Prologue
Sweety hurriedly walks along the first-floor corridor of the Guptas’ Mansion. After her friend’s Mehendi function tonight, she was already pretty late to help Pragati undress for bed, having had to clean off her makeup and change her clothes first.
It had been her best friend Pragati’s Mehendi function tonight, and as her friend’s hands were covered with the bridal Henna, it was up to her to help her get ready for bed.
Prags was finally getting married to her Prince Vikram tomorrow, she thinks to herself walking along with a grin on her face feeling very thrilled for her friend. Pragati deserved all the happiness she could get after the tough years she had spent, apart from everybody…having been banished from home by her dad.
“Come on Sweety, you gotta hurry up, Prags has to sleep early tonight to look fresh for tomorrow,” she says to herself moving along the wide corridor.
As she passes by the library door, she hears a strange groaning noise from inside, stopping her in her tracks. She glances in that direction finding the door to the library slightly ajar, she waits for a few seconds thinking that maybe she had imagined the sound earlier. She just starts to walk again, when there it is …the groaning sound from before.
Sweety stands uncertainly for a second and then pushes the door open walking into the library. Her breath hitches at the sight in front of her and she rushes forward,
“Vivek, what happened? Are you all right?” she asks him in a concerned voice.
Vivek is slumped across the armrest of a comfy-looking lounge chair, looking all kinds of haggard. On further inspection, she finds a half-empty bottle of whiskey on the coffee table beside him.
“Vivek…,” she calls him again reaching out to touch his shoulder.
He reluctantly lifts his head up, staring at her half-dazed, “It’s you,” he slurs.
“I don’t believe this; you are the bride’s brother; how could you have gotten drunk today of all days?” she scolds him.
“Hello, to you to silly little ‘best friend’…” he mock salutes her, with his half-empty tumbler before finishing it off in one swig.
Sweety takes the empty tumbler out of his hand and shakes his shoulders trying to bring him back to his senses.
“Good lord, I can’t deal with this right now,” she mutters to herself before telling him,
“Vivek, please get a grip on yourself, you have a lot of responsibilities tomorrow,” she reminds him.
“Pragati and Vicky are finally getting their happily ever after tomorrow,” Sweety says trying to get him back to reality.
“Yeah, ‘happy’ everybody is fucking happy, but no one remembered me in their happiness,” he snarls pushing her hands aside and trying to get up.
Sweety moves a few steps back as he stands swaying in front of her, looking really angry.
“Vivek, it was pretty sudden for all of us too, but we can’t blame them,”
“They had already been through so much and waited so long to finally be together,” she says softly, realizing the reason for his drunken outrage.
“No, I was the only one who was out of the loop, neither my sis nor my best friend thought to inform me,” he says snarling at her.
“You are behaving irrationally Vivek, I remember clearly how guilty both Pragati and Vicky felt for what happened,” she explains trying to calm him down.
“They were just, so lost in love and wanted to be with each other as soon as possible, and they deserved it after all that they faced,” Sweety says.
“Well, silly girl, what do you know about love and relationships?” Vivek snarls at her,
“You’re just the silly girl who always kept following me around like a lost puppy, you have never been in a relationship to pass such comments,” he taunts her rudely.
Sweety’s breath catches hearing him say such a nasty thing to her and her temper flares. She usually always got tongue-tied whenever she was in Vivek’s presence. Thinking back, tonight must be the first time she had spoken so much to him and that was only because of the strangeness of today’s circumstances.
“I might be a silly girl and maybe I haven’t been in a relationship yet, but I do understand things like love unlike you,” she shouts back at him.
“Funny…the girl who hasn’t even been kissed is preaching to me about relationships,” Vivek mocks her.
“How dare you…” she sputters, enraged and embarrassed by how this conversation seems to be going.
“You are a self-centred jerk who only cares about himself, and I might be inexperienced but I am a hundred times better than a prick like you,” she yells at him pushing at his shoulders in rage.
But before she could stomp off leaving him there, Vivek catches hold of her fists on his shoulders jerking her forward so that she was nearly touching him.
“Well, then let me be magnanimous for once and help you get some experience,” he says before pulling her head to the side and kissing her masterfully.
