "Don't do that again," he said, his tone low but firm. "You've given her enough liberty. How dare she even—"

"How dare she what?" she interrupted, raising her chin towards him. "I'm honestly glad I don't work for you. If I did, I'd have resigned the moment you gave me such an unreasonable deadline. Thirty minutes for something so detailed? That's outrageous, Akash."

He turned to glance at her briefly before focusing back on the road. "So now I'm a villain, right?" he muttered.

"No, don't twist my words," she whispered. "But expecting someone to dig up a meeting from years ago in just thirty minutes is harsh. It's a lot of work, and you know it."

"If you want to run a successful business," he said with a sigh, "you have to put empathy and sympathy aside. Let's not dwell on this. You have given her ample timeframe already, so if she doesn't meet it, she'll be fired immediately."

"She'll complete it," she whispered and leaned back against her seat.

The car then became silent.

Reaching out, she gently clasped his hand, which rested on the center console.

He glanced at her hand over his before he turned his focus back to the road.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," she whispered lovingly. "Tell me, we're still best friends, aren't we?"

"No! We no longer share any relationship." he exclaimed coldly, and immediately.

Her expression changed with her shoulders slumping as she sighed.

After a brief pause, she replied in a whisper, "If I can't revive the love you have for me before our marriage, I promise we won't get married. I don't want to spend a life with someone who doesn't love me."

He immediately turned to glance at her, his face filled with shock, but she nodded.

Meanwhile, in Raghav's car, the silence was broken by his casual voice. "So," he said, glancing at Divya who was in the front passenger seat, "tell me about yourself. Your name, etc."

She rolled her eyes irritatedly. "You don't even know my name? Wow, great," she replied sarcastically.

He shrugged, "Why should I know your name? We've never spoken, and, in fact, met just once. I don't go around asking every person's name I meet."

"You're very slow, honestly. I know. But I'm not just every person, am I?" she interrupted, her confidence catching him off guard.

"Are you?" he asked, raising a brow. "I don't know. Though, for someone so quick to judge, you seem slower than me."

She chuckled in disbelief and rolled her eyes. "Well, your restaurant worked with my company before its launch. If you remember the company, great. If not, I'm not explaining further."

"Your company?" he repeated, frowning as he racked his brain for the associations the restaurant had before its opening. "Which one?"

"I told you, figure it out yourself," she said with a huff and crossed her arms.

Her stubbornness brought an unexpected smile to his face.

Most people he met were eager to impress or explain themselves in detail, yet here she was, deliberately holding back, testing his curiosity. It was refreshingly different.

"Alright," he said, surprising even himself. "Challenge accepted."

"Good," she replied, giving him a smug smile.

For the first time in a long while, he was intrigued because she wasn't like the others.

They arrived at the mall.

They all stepped out of their cars, and Akash spoke to them all, "Take anything you want. The bill will go to Mother's accountant."

Anita looked at him for a moment, wanting to ask, That's it? No guidance? No opinions of what she should take? The colour he wanted to see her in, But before she could say a word, he added, "Let's go," and strode toward the doors without waiting.

Inside, mannequins in embroidered lehengas stood proudly in the windows, their sequins glittering like tiny stars.

Shelves displayed rows of eye-catching kurtas and dupattas, while cases of dazzling jewelry sparkled under the lights.