The beauty of the star studded sky always enticed and allured my unflagging single minded zealous attention towards them bejeweling my brown eyes with the clustered richness and finesse amassed over the navy cloak of the sky.

I forget everything even the world ,which I belong to, gazing at the cavernous and capacious vastness of this splendour sprawled before me.

"Dreaming, aren't we?" A soft mellifluous chime behind me bounced my sense and soul back to reality from my dreamy haze.

"Saffy!" I sighed turning around and hugging my sister.

She smiled before throwing her arms around me and hugging me back tightly patting my shoulder endearingly.

We stayed like that for sometime savouring the warmth and comfort of sisterly bonding flowing within us before breaking our hug.

"Akka!" I exclaimed happily pulling away from her.

Safrin held a thin smile on her face. She looked a bit disturbed.

In order to turn her attention from the disturbing factor I pretended to be fully charged and happy looking up at the sky dreamily

"Look akka, the stars are really opulently sparkling and shining in their poise finesse , aren't they?" I asked pointing at the sky with a spark of excitement pluming within me.

She looked up blankly and stood silent whilst I marvelled at the beauty of the night sky.

"Ah! You are still a lover of stars. And me being me fell in love with the moon who is lot more like me. Lonely and melancholic even when surrounded and overcrowded by so many loving stars. " saffy said bitterly

"I didn't get you,Saffy" I asked puckering my eyebrows

"True, and ironical isn't it. Even when the moon who is surrounded amidst of such a splendid family remains a loner and no one chooses to find how lonely and sad that moon should be. People just love to see the spark and luminous opalescence of the stars. No one cares what the moon feels in all this. For them moon is one lucky goose to have the admiring crowd of stars surrounding and shining splendidly around it. " Saffy said grimly.

Her face blank and void of any emotion. She mused all this to herself rather than to me. There was an undertone to each and every word uttered by her.

But I could easily relate to her painful wailing. Sometimes I too feel the same as of Saffy.

In a way or the other we all are like the lonely moon even when flooded and surrounded with so many loving stars.

"Now what happened to think like that akka. Is everything okay, Saffy?" I asked concern lacing my voice and stance.

She shook her head in dismay.

"Nothing is okay, Kichu. May be for the stars of our family everything is pretty much okay. But being the moons of our family we are still at a loss, kanna" Safrin said with a thin grim smile.

A dark shadow of frown slashed the beam I had on my face upon experiencing the sight of my sister's perturbed countenance.

I led her towards the couch in the garden and made her sit. I sat beside her.

All my cousins were assembled in the garden scattered here and there forming mini constellations of their own. Like the stars bejewel the sky we cousins embellish the sky and universe of our Empire called our family with our mirth and merry making hangama .

I saw Safrin's head ducked down and shoulders slouched in vanquish and despair.

"Saffy tell me about Edin. How is he? How things are going with you two?I never got a chance to have a word with him after he had left. " I started the conversation with a series of questions looking at saffy akka.

She snapped up her head and stared at me in disbelief. The same flash of horror could be seen on her face when Regelina inquired about Safrin- Edin love story. She looked a bit taken aback ,shaken, shrunken and desolate of any humour. She seemed like she is apparently on the horns of a dilemma.

"If it is personal just forestall it akka. I just asked out of curiosity that is it. If you don't wanna discuss your love life with me it is okay I can understand." I cleared my point when I took in her confused and half hearted state.

But She shook her head in disapproval when she heard me.

",( no sweetie) It is nothing. I myself wanna talk this out to someone who will never judge me. And I guess you are my one and only right hand and confidant in this matter" Saffy said with a low and pained sigh.

But the way she held my hand spelt out profusely volumes of her unshaken trust in me. Also her yearning to have someone understanding and caring close to her backing and comforting her from every disquieting issue life offers her .

"You can trust me with this akka. Tell me about everything. I will listen to you." I assured her sincerely giving her a one arm hug.

