~SIDDHARTH
I blink up at the ceiling and wait for the blurry chandelier to come into focus. It takes a minute for my vision to clear. However, my brain remains a fuzzy mess.
“Oh, thank God, bhai! You are awake. Are you okay?” Dhruv leans forward.
I wince at the sharp pain drilling a hole through the back of my skull.
Fuck! My head is hurting like hell.
“How many fingers am I holding up, bhai!” Aryan asked.
“Two,” I grunt.
“ What day is it?” Ishu asked.
“ 20 of February”
“Where are we right now?” Dhruv cupped my face with both his hands, pulling me closer to his face.
“A fucking Amusement park,” I hiss.
He let go of my face, and my head struck against a piece of wood.
This fucking moron.
“Did it hurt?” He repeats the same move. My skin burns from his touch, and heat spreads throughout my veins like wildfire.
That was the question. Of course it did.

“Sorry, bhaiya, I—”

I cut him at once. “Stop. I’m absolutely fine. Don’t even touch me.”
I pulled away and slid across the couch so that my back rested against the cushion, then I threw my head back.
God.
I take another deep inhale because clearly I must enjoy torturing myself.
I opened my eyes again, and right in front of me was the face of the same girl from my dream.
Is she really standing here? Or am I?
“You?” I said.
And she flashed a tight, teeth-baring smile when she sees me.
Wait a minute. If she is here, then that dream hadn’t been a dream at all. That meant everything was real. I HAD MARRIED THIS GIRL!!
God, please tell me this is a lie.
M-Maa… where is my mother?
Maa.. mujhe vapas se chaakar aa rahe hai—

“Look, bro, she’s coming this way,” Shikhar pointed toward the girl.
I looked in the direction he was pointing.
She was wearing a red dress. Her hair was completely loose, bouncing softly with every step she took. As she walked closer, her hair moved with her, almost effortlessly. She was coming straight toward me, but because of the club’s lighting, her face remained unclear.
Slowly… she came closer.
Closer… and closer…
And then—
Her face finally began to appear.
My breath hitched.
It was her.

The same girl I had seen earlier this morning—standing right there in my clothes.
The realisation struck me all at once, memories crashing into my mind, overlapping and blurring together. The dream started to feel too real, too heavy and with those thoughts swirling in my head.

I suddenly jerked awake, gasping, my body rising from unconsciousness.
That dream terrified me. I didn’t know how much longer I would have to keep seeing it.
It didn’t take long. The moment Ishani and Dhruv saw me awake, they rushed toward me and wrapped me in a tight hug.
“Bhaiii! Are you okay?” Dhruv asked, his voice filled with worry.
Nothing made sense to me anymore. My thoughts were scattered, overlapping, refusing to slow down. My head throbbed violently, as if it were about to split open.
“I don’t understand anything…” I muttered.
I buried my fingers in my hair and pulled hard, hoping
the sharp pain might dull the chaos inside my head, even if just a little.“Yaar, Aryan, bring some water for bhaiya,” Ishani said urgently.

Was everything I saw just a dream?

The thought kept circling in my head like a broken record. Who even was that girl?
One moment, I remembered seeing her in that red dress at the club… standing there like some kind of trouble waiting to happen. Then suddenly she was in my room, wearing my clothes as if they belonged to her.

And then—
My mind stopped.

There was even a moment when she wasn’t wearing anything at all.
NOT ANYTHING !!
What I mean is ….
I remember her standing in front of me in a black bra with white polka dots and a fluffy tail in between the c—
What the fuck is wrong with me!!
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Was all of it just a dream? Then what was the truth?
Okay. Think. Calmly.
I definitely remember going to the club last night. That part is crystal clear. The loud music, the flashing lights, the crowd. And I remember having two drinks.
Just two.
After that, however… everything turns foggy.
Like someone took a huge eraser and wiped half of my memory away.
Then comes this morning.
I clearly remember waking up and seeing that girl inside my room.
Inside my room.
And not only that—she was wearing my clothes!
Of course, we argued after that. Anyone would argue in that situation. And honestly, it was completely her fault.
Then she started taking off the clothes—
No.
No, no, no!

That’s wrong.
She didn’t just take them off.
She tore them.
My eyes widened as the memory hit me.

