Chapter Thirty-One : The Mysterious Night

    

Chapter Thirty-One : The Mysterious Night

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Ruhani
*flashback*

“Enough! You don't give this best friend shit. Tell me, If you're my best Friend then why you are marrying the one I should?" I replied to Tanya in stern voice as she wasn't trying to understand what I was trying to tell her. But she just kept playing dumb.

"What you want me to do?" She said making a poker face.

"Don't tell me you want to call the wedding off. Because I ain't going to do it by any means. Everybody is invited Ruhani, I just can't shame my family now." She said and placed hands on my shoulder.

"I don't want you to call the wedding off, there's no need for that." I answered with a smile.

"What do mean?" She asked as she was surprised to hear my answer.

"You just don't need to call off the wedding. We will just switch the places. You'll hide till the wedding gets over and I'll be the bride." I had a smile on face but she had appeared horrified.

"No, I can't." She turned around crossing her arms, draining smile from my face.

"Why not? You didn't love Rehan neither had any wish to marry him. Then why you can't do this for me?" She just stood still without replying.

"Just tell me Tanya why? Why you're doing this to me? You never loved Rehan."
I said as my eyes were filled with tears.

"I can't means just I cannot. I am sorry Ruhani." She raised her palm while still keeping her back at me.

"But why? You have known it that I like him since my childhood days then why you're doing this to me why Tanya?" I turned her towards me as she tried to look away.

"Because I love him too." My heart just skipped a beat as those words filled my mind echoing throughout.

"Please tell me it’s a lie. You never liked him remember? You said you'll take care of him for me." I said shaking her shoulders.

"NO NO NO! I am sorry Ruhani but that's the truth." She said as her voice cracked under tears.

I was dumbstruck and couldn't think of anything. Does that mean all these years she lied to me? All these years she hid her feelings from me whereas I shared every single moment with her. Why Tanya how could you betray me?

While standing there all the moments that we had passed together flashed across my eyes. It made me feel low. How dumb was I for being unable to find out that my friend isn't helping me by keeping Rehan away from other girls but she liked him as well.

I thought she was the one who understands me after Rehan. She is the one whom I can trust and can safely pour my heart out. But instead of caring for me she betrayed me. The feelings of being betrayed and anger and rage was getting all over my mind.

"Ruhani, I am really sorry. But I can't do this, please forgive me." She said shedding tears.

"You betrayed me, I trusted you and you just betrayed me. You were always the same. I kept trusting and you kept betraying." My rage had taken over the control from my conscious self and I wasn't really aware about what I was doing next.

I picked the knife from the fruit basket and attacked her. She struggled under me as she was surprised by the attack. She grabbed my wrists and tried to knock the knife of my hands.

"What are you doing Ruhani?! Are you insane?! " she shrieked struggling against me. I pushed her towards wall as I tried to pull her grip off my hands.

We kept struggling for a few minutes as she tried to calm me down but I was out of my senses and control. I just pushed her with all the force I could muster as she had cornered me near the wall trying to get the knife off me.

I suddenly felt her grip loose on me and I pushed her with all my might. She just fell to a distance like a doll. I moved closer to have a look and gaped at the sight. I saw blood oozing out like a fountain from her wrist.

Shocked and scared I was standing there as I saw the pool of blood forming on the floor.

"Tanya! Open the door dear." Someone knocked at the door. It scared all wits out of me. I just kept running here and there trying to think what to do.

As I continued to shriek the knocks on the door kept on increasing. It kept getting louder and louder. I couldn't think of anything else. I placed the knife in Tanya's other palm and hid below the bed as the door busted open. Luckily, I had sneaked below the bed before anyone could see me with knife in my hand.

I just kept down there till everyone got out of the room. The fear of getting caught was getting stronger and stronger inside me. I just didn't meant to hurt her. I just wanted to scare her so that she did what I wished for. But instead I was now hiding after slitting my own friend's wrist.

I carefully sneaked out of the way I had entered. I made sure to avoid anyone’s attention. On reaching hotel I just bash opened the door and dug my face into pillow. I could do nothing but cry helplessly. What have I done? I shuddered at the thought if anything happened to Tanya because of my stupidity. The feeling of guilt had started to take me over. I couldn't help but cried the night out.

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Chapter Thirty : The Night

    

Chapter Thirty : The Night

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Ruhani
*Night Before Wedding*

I opened the door which lead to the staircase. I kept glancing behind continuously keeping a look for anyone following me while closing the door behind me. Luckily there was no one, but I had been having a feeling about someone watching me. Hence I decided to be cautious keeping an eye around glancing back and forth to check if really there had been anyone.

