As soon as the excitement settled a little, Sayali couldn't sit still anymore. Her heart was still racing from the news. Punjab. Amritsar. The same city where he lived.

There was no way she was keeping this to herself.

She immediately grabbed her phone and called the only person who could handle her drama — Meher.

The call connected.

"Hello?" Meher answered lazily.

"Mehuuuuu!" Sayali squealed excitedly.

(Mehuuuuu!)

Meher pulled the phone slightly away from her ear.
"Ohoo, kya hua? Itni khushi kis cheez ki hai?"

(Oh ho, what happened? Why are you this happy?)

Sayali almost jumped on the spot.
"Tujhe pata hai, meri mummy ko shaadi ka invitation aaya hai!"

(You know what? My mom got a wedding invitation!)

Meher replied casually,
"Toh tu kyun itni khush ho rahi hai jaise teri hi shaadi hai?"

(Then why are you so happy like it's your own wedding?)

"Abe nahiiii!" Sayali groaned dramatically. "Shaadi Punjab mein hai aur hum jaaaaaa rahe haiiii... yayyyyy! Aur woh bhi Amritsar mein haiiiii!"

(Noooo! The wedding is in Punjab and we are goingggg... yayyy! And that too in Amritsar!)

Meher immediately completed her sentence knowingly,
"Jahan Abhishek rehta hai..."

(Where Abhishek lives...)

Sayali gasped.
"Yesssssss! Kaash mujhe woh mil jaaye toh bhai kya hoga!"

(Yes! If I somehow meet him, oh my God, what will happen!)

At that exact moment, the author popped in dramatically.

Little did she know... what was written in her fate... obviously written by me only. 😂

Meher snorted.
"Tu usko saamne dekh ke hi behosh ho jaayegi, mujhe pata hai."

(You'll faint just seeing him in front of you, I know it.)

"Areee aisa nahi hai..." Sayali said shyly, trying to act cool.

(No, it's not like that...)

"Haan haan," Meher teased.

(Yeah yeah, sure.)

Then suddenly Sayali remembered something.

"Ek aur baat bolni thi... yeh Rohan kuch alag hi behave kar raha hai. Woh mujhe roz couple wali reels bhej raha hai."

(I wanted to tell you something else... Rohan has been acting weird. He sends me couple-type reels every day.)

Meher didn't even hesitate.
"Woh tujhe pasand karta hai, isliye bhej raha hoga."

(He probably likes you, that's why he's sending them.)

Sayali frowned.
"Accha? Tujhe kaise pata yeh?"

(Really? How do you know that?)

"Maine dekha hai," Meher said confidently. "Jab dekho tab tujhe hi dekhta rehta hai. Teri tareef bhi karta hai."

(I've seen it. Whenever I look, he's always staring at you. He even praises you a lot.)

"Toh isse kya hota hai? Huh. Kuch bhi sochti hai tu."

(So what does that mean? You think anything randomly.)

"Abe obviously!" Meher laughed. "Tu author hai aur tujhe hi nahi pata koi aise kyun dekhta hai? Main author nahi hoon phir bhi samajh jaati hoon."

(You're an author and you still don't understand why someone looks at you like that? I'm not even an author and I understand.)

Sayali sighed softly.
"Par mujhe woh pasand nahi... dost hi theek hai."

(But I don't like him... he's better just as a friend.)

"Accha theek hai," Meher said gently.

(Okay fine.)

Just then, Meher's mom called her from the other side.

"Meher! Phone rakh, kaam hai!"

Meher sighed. "Maa bula rahi hai, baad mein baat karti hoon."
(Mom is calling me, I'll talk later.)

"Okay, bye," Sayali replied, still smiling.

The call disconnected.

But Sayali's excitement hadn't gone down even a little. Her mind was still stuck on one word.

Punjab.

She quickly ran downstairs to the kitchen where her mother was arranging things.

"Aai, apan kadhi nighnar aahe?" she asked eagerly.
(Mom, when are we leaving?)

Revati replied calmly, "Parva sakali jaau. Aath vajta chi train aahe."
(We'll go the day after tomorrow morning. The train is at 8 a.m.)

"Okieee, mi bag bharte mag!" Sayali said happily.
(Okayyy, then I'll start packing my bag!)

Without wasting another second, she rushed back upstairs like an overexcited child.

As soon as she entered her room, her eyes fell on her phone.

One missed call — Meher.

"Arre," she muttered and quickly called back.

The call connected.

"Hello, tune call kiya tha?" Sayali asked.
(Hello, did you call me?)

"Sayuuuuuuu!!" Meher screamed excitedly from the other side.

Sayali blinked.
"Tujhe kya hua? Tu achanak itni khushi kis cheez ki hai?"
(What happened to you? Why are you suddenly so happy?)

Meher almost exploded.
"Main bhi tere saath Amritsar aa rahi hoon!"
(I'm also coming to Amritsar with you!)

For a second, Sayali's brain stopped working.

"Kyaaaaa? Sahi mein?!"
(What?! Really?!)

"Haaaa!" Meher laughed. "Teri mummy, meri mummy, aur jinke yahan jaana hai woh bachpan ke dost nikle."
(Yes! Your mom, my mom, and the family we're visiting turned out to be childhood friends.)

Sayali gasped loudly.

"Heinnn! Yeh toh kitni acchi baat hai! Ab hum dono saath mein jaayenge!"
(Whattt! That's such good news! Now we'll go together!)

