The Engagement

"In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

Time cascaded down like the leaf in the water and the day I'd waited most finally knocked my door. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was appreciating the nail art Miss Sania had done on my nails, lying on the bed. My home was swarmed up with my relatives. Everyone had taken certain responsibilities on their shoulders. Since I was the bride, I had this royal treatment of relaxing.

"Butu! Where is your dress?" My cousin's wife, Charu barged inside my room.

"It will be delivered in an hour."

"And jewelry?"

"Siya went for that!"

"And oh my God! What about beauticians?"

"Miss Sania will send her assistant in one hour bhabhi, stop panicking yaar!!" I was irritated.

"Yes of course, you're chilling here why not; you are relaxing whereas we've to look into everything." She rolled her eyes.

ESV waved her hand at her. 'Hello babe! I'm the Bride here, so I am allowed to take a rest.'

"Yes bhabhi, you guys are very busy and I'm the only idle one here, you have some work for me?" I smiled, sarcastically.

"Oh my God! I left Putu alone in the room. What's wrong with me?" She slapped her forehead panicking and I rolled my eyes. She ran away to pick Pratyusha, her seven-month-old daughter and came back after sometime, giving me the sleeping baby. "Here, she is sleeping so keep an eye on her. I'm going."

"What? bhab--" before I could complete she emerged from the room. I sighed, looked at my peacefully sleeping niece. I pecked her forehead and lay beside her, patting her back. I was about to sleep when Putu woke up and started crying bitterly. I cradled her against my chest and fed her with the bottle, pacing across the room. Finally when she slept on my shoulder, I slowly made her lay on the bed and patted her head.

I was about to fall next to her when someone called "BUTU!"

ARGHH!! KILL ME GUYS!!

Abhimanyu's Perspective

"How am I looking?" Vandisha danced before my eyes in her purple Anarkali.

"Average!"

"And what about me?" Paridhi frowned, showing her pink and maroon indo-western dress.

"Same!!" I gave a tiring look, buttoning my Sherwani.

"You are also looking crap." She snorted and I smirked. "I didn't ask for your opinion."

"You! Dada. Arrghh!" Both twines stomped their feet and marched out of the room and I giggled, gelling my hair.

"Oye! You're not yet ready, daft! Don't you want to go for your engagement?" Mehul slapped my arm jumping on my bed.

"If it were in his hands, he would've run till now." Kartik commented.

"Shut up!" I growled.

"Get ready fast would-be groom. Everyone is ready and we don't want to get late." Dada took the watch and clasped it on my wrist.

"Thanks Dada!" I hugged him and "Thanks Dada!" I hugged him and he patted my back emboldening. "Today my little brother is going to start a new phase of his life. Congratulations!"

I smiled and asked, how I was looking and he laughed. "You're looking very handsome!"

"You too, big bro."

"Are you guys not coming to the party?" Mehul chuckled and I hit his arm. "Where is Bharat?"

"Ah! The man is busy with his lady; Sneha really gives him a headache with her punctuality." Kartik blurted out, sarcastically.

"What about Kastoori? Eh?" Mehul smirked and Kartik grinned. "I sent her to Bharat's home."

"Lucky you!" Dada snickered. "Here my wife, she would dress and then ask 'how am I looking' and if I say 'good' then she will say, I am going to try another dress and if I said 'this is not suiting you', she would be on my back. Hah!" He sighed. "I wish I never got married.

And still they were on my back. I sighed, inwardly and spun to grab attention. They noticed the sudden change and immediately added. "But being married has certain advantages."

"What are they?"

"You will know when you will be a married man. Now let's go." Dada winked at me and whooshed out.

"Do I still have a chance to run?" I pretended to be serious and their faces blanched, so I immediately added, moving out. "Just kidding!"

Shree's Perspective

"They are here and my god! Jiju is looking at heart throbbing." Siya squealed coming inside when I was wearing bangles.

"You clicked snap?" Rhea inquired but Siya pouted. "No, I was so dazzled that I couldn't."

"Thank god! You didn't trip over." I added wryly and she faked a smile. "Don't worry about me, worry about you. I hope you don't trip over him."

"Puhlease!" I scoffed rolling my eyes and I was called downstairs. Our parents had set our home as an engagement venue since everyone wanted a cozy engagement with close friends and relatives only but the wedding was planned to be a grand one in one of the esteemed hotels of Jaipur.

I stepped on the dais set in our hall with two thrones placed over it, and the backdrop mosaic with painting giving it a perfect ambiance. I took a seat beside him and roamed my gaze around to witness so many people looking at us with 'Aww'. I felt my palms sweaty and breathed sharply, while he was all carefree holding his aura vibrantly, his sisters gathered up on the stage and I smiled warmly at them.

"So, now after exchanging rings you'll be my official bhabhi, bhabhi!!" Vandana di giggled.

I looked at him and he smiled back, holding my gaze. My heart played orchestra as there were so many clicks, so many poses and after a lot of hearty smiles, the priest summoned us to exchange rings. This is it!! Just after slipping his solitaire in my ring finger, I'll be knotted to him by my heartbeats.

"Here" Mom passed me the ring and I slipped it in his finger, smiling, but I was dying inside with nervousness. Everyone clapped as he took my palm in his gracefully and followed my suit, his palm engulfed mine as if it was made for.

"Congo!!" His friends jumped over him and grinned, dazzling me.

"Thank you and please behave!" He groaned, straightening his Sherwani and faking a smile.

"Introduce us!!" The one whom I met in Ooty smiled at me and Abhimanyu turned to me. He introduced me to his friends and their wives.

"Hiii..." They gleamed and engulfed me in a hug, turn by turn.

"We'll make one hell of a best friends group." Kastoori grinned.

"I would love to join you guys."

