That one kind of hurt Arjun. For a moment, his face softened, and under all the noise, all the drama, and all the stupid decisions he had made, it was the truth.
He had come here in anger, but what he really wanted to know was if she ever had loved him.
Madsammy noticed quickly because he was annoyingly mature.
He stepped closer and placed a gentle hand on Arjun's shoulder.
"Sometimes," Madsammy said softly, "someone can love you... and still know they can't survive with you."
Arjun stared at him. He was like, what the fuck did you just say? Then he slowly looked at Kavya. Her eyes had gone quiet.
Then he laughed. A tiny, broken laugh.
"Wow," he said. "You both talk like it's a TED Talk."
Then the priest coughed loudly.
"Can we continue the sacred ritual?"
"Yes," Kavya yelled.
"No," Arjun yelled at the same time.
That was when fate decided to play with his life one more time.
When he turned to leave dramatically, his foot stumbled on the wedding decorations. He moved forward, his arm flung in the air.
He grabbed whatever was nearest to save himself and accidentally snatched the scared Mangalsutra right from the bride's neck.
The whole hall exploded.
"HE TOOK THE MANGALSUTRA!!!"
"CATCH HIM."
"THIS FELLOW IS A DEMON."
Arjun looked down at the sacred nuptial thread in his hand.
Then at the crowd, at Kavya, at Madsammy.
Madsammy, in a very calm tone, said, "Brother, give that back."
Arjun felt like the greatest idiot in history. And he ran.
Arjun leaped off the stage, dodged two aunties, slid under a flower stand, and jumped over a child.
A fat uncle lunged at him, missed, and tackled the dessert table.
Jalebi flew like shuriken.
"STOP HIM!!!"
"JUST LEAVE," he shouted back, "IT WAS A MISTAKE."
He sprinted through the row of chairs while still clutching the Mangalsutra.
A group of uncles chased him. One of them threw a banana at him, but it hit the priest.
Arjun jumped over the dining table, ran across the idli and chutney.
A cook came from the kitchen and screamed, "Scoundrel! You destroyed my sambar!"
"I am a sambar lover, uncle."
He crashed through the back entrance and landed in the parking area.
But the chase continued.
He vaulted over scooters and rolled over the car bonnet.
At one point in the chase, he grabbed a bedsheet from the laundry line, swung across a drainage ditch, and shouted, "Indian Jackie Chan."
An aunty hurled her slipper at him. A direct hit.
"Ahhh! Headshot."
Finally, he reached the main road right in front of the police jeep.
Muthuvel Pandian, a sub-inspector, was there. Thick mustache, wearing dark sunglasses at night, a comedian's face.
He looked at Arjun and then the Mangalsutra in his hand.
The entire crowd from the wedding was behind him.
"What exactly are you doing, Hero?" he asked.
Arjun raised one finger. "I can explain."
"Can you?"
"No."
Two constables grabbed him instantly. The crowd cheered like they had finally won.
One uncle shouted, "Break his leg."
Another said, "No, first feed him wedding food and then break it."
Arjun, now fully caught, turned his head one last time.
Kavya and Madsammy had finally reached the entrance.
The police were dragging him. His life was over.
Even then, he looked at her with emotion in his eyes.
There was no anger in his voice, but sorrow.
While they were taking him away, he stopped right in front of her.
"When a girl says no, it means no. No reason for that. I'm sorry, Kavya."
Just a soft ache in his heart. He looked at Madsammy.
"Take good care of her, Doctor." And kissed him on the cheek.
Arjun gave the Mangalsutra back to him.
The police shoved him into the jeep.
As the vehicle drove away, he leaned out of the window and yelled.
"ALSO, THE PRESSURE COOLER IS NON-REFUNDABLE."
And just like that...
Arjun Kutty entered the jail.