For the past two days, Jagir Singh had been restless.

Sleep came in broken pieces. Food had lost its taste. His mind kept circling the same questions again and again, unable to land anywhere. What should he do? What was right for his daughter? What was safe? What was fair?

Baljit Kaur noticed it and finally asked on the second morning.

Her husband sat silently on the charpai (cot) in the courtyard, staring at nothing, his tea untouched in his hand.

“Meher’s papa,” she said gently, coming to sit beside him, “what is it? You have been so quiet for two days. Are you worried about arranging money? Is it not working out?”

She hesitated for a moment, then added softly, “If it is about money, do not take so much tension. My mother has kept some jewelry aside for our children. I can ask her for it.”

Jagir shook his head slowly. “What jewelry, Baljit?” he said, his voice heavy. “These are only small earrings and a thin chain. That will not even cover a fraction of what is needed. We need lakhs to send Meher abroad and if we sell even that now, what will we give our children at the time of their marriages? We are not even capable of making a small nose ring for our daughter anymore.”

Baljit’s face tightened with worry hearing the helplessness in her husband’s voice.

“Did Kaushalya Bibiji refuse to give money on interest?” she asked carefully.

Jagir took a deep breath and fell silent.

Baljit’s eyes widened. “Why did you suddenly go quiet? Did she refuse? Or did she ask for too much interest? That is why I said we should have spoken to Mehek first. If she had spoken to her grandmother, maybe something would have worked out.”

Jagir finally spoke, his voice low. “She did not refuse.”

Baljit looked confused. “Then?”

“She did not talk about money at all,” he said quietly. “Instead of giving money, she asked for our daughter’s hand.”

Baljit stared at him. “What do you mean?”

Jagir looked around instinctively, making sure no child was nearby, then lowered his voice further.

“She asked for Meher’s hand. For Kabir.”

For a second, Baljit did not react. Then her face lit up with a wide, stunned smile. “Our Meher?” she exclaimed happily, disbelief and joy mixing in her voice.

“Lower your voice,” Jagir warned gently, then told her everything Kaushalya had said. About respect. About education. About Meher working even after marriage. About sending money home if she wished. About not taking a single rupee in dowry.

With every word, Baljit’s eyes shone brighter.

“So why are you thinking so much?” she asked, almost laughing through her happiness. “Such proposals do not come to houses like ours every day and you are sitting here like someone has passed away. Do you know how many people would give anything to get their daughter married into that family?”

She leaned forward eagerly.

“What if tomorrow someone else comes with a proposal for Kabir? Everyone is ready to marry their daughters to him. And for our Meher, they themselves have come forward and asked. Why are you delaying?”

Her voice softened, filled with hope.

“This is the best match our daughter could get. She will be happy. Her dream of going abroad will also be fulfilled and our days will change too. Just say yes.”

Jagir shook his head slowly.

“No,” he said. “My heart does not agree.”

“Why?” Baljit looked stunned. 

“He is much older than Meher,” Jagir replied. “And what if after marriage he leaves her here and goes back alone? Which NRI takes his wife immediately after marriage? If he does not return, if our daughter remains stuck here, what then?”

He paused, his voice cracking slightly.

“And all this aside, this match feels uneven. We do not belong to their world. The difference in status is too big. And the age difference too. My heart just does not agree.”

Just then, a voice came from behind them. “Uncle ji, all your worries are valid. But I can guarantee you one thing…...”

Both Jagir and Baljit turned around sharply.

Mehek stood at the gate, with a few shopping bags in her hands.

Seeing her, both of them stood up at once.

Mehek walked closer and continued calmly after greeting them respectfully, “Dadi will not let my brother leave without his wife. No matter how long it takes for her documentation to be completed, he will not go alone.”

“Beta ji, when did you come?” Jagir asked nervously.

“Just now,” she replied with a gentle smile. “When you were worrying about what NRI men are like. I will not praise my brother, because Meher is just as dear to me. But I can tell you this much. My brother will never marry Meher and leave her behind. He is not that kind of man.”

Jagir shook his head quickly. “No, beta, I did not mean it like that.”

“It is okay, uncle,” Mehek said softly. “I understand. You are a father. Your worries are justified.”

She smiled again. “By the way, where is Meher? I came to meet her. I brought gifts for her from my trip. But she didn't come to meet me, so I came here.”

“She has not returned from the clinic yet,” Baljit said warmly. “Come inside and sit.”

Meher works in a private clinic for experience and practice, also to earn something which helps her in collecting some money to help her father financially.

As Mehek walked inside with Baljit, Jagir spoke again, his voice hesitant. “Beta ji, I have not spoken to Meher about this proposal yet.”

