!!Story Time!!
Radhika P.O.V
We were waiting for Pushpanjali and glancing around when Ishika suddenly gestured, "Look, there she is—Pushpanjali's coming. And… there's a boy with her."
As I looked toward him, I felt a jolt of unfamiliarity. Who is this guy? I thought. I turned to Ishika and asked,
"Do either of you know who that boy is?"
Ishika shook her head. "No, he doesn't even look remotely familiar."
Then suddenly she gasped, eyes widening as realization dawned. "Wait, wait—I remember! I think she told me once… Ramesh? No—no, not Ramesh, I forgot the name. Her family had arranged a match for her. This must be the same guy. I think she had sent me a photo once. If he comes a bit closer, I'm sure I'll recognize him."
I frowned. "Well, she certainly didn't tell me anything about this. That little brat's going to get it from me—spilling all her heartbreak over long phone calls but hiding this from me? Her family fixed a match and she said yes—and I had no idea?"
"She agreed to the match? Are you sure?" I asked Ishika with disbelief.
"Looks like it," she said with a nod.
Without a second thought, I marched toward Pushpanjali. As soon as she saw me, she opened her arms for a hug, but I held her back, narrowing my eyes at both her and the guy standing beside her.
"What's wrong?" she asked with mock innocence. "No hug today?"
"I've been betrayed," I said dramatically. "You're a traitor. You spend hours unloading your sorrows on me, and yet this—this major thing—you didn't even mention it once!"
"Oh, stop being such a drama queen," Pushpanjali scoffed. "I was going to tell you. I just… forgot."
"Forget?! I should knock some sense into you. You forgot something this big? How could you not tell me your family was matchmaking? It's not like it's a minor thing!" Then I turned to the boy, pointed my finger at him and asked sharply, "And you—what's your name?"
With an awkward smile, the guy replied, "Sumit. Sorry if you didn't hear about me. Maybe it just slipped her mind."
I gave him a long up-and-down glance. "So, what do you do?"
"I run my own business," he answered calmly.
"Hmm… interesting," I muttered. "Well, we'll talk later. Right now, let's not ruin the wedding. I'm going back inside." I turned toward the gate, heading back in.
Pushpanjali trailed behind me, protesting. "I really was going to tell you, but you never stop talking long enough to listen! You always cut me off—"
I ignored her completely, continuing my dramatic march.
Just then, Ishika and Akanksha stepped in front of us. Ishika said, "Alright, so she didn't tell you—big deal! Now you've met the guy in person. Isn't that even better? Stop being so melodramatic."
"You knew the whole time and didn't tell me either!" I snapped. "Some friend you are—you're more of a traitor than she is."
Pushpanjali opened her mouth, "But I—"
"Don't," I cut her off with a glare. "I don't want to hear a word from you."
"Oh god, there they go again," Akanksha muttered. "You two fight 24/7. Don't you have anything better to do?"
Pushpanjali and I turned toward her in unison. "We don't fight half as much as you two do!"
"What are you two doing now, then?" Ishika asked with a smirk.
"This isn't fighting," I replied firmly. "This is justified indignation. She hid something from me!"
"At least we don't scream like you do," Pushpanjali added. "Our arguments don't need built-in loudspeakers."
"Can you four stop arguing so we can go inside?" Sumit attempted to speak.
"No one asked for your input," I said without turning back.
Pushpanjali clutched my arm dramatically, widening her eyes at me in warning.
"Fine," I said with a mock sigh. "I forgive you. But you will be punished. I'll think of something. For now, let's go inside. We need to meet Gulafsha."
As I was talking, the five of us stepped inside and headed straight to the bride's room. The room was small, yet beautifully decorated. The dressing table was scattered with makeup essentials, adding a lively mess to the otherwise tidy space. One of us, however, had stayed behind outside—he wouldn't have had much to do in there anyway.
Gulafsha was dressed in a deep crimson bridal lehenga. Elegant jewelry adorned her neck, a traditional *mang tikka* rested on her forehead, and a delicate *nath* graced her nose. Bangles jingled on her wrists, and fresh flowers were woven into her hair, which had been styled immaculately. Her makeup was subtle, yet striking—it enhanced her features without overpowering her natural beauty. She looked breathtaking.
"How do I look?" she asked with a wide smile, her voice brimming with excitement.
"You look absolutely stunning," Pushpanjali replied warmly. "May no evil eye ever fall on you."
"You truly do look beautiful," Akanksha added sincerely.
Before the moment could grow sentimental, Ishika leaned in and whispered, "Forget that—do you know Pushpanjali's match has already been arranged? Her family has picked out a boy. He's waiting outside."
"What?" Gulafsha exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh, calm down," Pushpanjali said, slightly embarrassed. "It's not like we're getting married next week. My family just asked me to bring him along so he could drop me off at the wedding. That's all. We're just getting to know each other—nothing is final yet. Don't read too much into it."
"Yeah, yeah… nothing's final *yet,*" Gulafsha teased with a knowing smile.
"You all can think what you want. I'm heading out," Pushpanjali muttered irritably and walked off.
