epilogue pt.2

"I still can't believe how you managed to snag a room in that resort during this season. I've been wanting to go there forever!" Nila gushed, sitting criss-cross in her passenger seat.

"Yeah, the number of reels about that place that you've sent me is enough hint," Vijay joked, earning a slap on his arm. "I mean, it's your birthday week, silver. Unexpectedly, we got some days to ourselves plus we're finally getting married. Like for real, for real. Till now it only happened in my head. So of course, we should be celebrating it. I'm just a little bummed that you peeped into my phone and found out about it. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Just promise me you won't stop being this adorable and sweet after we're married."

"Please. Do you think I'm even physically capable of not being adorable?"

"Hmm, let me think," Nila said, pretending to do so with a finger on her chin. "What about the time when you cancelled our date last minute? Or when you were pissed at me when you assumed I was being all chummy with your rival when I was merely making polite conversation? Or how about when you yelled at me when ---"

"Okay, stop," Vijay groaned, as he controlled the steering wheel effortlessly. "I swear these days you wouldn't even let me flirt with you. And it's a sad thing that I have the brain of a goldfish while you remember every little word I've said to you."

"It's not like that. I'm just not too love-dazed to not call you out on your lies. It's healthy, Vijay."

"I told you, silver. As long as we work and we love each other, I don't care if it's healthy or junk. Who's deciding this shit anyway?"

Nila laughed. "It's toxic. The opposite of healthy. At least in relationships," she corrected, her hand reaching up to his nape.

"Whatever it is," he grumbled, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his lips. "Don't keep calling out my mistakes, silver. You know how much I regret them."

"Sorry. I won't do it again, okay?" she said softly. "I know I've fucked up many times too. But you never remind me of them again. I should've not done it."

"Yes, you shouldn't have," he said mockingly, gently biting her palm. Nila chuckled and smacked his face lightly before pulling away her arm.

"Oh, wait. We are here?" Nila sat up right and let her legs unfold. They entered into a coral-coloured compound with beautiful scenery. The hill-town of Thekkady was beautiful. The weather was just perfect and it wasn't very populated like other popular tourist spots. It was low-key, cozy and apt for a quiet staycation.

"You want to wait here while I sort out the room?" Vijay asked, parking the car.

"What? No way. I'm coming with you!" Nila said, unbuckling her seat belt and opening the door.

"Five years and you're still obsessed with me," Vijay said, shaking his head.

Nila jumped a little and held him in a headlock. "Who's obsessed with who?"

They went like that till the reception and as soon as the staff looked at them like they were lunatics who accidentally crawled into their place, they straightened and let each other go. "Booking in the name of Nila Vijay," he told the receptionist.

Nila gasped.

Vijay winked at her.

Idiot, she mouthed.

His smug grin deepened.

They finished up with the ID verification and all the other formalities before staff helped them haul their luggage to a room. At least Nila assumed it was a room. Until they were led to a private cottage. The cottage was the homiest thing she'd seen. It was something pulled out of Pinterest, triggering the urge to wrap herself in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate in front of a crackling fire, with crickets humming in the background.

"What? Why are we going here?" Nila asked.

Vijay looked up at his phone. "Maybe they upgraded us or something?"

"Vijay."

He raised his hand up. "Trust me. I don't know what's going on as well."

Nila narrowed her eyes at him, recalling the number of times he had said Trust me and spouted white lies. The staff was about to go into the cottage to deposit their luggage when Vijay stopped them. "We'll take it from here. Thank you so much."

"Seriously?" she drawled.

"Why are you always accusing me of something?" Vijay said, carrying the luggage and opening the big wooden door.

"Because of that face. It just screams that you're hiding something."

"No, it does not!" Vijay opened the door.

"It does!" Nila switched on the light. "You just don't know----"

"Surprise!"

"Ahh!" Nila jumped and reflexively clutched Vijay's jacket. Her eyes slowly adjusted and the bright smiles of all the people close to her came to view. Everyone was here. Krish, Anamika, Farah, Aadil, Maya, Sanjay, Lilly and Priya.

"Happy Birthday!" They chorused again and she clutched her soon-to-be-husband's jacket tighter. Tears built in her eyes, blurring the cheerful faces out. She let out a choked laugh, wiped her tears and ran towards them, throwing her arms around them.

All of them wrapped her in a giant hug, letting her become an emotional mess in the comfort of their protective arms. "How? I can't believe it. How are you guys here? That too all of you?"

All of them had tried meeting up in the past years but at least one person wouldn't be able to show up. Their schedules never lined up. Never. It was too hard to believe that everyone was present.

"It just happened. Vijay called. It was very last minute. But everyone ended up saying yes!" Farah said.

"Oh my god, where is Syed? Where's my little boy?" Nila asked.

"He's not little anymore. He's three years old. He can stay without his mommy. At least that's what he told us when we asked if he'd be okay with us going on this trip," Aadil said, an arm around his wife.

"What about you guys?" Nila asked Krish and Anamika. They had recently started dating but they were in love since the last year of college. Both of them were too in denial and kept going back and forth before finally giving in to their feelings.