She tore my clothes!
My Pokémon merch.
My precious Pokémon merch!
That Bitch dared to rip it apart like it was nothing.
How could she do something so cruel?
That shirt wasn’t just any shirt. It was my first official piece of Pokémon merchandise. I had bought it with my own hard-earned money right after joining the company as a trainee.

I still remember the day clearly. Feeling proud of myself, thinking, Yes, Siddharth, you are now a responsible adult who earns money.

And that woman—
That wicked woman—
Just ripped it to pieces like it meant nothing!
The nerve of her!
But… wait a minute.
Another memory flickered faintly in my mind.
I remembered seeing her standing beside my mother.
And the two of them were talking about something very serious.
Marriage.
They were talking about our marriage.
About how… it had already happened.
I shook my head immediately.
“No, no, no.”
I rubbed my temples and let out a long breath.
God, I’m such an idiot. Of course, it was just a dream.
That girl was a dream.
A very strange, very annoying, and extremely stressful dream.
I had been panicking for absolutely no reason.
Which means—
My clothes must still be perfectly safe.
Especially my Pokémon merch.
Relief slowly spread through my chest as I leaned back.
Yes.
Everything is fine.
My life isn’t ruined.
My clothes weren’t destroyed.
And that mysterious girl didn’t exist.
Everything I saw was just a dream.
“You needed water, right?”
That voice…
Why did it sound so familiar?
I slowly turned my head toward the door—and my breath caught in my throat.
She was standing there.
She walked toward me, holding a glass of water in her hand. With every step she took, a powerful sense of déjà vu washed over me. Her hair was completely loose, bouncing softly as she moved—exactly the way it had in my dreams.

The only difference was her clothes… and the glass of water she was carrying.
She kept coming closer, and with every step, my vision grew more blurred. My heartbeat quickened, my chest tightened, and nausea crept back in. Just looking at her made my condition worsen all over again.
Fuck me!
“Bhaiii, what happened to you—”
Is this going to happen again? Am I about to—once again—
A sharp sting exploded across my left cheek. The impact was so sudden and powerful that my entire jaw snapped in the opposite direction.
I instinctively reached up and touched my cheek, but I couldn’t feel anything at all.
Why couldn’t I feel it?
I clawed at my ear as well, panic rising inside me, but there was no sound—no voices, no noise—nothing except for one single tone, a continuous ringing that echoed relentlessly inside my head.
My eyes locked onto Dhruv. He was staring at me in shock, both his hands pressed tightly over his mouth, as if he were struggling to hold back a scream.
Have I been slapped?

Tick Hiccups tock

Tick Hiccups tock

Tick Hiccups tock

Tick Hiccups tock

Along with the ticking of the clock, Aryan’s hiccups were echoing just as clearly. At least now I knew one thing—my ears were perfectly fine. But the audacity of this girl… just look at her nerve. She actually slapped me. How did she even dare?
I slowly turned my face toward her.
From the expression on her face, it was obvious that the mark her hand had left on my cheek only moments ago had turned a deep, angry red.
“Care to explain the reason behind this?” I asked, grinding my teeth.
I was barely holding myself back—trying my best not to get up right then and do something that would only make my situation worse.
“Y-you’re… actually… you know… you keep losing consciousness again and again…”
She is slurring her words so badly that before she could finish her sentence, I had already stepped in front of her.
Did I scare her?
No! What am I even thinking?
Why would she be scared or feel any type of emotion when she didn’t hesitate to take off her clothes in front of me?!
“So I think… if I give you a shock—”
A shock?
By slapping me?
I wished I could say it out loud, but honestly, just looking at her was shocking enough for me
“Wow, bhabhi. Just wow.”
The voice comes out of nowhere, and I startle.
“See, bhaiya?” he says with a grin. “Bhabhi saves you from passing out again.”

