Chapter 2: A Glimpse of Peace

The air in Himachal Pradesh felt different—crisp, cool, and untouched by the incessant noise that usually filled Rhea Kapoor's life. As the car wound its way through the mountain roads, she found herself staring out the window at the endless expanse of green, losing herself in the thick forest canopy and distant snow-capped peaks. For the first time in months, her phone wasn't glued to her hand. It was buried deep in her purse, buzzing faintly with notifications she had chosen to ignore.

The destination wedding she was attending felt like the perfect excuse to escape. Her close friend Meera had insisted Rhea come, practically begging her to step away from her carefully curated online life. A wedding in a remote mountain town seemed like a safe haven from the flashing cameras, product endorsements, and endless streams of likes and comments that had become Rhea's world. Even the thought of the wedding hashtag Meera had chosen, #TyingTheKnotInTheClouds, seemed distant, as if it belonged to another version of her.

As they arrived at the rustic, charming resort nestled between tall pine trees, Rhea sighed. She wasn't used to quiet. The hum of the city, the constant pressure to stay connected, the demand to maintain her flawless social media presence—all of it felt a world away here.

The wedding festivities began in the afternoon, an explosion of colors and sounds. Bright marigold garlands hung everywhere, the dhol drums beat to the rhythm of celebration, and people laughed freely, without a phone in sight. Rhea felt a pang of awkwardness. Her initial plan had been to document the entire trip for her followers, give them a taste of "destination wedding glam." But now, standing amidst the joy and chaos, it felt almost wrong to take out her phone. She wanted to, out of habit—snap a picture, post a story—but something stopped her. Instead, she just stood there, drinking in the moment.

For the first time in a long while, Rhea felt a small flicker of peace. No flashing lights, no carefully constructed captions, no pressure to present a perfect version of herself. Just her, a mountain breeze, and the sound of wedding bells.

Later that evening, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in hues of pink and orange. Rhea strolled away from the wedding crowd, her saree trailing along the stone path that led towards a quiet overlook. She could hear the faint chatter and laughter behind her but preferred the silence in front. The distant sound of a river flowing through the valley below was calming, like nature's own soundtrack. 

As she stood there, something—or rather, someone—caught her eye. A man stood by the edge of the overlook, wearing a simple flannel shirt and jeans, his hands tucked into his pockets. He was gazing out at the horizon with a sense of calm that Rhea couldn't understand. His presence felt so different from the people she was used to—so completely disconnected from the world she knew.

He wasn't a part of the wedding, that much was clear. His easy stance, the way he carried himself—it wasn't the posture of a guest or someone who felt the need to socialize. No, he belonged to the mountains, as if the hills and trees were more familiar to him than people. Rhea's curiosity piqued.

"Hey, you're missing the wedding," a friend called out from behind her, snapping Rhea out of her thoughts.

Rhea glanced back, but when she looked forward again, the man had disappeared, melting into the woods like a phantom. A strange sense of disappointment washed over her, though she couldn't place why. She didn't even know who he was.

She sighed and turned back toward the wedding, but for the rest of the evening, she found herself thinking about him. There was something about his unbothered presence, his peace in the natural world, that made her feel unsettled yet intrigued. It was a stark contrast to the carefully crafted life she lived, always in the spotlight.

For the first time, she wondered if there was more to life than capturing every moment—and if maybe, just maybe, the moments that mattered most couldn't be captured at all.