"Oh, they were fighting. Had been three days since they'd spoken to each other when Vijay's call came," Priya answered instead. "Guess they missed each other too much so they ended up agreeing to the trip immediately and made up for the 'sake of you'."

"That's not what happened!"

"I didn't miss her that much!"

Krish and Anamika said together.

"Aw, I'm so touched you love me more than each other," Nila teased.

The couple scoffed. Even their mannerisms were in sync. It was eerie.

"Sanjay? You also came?" Nila said, moving on to her best friend who had married her other best friend Maya. No one would've guessed since they were famously known for their disagreements. But it turned out that Sanjay had been secretly simping for Maya since day one, studying her favourite book boyfriends and trying to be them. Maya had been oblivious to the whole thing until one day he blurted it one day in an argument. It had been wild that day. Nila could still remember every detail. They didn't get together until seven months later but they'd married quickly. It helped that their parents were acquaintances.

"Yes. How could I miss my best friend's birthday bash?" he asked, wrapping her in another hug. He had bulked up a lot after college so it felt like she was being hugged by a very fit and muscular panda.

"You missed it last time."

"That's because I couldn't afford to take leave with Maya's delivery due soon."

Nila hugged Maya tightly next. Their baby had died a week later due to health complications and it was a devastating period for the whole circle. No one knew how to comfort them. It was tragic. Whenever Nila thought about it, her heart ached for them. But they had bounced back from the aftermath of the loss and were stronger than ever. "I'm glad you made it!" she told her.

"Your birthday came at the right time," Maya told her.

Priya was an independent artist and she partly owned a café with Lilly. She was always travelling and exploring so Nila and Vijay met her often. Lilly was the wealthiest person in the gang, owning a chain of successful cafes. Both of them never missed a meetup.

"I'm so glad all of you are here. I don't know. It already feels like the best birthday. I don't know how to thank you all," Nila gushed again.

"Thank your boyfriend," Anamika said.

Nila turned towards Vijay. He was leaning against the doorway and watching her. Just watching her as if she was the most beautiful thing in this planet. She ran towards him and as if knowing she was going for a koala-hug, he crouched low enough to scoop her and hold her as she clung to him. "I love you," Nila murmured, pressing a kiss to his shoulder and tightening her arms around his neck. "Thank you. This means the world to me. I just---- love you. I love you so fucking much. I don't know what else to say."

Vijay cradled her as if she was a giant baby and smiled. "I love you too, silver. Happy birthday."

"It's not until day after."

"We are celebrating the whole week. That's our tradition, isn't it?"

"But this time not just us?"

"Not just us. I don't want you to get bored of me. I mean, you're spending the rest of your life with me anyway."

"I'll never get bored of you, lover boy," she said, kissing his cheek. "But I won't deny, it feels nice to celebrate with company."

"I know," he said, kissing her cheek and lowering her to the ground when Farah yelled at them to get a room. "Just know that I'm already planning our honeymoon."

Before Nila could react to it, he spun her around so that they were facing their friends. "Just one correction, Anamika," Vijay said. "I'm not her boyfriend anymore. I'm her soon-to-be-husband."

"You're kidding?"

"Don't joke around."

"You can't think we're going to fall for that lie."

"No way you got permission."

"But what if they did?"

"Did you guys finally decide to elope?"

"That must be it. Eloping, huh? You guys really do it with style, huh?

Nila sighed. "Guys, it's true. We are getting married. We got permission. I swear."

A few beats of silence lingered in the air.

"Come on guys, it wasn't impossible," Vijay said.

"Yes, it was!"

"We literally called it Mission Impossible."

"Your love story is the most mindfuck fate-linking trope."

"Is that even a trope?"

"What does that even mean?"

Vijay and Nila looked at each other.

"Are you thinking the same thing as I am?" Vijay asked her.

Nila leaned into his side, feeling hopeless at the chaos in front of her. "Yeah. Maybe we should've celebrated this week alone."

"It's not too late. Let's lock them here and find another place."

"Vijay."

"It was just a suggestion."

Nila sighed. "Let's take a walk and allow them to calm down."

"Good idea."

Nila and Vijay turned around and walked out the door. They wouldn't have stepped a few metres away when a strong cold breeze made her bones chatter with chills. "Come here," Vijay called, bringing her into the loop of his arm so that he could tuck her under his jacket.

"Kinda like the cold if I'm wrapped up like this," Nila said.

"You don't need the cold as an excuse and you know that." He dropped a kiss on her head. "I'm always yours, silver."

"I know," she said, snuggling into his chest. "You're my favourite in this whole world."

Vijay's lips curved at the corners. "I'll remember that."

"You better."

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a/n: and that's our final goodbye to our babies (unless you decide to go for a re-read for which i'll love you)! hope you smiled, giggled, blushed, pined and had an unexplainable urge to squeal and gush because what's the point of reading romance otherwise, right?

check out my other works on my profile and on my second account caralogue ! you'll love it here, i promise! ❤️

see you in another story x