I turn my head slowly toward Dhruv.
Bhabhi!?
I stay unconscious for a few minutes, and they manage to tie every possible relationship with this woman.
“Inke komal haathon ne aapke gaalon ko chhua,” he declares dramatically, “aur aap swapan-lok se seedha prithvi-lok prasthan kar gaye!”
I glare at him, fury rising.
“Isne mere gaalon ko chhua nahi tha—she—” I stop myself, then lean closer to Dhruv’s ear and say in a low voice, “she slapped me.”
“Oh come on, bhaiya,” Aryan says casually. “Woh aapko shock dene ke liye tha, taaki aap phir se behosh na ho jao.”
“Oh, really?” I snap. “Main shock ki wajah se behosh hua tha, gadho.”
“Bhaiya, at least you didn’t pass out, right—”
I start pulling my hair.
Is there seriously no hope for these two?

“You idiot—!!”

Dhruv cuts me off immediately, forcing me to stay quiet and signalling me to keep my mouth shut. I comply, because the next moment I hear voices—Maa and Chhoti Maa.
They’re coming.
“Maa,” my lips begin to curve into a smile—
—but before I can do anything, Dhruv shoves me back onto the bed and starts pulling the blanket over me.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I ask him in a low voice.
“Do you really want Maa to see you in this condition?”
“What do you mean—what happened to me?”
“Then what exactly is that slap mark on your face?”
Oh. So now he notices the slap.
“That’s not a slap mark. Voh toh uss ladki ke komal haathon ne mere gaalon ko chhua.”
I stare at him in disbelief.
“You should be ashamed, bhaiya,” he continues shamelessly. “Bhabhi hasn’t even completed seven hours in this house, and you’re already behaving like a total pervert.”
What the fuck!?
Dhruv pulls the blanket over me completely
“ He’s still not awake!?” Maa asked.
I’m awake, Maa—please, just look at me once.
“No, Badi Maa,” Aryan says smoothly. “Bhaiya still hasn’t woken up.”
Aryan!!!!!!!!
I should’ve killed you back in childhood.
“Then why were you asking for water!?” Chhoti Maa asks suspiciously.
Yes, Chhoti Maa—that water was for me, the water I still haven’t been blessed with.
“Oh no, Maa,” Aryan replies instantly.
“We were just future-planning. So that when bhaiya wakes up, we can give him water immediately. Otherwise, we’d have to go downstairs again.”
“Fine. Do whatever you want,” she says.
“Just try to make sure he wakes up soon.”
Footsteps echo again.
Are they leaving?
“Arya, come with me” Maa says.
It doesn’t take long. The sound of all three pairs of footsteps fades away as they step out of the room.
The door closes.
I immediately sit up.

“Badi Maa has called for her to come with her!”
Ishani blurts it out suddenly, and all of us turn to look at her.
“What is all this, bhai? What happened so abruptly that you had to take such a big step?”
She sits down beside me.
“Do you remember anything from last night?”
Other than that dream, I remember nothing at all.
But why?
“Shikhar bhaiya,” Aryan continues “, you were with him last night. It’s possible, isn’t it, that he might remember what happened?”
Memory? Him?
By then, Dhruv pulls out his phone and even moves aside to call him.
Do these people really think that man remembers anything at all? He’s my secretary—he forgets my schedule every other day.

He locks the house himself and then spends the entire day asking me whether he locked it or not.
Mark my words—there’s no chance he remembers a thing.
“Bhaiya… what happens now? Your marriage, that photo in the university group, and on top of that—”
“It’s my problem. I’ll handle it.” I said.
The three of them glanced at me for a moment before completely ignoring me, as if i didn't exits.
Fucking Perfect.
“Shikhar bhaiya still isn’t answering the call,” Dhruv announces.
“Perfect,” Ishu says, glaring at me as if I were the one who told that idiot not to answer the call.
Calling Shikhar is Useless. He won't know a thing, and he'll only bombard me with questions-
what happened, whose wedding it is. and I don't have time for that Bullshits.
That photo.....
Maybe it'll reveal something.
“Aryan, that photo on the university page—”
“Which photo?” Dhruv cuts my words.
Which photo?
I know he is some kind of idiot, but this much!
I stare at him. Slowly. “The wedding photo. His wedding photo,” Aryan clarifies for him.
I turn to Aryan.
“Do me a favour. Show me the photo. I’ll deal with the rest.”
I take the phone from his hand, Instagram already open, of course.
I open the university page, and there it is.
In the photo, one of my hands is confidently resting on her waist, while the other is busy poking her cheek, as I already know her from years.

88.6K likes!!

