BANG!
The sound of something heavy hitting the floor echoed through Arjun's room. The 'something heavy' in question? Arjun himself.
Flat on the floor, still wrapped in his bedsheet like a defeated warrior in white cotton, he groaned.
"Great start to my wedding day."
Then it hit him.
"OH CRAP! I'M GETTING MARRIED IN AN HOUR!"
Arjun scrambled up like a man possessed, kicking away the sheets. He grabbed his phone. 20 missed calls. His mother, his best friend Rohit, even his future father-in-law had all been calling like an emergency hotline.
Before he could even blink, his bedroom door slammed open.
His mother stormed in, looking like a general before battle. "ARJUN! YOU'RE STILL HERE?!"
"Uh…good morning?" he said weakly.
His mother picked up a sandal.
Arjun dodged.
"WHY are you not dressed? Where is your sherwani? WHERE is your brain?!" she shouted, throwing his belt at him.
"Mom, please—"
She pointed a warning finger. "If you are not ready in ten minutes, I will personally drag you to the mandap in your underwear!"
Arjun yelped. Mission: Get Ready FAST.
The Strength of a Groom
Arjun threw open his wardrobe. His sherwani was missing.
His brand new, custom-made, ultra-expensive, groom-worthy sherwani.
"WHERE IS IT?!" he roared, shaking the wardrobe like it owed him money.
His best friend Rohit rushed in, eating chips. "What's the problem?"
"My sherwani is missing!"
"Did you check the—"
Before Rohit could finish, Arjun picked up the entire wardrobe and shifted it aside.
Rohit's chips fell from his hand. "Dude. What. The. Hell?"
Arjun found nothing but a pair of socks under it.
His mother popped her head in. "Oh, the sherwani? It's in the other room. You threw it there last night while doing push-ups."
Rohit turned. "Wait, why were you doing push-ups before your wedding?!"
Arjun ignored him. "MOM, YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME BEFORE I LIFTED A WHOLE WARDROBE!"
His mother smirked. "You were the one flexing unnecessarily. Now HURRY UP!"
Meanwhile, Maya Shows Her Bravery
At the wedding venue, Maya was sitting calmly, looking like a queen.
Her cousin Neha whispered, "Aren't you worried that Arjun isn't here yet?"
Maya smirked. "Nah. He'll make it. Probably sweating, running, and making a scene—but he'll make it."
Neha raised an eyebrow. "What if he doesn't?"
Maya leaned back confidently. "If he doesn't, I'll just marry myself. I look amazing today."
Neha burst out laughing. "You're insane."
Just then, an elderly aunt started complaining loudly. "This generation has no discipline! The groom is late! In my time, men were punctual!"
Maya stood up.
She walked over, smiled sweetly, and said, "Aunty, in your time, you didn't have Google Maps, so people got lost for hours. Let's not compare, hmm?"
The entire crowd went silent.
Then someone clapped.
Maya gave a winning smile and sat back down. "See? I handle things like a boss."
Neha shook her head, grinning. "Arjun is going to have a hard time winning arguments in this marriage."
The Final Stretch
Back at home, Arjun was ready. Dressed in his sherwani, looking sharp, hair gelled, jawline on point.
Until—
"THE CAR WON'T START?!" Rohit screamed.
Arjun groaned. "Fine. Get out."
"What?"
"OUT."
Rohit barely had time to react before Arjun grabbed the front of the car, flexed, and PUSHED.
The car rolled forward.
A group of wedding guests standing outside stared in shock.
"Beta, why are you pushing the car?" an old uncle asked.
"Because I CAN, uncle!" Arjun shouted, still pushing.
The Wedding Begins
Arjun burst into the wedding venue, sweaty but looking like an action hero.
Maya turned to him, arms crossed. "Took your time, Mr. Six-Pack."
Arjun smirked, "Had to do some morning workouts before marriage, Mrs. Soon-to-be-Six-Pack."
She laughed.
The wedding finally began.
Somewhere, Arjun's mother wiped a tear. "My idiot son made it."
The First Night (Romantic Cut)
Night. Just after the wedding. A quiet hotel suite.
The soft glow of the ceiling light made everything golden. Rose petals on the bed, faint scent of sandalwood in the air. Outside, the noise of the wedding had faded into nothing but silence.
Maya stood near the mirror, slowly removing the heavy earrings that had been pulling at her ears all day. She winced. "How do brides do this for hours?"
Arjun, standing by the door with his sherwani half unbuttoned, smiled. "They probably don't have to fist-bump twenty drunk uncles like I did."
