Traditional intricate designs were being drawn on hands, palms and fingers of everyone. The smell of henna was in the air, as were the customary soft Bollywood tunes in the background. My hands were decorated with the perfumed henna, the greenish-brown color pleasing me till no end. The ladies had the mehendi function in the hotel's terrace, while the men had theirs in the lawn at the back of the hotel. It was customary for the bride and groom to not see each other a day before their wedding. I stood in a corner, letting my henna dry and watching Taira smile politely at everyone complimenting her beautiful mehandi and wishing the darkest shade of it on her hands. After all, the darker the shade of henna, the more the husband loves his wife. Or so the saying goes.

I tried to convince myself it was a marriage of convenience for both of them, that Taira need not look all excited and rosy-cheeked, but I couldn't shake this nagging feeling that something was amiss. And after last night's events, my doubts had strengthened, and I was afraid I would voice them sooner or later, making Taira hate me, and making me hate myself for ruining her special day.

I sighed as I stared at my hands, the dark green hue making me nostalgic. I had thought a million times about wearing henna on my marriage day, but never did I think that Taira's marriage will take place before mine. Shaking my head, I continued to stare at Taira with renewed efforts. The amount of times I was shaking my head these days made me wonder why it hadn't snapped into two already. The terrace was lined with round wooden carved seating with cream colored covers to sit on, four to five ladies on each, being attended to by the mehendi designers. The sun wasn't too bright (a surprise, really), a light breeze making it rather windy, but not too much to cause annoyance. The ceremony was picturesque in every sense. And I knew tomorrow's wedding would be no less either.

The engagement ceremony had been a private affair of the families' in their home, just the day after the lunch at the Sharma's.

"So, where do you want to write Abhi's name?" One of Taira's younger cousin asked her suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows for good measure.

"Um...I don't know, I didn't think about it. How about on the side of the finger?" Taira said while inspecting her fingers, a confused frown on her forehead.

"Or maybe somewhere..." her cousin leaned in to prevent the aunties from hearing it "...more intimate." All of Taira's cousins let out a loud cackle. I giggled at the back of my palm, unable to help myself while Taira's face turned from shock to embarrassment to annoyance in a second which encouraged them further. I didn't leave my place though, a silent spectator to the merry-go-round, trying to fight off the guilt of not being truly happy for my best friend. The cousins realized that the whole name won't fit on the finger so it was written on the wrist. In the midst of all the giggles and teasing, Taira's aunt came rushing in, her face uncommonly flushed. She shooed off some of the girls surrounding Taira and whispered something in her ears. Half expecting her to blush into a deeper red, I was shocked to see her face which was red from all the teasing morphed into that of disbelief.

"Just come," her mami whispered loudly, motioning her to come behind her. Taira's eyes searched for mine in the crowd, and when hers met mine, she silently motioned me with her head, telling me to follow her inside. We got in the lift and I motioned to her, asking what the matter was, but she shrugged her shoulders to convey that she wasn't aware either. Taira's aunt looked too grave to ask her anything, so the two of us remained silent, contemplating individually. I had a sick feeling in my gut which I wasn't ready to acknowledge.

Abhi was waiting outside when the elevator opened.

"Hey, don't look! You aren't supposed to see her until the wedding," I blurted without thinking but soon the atmosphere of the place caught up with me and I realized that something was wrong. Very, very wrong. No one bothered to answer me.

"Abhi, what has happened?" Taira strode forward and asked nervously.

"Come in the room, everyone is waiting there," he replied in a barely audible voice, not meeting her eyes. My brows furrowed with suspicion. I wanted to know what he was talking about, but I decided against it. A question being ignored once should give a person the hint to shut up.

We entered into what seemed to be Abhi's room. Numerous gifts, suitcases and flowers were everywhere. The room looked festive, but the people looked far from happy. I saw his mother almost on the verge of tears whereas his father was looking at Abhi as if he was back after murdering a hundred people.

And to complete the picture, as I walked in further, my eyes landed on Natasha, the girl from last night. She clearly had been crying from the red that painted the white in her eyes. My breath hitched as I took in the scene before me. Dear God, this couldn't end well in any way. When Abhi looked back to the three of us, he too lacked the glow of the man to be married the next day, the shadows below his eyes proving that everything was going to change that moment.

"I am sorry Taira, I am so very sorry," he started, his voice uncharacteristically heavy. "I never wished to do this to you especially after everything you have been through in the past few months. But...but I can't marry you," he breathed out as if saying it fast would lessen the blow. And the blow hit so hard that it didn't take Taira even a moment to burst into tears.