I reached the first floor and opened the door. I once again glanced back carefully while closing the door of the staircase behind me. There were a lot of guests and relatives coming in and out from her room. I guess the event wasn't over yet. I hid behind the wall so that I don’t catch anyone’s attention. After a few minutes, I saw Tanya coming out of the room.

I called her but I suppose my voice was suppressed by the music. I just hid behind the wall and sat on the floor. I opened my eyes, shaking my head as it was aching badly. It took me a while to realise that I had been sleeping for the past hour. Standing up and still taking cover behind the wall, I glanced back towards the lobby.

The lights were dimmed and there were lights coming out only from a few set of rooms. Tanya's room also had the lights on which meant that she’s up yet. I tip-toed towards the room and knocked the door as it was locked from inside.

As Tanya opened the door, I just covered her mouth with my palm before she could shout my name  in excitement. She seemed to be excited to see me but honestly I wasn't even tinge happy. I gestured her to keep quiet by placing finger on my lips. She nodded and I removed my hand back from her mouth.

She gestured me to come inside and closed the door behind. Before I could speak anything she just jumped and pulled me into hug, squeezing the breath out of me. She jumped and smiled like as if a kid had finally received the thing she wanted from long period.

"You can't imagine how happy I am to see you here." She smiled as she dragged me to the bed.

"See this, isn’t it beautiful?" She said showing me her mehndi design that was from her finger-tips to her elbow.

"I was missing you so damn badly you can't imagine how happy I'm to see you." She said holding my hands and hugging me again.

"Wait! let me show you something." She said standing up from the bed and took out a jewellery box from the drawer.

"See, this I will be wearing for the main event tomorrow. How's it?" She held the necklace near her neck showing me asking how it’d look on her.

"And this is the thing that I'll be wearing tomorrow. Did you like it?" She placed a red and white lehenga in my lap which had a beautiful and intricate design of shining stones all over it. 

"Will it look good on me?" She said continuing to show the things that had been prepared for the main wedding tomorrow. I mentally craved to be Rehan’s bride. But the happiness was somewhere lost from my face. But it’s me who should be the bride. A thought struck my mind making me aware about what I was here for.

"By the way, you said you had missed the flight and won't be able get any till tomorrow right? So how come you're here now?" she asked me crossing her arms.

"Ohh! wait no need for explanations please, I got it. You wanted to give me a surprise right? I knew it. How could I be so dumb and think my bestie won't be in 'my' wedding." She continued before I could answer.

"Now as you're here, It'll be more fun now. Let me tell Rehan that you're here." She said as she started to look for her phone.

"Wait! Don't tell anyone yet." I said as she opened her phone to text Rehan.

"And why I shouldn't?" She said giving me a suspicious look.

"Okay, no need to tell. I understand you want it to be a surprise for Rehan as well Right? Great it'll be really good to see that look on his face." She said as she placed the phone back to charging.

"No" That was all I could say before she started with her rapid fire again.

"Why?... Ruhani, why I am feeling that I need to know something and you being here isn't a surprise."

"No! For god damn sake NO!" I said as I failed to keep my emotions enclosed within.

"No, I am not here for your wedding or any sort of surprise. DO YOU GET IT?!" I couldn't help but to shout a little as she wasn't letting me a chance to speak. All I wanted was to make her understand that I should be the bride and not her.

"What's wrong with you Ruhani?" She said as she was scared at my sudden outrage.

"Now just sit here and listen to me carefully. I need to tell you something." I said holding her by shoulders and made her to sit on bed.

"I am not here to surprise anyone. I am here for the wedding.” I took a deep breath and continued, “ You know how much I love Rehan right?" I stared in her eyes.

"Yes, I do." The expressions on her face changed.

"Then how can you marry someone I love?" I asked her taking her hand in mine.

"Listen Ruhani, I had told you before and am repeating it again. It wasn’t my decision. It was just said to me and you know I can't refuse Dad as it was the only thing he had asked me during my whole life. Can't I give him a chance to choose a groom for me?" She said as she tried to console me.

"Yes, you can. But Why Rehan? Why not someone else?" I asked dropping her hand.

"I understand your concern but this is something that wasn't my choice."

"You could have decided then and Tanya you can now as well." I brushed my hand at the lehenga that was in my lap.

"Ruhani are you blaming me? Like seriously how can you think so low of me? You think I am doing this purposely?" She snapped putting the  jewellery back in their boxes.

"Yes" I muttered in a low voice.

"What?! I can't believe this. Really you think that I am doing this purposely? From when did you started thinking so low about your best friends Ruhani?" She said standing up crossing her arms throwing a look of disgust and annoyance towards me.

"You don't need to act. I know you're doing this purposely." I replied in a stern voice.

