Amidst Our Erred Stars

10

Sahaj texted me thrice on how to act in front of his parents, thrice.

'don't forget to wear the ring.'

'pretend to be a little shy'

'act like you're a sweet and kind person, that's what I've told my parents'

Act? I couldn't help but scoff inwardly. Why would I need to act? I am sweet and kind, aren't I?

'And in love.'

That's where the acting part came in. Okay, Seerat, time to channel your inner Bollywood heroine and pretend like you're head over heels in love. Easy peasy.

Setting my phone aside, I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. Memories of the disastrous makeup I wore when I first met him flooded back, sending a wave of cringe coursing through my body. My stomach twisted at the recollection, and I couldn't help but squirm at the thought of it, his mother saw me looking like a toddler who found her mother's makeup bag.

He said they would be here by 5, I still have thirty minutes to get ready.

Applying a good amount of tinted sunscreen, I moved on to kajal. You can never go wrong with Kajal, adding a little bit of blush on my face to bring in the colour and a light pink lip balm, I looked at the two options I kept to wear.

I'll go with the off-white embroidered kurta, I reached for it when my mother stepped into the room.

"You're wearing that?" She asked, distaste clear in her voice.

"It's not good?" I asked.

"No!" She exclaimed, shaking her head, "They're coming to fix an alliance, don't embarrass us with this cheap Sarojini kurta." She took it out of my hands and threw it on the stool in the corner.

Sarojini? I bought the kurta from her sister's daughter's new brand she desperately promotes every day on her WhatsApp status.

"I bought this from Neha's store." I let her know. She didn't have a response to that.

She walked over to my cupboard, rummaging through the clothes, "Abhi Prerna ki shadi me itna kuch silwaya tha, kahan gaya sab?" She asked, shuffling through the hangers.
(I got so many clothes stitched for you at Prerna's wedding, where is it?)

I crossed my arms, waiting for her to stop creating a mess, I cleaned my room after months just last night, why was she making a mess out of it?

Pulling out a sea green kurta and palazzo set, she handed it to me, "Wear this and please! Don't embarrass us." She repeated. Why is she so worried about her reputation? I thought she didn't want this marriage to happen.

"I hope your Rehan doesn't make an appearance."

"He won't." She looked at me, "I have talked to him."

I looked at her, unsure if I should believe her. Rehan, had a knack for showing up at the most inconvenient times, especially when I least expected it. But if my mother said she had spoken to him and sorted things out, I had no choice but to trust her.

Taking the sea-green kurta and palazzo set from her, I gave her a small nod. "Fine, I'll wear this," I replied, trying to hide my disappointment. The off-white kurta felt more like me, but I didn't want to argue with my mother right now.

As she left the room, I quickly changed into the sea-green outfit, taking care to adjust it properly. The intricate embroidery and delicate fabric looked elegant, despite my dislike about the colour but it felt a little too flashy.

Once dressed, I returned to the mirror to assess the overall look.

With time ticking away, I hurriedly touched up my makeup, making sure everything was just right.