Chapter 11: Stars That Refused to Align

As our hearts held tighter to each other, the world around us seemed to loosen its grip on hope.

After much hesitation, Raman’s sister Preet finally decided to take a bold step—she spoke to her parents about our relationship. As expected, her words fell into the fire. The moment she uttered the truth, a storm of emotional drama engulfed their household. His parents were furious. The idea of a love marriage was like an unspoken sin in their conservative world. Raman, torn between his love and his loyalty to his family, crumbled emotionally.

Meanwhile, things began unfolding on my end too. I finally gathered the courage to talk to Papa about Raman. I was scared, but Papa's initial reaction surprised me. Calm and collected, he simply said, “If the kundali matches, I’ll have no objection.”

It felt like half the battle was won. I immediately asked Raman for his date of birth and time. Without hesitation, he shared it. We handed it to our purohit for the astrological match-making. I waited with trembling hope in my heart. But the result came back with a jolt—the match was not favorable. The purohit firmly advised against the union. According to him, the stars didn’t align for us.

Before we could digest this heartbreak, a twist came from Raman’s end. His parents—completely unaware of the kundali mismatch—agreed to meet my father for the first time. There we were, sailing in the middle of an ocean, watching a thunderstorm approach from both ends.

As a bridge, Raman arranged my first meeting with his mother on 1st January 2012. I still remember that cold winter afternoon. The meeting was short, polite, and slightly awkward. We exchanged a few words and went our ways—neither hopeful, nor hopeless.

But when the time came for both fathers to connect, everything fell apart. My father, a rigid Hindu Kshatriya, stuck to his beliefs. He outright denied the proposal, trusting the kundali verdict. No matter how deeply he knew I loved Raman, he couldn’t go against his values.

They finally spoke over a phone call, which turned into an ego clash. Raman’s father claimed, “Rabia’s father is too full of himself.”

While my father declared, “They are not our kind of people.”

Our hearts were breaking quietly behind the war of egos. We were watching our love get dismissed by traditions, judged by stars, and torn apart by pride. Two people deeply in love, yet caught in a tug-of-war between faith and fate.