The garden glowed under strings of lights, warm against the deepening night. A long table stretched across the lawn, filled with laughter, clinking glasses, and voices thick with emotion. It was Avni and Rajat’s haldi night. One last dinner before the rituals swallowed the next day whole.
Mishti sat at one far end of the table, Karan at the other.
They were not beside each other tonight. Not sharing glances meant for the world to miss. And yet, his eyes found her again and again.
She looked… so happy, listening to everyone speak about Avni and Rajat.About love.About finding the right person. About choosing each other, again and again. About laughter, companionship, and partnership. Things that had never been spoken at her own wedding. Things she had once hoped for and later learned not to expect.
Her eyes shone as she listened, getting emotional, then clapping softly when someone finished speaking. Karan watched her from across the table, his heart saddening at the sight. This was what she looked like when she was not bracing herself.
Someone raised a toast. Then another. Avni laughed through tears, Rajat pulling her close, whispering something that made her giggle again. The family was in high spirits, loud and alive.
And somewhere in the middle of all that noise, Karan had so much to say. He hadn’t planned this. He hadn’t rehearsed words in his head. But the truth had been pressing against his ribs for days now, and he couldn’t wait.
This was it. He pushed his chair back and stood. The scrape of wood against stone made a few heads turn. Someone handed him a glass instinctively, assuming he was about to add another playful speech to the evening.
Karan lifted the glass and tapped it twice; the sound cut through the chatter.
The table quieted.
Avni’s brows knit together in surprise. Even Rajat straightened, already grinning. “Wait… my best friend is giving a speech now?” he teased, glancing around theatrically. “Someone, please record this. I’ve waited years for this moment.”
A few chuckles followed.
Karan’s lips curved slightly as he looked at Rajat. “No, Rajat,” he said calmly. “This isn’t about you.”
Rajat blinked, then laughed. “That’s disappointing.”
Karan continued, his gaze shifting briefly to Avni. “Although,” he added, his voice warming, “I am very happy that you’re going to spend the rest of your life with the other version of me.”
Avni scoffed. “Excuse me?”
“You, my sister, another version of me, but the best one,” he clarified, and the table laughed again. Karan turned to Rajat and continued. “And just so we’re clear, I will always be watching. If you even think of going against her wishes, or question her demands, no matter how ridiculous they may sound to you, I will come after you.”
The laughter grew louder this time.
Avni giggled, curling her arm possessively around Rajat’s, resting her head against his shoulder with exaggerated satisfaction.
Rajat raised his glass in surrender. “I have absolutely no doubt about that,” he said proudly. “And I accept my fate.”
Karan nodded once, then added, “And Avni, please make his life the pleasing kind of hell. He’s teased me enough over the years. It’s only fair.”
Avni laughed so hard she had to wipe her eyes. Rajat shook his head, still smiling, and clinked his glass lightly against Karan’s in mock agreement.
Across the table, Mishti watched all of this with surprise.
This easy version of Karan was so unfamiliar, yet sweet. She smiled, genuinely enjoying the way he spoke, the way the family responded to him.
Then Karan’s expression changed. His smile faded, his shoulders straightened, and his grip on the glass tightened justa little. The shift was subtle, but Mishti felt it instantly when his eyes lifted and met hers.
The spark was there again. That charged stillness, the one that warned her up instantly.
“But this is not all I have to say,” he added.
The garden fell silent.
“And what I have to say now,” Karan continued, his gaze never leaving Mishti, “is no longer about Avni and Rajat.”
He took a slow breath.
