✿༺ 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 1༻✿

Bangalore wasn't home, but it was peaceful, and for me, that was enough. It had been two years since I moved here, two years of building something that felt like my own, even if it wasn't permanent. Work, quiet evenings, and a life where no one questioned me or expected anything more than what I could give. It wasn't perfect, but it didn't feel suffocating.

"Ruhaani, if you keep staring like that, the wall might start judging you," Aditi said, leaning against my desk with a cup of coffee in her hand.

I looked up at her. "I'm not staring."

"You are," she said, narrowing her eyes. "And don't tell me you're thinking about work. You finished that project yesterday."

I glanced at the files in front of me and gave a small shrug. "Maybe I was just thinking."

"That's even worse," she replied. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I said simply, and this time I meant it. Nothing had happened, and that was exactly why I liked it here.

She studied me for a moment, then sighed. "You're impossible. Anyway, I'm leaving. Don't stay too late."

"I won't."

She gave me one last look before walking out, and soon the office grew quiet, the usual noise fading until it was just me and the soft hum of the lights. I leaned back in my chair, letting out a slow breath. This place wasn't mine, but it felt more like mine than anything else ever had.

My phone rang, breaking the silence. I glanced at the screen.

Dad calling.

That was unusual.

I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" his voice came, calm and direct.

"At work."

"Hmm. Come home."

Just like that.

I frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Your sister's marriage has been fixed," he said. "You should be here."

For a moment, I didn't respond. Then quietly, "That's... sudden."

"The alliance has been under discussion for a while," he continued. "It's a good family. The Shergills. You must have heard the name."

I had.

Everyone had.

One of the most well-known business families. Powerful, respected, the kind of name people spoke carefully around.

"It's an important match," he added. "Both families have agreed. The engagement is already done. The wedding will take place soon, and the pre-wedding functions will start in a day or two."

So everything was already decided.

Of course it was.

"When do you want me to come?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," he said. "People will ask about you. It won't look good if you're not here."

I almost smiled at that.

Not because it was funny, but because it was expected.

"I understand," I said quietly.

"You'll get the details. Be on time."

"I will."

The call ended.

I stared at my phone for a few seconds before placing it back on the table. No questions, no pause, no "how are you." Just information. Just expectation.

My phone buzzed again.

Aditi: Don't tell me you're still at work.

I typed back.

Ruhaani: I have to go home tomorrow.

Her reply came almost instantly.

Aditi: What? Why?

Ruhaani: My sister Kritika's wedding. It's fixed.

There was a pause before her next message.

Aditi: Oh... are you okay?

I read it twice before replying.

Ruhaani: Yeah. I'll be back in a few days.

Aditi: You better. I'm not surviving this office alone.

A small smile formed on my lips despite everything.

"Drama," I muttered softly.

I closed my laptop slowly, my gaze drifting around the office. The desk, the designs, the quiet space I had built for myself over the past two years. It wasn't perfect, but it was peaceful. And I knew the moment I stepped back into that house, that peace would disappear.

Still, I picked up my bag.

Because going back was never really about what I wanted.

It never had been.

And it never would be.

So I left that house.

Not because I wanted to.... but because I was expected to.

I just sat there for a while, my phone still in my hand, staring at nothing in particular. It wasn't the news that bothered me. My stepsister getting married wasn't unexpected. What felt strange was how easily I was being pulled back into something I had kept a distance from for two years.

Eventually, I stood up and went home.

My apartment greeted me with the same quietness it always did. No noise, no interruptions, no one asking where I'd been or what I was doing. I dropped my bag on the chair and walked straight to my room, pulling out my suitcase from the corner.

I opened it and paused.

It wasn't a big trip. A few days, maybe a week at most. Still, something about packing felt heavier than it should have.

I started anyway. Clothes, essentials, a few things I knew I'd need. Nothing extra. I never took more than necessary when I went back.

My phone buzzed.

Aditi.

I picked up. "Hey."

"You're going, right?" she asked without greeting.