Sweety’s body goes rigid with shock in his arms, at the sudden feel of his lips on hers. His lips feel soft like petals on hers and she feels breathless by the sensory overload to her as yet unawakened senses. He expertly coaxes her mouth to part, giving her no time to get over her initial shock and sensual pleasure, to push him away. His tongue swirls around her mouth in a demanding manner, making her feel weak and sway against him. The unexpected feeling is more than she could handle, he tastes of whiskey and pure man. She moans helplessly, as she feels pleasure like she never felt before. The tangy scent of his cologne mixed with his male musk invades her completely making her crazy and she winds her arms around his shoulders holding him close.
But, before she could make sense of what was happening or think of pushing him away, Vivek pulled his mouth away from her. She stares in utter shock at the speed with which he withdrew from her, not able to make out what had just happened between them.
Vivek stares at her intently his arms still wrapped around her body, supporting her, his lips mere inches away from hers breathing heavily making her lips tremble in anticipation. She didn’t know whether it was only a few minutes or seconds that passed before he pushed her shoulders away with a mocking chuckle.
“Good lil’ girls shouldn’t run around meddling in things that don’t concern them,”
“Better get back lil’ girl before you get into more trouble,” he says mockingly.
Sweety looks at him feeling utterly embarrassed and seething with anger at what just happened and her own lack of experience in handling such a situation.
“You are such a jerk, I can’t believe I never realized it before,” Sweety tells him scathingly before turning and running out of there.
The next morning…
“Prags, look who’s here…” Nik shouts excitedly, entering the hall of Pragati’s home where the whole gang was gathered around and having fun while helping prepare for her wedding tonight.
Today was Pragati and Vikram’s wedding and so her whole gang of friends was gathered here at her home. Her whole group of friends, who were more her family than just friends had taken time off everything else to be here for this highly anticipated day.
There was Nik, Pragati’s best friend and Vikram’s younger brother. Then the girls Sweety and Jenny, and the guys Raj, Kevin their rockstar friend and Neel who was Jenny’s boyfriend.
Pragati and the others turn around, finding Nik walking towards them along with a handsome and suave-looking fellow. The tall athletic-looking guy was dressed simply in dark jeans and a T-shirt with a leather Jacket slung casually on his shoulder. He walked towards them carrying a huge backpack, a teasing smirk on his lips and killer dimples on his cheeks.
Reaching the sofa where Pragati sits, he places his backpack on the floor and bends down on one knee, with one palm over his heart and the other raised towards her, causing a stirring in the people surrounding them. The whole gang and all others including a few relatives and the wedding crew, everyone stares at him puzzled and tense.
“Prags, my Princess….how could you do this to me? It’s still not too late to take my hand, my love,” he says in front of everyone in a loud voice.
Sweety and Jenny, sitting on either side of Pragati gasp together and the boys stand up ready to take charge. Kev goes by Nik’s side to ask him what the hell is going on, finding him grinning and enjoying all by himself.
Vivek who had been instructing the decoration crew to one side of the room, walks near to where the drama is unfolding, but before he can take charge Pragati says,
“Jaz…really, you’re still up with your nonsense, do you wanna get punched?”
She mock-punches him near his heart, to which he instantly acts hurt and falls down in a slump on the floor. Nik hoots out laughing followed by Jaz and Pragati and the tense atmosphere lightens up.
Then Pragati and Nik introduced him to everyone as Jaz aka Jasper Walia from London, who had been their college mate and Nik’s roommate at their university in California.
“Well, love if you don’t accept me, then don’t blame me if I lose my heart to one of the other beauties over here,” he says flirtatiously gazing at Jenny and Sweety.
“Sorry dude, but I am taken,” Jenny replies chuckling.
“Well, how ‘bout ’Mishti’ here then…. would you consider going out with me?” he asks Sweety with a cheeky dimpled smile.
“Wow! Mishti huh???” Pragati asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Why not? She looks as sweet as her name,” he shrugs in reply.
Sweety flushes pink under his flirtatious attitude and giggles at him while the others cheer Jaz on. She tries to shush her friends who are pulling her leg mercilessly ’coz of the new nickname Jaz gave her.
She’s hitting Neel and complaining to Jenny about him when her eyes meet Vivek’s searing ones and she goes still. He looks at her pointedly for a second before turning and walking away with a scathing twist to his mouth.
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Mehendi/Henna.........A herbal paste, applied on the palms and forehands of the bride in an intricate tattoo like design to bring out a red or maroon color....considered very auspicious in weddings.
Mishti.......means ‘Sweet’ in the Indian language Bengali.
