~ Her ~

“We’re just going to PRACTICE dance, why the hell are you getting so dressed?”, she screamed because we were running late. It was the morning of the sangeet, and we were heading to the pond area for our final and only rehearsal. It was my sister, Shreya’s wedding and since all of the people performing lived in different cities, we had choreographed and practiced our dance separately and had arrived early to the wedding venue just so we could do one run through together.

We went near the pond pavilion, right in the middle of our “dancefloor” which was basically a stone platform surrounded by steps leading into the pond. I didn’t want to seem like I was waiting, though I was actually waiting for him. I looked around, trying to distract myself with the venue and its décor.

I stood facing two stone elephants that guarded the stairs to a pavilion with iron clad carved pillars. The entire place was adorned with drapes of pink and yellow and tiny elements like colorful pinwheels and tassels. The air smelled like celebration. I couldn’t stop smiling and my smile turned into a deep blush when I finally saw him.

Though my heart was pounding, I kept a calm exterior as he greeted me. It had been exactly 5 months since I saw him last. Siddharth was my to-be brother-in-law’s best friend. I had developed a tiny crush when I met him at the engagement and that crush had blown up like a balloon in the past 5 months.

Both of us were in charge of the sangeet from either side of the family and we had been constantly in touch regarding the performances and such. We were even compéring the show together, meaning that we had spent hours texting and talking and falling in love (okay, that was just me).

Smooth hair, crooked smile, hazel eyes and humor that put Chandler Bing to shame. He ticked every box on my checklist and more than anything, the rapport we had built in a span of hours on our first meet was inexplicable. I nearly had a happiness stroke when he’d asked if we could plan the sangeet together.

This wedding was a big celebration for us as it was the first event in the family after a long time. The beginning of weddings of a whole new generation, and my sister was the debutante. That meant it had 105 cousins whose performance had to be coordinated and being the sister of the bride implied abiding by her needs with zero reluctance. Even with so much on my plate, I was determined to spend as much time with Sid as I could. I was flying to the US to do my master’s in a month and didn’t know if I would ever see him again…

~ Him ~

I sit at the edge of the bed as my best friend, the groom, Rohit goes over his dance sequence in the suite. There are people waiting for us at the rehearsal, but he doesn’t want to embarrass himself so he’s doing a pre rehearsal-rehearsal. I’m getting impatient because I’d been waiting for this day for too long and he had me locked up in this room since we arrived at the venue. I finally gave up and pulled him out the door.

We walk through a passage amidst plants and into a carved wooden doorway that leads to the pond pavilion. The sangeet is happening there tonight and everyone is waiting to practice there. We reach and greet everyone, and I try to maintain the same face even when I see her. The wind is slight and blows into her hair mildly, she’s dressed in a rich pink shade and the color matches her cheeks when I go say hi. My heart skips a beat right there.

My first interaction with Piya was when she offered a hand when I was carrying four bags into the engagement hall. She gained my admiration the second she picked up a 10kg bag like it was popcorn. Throughout the day my eyes had followed her around the hall, talking to people, doing small things and always smiling. It was like she carried a wave of happiness in her stride. I was determined to get to know this girl before the day ended.

After the ceremonies, when the entire family sat down for lunch, Piya was going on about the sangeet for the wedding and how she had so many plans for it. I don’t know what got into me when I suggested to her that I would help her plan from the groom’s side. Rohit had turned and given me the worst stare possible, because for the 20 years that he had known me, I had never once volunteered to do any work. But damn, I wanted to get to know her.

After the engagement was over, we sat down to talk about what to do and how to plan. Sometimes when you meet a new person and you click so well that you feel like you’ve known them your entire life. This was how it felt with Piya. We’d exchanged numbers that day and had maintained a platonic relationship till date. She was flying off to the US after the wedding and I didn’t want to complicate things.

~ Six years later ~

He stands in the same spot that I stood six years ago, waiting for me this time. Same two stone elephants guarding the pavilion which was now decked up in traditional yellow and orange marigold. Same pond behind, same air of celebration. Everything is the same, yet different. This time, everyone knows he’s waiting for me and everyone knows about us.

I walk in dressed in traditional silk, accompanied by a musical troupe. He doesn’t greet anyone else this time, his eyes are all for me. My heart pounds and the colors rise to my cheek replicating the color of my wedding saree.

Six years ago, in this very venue, we fell in love. After two days of my sister’s wedding, we knew we could not stay out of each other’s lives. When we decided to get married, it was a unanimous decision to come back and get married where the two of us became one.