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

"That fast?"

"They've already started the preparations," I said. "It's a big alliance. They don't want anything out of place."

"Of course they don't," she muttered. Then, after a pause, "Are you okay with it?"

I leaned against the cupboard. "It's not really about being okay."

"Still," she said, softer now.

I thought about it for a second. "I'll just go, attend everything, and come back."

"That's your plan for everything," she said. "Go, adjust, come back."

I didn't argue.

"Call me when you land," she added. "And don't disappear."

"I won't."

"You better not," she said. "You know, I can't deal with our Boss Varun alone."

"Only you can match his unrealistic expectations with work."

"Did you told him?" she asked.

I replied, "Ofcourse! He is the boss, I had to inform and get his permission." 

"Uss Khadus ne de di tujhe permission itni jaldi, tu toh uski star employee hai, vo ek hafte ki leave de de yeh impossible hai.

 ("That grumpy guy gave you permission that fast? You really are his star employee...him giving a whole week off is basically impossible!")

"Aditi why are saying him Khadus, he is a nice person and respect he is our boss."

("Aditi, why are you calling him grumpy? He's actually a nice person. Plus, he is our boss, so we should show some respect!")

Aur haa dedi permission, vaise bhi meri kitni leaves toh bachi hi hui thi, so I availed that.

 ("And yeah, he gave me permission! Anyway, I had so many leaves left over, so I just used them.")

Aditi scoffed, the sound crackling through the phone's speaker. "He's only a 'nice person' to you, trust me. I'm the one who gets scolded daily regardless of what I do." 

"Let's just change the subject. I'm done talking about him."

"Wow! You're the one who started it!" I laughed into the phone.

"Alright, go pack now. Bye! Take care and hurry back."

"Bye, I'll be back soon!" I promised. I clicked the phone off and tossed it onto the bed.

I closed my suitcase and left it by the door. The room felt a little different after that, like it already knew I was leaving.

I didn't sleep properly that night. Not because I was worried, just... unsettled.

The next morning, everything moved quickly. Cab, airport, boarding. I didn't think much, just followed the routine.

By the time the flight landed, I felt tired more than anything else.

Lucknow looked the same.

It always did.

The drive home was quiet. I didn't try to fill it. There was nothing to say.

When the house Mallik Mansion, came into view, I could already see the decorations from outside. Lights, flowers, people moving around. It looked exactly like a house preparing for a big wedding should.

Perfect from the outside.

I stepped in and was immediately surrounded by noise. Staff moving around, relatives talking, instructions being given from every direction. No one noticed me at first, and I didn't mind.

I was used to that.

"Ruhaani?"

I turned.

Dad was walking toward me.

"You're here," he said.

"Yes."

"How was the journey?"

"Fine."

He nodded. "Good. Things are a bit hectic. Just settle in for now."

I waited for a moment, but that was all.

"I will," I said.

He gave a brief nod and turned away, already occupied with something else.

I adjusted my bag and started toward the stairs.

"So you came."

I stopped.

Mom stood near the hallway, looking at me with the same expression she always had, neutral, but never warm.

"You asked me to," I said.

She looked me over, like she was checking something. "You should have come a day earlier. There's already too much work."

"I came as soon as I was told." I replied.

"Hm." She didn't seem convinced, but she didn't argue either. "Anyway, don't stay upstairs all the time. People will be here. It doesn't look right."

"I'll help where I can."

"That would be better," she said, already half-turned away. "At least be present."

Be present.

I almost smiled at that.

"I am," I said quietly.

She didn't hear me. Or maybe she didn't care to.

I went upstairs after that.

My room looked exactly the same as I had left it. Nothing moved, nothing changed. It felt less like a room and more like a place that had been kept ready... just in case.

I placed my bag down and sat for a moment, letting the noise from downstairs reach me faintly.

I was back.

Not because I missed it.

Not because anyone wanted me here.

Just because I was supposed to be.

And somehow, that had always been enough.

..............................

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