PART 5 — LOVE BEHIND THE MASKS
CHAPTER THIRTEEN — TWO MONTHS TO FOREVER
Rajvir and Anvi had settled into the new city more happily than either of them had expected. Their careers were beginning to take shape, their little apartment had started feeling like home, and the private world they had created together seemed almost separate from everything that had existed during college.
They still teased each other constantly, still argued over tiny things, and still went on their late-night bike rides whenever they had free time, but there was a growing certainty between them that their relationship was no longer simply something they were enjoying in the present; they were building a future.
Their families had already been discussing marriage, and eventually it was decided that there was no reason to delay it any longer. One evening, during a family video call, the date was finally discussed and a decision was made.
"Two months," Anvi said afterward, staring at Rajvir with a mixture of excitement and disbelief.
Rajvir smiled. "Two months."
"That's very soon."
"You were the one who kept asking everyone when we were getting married."
"I know, but now that it's actually happening, I'm nervous."
Rajvir laughed. "You're nervous?"
"Of course."
He looked at her affectionately. "Don't worry. I'll be there."
She smiled.
"You better be."
Their happiness, however, was soon interrupted by news from around the world.
Reports began appearing about an unknown virus spreading rapidly between countries. At first, people followed the developments from a distance, believing it would remain somewhere far away. Then cases began appearing closer to home. Governments started issuing warnings, public places became quieter, offices changed their routines, and people were advised to wear masks and cover their faces whenever they went outside.
Anvi hated the new restrictions.
"I can't breathe properly in this thing," she complained one morning while trying to adjust her mask.
Rajvir laughed. "Everyone has to wear one."
"I know, but I don't like it."
"You'll get used to it."
"I don't want to."
"Too bad."
She gave him an annoyed look before adjusting the mask again.
The situation also changed their Rajvi adventures.
Even before the virus, Rajvir had already been continuously using a stole / scarf to conceal his face whenever he went outside dressed as Rajvi. Now everyone around them was wearing masks, scarves or other forms of face covering, which strangely made it easier for him to remain unnoticed.
Inside their apartment, their private adventures continued almost normally. Anvi would still choose different looks for Rajvi at home—sometimes a saree, sometimes a kurti set, sometimes an Anarkali or Punjabi dress, and sometimes a sexy, body-hugging dress, and sometimes she would laugh at how dramatically Rajvir complained about being made to try another style.
"One day you're going to run out of ideas."
"Never."
Outside, however, both of them remained careful.
Whenever Rajvi accompanied Anvi shopping or went for a short drive, the stole remained around her face, while Anvi wore her mask. To everyone else they simply appeared to be two young women travelling together.
What they didn't know was that someone had begun following them.
The person always remained completely covered.
A masked one.
They never approached closely enough to be recognised, and because the virus had forced almost everyone to cover their faces, the mysterious figure attracted very little attention.
Rajvir and Anvi noticed nothing.
They were too busy planning their wedding.
---
CHAPTER FOURTEEN — RAJVI'S WEDDING
As the wedding date approached, Anvi became increasingly playful about the arrangements.
One evening, while they were discussing the ceremonies, she suddenly said, "I have an idea."
Rajvir immediately became suspicious.
"What kind of idea?"
"I want to marry Rajvi first."
Rajvir stared at her.
"What?"
"You heard it. I proposed to Rajvi first so I should marry Rajvi first."
"I proposed to you, right?" Rajvir mischievously tried to remember something which never happened.
"No mister. You never proposed me. Only I proposed to Rajvi and she said yes."
Rajvir laughed.
"This is ridiculous."
"I'm serious."
"You cannot marry me twice."
"Why not?"
"Because there is already one wedding."
Anvi folded her arms.
"I want to marry Rajvi first."
Rajvir shook his head.
"No."
She kept insisting.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Eventually Rajvir realised that Anvi was not going to abandon the idea.
"Fine," he finally said. "One small ceremony."
Anvi immediately smiled.
"Really?"
"Yes, but only because you'll keep asking until I agree."
She hugged him happily.
The plan was simple.
They would have their proper family wedding later, but before that, Anvi wanted a tiny private ceremony in a temple, with only herself, Rajvi and the priest present.
She wanted it to feel like a secret promise between the two of them.
The day finally arrived.
At home, Anvi dressed herself in the traditional attire she had chosen for the ceremony, taking the playful idea one step further by dressing in a Maharashtrian groom-inspired attire.
Rajvir, meanwhile, was transformed completely into Rajvi.
Anvi carefully helped her to-be-bride with the traditional Maharashtrian bridal nauvari saree, jewellery and accessories, making sure everything was arranged properly. Rajvi looked at herself in the mirror and smiled uncertainly.
