Arjun Kutty, our hero, was sweating nervously in front of the wedding hall.
Golden light, jasmine garland, and scent were all over the place.
Right in the middle, Arjun was standing scared.
Not because he had done something criminal, but because he was about to do it.
Wavy hair, black shirt, and pants. But his expression had something suspicious, like he had made thirty-seven bad decisions in a row and still believed that the thirty-eighth would fix everything.
In his right hand was a cheap plastic gift.
Inside it?
A pressure cooker.
Arjun stared at the massive wedding banner.
"Kavya Menon Weds Dr. Madsammy Krishnamurti."
Below it was the giant image of both bride and groom.
Kavya.
His ex.
The woman who had promised, "Even if the whole world leaves you, I won't."
And then left him for the man who had better posture and life insurance plans.
Arjun took a deep breath.
"Today?" he muttered to himself. "I'm not here to create a scene."
He paused.
"I'm just here for ...closure."
He walked in.
The wedding had the full vibe. Relatives moved around like trained soldiers in silk sarees and gold chains.
The priest was chanting loudly. Children screamed for no reason.
Uncles were busy with alcohol. Arjun marched toward the stage. Three uncles instantly came over like bodyguards.
"Hey, who are you?"
Arjun held up the pressure cooker. "Gift." They looked confused, and that was enough for him to slip past them and climb onto the stage.
Arjun slipped like a thief among them.
Then he saw her.
Kavya. Sitting on the stage in a red saree, covered in jewelry so expensive it could easily solve Arjun's two years' rent problem.
She looked too beautiful. The kind of beautiful that melted the hearts of men and made them forget their self-respect.
When her eyes landed on him, she froze. Her smile vanished. She leaned forward and whispered, "Why the hell did he come?"
The groom beside her looked calm and turned his head.
Dr. Madsammy Krishnamurti, tall but heavyset, black like a buffalo. The only good point he had was his expensive watch.
He looked like a good guy who would apologize to anyone for their mistakes.
In short, bad taste.
He looked at Arjun and then at Kavya. Then back at Arjun.
He smiled and asked, "Friend?"
Kavya was still avoiding his eyes and instantly said, "No."
She felt so embarrassed; she wanted to die.
Arjun raised one finger in style. "Ex."
The entire nearby family section went into a coma. No one was making noise. Madsammy blinked once in disbelief at what he had said.
And then he smiled again. "Oh."
He was calm, and his calmness made Arjun more irritated.
How was this man not threatened?
Why did he look like a guy who could solve any conflict with herbal tea?
Kavya stood politely. "What are you doing, Arjun?"
Arjun pointed at her dramatically.
"I just have one question."
"Not now," she said. "Today is my wedding. No more talking."
"No, right now. Why did you dump me?"
Her face shifted. Guilt to anger. And finally, she snapped.
"Because loving you was like a natural disaster."
Kavya pointed at him with years of frustration.
"You have no job for eight months."
"I was finding myself."
"You found a PlayStation."
"That is also self-discovery."
"You got into a fight with a Swiggy delivery boy."
"He insulted my dog."
"You sold my scooter battery."
"Needed money for the anniversary."
People had already decided this was more fun than the actual wedding.
Even the photographer had turned the camera from the couple to only Arjun's face.
Kavya was breathing heavily now.
"You want to know why I left?" she said. "Because every day felt like a surprise event for a circus."
That one kind of hurt Arjun. For a moment, his face softened, and under all the noise, all the drama, all the stupid decisions he had made, it was the truth.
He had come here in anger, but what he really wanted to know was if she ever had loved him.
Madsammy noticed quickly because he was annoyingly mature.
He stepped closer and placed a gentle hand on Arjun's shoulder.
"Sometimes," Madsammy said softly, "someone can love you... And still know they can't survive with you."