"I don't know from where to start everything is now in a mashed up manner. Just can't put my fingers through the right trinket. And pick up one to share it with you" Safrin said helplessly.

"How was it to be in love with Edin or How is your love life progressing and affecting you?" I helped her generously.

She stilled for a second when she heard me.

"I really have no idea kanna how everything happened.Even I don't know if I love him or not? I am confused. He happened in my life like a sudden outburst of coruscating miracle that I didn't get time to stop and stare at what is actually going on around me. I like him but still not sure if that liking has taken the flight and colour of love. He of course loves me more than anything in his life. I am just confused da kanna that is all. He is too kind to me. And it scares me to its deepest abyss. I am not at all used to people being good and kind to me. Not that my family consists of a bunch of tyrants. Still this is too much for me to carry on my frail shoulders". Safrin wailed musing about the situation closely.

My eyes widened when I heard her inner growing and tangling turmoil.

"Akka you are his blessing. You are a wonder girl if you ask me. Don't brew unwanted thoughts okay. You are special in every single way to him. I can see that in his behaviour towards you. " I tried to assure her while patting her hand. But my words felt more self assuring than comforting

"I am in sixes and sevens kanna, just losing my peace thinking that what did I ever do to deserve such a gentle person like him. I am this boring bookworm who binges on the stack of books I have. I still have no idea what made him love me this ardently and fervently. Or is it just my thought." saffy again said a bit confused .

"You are not at all a boring person saffy. You are the best girl and we all adore you with high regard. Because you binge upon this so called books you are intelligent,prudent and sensible which the so called normal prattling people lack. They are just good for nothing show offs. Your intelligence has no boundaries saffy. You are just perfect in the way you are. You are perfect for Edin." I said trying to fill some sense in my confused akka's brain.

She still looked desolate uncertain and shilly shallying in her mind.

"I know not makka, he is such a gorgeous and charming person. And I feel like I am no where near his gracious aura confidence and pleasant tenor which exudes out of him like he is just a human synonym for such things. Always this question pins me down, what made him love me? This insignificant girl who is embodiment of dulled, tattered and puzzled aura enveloping in every step she takes . You know all co staffs and even students were all gaga over him. Just to seek his attention. They were ready to throw themselves upon him at a flick of his fingers. But he chose me over them. There are so many vibrant and gorgeous girls in our group. But why did he choose me over them? . Saffy said dither consuming her words and stance. She rubbed her temple, her shoulder slouched and eyebrows puckered.

"These so many why's and what ifs are pecking on my peace and bliss and feasting upon the perturbation I endure in all this. I don't know where this will take me to. All these gnaws, harrows and hazards my sanity and now I have started to behave like an imbecile making a joke and laughing stock of myself." Saffy said tears flowing out of her eyes. She didn't try to fight back her tears or hide it.

I understood that love virus is attacking her whole being .

" Saffy these so called gorgeous imps are just show offs and are equally drawn by Edin's physique and outer radiating charms. They have never seen the Edin who has a pining heart and yearning soul. There you become an exceptional Lady of charm for him. You touched the unbeaten tracks of his soul and heart in a miraculously healing way. Isn't that enough to love a person like a treasured and cherished possession. That is what Edin is doing. He is a wonderful person. You are an angel of miracle and wonder for him. He calls you Saffy shine for a reason akka. You are the shining sun of his universe . Don't doubt it" I said asserting my point though I had no idea about how and when they fell for each other and why?

"He too says the same thing. You sometimes talk like him. I highly doubt the fact that are you his sister or my sister? Because you guys never leave a chance to take me to the seventh heaven when I am with you people." Saffy said with a small laugh waving her hand

Though she laughed her features didn't get a full freedom from the pained look. Her eyes and cheeks still a painful reminder of the agony her soul undergoes.

