Vihan's POV

Next day. Morning

I was lost in a tantalizingly naughty dream, enjoying every second of it, when a sharp sound startled me awake. My phone was ringing, but as soon as I picked up the call, nobody replied from the other side. Opening an eye, I looked at the number; it was Mihir.

What's wrong with him?

The very next moment, my eyes blinked open, and the sight of the clock made my heart drop—11 AM!

“Damn it!” I muttered, throwing the covers off. Two of my closest friends were getting married today, and since ceremonies were going on, I had to be there. I was already late. Mihir was probably fuming by now.

Why didn't Roohi give me a wake-up call?

I was thinking of packing my outfit for the wedding as I was sure I would not get any time to come back home and change my outfit. So I must pack it as well.

As I rushed through my morning routine, one thought kept nagging at me—why hadn’t Roohi woken me up? She was always the one to ensure I didn’t screw up important days.

Just then I realised, that couple of days ago, we’d gone shopping for outfits for the wedding. Well, she had, while I’d fled halfway through. Roohi had promised to take care of everything—outfits, accessories, even my shoes. I hated shopping, but she always made it easy.

She must have selected our outfits. Thank God! I had Roohi, to save me from such boring things. I was sure she must have selected something nice for both of us.

I must tell her to pack my outfit as well as hers. And send me the pics so that I could select my footwear accordingly, though I was sure that all the accessories were provided with the outfit, even the footwear. It was strange; she didn't confirm my shoe size; maybe she remembered it from the last time we brought them together.

Let's see what she has chosen for me to wear for the wedding...

I kept calling her but she didn't pick up the call. What happened to her? I hoped she was fine; she had never done that.

“Where the hell is she?” I muttered, dialing once more. It wasn’t like Roohi to ignore me, especially not today.

I paused, guilt flickering. She’d looked off last night—distracted, maybe even upset. I should’ve asked her about it, but I’d gotten caught up in the attention and excitement. Was she angry? I will talk to her when I get there.

There was no time to overthink. I grabbed my keys and drove to the Shah mansion, hoping Mihir wouldn’t rip me apart.

The moment I stepped into Mihir’s room, he spun around, arms crossed, a scowl firmly in place.

“Look who decided to show up!” he snapped. “Where were you? Flirting your way across the city? I know flirting with the girls is most important to you, but can't you leave all the girls for just one day?”

“Good morning to you too,” I said, raising a brow. “Relax, I overslept.”

“Seriously? You overslept on my wedding day?” he asked

“I’m sorry, man. I was out late. And anyway, I figured Roohi would wake me up like she always does.”

" There is something commonly known as an alarm clock. Can't you afford it?" He asked.

" I have Roohi for that, but I don't know why she didn't wake me up today. " I replied.

Mihir’s frown deepened. “Roohi isn’t your personal alarm clock, Vihan. She is our friend; don't take her for granted; she does it because she is concerned for you, so don't treat her like an alarm clock. Maybe you should try taking responsibility for yourself for once.” Mihir said.

“Whoa, what’s with the attitude? I didn’t ask her to wake me up. She just...always does.” I retorted.

“Well, maybe she’s tired of always being the one to fix your messes,” he argued.

That stung more than I cared to admit. “Okay, what’s going on with you? You’re acting weird, I know you are angry, but stop it now. I don't take her for granted. I never told her to do anything for me, but she does that usually so I was amazed that she broke her record." I explained.

" Well, everything happens for the first time someday. Get used to it, my life is going to change as now I will be married to the love of my life, but you know how things are. Things will change for everyone eventually since change is the only constant thing. She would also get someone in her life to do all this for someone special. So get used to it." He said and something didn't sound right...

What was it?

Maybe he was getting cold feet before the wedding as he had never talked like that. Maybe the stress of getting married and starting a new life with his bride, who was pregnant and pinning for another man, was bothering him.

"I am sorry for not being here on time but it is not my fault entirely... I could not get up. Mom and Dad are busy with their work and the wedding."

"At least set an alarm on your phone; you always put reminders on your phones, right? Could you not set an alarm to get up on time? Or were you too busy to sleep last night? "

" Relax! Take a deep breath or you will have a heart attack. "

" Shut up! I know you are a cardiologist but I am a neurosurgeon too. I know all that. But don't you think I am supposed to get angry if my friends are not with me on the most important day of my life? "

" Sorry!!! But where is Roohi?" I said.

" She is very busy."

" Busy with what?"

"She is with Gaurvi, as she is back from the hospital, and all the rituals are being performed today." He answered.

"Oh, but why is she not picking up the call?" I asked as she never did that.

"How do I know, maybe she has something more important to do than to talk to you." He shrugged.

"But she never does that..."

Mihir sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Things are changing, Vihan. For all of us. Roohi isn’t always going to be there to pick up the pieces for you. Her family wants her to get married now.”

