Kevin is sitting comfortably on the window sill with his legs crossed and a drink in his hand. He is in the beige three-piece suit and his hair slicks back nicely. Next to him is Haseena. She is in in the burgundy pant suit reading her best man speech for a hundred times while crossing her legs. They both look so at ease like this is just another ordinary day when in fact, it is supposed to be one of Kevin's biggest day.

"I can see your boobs." Kevin comments on Haseena's pant suit.

"Good." Haseena responds without giving any attention or changes her posture.

"Kev's going to cry."

Alice who is in the burgundy long sleeve lace maxi dress announces as she enters the groom dressing room. She has a glass of champagne in her hand and chooses a seat between her two best friends. Alice and Haseena are Kevin's best man and no one can complain how untraditional this is. As Kevin has said, this is his wedding and he will do whatever he wants. He is the only child and these two are the closest to the siblings he has ever had. They are family to him and it is important to him that he has these two right next to him at the altar.

"I'm not going to cry." Kevin begs to differ. Kevin is a chill soul. He rarely gets nervous and this is yet to be the exception. "I've seen Maggie in a dress like a million times."

"This is a wedding dress." Haseena puts the note back into her pocket. She memorizes it by heart.

"So it is a dress with white color."

"Sure thing, tough guy." Haseena says with a bit of chuckle. This is her time to make fun of him after a long while of him doing so to her. "I think I'll prepare some napkin or something."

As Alice is sitting between them, she reaches over for their hands. She takes a moment to look at their hands that are in hers. "If we're planning a party; any kind of parties, ever again, we know now that burgundy is just not that great of an idea."

"Or brown." Kevin whispers and looks at his suit.

"That's beige." Haseena corrects him and reaches over to adjust his burgundy tie.

"Let's do blue." Kevin disregards Haseena's comment. They are planning another event before the one they are in even officially begins.

"Which blue?" Alice asks.

"Blue." Kevin repeats.

"Teal." Haseena adds.

Alice grasps. "Dark teal and mustard."

"Karishma hates mustard."

"Ben is not a big fan of teal."

"Is it time now?" Kevin checks his watch and moves away from the color palette lunatics. He is not even sure what teal looks like but he knows for sure mustard is something he has on a hotdog.

"My boy!" A muscular middle-aged man enters the room. He doesn't seem to be able to stop smiling. His only boy has made a NYPD detective and is getting married with such a lovely girl. He, as a Tarrytown police department detective, can't be prouder. "Ladies."

"Maggie is so beautiful." A lovely lady who follows him announces before smiling for both Alice and Haseena. "Have you seen her?"

"Not yet." Haseena answers with a smile while getting a kiss on a check from Kevin's mom. "Alice has."

"He is definitely going to cry." Alice insists on her statement.

"Definitely." His father ensures the fact.

"I'm not going to cry." Kevin argues so desperately. "Dad, can you take a photo for us?"

Kevin tries to change the subject by handing his dad his phone. The trio has been taking so many pictures together already but they don't really mind getting another; a neat one to put in the living rooms.

New York Botanical Garden is such a beautiful place for a wedding and so is Maggie. It takes Maggie a couple of steps down the aisle to make Kevin's tears fall from his eyes. He tries to hold it in to prove the point but as she steps closer, he just can't hold it any longer. The girl whom he has known since his rookie days looks so stunning. It is so simple, yet so elegant. Now he knows that it is not just a dress with white color but it is a dress that covers his whole life.

Alice signals Haseena for a napkin that she has kept in her pocket and passes it on to Kevin.

"And you said you wouldn't cry." Alice whispers as Maggie reaches the altar and is sent to Kevin.

Maggie giggles when she hears that and tries to wipe Kevin's tears off his face.

Haseena has been avoiding her mom throughout the ceremony. She greeted her mom upon her arrival and that was it. Noor Jahan doesn't seem to mind as she hangs out with people from Tarrytown and the gang's parents. Once the reception approaches, Haseena has already made millions of jokes with a few high school friends that they are still pretty close with. It is a mini reunion whether she would like it or not.

