The wedding hall was glowing beneath thousands of warm lights. Guests moved between tables, the orchestra played softly, and the evening carried the polished elegance of a celebration that had been planned down to the smallest detail.
Near the refreshments counter, Siddharth stood with a glass in his hand, looking considerably less interested in the wedding than he was in the woman standing opposite him.
Shrisha.
She was examining the decorations with an expression of quiet disapproval.
"You look disappointed," Siddharth remarked.
Shrisha glanced at him. "I was expecting something more impressive."
"From the decorations?"
"From the evening."
"That's unfortunate. I was hoping my presence would improve it."
She looked him over, deliberately taking her time.
"I'm afraid your confidence is doing more work than your appearance."
Siddharth placed a hand over his chest.
"That was unnecessarily cruel."
"Consider it an honest assessment."
"I prefer compliments."
"Then you should spend more time with people who don't know you."
He laughed.
There was something about Shrisha's sharp tongue that made every conversation feel like a competition he was perfectly willing to lose.
"Tell me something," he said, leaning slightly closer. "Do you always speak to people this way?"
"Only when they give me a reason."
"And what have I done?"
"Appeared."
Siddharth smiled. "I see. So I've made an impression."
"Unfortunately."
Before he could respond, his phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen. The amusement disappeared from his expression.
Shrisha noticed immediately.
"Something wrong?"
"Possibly."
"That's a very reassuring answer."
Siddharth looked across the hall. Arsh was standing near the entrance, his expression unusually serious.
Shrisha followed his gaze.
"Is that your friend?"
"Yes."
"The one you've been looking after all evening?"
"Looking after is a generous description. I'd say preventing him from making questionable decisions."
"Has he made one?"
Siddharth looked back at her.
"He's considering one."
Shrisha folded her arms. "And what sort of decision are we discussing?"
Siddharth lowered his voice.
"An extremely unreasonable one."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Now I'm interested."
"That's precisely what worries me."
A moment later, Arsh approached them.
"Are you two finished entertaining yourselves?" he asked.
"Not quite," Siddharth replied. "But I suppose your arrival means the evening is about to become considerably less enjoyable."
Shrisha gave Arsh a polite nod.
"Don't mind him. He's been trying to impress me for the last ten minutes."
"Trying?" Siddharth repeated. "I thought I was succeeding."
"You were mistaken."
Arsh glanced between them.
"Wonderful. At least one person here seems to be enjoying the evening."
"Two, actually," Shrisha corrected. "Though I'm beginning to reconsider."
Siddharth ignored her.
"Arsh, we need to talk."
Arsh's expression hardened. "I know."
Shrisha looked from one man to the other.
"Should I leave?"
"No," Siddharth answered.
Arsh gave him a questioning look.
Siddharth shrugged. "She already knows I'm a terrible influence. There's no point pretending otherwise."
Shrisha smiled faintly. "At least you're self-aware."
Arsh exhaled.
"Can we focus?"
"Of course," Siddharth said, finally becoming serious. "Tell us what you're planning."
Arsh looked toward the far end of the hall.
"I'm not going to stand here and watch everything unfold without doing something."
Siddharth studied him.
"And what exactly do you intend to do?"
Arsh did not answer immediately.
Shrisha's expression changed as she understood the direction of the conversation.
"Wait," she said. "Are you seriously considering taking Krish out of the picture?"
Siddharth looked at her.
"That's one way to put it."
She turned back to Arsh.
"Then perhaps you should simply kidnap the groom."
Siddharth stared at her for a second.
Then he laughed.
"Remarkable. I've spent the entire evening trying to impress you, and this is the first truly brilliant thing you've said."
Shrisha gave him a warning look.
"Don't encourage me."
"I'm afraid it's too late."
Arsh looked unimpressed.
"Neither of you is helping."
"I'm offering solutions," Shrisha replied.
"An illegal solution," Arsh said.
"An imaginative one."
Siddharth raised his glass slightly. "For the record, I support the imagination, not the execution."
"Good," Arsh replied. "Because no one is disappearing tonight."
Shrisha tilted her head.
"Then what are you going to do?"
Arsh's gaze remained fixed ahead.
"I'm going to confront Krish. He deserves to hear the truth, and I intend to make sure he does."
Siddharth nodded slowly.
"That's considerably more sensible."
"Don't sound so disappointed."
"I was rather enjoying the kidnapping proposal."
Shrisha laughed.
"You two are impossible."
Siddharth turned toward her.
"And yet you continue to stand here."
"I'm waiting for the evening to improve."
"Then allow me to make another attempt."
She looked at him, amused despite herself.
"Go on."
He leaned a little closer, his voice dropping.
"Would you care to dance?"
Shrisha glanced toward the dance floor.
"Is that another questionable decision?"
"Almost certainly."
"And you still intend to ask?"
"I've never been particularly good at learning from my mistakes."
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she placed her glass on the counter.
"One dance."
Siddharth offered his hand.
"I'll consider that a victory."
"Don't. You haven't earned one yet."
He led her toward the dance floor, smiling.
Behind them, Arsh remained where he was, his expression growing more determined with every passing second.
The evening was no longer simply a celebration.
And whatever happened next, there would be no pretending that everything was still as it had been.