The lights of the banquet hall were blinding, a stark contrast to the quiet storm brewing inside Soumya’s chest. Today was her engagement. The heavy marigold garlands, the chatter of excited relatives, and the weight of the designer lehenga were all for one person: her father. Soumya loved her dad too much to break his heart, so she had smiled, nodded, and agreed to marry Ridhaan.
Ridhaan was perfect. He was kind, understanding, and genuinely cared for her. But as Soumya stood near the stage, her eyes kept darting to the entrance. Her heart wasn't in this room. It was wandering somewhere outside, attached to a guy who usually smelled of grease, leather ,and fresh rain.
Jeet.
He was her college senior, the most popular guy on campus, and the absolute centre of her universe. Soumya had deep, consuming feelings for him—feelings she was too terrified to name. Jeet had practically rewritten her life. He was the one who taught a shy, introverted Soumya how to laugh loudly, how to stand her ground, and how to be unapologetically happy. She was so hopelessly in love with him that she used to playfully compete with his beloved Royal Enfield bike just to keep his eyes on her.
But today, she was binding herself to someone else.
The crowd suddenly shifted, and Soumya’s breath caught in her throat. Jeet had arrived.
But this wasn't the Jeet the college knew. The usual magnetic spark in his eyes was entirely missing. His broad shoulders were slightly slouched, and his vibrant smile was replaced by a solemn, heavy expression. The realization that his favourite junior—the girl who had quietly consumed his every thought—was about to belong to someone else was tearing him apart from the inside.
Jeet swallowed the lump in his throat as he approached the couple. He didn’t want to cause a scene. He just wanted one thing. One last memory to keep him warm when the nights got too cold. He wanted to hold her close, just once.
"Can I request one dance with the bride-to-be?"Jeet’s voice was uncharacteristically soft, laced with a raw vulnerability that made Soumya’s heart ache.
Soumya’s breath hitched. She instinctively looked over at Ridhaan, her eyes pleading and conflicted. Ridhaan, ever the gentleman, offered her a warm, reassuring smile and nodded. "Go ahead, Soumya."
Jeet extended his hand. Soumya placed her trembling palm in his, and the moment their skin met, an electric jolt rushed through them both. He led her to the centre of the dance floor.
The DJ switched the track, and the soulful strains of "Yeh Fitoor Mera" began to echo through the hall.
Yeh fitoor mera laaya mujh ko tabaahi pe...
As the music swelled, Jeet pulled Soumya close, his hand resting securely on her waist, while her hand found its home on his shoulder. In an instant, the bustling banquet hall, the whispering relatives, and the flashing cameras melted away. The world narrowed down to just the two of them.
Their eyes locked, doing all the talking their lips had forbidden. Jeet’s gaze was a whirlpool of unspoken adoration and heart-breaking grief. Every step they took was a silent confession. Why are you leaving me? his eyes asked. Because I have no choice, hers cried back.
The chemistry between them was magnificent, a tangible, burning force that charged the air around them. Soumya leaned into his touch, completely oblivious to her surroundings, letting her hidden feelings finally breathe. For these few minutes, she wasn't a dutiful daughter or a promised bride. She was just Jeet's Soumya.
From the edge of the dance floor, Ridhaan watched them.
He watched the way Soumya’s face lit up even through her tears, a glow he had never managed to bring to her face. He watched the fierce, protective, and deeply painful love radiating from Jeet. And then, a sharp realization hit Ridhaan like a physical blow.
Jeet was his half-brother. They shared the same blood, but they had always lived in different worlds. Now, looking at them, Ridhaan realized that the girl he loved with all his heart had already lost hers to Jeet.
A heavy, suffocating pain bloomed in Ridhaan’s chest. It hurt to realize he was the outsider in his own love story. But as he looked at Soumya’s face, lost in absolute bliss in Jeet's arms, Ridhaan knew what he had to do. Soumya’s happiness meant more to him than his own pride. He couldn't build a marriage on a foundation of silent heartbreaks.
As the song reached its crescendo and final fading note,Jeet and Soumya slowly stepped apart, their eyes still lingering on each other,filled with a devastating longing.
Before the applause could fully take over, Ridhaan stepped onto the dance floor, walking straight toward them. Both Jeet and Soumya looked at him, tension instantly gripping their shoulders.
Ridhaan smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, and gently took Soumya's hand. He then looked at Jeet, reaching out to clasp his half-brother's shoulder.
"The engagement is still happening tonight,"Ridhaan announced clearly, his voice carrying across the quiet room as he looked at their families, and then back to the breathless couple. "But we need a small change. The groom today isn't me. It’s Jeet."
Soumya gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as fresh tears spilled over. Jeet stared at his brother in utter disbelief, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"Go on," Ridhaan whispered kindly to Jeet, stepping back to give them their space. "Take care of her. She’s already yours."
Under the golden lights of the hall, with her father’s hesitant but ultimate blessing and Ridhaan’s selfless grace, Jeet slipped the ring onto Soumya's finger. The madness, the fitoor of their love, had finally found its home.
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