"Now this is getting too much Ruhani. You are back after this long time and all you're doing is spoiling my mood before my wedding. Wow! Great! What are real best friend do I have here." She said gesturing towards me moving her hands up and down as if she were presenting me to someone.

I just didn't reply and kept thinking about Rehan, My wishes, My dreams and My desire.

---

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Chapter Twenty-Nine: Something Amiss

    

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Something Amiss

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Ruhani
*A day before Marriage*

I once again glanced at my luggage to ensure that I wasn't missing on anything. I had applied for transfer to Mumbai Office because I felt I was needed somewhere else. To maximise my chances for getting transferred, I had also the left a resignation letter alongside on the table in case they were unable to sanction my transfer letter. Now all I needed to do was wait for their reply.

After a week of applying for the transfer, they replied to my email saying that my resignation letter was partially accepted. Company didn't had any vacancy in any of the Indian branches. Instead they asked me to take a break re-join when there’s vacancy.

I already booked the plane tickets and had started preparing for the wedding. I was dumbstruck when I first saw the invitation. But now I was mentally prepared for it. I had a plan, a plan to get back everything that belonged to me.  The one whom I had loved all my life was going to marry someone else. I just couldn't let this happen. My anger issues were getting serious as every talk would end up in argument and work at office was a huge mess.

I cried days and nights out. I felt left alone and used to lock up myself in a room. I thought I had no one was there to understand me, care for me. My parents had always thought of me low. They always used to compare me with Tanya. For just once, I had started feeling confident about myself when I secured a job here. I wasn’t someone’s shadow anymore but now the feeling of losing everything was back again.

I was confused for which path should I choose. I couldn't leave my dream and ambitions here. But I also didn't wanted to lose the one I had loved all my life. Rehan and Tanya had been messaging me all the time asking me about my wellbeing. But I just had been ignoring them as I felt betrayed. Until one day, Tanya's message provided me with a ray of hope. She sent me a message which read that she wasn't aware of her dad planning this all along. She said it was her dad who had set up the marriage. She didn't mean to hurt me and she knows how much I like Rehan.

I brushed my tears off the swollen cheeks and rubbed my eyes. I replied Tanya asking her to have a video chat when Rehan is with her. While on the video chat, I was rejoiced to see Rehan being so concerned about me. He still cares for me. His words "I'll never let you go back" echoed in my mind that whole night. I just tossed and turned over and over.

At that time, I just had one thing on my mind. I just wanted to be with Rehan. I decided to confess to Rehan feelings that I had been hiding since all these years in my heart. I wanted to tell him how I felt for him. Just after a lot of thinking and self-realisation the whole night, now I know what I had to do.

I took the printout of the invite and planned for the next thing I had to do. I booked my plane tickets and sent the details to Rehan as he had asked for. But later on I thought about booking a ticket later for the plan I had in my mind.

*~*~*~*

I lied to everyone about missing the flight so that I could talk have a talk with Tanya about the plan I had in my mind. But it was supposed to happen before the marriage commences. Rehan asked for the details of the next flight I would be arriving through, to which I lied that I wasn't getting any in next few hours but I promised to be there before the wedding commences.

I opened my Instagram and uploaded my airport selfie that I had clicked a day back before arriving to Mumbai. That would be helpful enough to prove that I had actually missed the flight at the airport.

It was evening when my flight landed in Mumbai. I had previously book a room in hotel which was near enough to Tanya's mansion. If I wanted my plan to be successful I need to talk to Tanya without catching anyone's attention.

Lying on the bed I glanced through the schedule of the events that would be happening. The Mehndi event was the last event which was ending late at night. I decided to sneak in at night before Tanya goes to sleep.

I walked past the guards easily as everyone was rushing to and fro, after all there was a wedding in the house. I was dressed up to camouflage with the crowd in hoping that no one will be able to recognize me. I was trying to hide in the bushes near the lawns when someone tapped on my shoulder. Startled with the sudden touch I glanced back to see Abish smiling.

"Hey, you said you had missed your flight right? And you said there weren't any available until tomorrow. And I can see you here. What's the matter huh?" Abish asks with a mischievous smile.

"Surprise" I quoted with my fingers as I pulled him aside along with me so that we don't attract anyone else's attention.

"Okay! I get it and won't be a spoiler promise." He said.

"Better for you. Now forget that you have met me here and please don't be a spoiler." I said as he headed in opposite direction.

It was risky entering through the main door as many of the guests know me and they will spoil my plan. I can’t let them spoil it.

While brainstorming about how to reach Tanya without being noticed, I remembered about the old staircase. At the back there was an old staircase which was reserved for emergencies. We often used to sneak in through it when we were late from parties and didn't wish to get any scolding.

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Kindly read it at the original source at www.dhawaljoshi.in. Also, do share your views in the comment section below. Thank you for your attention.

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