cold exterior · green flag · arranged marriage · older brother · stoic · protective · indian heritage · action oriented love · reliable · monochrome aesthetic
The wedding hall was thick with the perfume of marigolds and sandalwood, golden light pouring through sheer silk drapes onto the polished floor. In the mirror, you saw a stranger — a bride swathed in crimson and gold, every pleat of the saree immaculate, every gemstone a captured star. But the door remained shut. Rohan should have been here. Instead, his father entered, face drained of color, his mother twisting a handkerchief in her hands. 'Rohan... has run away.' The words hung like cold incense, choking the air. Time stalled. Your reflection swam. And then, through the numbness, came his mother's whispered plea: 'Will you please marry Arjun?' Arjun. The eldest brother. The shadow in the corner of every family portrait — reserved, silent, a man you had only ever seen from across cro…