Mehek turned back immediately. “Don’t worry, uncle,” she said warmly. “I will not say anything to her. Not until you speak to her first and not until she herself comes to me with questions.”

Jagir nodded slowly, relief washing over his face.

Outside, the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the courtyard and inside that modest house, a decision waited to be made. One that would change many lives forever.

Meher returned home just as the sun dipped low. As she pushed open the gate of her small courtyard, her dupatta slipped off one shoulder as she walked in, tired but smiling after a long shift at the clinic.

The moment she stepped inside and lifted her eyes, she froze.

“MEHEK!”

The next second, Meher dropped her bag and ran forward, almost crashing into her best friend.

“You are here,” she squealed, hugging her tightly. “Are you actually here or am I hallucinating from exhaustion?”

Mehek laughed as Meher nearly lifted her off the ground. “Careful, nurse saab. I want my bones intact.”

Meher pulled back just to look at her properly, hands still gripping Mehek’s shoulders. “When did you come? Why did you not tell me? Do you know how much I missed you?”

She pulled her into another hug before Mehek could answer.

Baljit smiled fondly from the doorway while Jagir quietly excused himself, giving the girls their space. Baljit also excused herself to make tea for them.

Meher dragged Mehek inside, plopping down on the bed like a whirlwind and asked, “You look so glowy! Honeymoon glow is real, I swear. Come, come, sit! Tell me everything. Every single detail. Don’t skip the embarrassing parts. And yes, tell me that Pahadi khacchar (mountain mule) of yours doesn’t trouble you too much, right? If he does, just tell me. I’ll fix him with a couple of injections.”

Mehek burst out laughing and said between giggles, “Oh come on, my Balraj is not that bad. Why are you always picking on him?”

“Oh wow, my Balraj,” Meher teased her while rolling her eyes dramatically. “And yes, you’re right, that Pahadi khacchar isn’t just bad. He’s very bad….”

“Enough, stop defaming my innocent husband like this,” Mehek cut in. “He is your jeeju (brother-in-law) now.”

“Innocent husband?” Meher arched her eyebrows. “Haye mereya rabba meri saheli saheli na rahi begani ho gai. (Oh my God, my best friend is no longer my best friend. She’s become a stranger now.)” she wailed dramatically, making Mehek laugh even harder. “Behn (Sister), that man and the word innocent don’t fit in the same sentence.”

“It’s not like that,” Mehek said, defending Balraj cutely, though no one ever really manages to defend their partner in front of a best friend.

“Oh, so it’s not like that. Then swear honestly on everything holy that your Pahadi khacchar wasn’t desperate at all and didn’t even touch you, that he’s really that decent,” Meher teased, shifting Mehek’s dupatta slightly and pointing at the faint red hickey on her neck.

“Oye!” Mehek exclaimed, playfully slapping her hand away. “You don’t ask married women about their bedroom secrets.”

“Oh please! I don’t want to know how wild you and that Pahadi khacchar are in the bedroom. I don’t need Fifty Shades of Balraj Singh,” Meher joked, making Mehek gasp.

Before Mehek could reply, Baljit walked in with tea, and both of them instantly fell silent, sitting like well behaved girls, as if they had not just been inches apart to discuss their best friend’s sex life.

After Baljit left Mehek reached for the bags she brought with her and pulled out small gifts that she brought for Meher from her honeymoon trip.

“First, these are for you. From Switzerland. Open it, open it!”

Meher tore into it like a child on Diwali and started opening the bags and pulled out small gifts one by one. Inside was a delicate silver bracelet with tiny blue stones, a box of Swiss chocolates, and a soft woollen scarf in pastel pink and a tiny keychain shaped like a stethoscope.

“For my overworked nurse,” Mehek said softly.

Meher gasped dramatically and hugged her tightly while saying, “Mehek! This bracelet is so pretty! And chocolates? You’re spoiling me rotten.” She immediately slipped the bracelet on her wrist and admired it, twisting her hand this way and that. “I’m never taking this off. Ever.”

Mehek grinned. “Good. And the scarf is for when you finally go abroad and freeze in those hospital shifts. But seriously, Meher, why don’t you ever come visit me? My sasural (in-laws' home) is just ten minutes away. You make me feel like I live in another country.” She complained cutely. “I always have to run to you.”

Meher shrugged innocently while munching on a piece of chocolate. “Your sasural is huge. I feel awkward. Like I will sit and someone will offer me tea in gold cups.”

Mehek burst out laughing. “It's not like that. That house is just like my house, and you used to come to my place too before my wedding. You should come there as well. Everyone will love it to have you.”

They kept chatting, jumping from one topic to another. Meher’s funny patients at the clinic, Mehek’s disastrous attempt at cooking aloo paratha for Balraj. “He ate it anyway, my poor Balraj.” Both laughed so loud imagining Balraj’s face.