The way her emotions chose to transit from laughter to grimness made my heart and soul ripple with fear for my sister's welfare. I have never seen her this openly admitting something that would even scare the hell . As far as I know Safrin, she is one strong beam of pillar in my family. But this self effacing and shilly shallying way of presenting things made me realize one thing that Safrin is going through the hardest phase of her life.

"I am from the groom's side and I warn you don't you ever dare doubt my anna's unconditional love for you. He is all eyes,heart and soul for you" I tried to be a bit wanton with my words.

She smiled meekly.

" Look saffy, you are the most beautiful person in this world. Not because you are my Akka. But your simplicity, intelligence, kind and helpful nature, stern and vigour when it comes to chastity and modesty. All this make you beautiful and gorgeous than anyone else. He loves you like insane Saffy. Just understand. Don't harbour unwanted meagre thoughts which will affect your sweet understanding and relation you two are sharing. Akka, everything about you made him love you. He adores you akka. Cant you see that the way he addresses you itself explains the fact that he adores you,admires you and values you" I said sighing dreamily.

Saffy akka looked at me for a moment. A sly smile can be faintly seen on her face.

"What?" I mouthed a bit perplexed

"Stop reading cheesy romantic books . All these ideas you have got in your head about love is not that good for your age" akka said patronisingly.

This is the problem with elders. They seek our help in such situations and at last show their good patronizing and chastising nature to us and ban us from everything we find peace with.

"So you think this early marriage my parents had fixed for me is good for this age eh?" I shot back.

The sudden query nulled the beam of her face instantly like she was thrashed terribly.

"Saffy, you Okay?" I asked placing my hand on Safrin's shoulder.

Safrin was twisting and looping her fingers over the lace work of her gown.

Her features impatient and chary about something that pricks and pains her mind to a great extend.

"Uh-oh- um...Yeah, somewhat" Safrin said absent mindedly.

Her phone suddenly blared out the ring tone indicating the arrival of an incoming call.

"Tum aur hum jo saath hain khushnuma ehsaas hain

Sab kuch naya kyun iss tarah lagne lagaa"

The same ring tone was set for Edin. Actually only for Edin.I whooped when I realized who is calling Safrin

"Hey! wow! Hero is calling dee! come on ! Edin is calling. Attend the call akka" I squeaked excitedly with my eyes wide and twinkling in mirth.

She stared at the Phone for sometime before cutting the call and tossing the phone to her side.

My eyes bulged at this unusual behaviour projected by Saffy regarding her future hubby, Edin.

"Is everything okay, akka. You look disturbed and tired" I asked softly gently tackling her with a hug.

As if she was in wait for a cool shade to wash over her trepidation she began to cry her eyes out without answering my query and leaving me in confusion.

"Talk to me about Edin, Saffy. I think that will help you to recuperate the trauma you are going through, whatever the cause is." I said patting her shoulder gently.

She pulled away from my hug and smiled feebly and hesitantly.

". I have been viewing a terrific change in you for the last few days whenever you hear or talk about Edin. You were never like this. I used to see a beam blooming across your features whenever you hear anything related to him. But now you look like at the verge of passing out when you hear the mere mention of his name .I am sure something is going in a divergent mode for you guys. I won't insist you to open up the matter that has gone wrong between you and Edin. But I am a good listener. You can talk to me anything which will keep your pent up nerves at check and away from your haunting thoughts. " I assured her.

"Thank you for understanding kanna. I feel a bit low and blue. I don't know how to explain it. But right this moment everything seems rocky and down the hill for me." She said breathing raggedly and shaking.

"Its okay. Things will become more clear and wonderful to you when this hard time passes. I believe that fact firmly, akka. For a wonderful and kind person like you nothing will remain hard and rocky for a long spell. You will pass through this phase with a winner's smile" I said in affirmation squeezing her hand.

"I hope so." She replied feebly. A tone of meek uncertainty overclouded her features.

She looked at herself and her calm features crimped and grooved into a disturbed and childish impatience shrouding its dark ominous aura over her beautiful features threatening to steal the serenity off her face.