98.8K views!

“Kya itne bacche university mai hai bhi?!”
I shout, unable to believe my eyes. I’ve checked the university’s profile before, but I’ve never seen numbers like these—nothing even close to what I’m seeing now.

“Oh, this is nothing,” Aryan says casually “You should see our university meme page … or better yet, the news.”
News!!
“What are they saying in the news?” I ask him,
because news channels rarely get anything right anyway.
“The news… oh,” Aryan suddenly scratches his head and avoids eye contact.
“Actually… news yeh hai ki Siddharth Singh Rathore ne bhaag ke love marriage kar li hai.”
“KYA?!” I shout. “Yeh chhap diya une bhadwo ne?”
At the moment, yelling feels like the only thing I’m capable of doing.
“Look,” Aryan continues calmly, “you stay single and then suddenly post something like that overnight. Of course, people will assume your parents didn’t agree, so you ran away and got married.”
Annoyingly… he has a point.
“He’s not wrong,” Ishu says, nodding in agreement with this traitor.
“Honestly, you should be grateful it was a decent reporter,” Aryan adds.
“Agar Dhruv jaisa koi admi hota, toh yeh bhi nahi likhta ki shaadi hui hai—seedha bol deta, Live-in chal raha hai.”
“Enough, yaar. I get it,” I cut Aryan off. Listening to his nonsense is far less important than the one thing I need to do right now.
“Where’s my phone?” I ask.
“Downstairs,” she replies. “Why do you need it?”
“To call a lawyer and file for divorce.”
“Are you crazy, bhaiya?” she blurts out. “You can’t get a divorce just like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because no one gets a divorce before six months,” she snaps, clearly irritated now.
“So you’re telling me I have to spend six months with that crazy woman?!”
“Oye, oye!” both my brothers protest at once, calling out the way some
South Indian film gangster would.
“How dare you call bhabhi crazy!”
“Yes, you’re the crazy one, not her!”
They defend her so passionately, as if she is their real family, and I’m just a distant relative.
“That’s enough with this bhabhi–bhabhi drama!” I snap, thoroughly irritated. “This joke has gone way too far now.”

“Can’t you all just sit quietly for a moment and actually think about this?” Ishani snapped, her voice sharp as she glared at everyone in the room.
Her sudden outburst made the entire room fall silent.
“Bhaiya, you have married Arya,” she continued firmly. “You need to get that fact into your head.”
My jaw clenched instinctively, the muscles tightening as irritation flared inside me. I could feel the familiar heat of anger creeping up my spine.
Married.
The word echoed in my head like an accusation.
I hated the way it sounded. Hated the way everyone in the room seemed to accept it so easily—as if it were some simple, harmless fact.

But it wasn’t.

It was a bitter truth that refused to sit right with me.
Her eyes moved across all of us before she spoke again, her tone now heavy with frustration.
“The whole family is already under enough pressure. Papa isn’t here. Bade Papa isn’t here either. And neither of them will be able to come back for another two months.”
She ran a hand through her hair, clearly trying to control her anger.
“Meanwhile, the news is spreading all over the state, and everyone is twisting the story in their own way. If this keeps going, it could damage your company, my business, and even the reputation of our university.”
Her gaze hardened.
“And I know for a fact that none of us wants that.”
She took a deep breath before delivering the final line.
“So please… You have to fix this situation. Somehow.”
no matter how much I disliked it…
I knew Ishani isn’t wrong. And that was exactly what made it so infuriating.
I’ll have to stay in this marriage for at least six months.

If people outside find out that this marriage was just an accident, it will create a huge problem for us. It won’t take long for the negative publicity to start.
As for the news about it being a love marriage… that part can be managed.
But before anything else, I would have to talk to the heroine of this entire drama.
After all, this mess wasn’t created by me alone. Whatever madness had happened last night, she had been just as involved in it as I was. Maybe even more.
If I were going to be trapped in this absurd arrangement for six months, then she was going to sit down with me and figure out how we were going to survive it without turning our lives into a complete circus.
Because one thing was very clear.
this marriage—
wasn’t my burden alone.
Whether I liked it or not, she was now a part of this problem.
And problems had to be dealt with.
So let’s go and meet that wom—
Oopss!
…My wife.

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