Falguni's POV:
I woke up to the quiet bright day, sunlight heating the side of my face. Coco had curled himself into a tiny ball against my arm, as if he had spent the whole night fighting battles in his dreams. Lucky him. My battles had been wide awake.
The first thing I did before even stretching, before moving Coco aside was reach for my phone.
One new message.
Aarush: "Good morning, almost not-so-stranger."
I stared at it for a long time, my thumb hovering. A part of me wanted to reply immediately, to keep the ease of last night flowing into today. Another part reminded me: tomorrow is the engagement, remember?
Still, I smiled. A quiet, involuntary smile that belonged to no one else.
I finally tore my gaze away from the screen and tossed my phone onto the bed. Coco lay tucked against my arm, his little button eyes staring blankly. Somehow, just seeing him there made me realize how tangled my thoughts had become.
But that one message kept replaying in my mind. Should I reply? What would he think if I didn't? Would he feel ignored, or worse, offended? My thumb twitched, hovering over the screen, torn between keeping the ease of last night alive and remembering- Engagement in two days.
Showering felt like a small reset. Steam and warm water washing over me didn't erase everything, but it helped me breathe again. Breakfast was a blur, a few bites of toast and coffee, my thoughts bouncing between my conscience and that single message.
She glanced at her phone screen.
(An Unread message)
Aarush: "Good morning, almost-not-so-stranger "
Falguni stares at the screen, thumb hovering. A reply almost slips out "Good morning", simple, harmless. But instead, she locks her phone and stuffs it into her bag.
Not now. Not when my mind is already running in circles from last night. If I reply right away, what does that even mean? That I'm waiting for him? That I want this?
Her chest feels tight. She doesn't delete the message though. She rereads it. Twice. Then heads off to college.
By the time I reached college, I had managed to push the guilt into a corner, but it still lingered, nibbling at me whenever my phone buzzed. I found myself stealing glances at it, imagining what he might be thinking. Ignoring a message after last night, it felt wrong. Yet, I reminded myself, two days. Engagement in two days.
Still, no matter how hard I tried, that quiet, guilty smile refused to fade.
The corridors of college buzzed as usual, students laughing, running to lectures, gossiping in clusters. But to me, everything felt slowed down, as if I was walking through water. Tomorrow. Just one day left. One day of being Falguni, a girl with choices. After that, I'd become Falguni, Devansh's fiancée.
I sat on the last bench, my notebook open but untouched. My pen tapped against the margin, but my mind was far away, replaying Aarush's message.
"Good morning, almost-not-so-stranger."
Almost-not-so-stranger.
What would I even call him after tomorrow?
A friend? A mistake? Or… the one thing I couldn't admit?
My phone buzzed again.
Aarush: "Skipping breakfast? Or just ignoring me?"
I bit my lip, torn. Every second I delayed replying felt heavier, as if I was being unfair to him. And maybe to myself.
Finally, I typed.
Falguni: "Neither. Just… caught in thoughts."
The reply came almost instantly.
Aarush: "Dangerous place to be, thoughts. Want company there?"
I smiled, but it was a sad kind of smile. He didn't know what my thoughts really were, grey, tangled threads of duty and desire. And he didn't know that tomorrow, I wouldn't belong to myself anymore.
For the rest of the day, I carried that weight. Every laugh in the canteen, every casual chat with my friends, felt temporary. As if I was secretly memorizing what "normal" felt like, because after tomorrow, everything would change.
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By the time I reached home, everything looked… ordinary. I couldn't see my mother and my father was with the relatives. The house wasn't quiet. The living room was packed, bua, chacha, masi, two cousins sprawled across the sofa, kids running around with half-inflated balloons they must have found somewhere. Even though the engagement would take place at Devansh's side, relatives had still gathered here tonight, turning our home into a restless hive.
"Falguni beta, sit here with us," my bua called, patting the cushion.
I joined, tucking my dupatta neatly over my shoulder, wearing the polite smile I had perfected over the last week.
My bua's eyes sparkled as she leaned toward me. "Tomorrow will be the happiest day of your life. Don't look so tense."
Another chimed in, "And after this, you'll be Devansh's responsibility. Your parents can finally relax."
Everyone laughed lightly at that, and I laughed too, even though the words dug like pins. Responsibility. Handed over. Like I was luggage.
Ma came with a tray of tea and snacks, balancing the plates as she scolded the kids running around. Papa sat in his usual chair, nodding at the relatives, looking proud. Everyone seemed so at ease, as if tomorrow was only a celebration.
But it felt like the strangest thing in the world today. Because tomorrow, I wouldn't be the same, in my own world, scrolling through my phone without someone's ring on my finger.
Dinner was quiet. Too quiet. Only my bua spoke, her voice trying to fill the silence that hung over the table.
My mother kept reminding me to eat more, sliding extra rotis onto my plate, her eyes soft but heavy. Papa sat across from me, his glasses slipping low on his nose as he read something on his phone. He looked up once, caught me staring, and smiled faintly.
"Big day tomorrow," he said, adjusting his glasses.
I nodded, my throat dry.
Ma chuckled, trying to lighten the air. "Don't look so serious, Falguni. It's just an engagement, not a war."
Just an engagement. Not a war.
If only they knew. My mind was already a battlefield.
After dinner, I carried my plate to the kitchen. My mother followed me, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Beta, are you nervous?" she asked softly.
I turned, forcing a smile. "A little."
Her eyes softened further. "It's natural. But Devansh is a good boy, from a good family. You'll be happy."
I nodded again. What else could I say? That happiness felt like a stranger right now? That my chest was tight every time someone said his name?
I excused myself after a while, muttering something about being tired. Upstairs, I closed my door and leaned against it, exhaling as if I'd held my breath the whole evening.
My phone buzzed.
Aarush: "How does it feel? The last free day before everything changes?"
I froze. My breath caught in my throat.
How did he know what I was thinking?
Maybe because I had been asking myself the same question all day.
I went to my room and sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the screen. For a moment, I thought of not replying. Pretending I hadn't seen it. But my fingers betrayed me.
Falguni: "Feels like… watching the last episode of a series you don't want to end."
The typing dots appeared. Stopped. Appeared again.
Aarush: "And what if you don't like the new season?"
I stared at that line longer than I should have. My chest tightened. Because wasn't that the question haunting me all along? What if Devansh wasn't kind? What if he didn't understand me? What if I became a stranger in my own life?
Falguni: "Then I guess I'll just… adjust."
Aarush: "Or maybe not settle at all. Just saying."
I bit my lip. His words lingered like a temptation I couldn't afford.
Because the truth was… I didn't even know what Aarush was to me. Friend? Best friend? Or the reason my heart refused to stay steady?
I locked my phone, tossed it aside, and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow, Devansh's house would be glowing, the garden filled with laughter, the sound of bangles and anklets. Tomorrow, I'd be smiling in front of everyone.
But tonight… tonight, I couldn't stop thinking of one boy, sitting somewhere miles away, who didn't even know how much space he took up in my thoughts.
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