Haseena and Alice practically stick together for most of the time while Ben hangs out with the boys whom he has just met. They are rooting for the same football team so there are plenty of things for them to be talking about. Ben is a people person anyway so Alice doesn't really worry much about him but the one whom she is worried about is Haseena. She knows that Haseena comes with a heavy heart about her mother.

"Damn." A friend who has been talking to Alice and Haseena at the bar exclaim as he is looking at someone behind them entering the venue. His eyes grow sparkling and his drool is about to drop.

"Damn." Alice repeats as she turns to see what is up and throws a napkin at him. "Haseena's girl."

"What?" The friend exclaims again with his high pitch. He looks at Haseena who tries so hard not to look overly over the moon. "Where? Tell me. Alice, where can I find someone like this?"

Karishma  walks in with her draped maxi dress and her hair down. Her destination is not a place but it is a person; the person who is approaching her with a smile and heart eyes. She spins to show Haseena her dress and is quickly greeted with a hug that lifts her up off her feet.

"You don't have to look this pretty." Haseena whispers.

"And you should start button up your shirt." Karishma's arms are lingering around Haseena's shoulders as they lock eyes.

"You look so pretty."

"You look so pretty."

Haseena bites her lips as she looks at Karishma's. Now that she is in her arms, she has nothing to worry about. "How was your day?"

"A boy asked me to marry him." Karishma tells Haseena about the most impressive thing that happened on her first shift in pediatric ED rotation.

"What did you say?"

"I said yes."

"Oh, am I invited to the wedding?"

"Of course."

Haseena looks over Karishma's shoulder to see other two make appearance; Mira and Amar. They make it clear to Haseena that they all come together and with that realization, Haseena gets a bit nervous.

"Oh. Your sister literally scooped me up from the hospital."

"Yes." Mira answers. "I also explained your obsession with flannels to your girlfriend. Can we talk for a second?"

"Sure." Haseena responds while her eyes are on Karishma; making sure that she will be alright on her own in the crowd of strangers.

"Honey, can you keep her company?" Mira immediately senses that and tells her husband to be with Karishma .

"Let's grab some drinks." Amar tells Karishma .Karishma shoots Haseena a smile before taking off with Amar who is already pointing at some of the familiar faces he knows and tells Karishma their names.

Now that the sisters are somewhat alone by the entrance, Mira's eyes scan the room for their mother. She needs to make sure that this talk will not be interrupted.

"What is the situation with mom?" Although Mira knows that her sister is not the type who loves confrontation, she still needs to know and prepares for what could happen.

"I said hi to her earlier... before the ceremony."

"Are you going to introduce Karishma  to her?"

"No." Haseena says with a smile; an I don't care type of smile. She reaches the point of ignorance. She cared too much for someone who turned out to care just a little. "Do you want to see my speech? This is my third draft."

"Is that what you want?" Mira asks with concern while Haseena waves a note in front of her face. Haseena is changing the topic and she should just ride along.

"We don't always get what we want, Mira." Haseena puts the note away and shrugs. "I was thinking about introducing her. I mean who would hate Karishma ? Look at her. She is literally the sweetest little bean. But then, I thought, well, mom. Mom hates beans."

"Mom doesn't hate her." Mira tries to defend their mom. Haseena is so mad at mom that she holds everything against her and as a big sister, Mira instantly feels the needs to fix that. As a big sister who has talked with her girlfriend, Mira feels the needs to get Haseena out of the side-choosing situation.

"She told you?"

"She doesn't have to tell me. Haseena, she hasn't met Karishma . How can she hate her? You're being a baby."

"You're being a baby."

"Hey!" Alice comes into rescue as she had been keeping her eyes on the situation for a while. She knows the siblings love and care about one another but they are siblings and that tells everything. "Why don't we just enjoy all these flowers? Haseena, you love flowers."

Haseena clears her throat and glances at Mira. "If anyone is a baby here, it's mom; not me."

"Haseena, enough. Come on." Alice pushes Haseena to another direction. She gives Mira a bit of a smile before continuing with her mission.

"Well, hello." One of Kevin's police friend does the soundcheck on the mic. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Coleman."

