Chapter 4

Vihan's POV

Next day. Morning

I was lost in a tantalizingly naughty dream, enjoying every second of it, when a sharp sound startled me awake. My phone was ringing, but as soon as I picked up the call, nobody replied from the other side. Opening an eye, I looked at the number; it was Mihir. 

What's wrong with him? 

The very next moment, my eyes blinked open, and the sight of the clock made my heart drop—11 AM!

“Damn it!” I muttered, throwing the covers off. Two of my closest friends were getting married today, and since ceremonies were going on, I had to be there. I was already late. Mihir was probably fuming by now.

Why didn't Roohi give me a wake-up call? 

I was thinking of packing my outfit for the wedding as I  was sure I would not get any time to come back home and change my outfit. So I must pack it as well. 

As I rushed through my morning routine, one thought kept nagging at me—why hadn’t Roohi woken me up? She was always the one to ensure I didn’t screw up important days.

Just then I realised, that couple of days ago, we’d gone shopping for outfits for the wedding. Well, she had, while I’d fled halfway through. Roohi had promised to take care of everything—outfits, accessories, even my shoes. I hated shopping, but she always made it easy.

 She must have selected our outfits. Thank God! I had Roohi, to save me from such boring things. I was sure she must have selected something nice for both of us. 

I must tell her to pack my outfit as well as hers. And send me the pics so that I could select my footwear accordingly, though I was sure that all the accessories were provided with the outfit, even the footwear. It was strange; she didn't confirm my shoe size; maybe she remembered it from the last time we brought them together. 

Let's see what she has chosen for me to wear for the wedding... 

I kept calling her but she didn't pick up the call. What happened to her? I hoped she was fine; she had never done that.

“Where the hell is she?” I muttered, dialing once more. It wasn’t like Roohi to ignore me, especially not today.

I paused, guilt flickering. She’d looked off last night—distracted, maybe even upset. I should’ve asked her about it, but I’d gotten caught up in the attention and excitement. Was she angry? I will talk to her when I get there.

There was no time to overthink. I grabbed my keys and drove to the Shah mansion, hoping Mihir wouldn’t rip me apart.

The moment I stepped into Mihir’s room, he spun around, arms crossed, a scowl firmly in place.

“Look who decided to show up!” he snapped. “Where were you? Flirting your way across the city? I know flirting with the girls is  most important to you, but can't you leave all the girls for just one day?”

“Good morning to you too,” I said, raising a brow. “Relax, I overslept.”

“Seriously? You overslept on my wedding day?” he asked 

“I’m sorry, man. I was out late. And anyway, I figured Roohi would wake me up like she always does.” 

" There is something commonly known as an alarm clock. Can't you afford it?" He asked. 

" I have Roohi for that, but I don't know why she didn't wake me up today. " I replied. 

Mihir’s frown deepened. “Roohi isn’t your personal alarm clock, Vihan. She is our friend; don't take her for granted; she does it because she is concerned for you, so don't treat her like an alarm clock. Maybe you should try taking responsibility for yourself for once.” Mihir said. 

“Whoa, what’s with the attitude? I didn’t ask her to wake me up. She just...always does.” I retorted. 

“Well, maybe she’s tired of always being the one to fix your messes,” he argued. 

That stung more than I cared to admit. “Okay, what’s going on with you? You’re acting weird, I know you are angry, but stop it now. I don't take her for granted. I never told her to do anything for me, but she does that usually so I was amazed  that she broke her record." I explained. 

" Well, everything happens for the first time someday. Get used to it, my life is going to change as now I will be married to the love of my life, but you know how things are. Things will change for everyone eventually since change is the only constant thing. She would also get someone in her life to do all this for someone special. So get used to it." He said and something didn't sound right... 

What was it? 

Maybe he was getting cold feet before the wedding as he had never talked like that. Maybe the stress of getting married and starting a new life with his bride, who was pregnant and pinning for another man, was bothering him. 

"I am sorry for not being here on time but it is not my fault entirely... I could not get up. Mom and Dad are busy with their work and the wedding."

"At least set an alarm on your phone; you always put reminders on your phones, right? Could you not set an alarm to get up on time? Or were you too busy to sleep last night? " 

" Relax! Take a deep breath or you will have a heart attack. " 

" Shut up! I know you are a cardiologist but I am a neurosurgeon too. I know all that. But don't you think I am supposed to get angry if my friends are not with me on the most important day of my life? " 

" Sorry!!! But where is Roohi?" I said. 

" She is very busy." 

" Busy with what?" 

"She is with Gaurvi, as she is back from the hospital, and all the rituals are being performed today." He answered. 

"Oh, but why is she not picking up the call?" I asked as she never did that. 

"How do I know, maybe she has something more important to do than to talk to you." He shrugged. 

"But she never does that..." 

Mihir sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Things are changing, Vihan. For all of us. Roohi isn’t always going to be there to pick up the pieces for you. Her family wants her to get married now.”

“What?” The word came out sharper than I intended.

“Yeah, She told me last night.”

What? 

“She told you?” I asked, incredulous.

“She did." 

What? She told him but not me?