They talked about old school memories, and endless teasing about how married life had turned Mehek into a “proper grownup woman” who now scolded people for not drinking enough water or leaving lights and fans of a room on.

Suddenly, a car horn sounded outside the gate…..two short, impatient beeps.

Mehek’s face lit up. “That’s Balraj. He came to pick me up.”

Meher jumped to her feet. “Come, I’ll walk you out. I want to say hi to that Pahadi khacchar…….I mean my jeeja ji and also thank you for these lovely gifts.”

They linked arms and stepped outside. The black fortuner idled by the gate. Balraj was in the driver’s seat, smiling as he waved. In the passenger sat Kabir, looking out the opposite window, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

As soon as Balraj waved, Mehek’s face lit up the moment she saw him. Meher gave her a teasing nudge and waved back at Balraj herself. But when her eyes fell on Kabir sitting in the car, she casually asked, “Has your brother not left yet?”

Mehek smiled knowingly, but Meher was unaware of the real meaning behind that smile. “This time, Dadi is not letting him go without my bhabhi.”

“Good luck with that.” Meher laughed lightly. “But anyway, if his wedding does happen, then whenever you come to London to meet your bhabhi, don’t forget to come and meet me too, because my agent is also filing my paperwork for the UK.”

“Oh wow, that’s really good news. But only time will tell who ends up coming to meet whom and where,” Mehek said, though Meher did not catch the hidden meaning in her words.

Mehek opened the backseat door to sit, and Meher greeted Balraj, “Sat Shri Akal, Jeeja ji, and thanks for the gifts.”

Balraj simply smiled politely and nodded as he returned her greeting.

Even before getting into the car, Mehek said something that made both friends laugh again. And without meaning to, someone’s eyes lingered on Meher’s laughing face, while Meher, completely unaware, kept laughing freely.

As Mehek settled down and the door and windows of the car shut and no noise could come out, inside the car, Balraj leaned toward Kabir with a teasing grin.

“You are sober today. What have you decided? Go ahead and propose to her. Mr saali sahiba (sister-in-law) is not that bad.”

Kabir shot him a deadly glare, jaw tight. The words from that drunken night at the motor echoed again in his head.

Balraj’s sharp truths about Simran, about blame, about moving on. He said nothing, just turned his face away which only led him to look at Meher once again.

Meher, still standing by the gate, waved brightly as the car started to pull away. “Bye, Mehek! Come soon again!”

Mehek waved back enthusiastically while Balraj honked once in farewell.

As the car disappeared down the dusty lane, Meher stood there smiling, bracelet glinting on her wrist, completely unaware of the storm quietly brewing in the hearts of the people inside that car.

Meanwhile in the car Balraj turned around immediately and asked, “So, is your friend ready to become your bhabhi (sister-in-law)?”

Mehek shook her head. “Jagir uncle has not spoken to Meher yet.”

Balraj clicked his tongue and looked at Kabir. “Then hurry up dude. Talk to your future father in law. Your boss is going to eat you alive if you delay your return any further.”

Kabir raised his fist, ready to punch Balraj to put a halt on his nonsense but before he could, Mehek leaned forward sharply from the backseat.

“Hey. What are you doing?” she scolded cutely. “He is your jeeja now. You do not hit the jawai (son-in-law) of the house. What if he gets upset?”

Kabir glared at his sister.

“What? Don’t look at me like that. If he gets upset and stops me from coming to my parents’ house, I’ll be the one who suffers. You’ll be in London.” Mehek said with such cute innocence that Kabir had nothing to say in return.

Balraj and Mehek burst out laughing together looking at his face. Mehek leaned forward again, wrapping her arms around Kabir from behind in a sudden hug.

“Bhai,” she said softly but firmly, “I will offer prasad to Baba ji the day your wedding with Meher gets fixed.”

Kabir stiffened slightly.

“Because you will not find a better girl than her,” Mehek continued cheerfully. “And honestly, your humourless, boring life needs someone interesting. My best friend will at least make sure you smile once in a while.”

Kabir said nothing. But for the first time, the name Meher did not feel like a wound. It felt like a question.

And somewhere inside him, buried beneath pain and resistance, something shifted ever so slightly.

Back to the gate of that small modest house, it closed softly behind Meher as she stepped back inside.

Her laughter from outside still lingered in the air, but it faded the moment she saw her father sitting on the cot in the courtyard, watching her with a strange mix of warmth and worry.

“Meher,” Jagir called gently, patting the space beside him. “Come here, beta.”

She walked over, still smiling and asked, “What happened, Papa? You look like you are about to announce exam results.”

He chuckled softly, trying to keep things light, but his eyes gave him away. “Sit first,” he said. “I need to talk to you about something important.”