She turned, laughing softly. Her hair had loosened from the braid, falling down her shoulders in gentle waves. He had seen her in jeans, in office formals, in sneakers and bun—but never like this.
Not this version of Maya. Beautiful, yes. But softer. Realer.
Nervousness sat in the space between them. Not because they didn't want to be there—but because this moment was big, even though they didn't say it.
He walked slowly toward her, took her hand.
She looked up. "You're quiet."
He nodded. "Trying not to mess this up."
Her lips curved. "You won't."
She moved closer, fingertips grazing the edge of his collar. "How's your heartbeat?"
He placed her palm on his chest.
"Answer that yourself," he whispered.
Fast. Strong.
She looked up at him and said, "You're not scared of this flight, huh?"
He leaned in slightly, brushing his forehead to hers. "Not this one."
Maya reached up and slid the rest of his sherwani off his shoulders, folding it with care and placing it aside. He took her bangled wrist gently, pressing his lips to her knuckles.
No hurry. No awkward jokes. Just slow touches, skin meeting skin, two hearts learning a new rhythm.
They talked between kisses.
About how surreal it felt.About how weird the wedding food was.About how they never thought it would feel this easy.And how scary and beautiful it was, to belong to someone now.
Time passed like water—slow, soft, and warm.
And when they finally held each other under the white sheets, she said:
"Do you think people ever get tired of love?"
He kissed her hair. "Only the ones who never earned it."
Then the lights dimmed, and the world paused for them—if only for one night.
The Final Fight
Early Morning, Still Dark.Outside, the streets are hushed, the air cool. Inside Maya's house, a dim light glows in the hallway. Arjun and Maya tiptoe downstairs, dragging their small suitcases, trying not to wake anyone.
They're freshly showered, dressed for travel—simple clothes, backpacks, matching sleepy eyes.
Maya glances at him. "Think we made it out?"
Arjun grinned. "We're stealthy. Like married ninjas."
Just as he reaches for the front door handle—
Click.
The hall light turns on.
Her mother stands there. Hair in a bun. Shawl around her shoulders. Silent. Waiting.
Arjun whispers, "Abort mission."
Maya sighs and steps forward. "Ma…"
"You were leaving without saying goodbye?" Her mother's voice is calm—but laced with quiet hurt. "After everything?"
Arjun clears his throat. "We were gonna call from the cab."
Behind them, his mom enters through the connecting door with a flask of tea and a frown sharp enough to cut steel. "No one calls their mother from the cab, beta. What kind of habit is that?"
The families are assembled.Maya's dad is quietly reading a newspaper at the dining table. Arjun's dad is pretending to nap on the couch but is clearly listening. A few cousins peep from behind doorways.
Maya tries. "Ma, it's just a job. In a different place. Not forever."
"But not even a full day has passed. You haven't even opened half your wedding gifts." Her mom's eyes are damp. "And now you'll be in a place with no family, no one to make rasam when you're sick…"
Arjun's mom steps in, more stern. "This whole marriage... and then straight to foreign country. What's the rush?"
Maya looks at Arjun. He looks at her. Then he takes a breath and steps forward.
"Aunty—I mean, Ma... we planned this before we knew the wedding would be so close. The job offer came suddenly. It's a good opportunity, and we promised we'd do it together. You raised us to be strong. To work hard. That's all we're doing."
There's a beat of silence. Then, Arjun's mom says, "Yes, but I didn't raise you to abandon me in 24 hours. Who will open the pickles now, ha?"
Everyone looks at her.
"What? He's the only one strong enough!"
Maya walks to her mother and holds her hands. "I'm not going forever. We'll call. We'll video chat. You can yell at me from across the ocean, I swear."
Her mother wipes a tear. "You'll forget us in your big buildings and dollar jobs."
Maya whispers, "Never. Not even for a second."
Arjun's dad finally speaks, folding his newspaper. "Let them go."
His wife shoots him a glare.
He shrugs. "You raised a strong son. She raised a brave daughter. If you hold them back now, you're holding back everything you taught them."
There's a pause.
Maya's mom sighs, hugs her tight. Arjun's mom cups his face and mutters, "At least pack halwa in your bag."
Hugs, small tears, final scoldings.
Their cab honks outside.
As Arjun rolls the suitcase out the door, a little cousin runs up, holding out a drawing she made of "Bhaiya and Didi in America."
He kneels, takes it gently, and says, "We'll put it on our fridge."
The family waves as the car drives off. The road ahead long and wide.
And behind them, two homes stand a little quieter—but a little prouder too.