Then she added dramatically with a laugh,
"Ab toh main chakkar aa ke gir gayi na, toh tu sambhaal legi mujhe."
(Now if I faint from excitement, you'll catch me, okay?)

"Haan haan," Meher teased.
(Yeah yeah, obviously.)

"Yayyyyy! Itni excitement ho rahi hai mujhe!"
(I'm feeling sooo excited!)

Both of them kept squealing, planning outfits, imagining the trip, joking about food, shopping, and— of course — "what if we accidentally meet Abhishek."

After talking nonstop for almost half an hour, they finally hung up so they could start packing.

And just like that, the rest of the night passed in pure chaos.

Open cupboards.

Clothes thrown everywhere.

"Yeh bhi le jaun kya?"
"Extra dress chahiye kya?"
"Shoes kitne le jaaun?"

Excitement buzzing in the air.

Because this wasn't just a trip anymore.

It felt like the beginning of something special.

Something unexpected.

And neither of them had any idea...

how much their lives were about to change.

___________________________________________________

Time skip — The day of leaving for Amritsar

The morning air at the station was cool and fresh, filled with the familiar chaos of announcements, chai vendors shouting, and people dragging their suitcases across the platform.

Sayali and her mother reached the station a little early. Sayali held her backpack tightly, her excitement impossible to hide. She kept looking around every two seconds, searching for one specific face.

And then—

"There!" she said suddenly.

Near one of the benches, Meher and her mom were already waiting with their luggage.

Sayali didn't even walk.

She ran.

"MEHUUUU!" she shouted.

Meher turned just in time before Sayali crashed into her with a tight hug.

"Pagal hai kya?" Meher laughed, hugging her back.
(Are you crazy or what?)

"Miss kiya tujhe!" Sayali said dramatically.
(I missed you!)

Meanwhile, Revati and Aisha aunty greeted each other warmly and started chatting like old friends who had met after years.

On the other side, Sayali and Meher immediately started their nonstop gossip mode.

"Kitni excited hoon yaar," Sayali said, practically bouncing.
(I'm so excited, yaar.)

"Same! Maine toh kal raat properly soya hi nahi," Meher replied.
(Same! I didn't even sleep properly last night.)

"Punjab trip, wedding, shopping... aur maybe—" Sayali wiggled her eyebrows.

Meher smirked. "Maybe Abhishek?"

Sayali lightly slapped her arm. "Chup pagli!"
(Shut up, crazy girl!)

Both burst out laughing.

But then suddenly, a thought hit Sayali.

Her expression changed.

"Arre oye..." she said slowly.

Meher looked at her. "Kya?"
(What?)

"Oye tune pucha tha aunty se ki kiske ghar pe shaadi hai? Like unka naam kya hai?"
(Did you ask aunty whose house the wedding is at? Like what's their name?)

Meher froze.

"Nahi yaar... mere dimaag mein hi nahi aaya. Chal abhi puchte hain."
(No yaar... it didn't even come to my mind. Come, let's ask now.)

Both quickly walked toward their mothers.

Meher tugged her mom's dupatta.

"Maaa, aapne toh bataya hi nahi jinke ghar jaa rahe hai unka naam kya hai?"
(Mom, you never told us whose house we're going to. What's their name?)

Sayali and Meher leaned forward eagerly, waiting for the answer like it was some big secret.

Aisha aunty started, "Woh uska naam Man—"

But before she could finish—

The loud train horn echoed across the platform.

The train rolled in.

"Arey chalo, train aa gayi!" Revati said quickly.
(Come on, the train is here!)

"Haan haan, aa rahi!" Sayali replied, grabbing her bag.
(Yes yes, coming!)

In the rush of luggage, tickets, and seats...

The question remained unfinished.

Before Aisha aunty could complete the name, the loud horn of the train echoed across the station, cutting her words midway. In the sudden rush, everyone grabbed their bags and hurried toward the platform.

They boarded the train quickly, found their seats, and settled near the window, adjusting their luggage and catching their breath.

Moments later, the train gave a small jerk and slowly started moving.

Outside, the platform began sliding away.

The crowd.

The vendors shouting.

The noise.

The familiar streets.

Everything slowly drifting farther and farther behind them.

Sayali rested her chin against the window, her fingers lightly tracing the cool glass as she watched the scenery change. Buildings turned into open roads, roads turned into fields, and the city slowly disappeared from sight.

Her heart beat a little faster.

This wasn't just a trip anymore.

It felt different.

Special.

Like the start of something new.

A new city.

A wedding.

New memories waiting to be made.

She didn't know why, but there was a strange excitement bubbling inside her chest — the kind you feel before an unexpected adventure.

The wind brushed against her face as she smiled softly, lost in her thoughts.

And somewhere far away...

Amritsar was waiting for her.

Little did she know—

This journey wasn't just taking her to Punjab.

It was quietly, gently...

Taking her closer to destiny

to be continued....

___________________________________________________

End Note 🤍

From a normal, boring day at home to suddenly packing bags for Punjab... life really has its own unexpected plot twists.

Sayali thinks this trip is just about attending a wedding and having fun with Meher.

But sometimes, the journeys we don't plan... end up changing everything.

A new city.
New memories.
New people.
And maybe... a life-changing encounter waiting for her in Amritsar. ✨

Let's see what destiny has planned next...

If you liked this chapter, please vote, like, and comment — your feedback truly motivates me to keep writing. And don't forget to follow so you don't miss the next update!

See you in the next chapter 💛

-withlove your Author 💛