"This is actually happening."
Anvi stood behind her.
"Yes."
"You planned all of this."
"I did." Anvi said with a pride in her eyes.
Rajvi turned toward Anvi.
"And you're happy?"
She smiled.
"Very."
Rajvi looked at her for a moment before saying softly, "Then I'm happy too."
They left the apartment in their new car, with Rajvi sitting beside her "husband-to-be".
The city looked strangely empty.
The virus had changed everything. Shops were closed or operating with restrictions, roads that had once been crowded were almost deserted, and most people they saw were wearing masks.
The quietness made the journey feel almost unreal.
Anvi glanced at Rajvi.
"Are you nervous?"
"A little."
"About the ceremony?"
"About everything."
She reached over and gently squeezed her hand.
"I'm here."
Rajvi smiled.
"I know."
They continued toward the temple.
Neither noticed the vehicle that appeared behind them some distance away.
The mysterious person was following again.
Still completely covered.
Still unidentified.
---
CHAPTER FIFTEEN — THE ROAD GOES SILENT
The road became increasingly empty as they moved farther from the crowded parts of the city. The temple was still some distance away when their car "suddenly" began losing power.
Anvi frowned.
"What happened?"
Rajvi looked around.
"I don't know."
The car slowed and finally stopped.
Anvi tried restarting it.
Nothing.
She looked through the windshield at the nearly deserted road.
"This is just perfect." Rajvi - The soon to-be-bride laughed nervously.
"Maybe we should call someone."
Anvi reached for her phone.
Before they could do anything, another vehicle approached and stopped nearby.
A masked stranger stepped out.
Anvi immediately became cautious.
The stranger approached slowly and gestured toward the car.
"Any Problem?"
Anvi explained that the car had stopped working.
The stranger claimed to know something about vehicles and offered to help.
Under ordinary circumstances, Anvi might have been more suspicious, but the road was empty, the virus had made everyone accustomed to strangers being fully covered, and they were already anxious about being stranded.
The stranger remained near the vehicle for several minutes.
Then something happened very quickly.
Both the groom-to-be and the bride-to-be were rendered unconscious when a stranger used an instant, chloroform-like spray on them, before the stranger took the bride away.
There was no dramatic confrontation, no witnesses and no immediate way for either of them to understand what had happened.
The stranger also took their phones and disposed them nearby, making it impossible for either of them to call for immediate help or be traced through their devices.
Anvi remained unconscious in the car for hours.
When she finally regained awareness, the road outside was still quiet.
For several seconds she didn't understand where she was.
Then she remembered.
"Raj?"
There was no answer.
She looked around.
Rajvir was gone. Her Rajvi was gone.
Her heart began racing.
She searched the car desperately, calling his name again and again, but there was nobody there.
Her phone was missing.
She checked Rajvir's usual place.
His phone was gone too.
"Raj!"
Her voice broke.
She stepped out of the car and looked around the empty road.
Nothing.
No people.
No passing vehicles.
No sign of him.
She tried to think clearly, but fear had already overwhelmed her.
She didn't know how much time had passed.
She didn't know where Rajvir had been taken.
And she didn't know whether the stranger was still nearby.
Eventually, she managed to find her way back toward home.
By the time she arrived, several more hours had passed.
Her family gathered around her, after her and Rajvir’s phones had remained unreachable for several hours. Growing increasingly worried and sensing that something bad might have happened, both families hurried to the city.
Her appearance alone was enough to frighten everyone.
Anvi could barely speak.
"Where is Rajvir?"
"What happened?"
"Why are you alone?"
"And why are you dressed like this?"
Anvi broke down.
"Someone took him."
Everyone went silent.
"What?"
She tried explaining everything—the private wedding plan, the stopped car, the masked stranger, losing consciousness, waking up alone and discovering Rajvir's disappearance.
Rajvir's mother immediately began crying.
"Where is my Raj?"
Anvi had no answer.
The families contacted the authorities and began searching for every possible clue.
But there was almost nothing.
The car was still there.
Their phones were gone.
The road had been nearly deserted.
And because almost everyone had been wearing masks and face coverings due to the virus, nobody could clearly identify the mysterious person.
Anvi sat surrounded by both families, still wearing the clothes she had chosen for the secret ceremony, staring at the empty place beside her.
Only hours earlier, Rajvir had been sitting there. Now he was gone.
The private wedding they had planned had never happened.
The person she loved had disappeared.
Nobody knew who had taken him. Nobody knew why. Nobody knew where he was.
And somewhere beyond the quiet roads of the city, Rajvir had been taken to a place nobody knew existed.
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