I could feel the impenetrable facade she had build against everyone in the past few months collapsing before me. I could feel her breaking down cell by cell and that made me livid. She hadn't sobbed so hard even when her father had gone behind the bars. There had been a quiet resignation in her mien, a satisfaction that justice was being served, even if it were at the cost of losing her father. Abhimanyu looked positively wretched, watching his oldest friend crumble before his eyes seemed to have aged him beyond his years. But my mind wasn't registering all that. I was filled with rage.

"You bloody bastard! How dare you do something like this? Who do you think you are, messing someone's life beyond repair? And your BEST FRIEND at that! How can you live with that guilt upon you, having destroyed your oldest friend's life? Your girlfriend shows up one evening and you leave Taira? Is an exchange game going on here?" I hissed angrily, wanting to cause as much harm as he had caused Taira. He stayed mute all along, head hung low.

"I know it has been -"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY ANYTHING!" I thundered loudly at Natasha, making everyone in the room wince at my tone. Natasha took a step back, her eyes wide with panic. But I didn't back down, glaring at her with contempt. Abhimanyu quietly stepped in front of her, lightly pressing her behind his back. It was an imperceptible move, but my angry eyes caught the movement, and I could take it no longer. I lunged at him as Abhi's mother let out a shocked squeal, but Taira's mami held me back in time.

"Leave him, beta, he's not worth it," she bit out, her angry, tear filled eyes eyeing him with so much contempt I wondered why had he not crumbled in the ground till now.

"I deserve this, I know. But there was a misunderstanding between me and Natasha due to her father. I found out yesterday night. I had no idea. I...I still love her. I can't do you this injustice, Taira, loving someone else and marrying you," he implored, his voice thick with emotions. Taira stopped crying at that point. There were no more tears. It felt like everything within her was exhausted. It broke my heart just to look at her.

"Why wasn't this told to us in the morning?" Taira's mama spoke this time, barely concealed anger in his voice.

"I was convincing my parents," Abhi was visibly shivering now, I noted with some satisfaction.

"We are sorry bhaisaab, Taira is like a daughter to us. We never wanted this. But what can we do! What can we even do?" Abhimanyu's father spoke, shame at his son's actions crystal clear on his face.

There was little I could do to vent my anger other than yell at the cheat before me, when Taira suddenly got up from the stool and placed a hand on my shoulder, indicating me to stop. I looked up at her, before pursing my lips and shaking my head in disdain. The entire room had gone silent, all waiting for her to speak up.

"Forget this, Aashi. Come, let us go and tell everyone," Taira said emotionlessly and walked out of the room, her decision ringing loud in the quiet room.

And so they told everyone. And everyone got their share of gossip. And they talked, and whispered, and talked some more. Some of the brave ones also came forward to offer their condolences, not understanding the indication to take their suitcases and quietly leave. I could barely keep my anger in check in front of these cronies. Taxis and flight tickets were arranged for all the guests living in the hotel they had booked for the wedding, ensuring the guests that their stay will be paid for and they could leave on their desired day as well. We did not linger much longer. It was Abhimanyu and his family's business, it had nothing to do with Taira. When Taira and I were about to get in the lift to go down to her room to collect her belongings, Abhimanyu pushed through the crowd and ran towards us.

"Taira, are you alright?" He asked, his voice laced with concern. I willed myself to not say anything. "Are you going home? Call me once yo..."

"Abhimanyu," Taira said in the deadliest voice I had ever heard from her in all these years, her eyes steely. "You have changed your mind, you love her, I understand that. I hope you understand though that I don't want to maintain any further contact with you in any way. Have a good life." She didn't wait for him to reply, neither for me to follow. She went in the lift and left.

I lounged myself in the bar area of the hotel, tapping my feat constantly in agitation. I knew that she needed space, so I willed myself to not go up looking for her for at least two hours. I drank some mocktails (highly overpriced, if I must say), tried my hand at reading, but nothing seemed to work. After what felt like an eternity, which was really just two hours, I stormed my way to her room, determined to keep her company, even if she desired silence.

As I entered her room with the key she had given me, I saw her sprawled on the bed, one arm tucked beneath her head, the other resting on her stomach, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. I noticed she had washed off the henna, a pale, brown shade coloring her hands now. I didn't say anything but laid down beside her, staring at the whitewashed ceiling.

The silence was oddly comfortable. It was ironic how our lives had spiraled out of our control in the last few weeks. It seemed we hadn't had the time to soak it all in, until now.

"Talk when you feel like," I whispered after a while, still looking at the ceiling.

She suddenly sat up, surprising me. "I have kept something from you Aashi," she murmured heavily, staring down at her hands.

I got up and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, which only seemed to egg her on and she burst into a fresh set of tears. I swallowed at the sight of her, not liking how broken she looked.

"Kept what from me? Taira?"

She turned her pained, tear-filled eyes towards me. "Something happened in Paris, Aashi...something big."

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