Their first dance song starts to play and it is beautiful. There was an argument about their first dance song. Kevin wanted something different and Maggie wanted something meaningful. They even held a debate on this with Alice, Haseena and Maggie's bridesmaids as judges. In the end, Maggie won and they use a song that was playing in the background when they met. However, all the arguments don't seem to matter anymore when they reach the dance floor as a married couple. The smiles on their faces, the whispers and the happiness they share are everything.

When the dinner time comes, they are seated and everyone is ready for the speech. The gang is sitting at the same table and Karishma has got a few more new friends as she is seated next to Maggie's bridesmaids. Haseena and Alice walk up to the small stage for the best men speech and their friends from high school are already chering them on in a funny way. It is obvious that they had such a blast in high school.

"Good evening, guys." Alice starts shyly. She is not a big fan of public speaking but she is doing one because of her love in Kevin. She tucks her hair back behind her ear and looks at Ben for support. He gives her a thumb up and a smile which gives her power to go on. "I hope you guys are having such an amazing time. My name is Alice and this is Haseena. We're Kevin's best men and yes, you're correct. Kevin doesn't have any other friends. That's why we're here."

"We were almost always together so we were in each other's major life events. I've used past tense there because we all now have significant others and we don't spend that much time together anymore. So please stop asking one of us where another is."

Alice giggles. "Karishma and Maggie shake their heads. Ben, you do good, honey."

Haseena glances at Karishma and smiles. "I think everyone already knows how Kevin and Maggie met. Let's talk about what happened after. After they met and went on their first date, Kevin picked Alice up and came over to my place then. He sat down, sighed and said; 'guys, I'm going to marry her one day. I knew it. I just knew it."."

"Of course, we laughed. That wasn't Kevin. For those who knows Kevin, you'll know that was not Kevin. Kevin is a tough dude who expresses himself a little and bites others a lot. You know, a cop style. For him to say something like that, we were shook."

"We were shook even more last year when Alice and I were painting our new apartment and Kevin came over to help out..."

"He just sat there honestly."

"Well, yeah. So he came over to sit there and randomly said; 'I've got a ring and I'll ask Maggie to marry me.' I honestly couldn't be happier for him. Maggie is amazing, sweet and kind."

"And most importantly, she likes us. Well, we've decided to make our speech pretty short because there are a lot of cops here today and we need to protect ourselves. On behalf of the bride and the groom, we thank everyone for coming to celebrate the first chapter of the rest of their lives. So ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses."

"May you both have a lifetime of happiness. We love you and we'll always be your children. To Mr. and Mrs. Coleman."

Everyone has their toasts and the speeches continues. While others give their speech, Haseena always makes sure that Karishma is having a good time and lets her in on some inside jokes that have been delivered during the speeches. Once the speeches have been made, people start to move around the room and onto the dancefloor.

Haseena seems to have a great time with a few of old high school friends while Karishma enjoys herself with Maggie, Alice and a couple of new friends she has made. They can be on different side of the room but their eyes manage to find each other and a moment later, they literally find each other.

"Hey." Karishma says as Haseena stops in front of her with her hands in pockets.

"You're beautiful." Haseena whispers and puts her hands on Karishma's waist. Karishma wraps her arms around Haseena's shoulders with a smile before they get interrupted.

"Hello." Mrs. Robinson greets with a smile and a drink in her hand. It is obvious that she has had a few of whatever she is holding. Tipsy is not the right word for her.

"Hello, Mrs. Robinson." Haseena's hand is still on Karishma's waist as she turns to face Mrs. Robinson. "This is Mrs. Robinson; my neighbor and my piano teacher."

"Oh." Karishma is amazed by the piano teacher part. Haseena has never mentioned that she knows how to play a piano. "I'm Karishma ."

"Hi, dear." Mrs. Robinson shakes Karishma's hand and turns to Haseena. "Haseena, there is a young man I would like you to meet."

Haseena smiles politely and glances over at Karishma who seems to try to hold back her smile. She sees this as a joke and doesn't really move her hand away from Haseena's shoulder. "Mrs. Robinson, Karishma is my girl..."

"Haseena, here you are." Noor Jahan cuts in Haseena's sentence. She was no where to be found and now, she is here right in front of them.

