Every Flame | ✔️

33 | fine wine

"Waqt har marz ki dawa hai"

~ Meher ~

Mumbai, India

Kabir and I— we never had an ugly spat, up until now. Even when I had betrayed him, he had said nothing, but his eyes had conveyed all the emotions. He never spoke to me unless necessary, and I think his not bursting out on me made me feel a lot guiltier than I already was.

But today, something changed within me for him. Even though when he was saying all those words, there was resentment and not hatred. He did not try to hurt me back— even though he was hurting me, he did not say something that would hurt my soul. He just told what he felt in those moments.

Seeing Kabir and how he was with his family, a part of me had never forgiven myself for committing such an act. Back then, Akash Uncle thought that I was mistaken because Kabir got cleared by the Narcotics Bureau as he did not have any drugs on him.

Kabir made efforts to move out, even bought this penthouse while he was very young, just to stay away from the family. And I think everyone understood it and his emotions.

I never wanted to separate a child from his family.

But I did.

The way Kabir expressed himself today was so raw— it was as if he wanted to tell me all of that for years and today he got that chance.

I think I was a bit too much in this act of presence to the point it was bothering me. The car stopped in front of the large staircase that led to the house. As usual, the fountain in front of it was at its finest, the water continuously flowing.

The AV Villa was decorated like a bride, the lights shining to their brightest. As Kabir and I climbed the stairs, we saw a huge rangoli made on the side of the door, the words written in Hindi, right at the centre.

Kabir Sang Meher, which translated to Kabir and Meher.

None of us had to ring the bell as the door was already opened. We greeted the guards and walked hand in hand inside the house as if everything was normal between us.

"Mom!" I left Kabir's hand and ran towards my mother and jumped in her embrace. It had barely been days, that I felt like I was missing my parents a lot more than I stayed far away. Maybe it's the feeling of every girl after getting married that you sort of feel that you are detached from your parents or that you crave more of them than you used to before.

"Mera heera," My mother caressed my hair so lovingly that I snuggled into her arms more, wanting to bury everything that I was feeling currently somewhere and stay in her arms forever.

But then I felt my Mom's shoulder tense. I broke the hug to get a clear sight of her face, instead, I saw her staring at me in concern. Her hand cupped my cheek, slowly moving to my hair. "What happened, Meher?" I closed my eyes sensing her touch, letting it soothe myself. "Are you not happy mera bachcha?"

I am not happy Maa, I did something terrible, I wanted to say that to her. I looked around to see Kabir looking at us, offering a small smile and shaking his head subtly, stopping me from saying anything.

I sighed.

I smiled at my mother, shaking my head. "Nothing Mom, I am just tired of all the wedding shebang," she nodded, not noticing my lie. "Marriage is a complicated but beautiful word. It's just the start, honey. You would do great and Kabir is a great guy. You both will keep each other happy."

I don't know if I could ever make Kabir Raizada happy.

I could try but I wasn't sure if I could do something that would make him smile. Happy was a very far-fetched emotion for Kabir to feel, none of us made him happy.

I walked towards the lounge to see the rest of the family chit chatting— even Maan had graced us with his presence. Upon looking at me, he greets me with a wink and proceeds to talk with Akash Uncle. I slipped away from my Mom to join the twins who were busy talking within themselves.

"Bhabhi!" Aryan waved at me with a lopsided grin, "How are you?"

"Shut up, asshole," I mutter as I sit in between the two. Laughs erupted from both sides. They were getting the thrill out of teasing the hell out of me. The twins looped an arm around my shoulders from both sides. "So tell me Meher Raizada, how did you spend your first day as a married woman?"

"Nothing very interesting," I lied through my teeth. "Sorry to burst your bubble. No drama."

"Wow," Arya snorted, "considering you and Bhai are always on the loggerheads, it's quite unbelievable you guys spent the day without fighting. Anyhow, good job!"

If only that were indeed the case.

"But I am curious Meher," Aryan leaned closer and so did Arya as if he were about to discuss a top secret.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What's the deal with you and Bhai? Why are you guys so cold around each other?" I took a deep breath upon hearing the question. Kabir and I never tried speaking to each other unless there was a dire need for it, let alone hanging out together.

If not the parents, the twins had always sensed the cold energy that was there whenever the two of us were present.

"We just never clicked with each other, you know. We are too different," I framed a convincing answer so as not to air the dirty laundry.

Arya clicked her tongue. "I think you guys are way too similar that makes you not see each other in the eye. The way I see it, you guys are not that different. Both of you are reserved and don't really care about the world except for the people you love. You don't like being wronged— you don't let the other person sleep in peace unless you are satisfied," those words felt haunting to me like all of it was coming back to me, like karma.

Aryan nodded. "You both are like two peas in a pod, the same but a little different. The day I saw you both signing up for something that potentially changed your lives, there was a similar fire in your eyes— that desperate need for answers, justice and power."

I hadn't realised but I was fidgeting with my fingers. I found myself looking at Kabir again, who had indulged himself in a chat with the mothers.

Kabir and I weren't the same. We had always been different.

After a while of talking, all of us got seated for the dinner. Today, it was a feast— a celebration to commemorate the wedding. All of us were poured a glass of red wine and the cuisine was Continental and Italian, our favourite cuisines.

Before we could start with our dinner, Akash Uncle got up from his seat and raised his glass and held a spoon, with a clink he gained our attention as if he was about to announce something. I watched Dad getting up and going to stand beside him.