"By the way, where are Khushi and Divya? Haven't they arrived yet?" Gulafsha asked, looking around.
"I did call them," I replied. "Khushi might show up anytime. But Divya… I'm not so sure. There's a wedding at her place too, she's caught up with family functions. She *might* be able to make it by the varmala ceremony."
"I'm starting to feel nervous," Gulafsha confessed, visibly tense. "What if I mess something up? I have no idea how any of this is supposed to go…"
"There's nothing to worry about," Akanksha assured her. "Just do as the priest instructs. It'll all go smoothly."
"Exactly! It's not like Dev knew what to do during his wedding either," Ishika added with a grin. "But he got through it just fine."
Just then, loud music began blasting from outside—louder and more celebratory than before.
"Looks like the groom's arrived," I said. "Let's head out. When they call for you, *Madam Bride,* you can make your grand entrance." We shot her a playful look and stepped outside, back into the buzzing energy of the venue.
The groom, Dev, had arrived, clad in a red sherwani with intricate white embroidery. He looked quite handsome himself. A traditional *sehra* covered his face partially, swaying as he walked. Accompanying him were Sahil and Kartik, both dressed in sherwanis and looking equally dashing.
Everyone seemed to be here… except Justin.
*Where is he?* I wondered. *If he doesn't show up, how am I supposed to talk to him?*
The photographers were busy capturing every possible moment, flashes going off rhythmically as the guests chatted in small clusters. Meanwhile, I was scanning the crowd, trying to locate someone. Ishika and Akanksha were deep in conversation with Sumit, subtly prying every possible detail out of him. Well, that had been *my* plan to begin with.
Just then, the priest called for the *varmala* ceremony to begin. Right on cue, Divya and Khushi arrived. Both looked radiant in their lehengas, adorned in jewelry and festive makeup.
The priest summoned the bride, and Gulafsha began walking towards the stage. Her brother walked by her side, but what stopped me in my tracks was the person on her other side—Justin.
*When did he get here?* I hadn't seen him arrive. Two more boys followed behind them, holding the ceremonial scarf—traditionally something the bride's brother holds. But why was Justin holding it? And more importantly… why hadn't he looked at me *even once*?
I was standing right beside the aisle, barely an arm's length from where they passed, but his face was unreadable. No expression. A completely still gaze, fixed straight ahead. Not even a glance in my direction.
As Gulafsha reached the stage, Dev extended his hand to help her up. She gently placed her hand in his and stepped onto the platform. After a few photos, the priest returned holding two beautiful *varmalas*. They were intricately designed with delicate white flowers, accented with peacock feathers in the center.
Gulafsha tried to place the garland around Dev's neck, but her height didn't quite match his. Without hesitation, Dev bent one knee, lowering himself just enough for her to reach. She smiled as she placed the garland over his head. Then it was his turn.
"Uff, Dev is *so* romantic," Ishika whispered in my ear.
"Have you no shame?" I replied, elbowing her. "He's getting married—and he's *your* guy, isn't he?"
"I only said romantic, not sexy!" Ishika defended, feigning innocence.
"I swear I'll tell Sahil," I muttered.
"Go ahead! I'm not afraid of him," she said dramatically, flipping her imaginary hair.
I shook my head with a sigh. *There's no saving this girl.*
Every time I tried to make my way toward Justin, something or someone kept getting in the way. Either someone would intercept me mid-step, or his phone would ring, pulling him away. I couldn't tell if he was deliberately avoiding me or if it was just a strange coincidence—but either way, I couldn't get even a moment with him. And still, he hadn't once looked in my direction.
Soon we were all called to the stage for the group photos. Each of us held our gifts for the bride and groom.
Mine was a big box filled with tabs chocolates—lots of them.
I knew exactly what was in Ishika's gift box, and I didn't have high hopes for Akanksha's either. Most likely something scandalous—probably a nightdress—and knowing her, whether it was there or not made no difference.
Pushpanjali's gift might be decent—there was at least a *chance* she had chosen something appropriate. But Khushi's gift? Absolutely not. No expectations there. As for Divya, she'd probably gone with something safe and passable.
But our trio—me, Ishika, and Akanksha—well, our gifts would need to be opened *very carefully*. One slip, and poor Gulafsha's dignity would be the next casualty.
Here is the advanced English translation of your paragraph, suitable for a novel:
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We stepped onto the stage, posed for the photographs, and handed the gift to Gulasha. I gave her a teasing smile as I looked in her direction. She had already sensed that there was something suspicious about the gift, which is why she set ours aside separately—intending to open it carefully, later.
Just then, I caught a glimpse of Justin walking away. Without a moment's hesitation, I stepped down from the stage and started following him. Ishika called out to me from behind as the music played, but I simply responded, "I'll be right back," and quickened my pace in his direction.
Justin was on a call, his face tense with anger. I kept following him—determined to find out the truth. I needed answers. Why had he done all this? Did he have no explanation left? Everything my brother had revealed—was it all true? Was everything just a performance?
I needed answers today. No more running. No more silence.
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Thank you....