Meher sat, her fingers instinctively twisting the edge of her dupatta.

Jagir cleared his throat and started after gathering immense courage. “Beta, a proposal has come for you.”

Her smile vanished in an instant. “What?” she blurted out. “Papa, no. I want to build a life, not get married. I have plans. I want to work. I want to go abroad. I want to change things for all of us.”

Jagir lifted a hand gently and placed it on her head. “First, listen to the whole thing.”

But Meher shook her head, already standing up. “You always say listen first and then it becomes a lecture,” she said, half joking, half serious. “I am not ready for marriage. At least not now.”

Jagir’s voice stayed calm, steady. “Meher, at least hear whose proposal it is.”

She crossed her arms, stubborn. “Whoever it is, my answer is no.”

Baljit, who had been standing quietly near the doorway, finally spoke. “Kaushalya bibiji has asked for your hand. For Kabir.”

Meher froze and her eyes widened in shock. “Kabir?” she whispered. “Mehek’s brother Kabir?”

Jagir nodded slowly and Meher kept looking between her parents, stunned.

Jagir began to explain, carefully, thoughtfully, choosing every word and he told her about everything that Kaushalya had told him that day. He didn't hide a single word because that's his daughter's life's biggest decision.

Mehek stood quietly near the door, listening to every word, not interrupting. Her throat tightened by the time her father finished telling her about everything.

Jagir placed his hand gently on her head. “Beta, do not think for a moment that your father is making a deal with your life. I am not trading you for comfort.” His voice wavered. “I am only scared for you. Scared of how you will live alone in a foreign country, how will you manage everything on your own. We have no relatives there. No one who will look out for you if something goes wrong. You do not even go to the market here without me worrying.”

Meher’s eyes burned.

“If you go after marriage, at least I will sleep knowing you are not alone. There is someone to take care of you if you need.” He swallowed hard. “I want to fulfill your dream but I also want to see you safe. And the truth is, beta, I do not have the financial strength to do both on my own. Kaushalya Maaji’s suggestion is the only way I can give you wings without leaving you unprotected.”

The room fell silent.

Meher’s eyes filled, but she did not let the tears fall. Her lips pressed together as if holding back words that were too heavy to speak. She just shook her head lightly. Urging him to change his decision silently.

“Look, Meher, my child, I have already made my decision. I am not worried about you going abroad and working to pay off my debts. That is my responsibility, and I will fulfill it myself, somehow. My biggest concern is keeping you safe and always seeing you happy in life.” He said softly. “Anyway, we had already decided on this. No matter where you go, you will not misuse the freedom I have given you. You will come back here to get married, with my consent. And my choice is Kabir.”

She stood up slowly and without saying anything, she turned and walked toward her room leaving her parents to look at her worriedly.

The door closed behind her with a soft click.

Inside, Meher leaned against it, her breath breaking.

For the first time, her dream of flying felt tied to a ground she could not escape.

Because along with going abroad, this new condition of marriage shook Meher deeply. Like every girl, she too had many dreams about marriage and many expectations about her life partner. She also wanted someone who would love her wholeheartedly, the way Balraj loves her best friend.

But what she had never imagined, not even for an enemy, was that a companion would come into her life whose heart was already captured by someone else’s love, and who perhaps had never truly been able to forget her.

And outside, Jagir remained seated, staring at the floor, wondering if loving your child sometimes meant breaking their heart to protect it.

In the quiet of that small house, a future began to take shape. Not with celebration but with silence.

Meher ran and grabbed her phone, then dialed Mehek’s number instantly.

On the other side, in the car, Mehek and Balraj were teasing Kabir about something and laughing when her phone rang. She picked it up. “Hello!”

“You knew about this, didn’t you?” Meher asked directly without any greetings.

Mehek glanced up at Kabir before answering. “Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” She asked and there was a hint of accusation in her broken tone.

“Because that was Uncle Jagir’s right, not mine,” Mehek replied calmly.

The moment she said that, both men in the car understood who was on the phone. Balraj looked at Kabir, who was already staring at his sister through the rearview mirror.

“I want to meet him,” Meher said.

A wide smile spread across Mehek’s face listening to her words. She replied happily, “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

Without waiting to hear or say anything else, Meher hung up.

The moment the call ended, Mehek started bouncing in her seat, and singing in excitement and happiness. “I am going to plan my own brother’s secret date with my best friend. How cute is that?”

Kabir, sitting in the front, dropped his forehead into his palm and groaned dramatically. “Dadi, where have you trapped me?”

Balraj burst out laughing. “Relax, Romeo. At least this time, your sister is on your side.”

Mehek leaned forward, poking Kabir’s shoulder, and singing teasingly.