"Oh, Noor Jahan. I was just telling Haseena about the Peters' boy we were talking about." Mrs. Robinson says to Noor Jahan and that statement changes Haseena's expression almost instantly. Karishma quickly picks that up and moves her hand from her shoulder to her back; gently running her hand over it.

"Mom, this is Karishma .Karishma, this is mom." Haseena introduces them quickly and briefly. She doesn't have anything more to say when her eyes already go cold. She wants to ignore everything but it seems to her that mom has been digging traps around her. "Karishma's my girlfriend. This is what you want, isn't it? Meet her?"

"Haseena. Excuse us." Mira passes by and grabs Haseena's arm; pulling her outside into the cold that is less cold than her eyes.

Outside the wedding venue, there are some Christmas's decoration on the plants that keep the atmosphere festive and colorful but that doesn't ease the tension Haseena is building up within her. Everything that happens after this would be just fuel to burn up this festivity. Mira crosses her arms to warm herself up while Haseena looks at the ground trying to find her peace of mind.

"We're driving mom home. You should come with us." Mira starts. She hopes some time alone and a chat would put Haseena and mom on the same page again.

"This is my best friend's wedding and you're asking me to leave early so I can sit in a car listening to how terrible of a person I am for introducing my girlfriend as my girlfriend to everyone? No, thank you." Haseena almost yells. She has had enough but she doesn't want to make a scene at Kevin's wedding.

"We'll drive you back. It's just an hour." Mira says calmly. She is trying to hold this family together but it just feels more and more hopeless. Haseena is on her way out and not coming back and mom is keeping pushing her out. Maybe it is indeed best for Haseena to choose Karishma but she needs to give it another try. "Nothing will happen in an hour."

"I will go insane, Mira." Haseena bursts with a deep sigh. She starts to breathe faster as her anger starts to grow. "I finally got it right. I have this amazing person who constantly asks me if I am okay and not be annoyed that I am not okay... We're renting a place. I'm planning my future, Mira. I finally got it right. Why can't she understand it? Why can't you understand it? I thought you understood."

"I understand." Mira tries to calm Haseena down but Haseena doesn't seem to listen anymore as she paces around. Her feet drag on the gravels making a sound to compete with the music inside.

"Girls." Noor Jahan appears with Karishma walking right behind her.

"Haseena?" Karishma immediately approaches Haseena who seems to be in so much distress that she can no longer control herself. Both of her hands cover her face and she starts to bend down in order to breathe a little bit easier. "Baby."

"What is going on?" Noor Jahan asks with her eyes travelling from Mira to Haseena. She doesn't know what to do with the scene in front of her. "Haseena?"

"Amar and I will drive you home, mom." Mira says quietly.

"Is Haseena coming?" Noor Jahan asks confusingly. Haseena normally doesn't say no but there is a first for everything; especially after what happened.

Haseena stands up straight and takes a deep breath. Her glasses are now with Karishma and her nose is no longer as red. "Why? You're worried that if I'm here. I'll make you embarrass by telling everyone that I have a girlfriend?"

"Haseena!" Noor Jahan exclaims. "Why are you like this?"

Haseena puts her glasses back on, chuckles and shakes her head. "Why am I like this?"

"I'll go with you guys." Karishma announces out of the blue.

"Sorry?" Haseena looks at her and Karishma can feel right away that the look she is giving is different. Karishma has never got this kind of look from Haseena and it makes her shake to the core.

"It's your best friend's wedding. It'll be weird if you leave too early. I'll go with them. Tarrytown is not so far away anyway." Karishma tries to be reasonable but reasons don't apply to Haseena. She doesn't listen anymore. She doesn't listen to anyone.

"You want to go?" Haseena asks again as she looks at her straight in the eyes. They are cold and scary. It almost feels like whoever stands in front of Karishma is not Haseena. "Why?"

"I'll be back." Karishma ensures although she is unsure of her decision.

"Fine. Do whatever you want, Karishma ." Haseena steps away and heads back into the venue. She doesn't even look back or say goodbye to anyone. She just heads back with her head that feels so heavy.
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Enjoy the pretty mess😈 & thanks for sticking around.  By end of this week Cast in Love will be completed.