“What?” The word came out sharper than I intended.

“Yeah, She told me last night.”

What?

“She told you?” I asked, incredulous.

“She did."

What? She told him but not me?

Vihan's POV

But they both have been very close to each other. Almost a few years ago I had even become a bit jealous to see their friendship. They were always talking to each other all the time making Gaurvi and me feel left out. But they both were a bit different from Gaurvi and I. Gauravi and I were very outgoing, extroverts, fun loving, they both were more calm, level headed, a bit introvert. So maybe they were more comfortable with each other, but I was still hurt a bit. I shook my head and turned him to look at me.

"But she didn't tell me..." I asked.

" I guess she didn’t think you’d care because you were too busy with the pretty girls of the city..." He shrugged and said.

" Why is she not picking up the call?" I asked, getting hyper.

"I guess she is with that guy..." He was saying but I was surprised to hear that.

" What? She is with a guy? That's something new. I don't believe it. " I smiled confidently, but when the expression on Mihir's face didn't change, I felt that he was not lying.

" Yes, it is new; her family wants her to get settled now; that's why they introduced her to an eligible candidate last night." He said turning to look in the mirror of his walk-in wardrobe.

Really? Why didn't she tell me?

I clenched my jaw, ignoring the jab. “And what did she say about this...guy?”

Mihir shrugged, turning to his wardrobe. “Not much. She said she dodged the meeting, but her family’s pushing hard. It’s only a matter of time.”

I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Roohi had never mentioned any of this to me. Why?

Before I could press Mihir further, his sister Mahi walked in, a bright smile lighting up her face. She was Roohi's bhabhi, too, so she must know what was going on...

“Bhai, Mom’s calling you,” she said, then turned to me. "Hi, Mahi, you are looking gorgeous, Ron is lucky. You are glowing. "

" He is the best husband in the world. I am lucky that I got my superhero. " She grinned.

" By the way, Mahi, do you know where Roohi is?” I asked.

“Oh, she just came from Jindal's mansion."

"Okay, I will go and meet her. I haven't had time to talk to her for the last two days. " I said and turned to go.

" Wait! Don't go, right away. She is already late and was supposed to be going out with Raj and Myra. They’re running errands before the evening function.”

“Errands?” I frowned. “Why isn’t she here? Mihir wants everyone around.”

Mahi chuckled. “Vihan, relax. She’ll be back in time. Besides, girls need extra time to get ready for weddings. Let her enjoy herself.”

Her casual tone didn’t ease the unease twisting in my gut. Roohi never just “enjoyed herself” without letting me know.

“I need to talk to her,” I said, brushing past Mahi and heading downstairs.

By the time I reached downstairs, she had already gone out, and I saw her just as she was getting into Raj’s car.

“Roohi, wait!” I called out, jogging over. She paused, glancing at me with a mix of surprise and impatience.

“Vihan, what is it?”

" I need to talk to you. "

"No, Vihan! I need to go with them. Bhai and Bhabhi have been waiting for me. I’m already late, I hope you understand."

" Where have you been? You didn't give me a wake-me-up call, no message; why? Not even picking up my calls? " I asked.

" Oh, I was busy...Gaurvi was a bit upset and nervous so I needed to be with her." She replied and before I could ask anything else, Raj blew horns. I swear her brothers were...

“Too busy to even send me a message?”

“Do we really have to do this now? Bhai and Bhabhi are waiting.”

“Fine, but what about my outfit?

"How do I know? You must have kept it somewhere... " She shrugged.

" I am asking about the new outfit that we went to buy together at Mohit uncle's showroom. You were supposed to pick everything up.” I reminded her. Her expression hardened.

" Oh, I didn't get anything since you were busy, I dropped the idea. Anyway, it was a stupid idea, you can wear whatever you want, There is no need to wear any coordinated outfits. That is meant for couples. Bye, Vihan. I am getting late. " She said. The words hit harder than I expected, and before I could respond, she slipped into the car, shutting the door with a bang.

As soon as the door was shut, Raj drove in and I kept standing there looking at her. She could have talked to me for at least five minutes. I stood there, still trying to process her sudden departure.

What the hell was going on??

She didn't call or message me, didn't even get anything for me, for us? But why?

In fact, I was a bit reluctant earlier, as just like my dad, I hated to go shopping, but since she was so excited about it... I agreed to it.

She’d been so excited about the idea just days ago.

And how come it was a stupid idea all of a sudden now?? Coordinated outfits are for couples now?

She was behaving differently. And I was getting uncomfortable with that. No!! She can't change so much...I was so used to having her in my life, she was behaving differently... That was unsettling to me.

Something was wrong. Roohi wasn’t just busy—she was pulling away, and I didn’t know why.

But one thing was certain: I wasn’t ready to let her go.

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