'Take your earrings Maya, and your saree is in a mess.....look where your walking.',Maya's mother ran behind her daughter as she got ready for her best friend, Neil's wedding.
'Neil is going to kill me today, his designer is already there and m still starting my bloody car. OK.Bye Maa, be there soon.', Maya waved to her mother.
'What will i do with this girl'...her mother sighed as she picked up a bangle from the floor.
At Neil's residence.
'Dude, m so sorry. I just slept off in the afternoon man....' Maya ran into Neil's room.
Neil was standing right there like a scarecrow, his designer trying to fix up last minute edges on his kurta.
'Shut up Maya...i am freaking out, dont u get it...Look at me, i look like a corpse..'
'You always did Neil...bloody anemic moron. '
'There you go, all done, you look perfect Neil, doesn't she Maya', Neil's designer gave a smile of contempt looking at his creation,'Now i'll let the groom and his best friend to have some last words of freedom.'
As he left the room, Maya walked up to Neil, fixing up his collar,'So this is it huh ??? I still cant believe this. Your getting married jerk.'
'Shut up Maya, I am still trying to cope with the trauma.'
'You'll be fine Neil, Radhika is the best thing that could happen to you.'
'Now you tell me when do you plan to get to the knot?'
'Are you nuts ?? Not in the next million years.I already feel sorry for you', Maya smirked.
'Ya right, i'll see freakhead...or are you still planning to marry the wallet guy ?'Neil asked.
'Shut up Neil.'
'Ah seriously man, i have been hearing for years that your carrying the passport size photo of the guy you love, the guy you are gonna get so called married to..and how come you never show it to anyone, I...of all the people...your best bloody friend never got to see it, i mean look everyone knows its Kabir right ? So what harm in showing',Neil shrieked out.
'Stop screaming...and yes, I dated Kabir when i used feeding bottles man, its like history, you'll get to see baby', Maya's voice cracked and her eyes sparkled with a tear at the corner of the eye.
Neil noticed it and before he could hug her, the relatives rushed into the room to take the groom away for the ceremony.
Maya stared at him as he walked away with puzzled eyes fixed on her. Maya smiled at him and so did he.
Best friends, whenever they have those sheepish smiles, you know they are upto something, but maybe not always.
And Maya stood their with Neil's Mum watching her best friend taking the vows and the rounds, she cracked up at times and smiled at times and there were times when she just stared into the fire. Neil looked happy. Neil looked divine that day. And everytime Maya noticed it she felt so so happy for him that she could cry.
And after all of the rituals and ceremony was done, the bride and the groom and their friends were up and on for the rest of the night.
Maya walked upto Neil, bent over and hugged both him and Radhika....'I am so happy for you guys. All the best for everything. I'll just go and help Radhika change ok ? Neil keep these with you.',and Maya walked off with Radhika to the other room flinging off her mobile and wallet on his lap.
And in the smoky alcoholic air, Neil had the weirdest never felt before urge to sneak into Maya's wallet, just to confirm Kabir's picture.
And as he pulled out the photo, Neil's smirk disappeared and all he could do was stare at it. His face paler and whiter. And everything around him seemed blank and unreal. And before he could breathe,Maya ran into the room, 'Shitt i left my wallet'.
She saw Neil holding the open wallet with the photo in his hand, exactly the thing she had feared. She walked upto him, bent over kissed him on his cheek and smiled,'It was me who stole your best photo from the blue album.'Her voice cracking, her eyes welled up.
Neil looked at his best friend and suddenly realized how beautiful she looked that night, how beautiful her eyes were and how much of love they spoke and he tried to say something,'Maya...'
Maya turned back,'Neil...'. And they smiled at each other. And with that smile and an aura of silence, they said every possible thing they could have to each other, of love, of friendship, of life, of promises kept and broken, of trust, and of just being them.
They smiled.
touching. realistic. with a sting of truth.
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