"Let's hang out somewhere." Sneha suggested and Bharat pulled her by the waist. "Baby hold your horses, she's just engaged."

They all were very very sweet.

"Won't you introduce me?" I felt a pull on my right hand and frowned to see Rhea glaring at me.

"Sorry!" I muttered, pulling her beside me.

"This is Rhea, my best friend." I introduced her to Abhimanyu and they shook hands.

"I've heard a lot about you." She said eyeing me and I coughed.

"All good, I hope!" Abhimanyu spoke, decreasing my nervousness.

"Where's Akshat?" I asked Rhea.

"He must be busy choosing a suit for himself." She rolled her eyes and I chuckled.

"Wrong guess! I was busy picking gifts." Akshat glared at her coming near us and smiled at me passing a wrapped box.

"Thank you but you're late." I twitched my lips, taking the gift. I introduced Akshat and Abhimanyu. With lots of chitchat and rituals, the ceremony ended and finally the time came when my in-laws were about to leave. My sisters-in-law and Siya managed to give us some alone time in the lawn. The moon was splintering its beauty across the greenery, and we were silent.

"You're looking beautiful!" He whispered to me flushing my cheeks to the hue.

"Thanks!" I bit my lips nervously and added. "You are looking good too."

He just flaunted a stealing stretch. "Can I get your number?"

"Huh?"

"Number? I don't have your number and it is good if we know each other a little prior to our wedding." He shrugged.

"Um....yeah...give me your phone." I demanded and he handed me his BlackBerry. I immediately punched my number on the keypad and called, it left a ping on my phone with his number and I handed him his phone back, saving my number in his contact list. He was about to say something when Siya came. "Sorry to interrupt you but everyone is waiting."

"Please!" Abhimanyu, like a gentleman, let me lead the way. I touched my elders' feet, hugged all my sisters in law and after a long moot reluctance, touched my brother in law's feet. Adi scooted in my arms, gliding his tiny arms around my neck and placed a wet kiss on my cheek, causing me to giggle.

"My boy is totally smitten by you." Dada verbalized in equivocal, making it difficult who he was pointing at. Unable in formia cohered ere reply, I just kissed Adi's chee, and he hid his face in my neck, making everyone laugh at his antics.

"You're turning my handsome boy into a girl. Every time he meets you, he just starts blushing." Bhabhi chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"Adi is a buoyee(boy), gill (girl) noii noii." Aditya glared at his mother and clutched on me again.

"Yes Adi is a good boy, now come to chachu." Abhimanyu took him from my arms and our fingers brushed against each other, leaving jitters.

"Bye..." I breathed out slowly enough for him to hear and he did. Abhimanyu heard it, so he smiled at me, nodding his head and ducking inside his car, nodding at me.

"I hope I can meet your daughters." I hugged Vandana Di and she teased me. "Sure bhabhi, now pack your stuff soon and be ready to shift in your new home."

She leaned in my ear, "My brother is very impatient, by the way."

She winked and I blushed at her.

***

"Arrghh!! This makeup removal is making me cry, how many layers had they put on me?" I whined. It'd been two hours and I was still removing makeup from my face and hair. Twice of cleansing couldn't bring my real skin and gel and spray made my hair rough like straw.

"Ohho...show me!" Rhea walked up to the dressing table and helped me.

"Thank god!" I breathed in relief and got up. "Rhea, you please bring an icepack for me, till then I will get a quick shower."

I stripped and shampooed my hair thoroughly, wiping out all the chemical substances and glitters and then a cold bath in the freaking summer finally soothed my throbbing nerves. I changed in PJs and baggy T-shirts and crawled onto the bed. Rhea was already there with an ice pack; I took one and kept it on my face.

"Shree!" She sang and I hummed, indicating her to proceed. "Actually, Akshat was too blown off today and he..."

"He?" I pressed.

"He proposed that I get married."

"Are you serious?" I removed the icepack quickly. "Rhea don't mind but you guys have been dating for two months. Isn't it too early to get married? He is a nice guy, of course, but you don't know him much."

"I know that but I trust him and I love him so much. I just don't know what to do?" She was really confused.

"Okay. Think and then decide."

"That reminds me!" She tipped her chin teasingly. "What did you guys talk about in the backyard?"

"Nothing! The usual," I set the pack again. "He just asked for a number, that's It."

"That's it?" She sounded incredible and I hummed. "Yes!"

"First of all, you guys didn't dance which was necessary and then you guys didn't get cozy-"

"Stop watching daily soaps Rhea!" I scoffed. "My wedding is not a drama series in which my heaven will turn into a hell or vice versa within seconds."

"Did he at least compliment you?"

"Yeah. He said I was looking beautiful." I grinned.

"Thank God!" She sighed and within moments, we slept like hibernating fauna.

Time flipped away like the pages of our favorite book. Before I could stop it, the day of my Haldi knocked on my door. If my house was packed with relatives before, well then it flooded with them. Like if I wanted to reach the kitchen, I needed to play footsie. Each and every corner of my house was piled with suitcases and backpacks. Relatives swarmed in like the whole population of Rajasthan State and the more I saw them, the more congested I felt.

I opened the window letting the night breeze kiss me. The house was silent only crickets in my garden buzzed. Today was my Mehandi, so all the ladies enjoyed a lot; they made the beautician draw various patterns on their palms and were more excited than me.

Siya and my cousins danced on the songs while I was settled among aunties. Even Buadadi shook her booty on one of the old number, I was ecstatic.

I gingerly traced the delicately drawn henna on my palm. My hands up till elbows were filled with henna; it felt kind of good to trace the cool drawing.

ESV pouted at her lack of craft, 'I wish I could draw these but being a developer means I've no traits of arts'.

I smiled idiotically as my fingers touched Abhimanyu's name, well he was supposed to find it on my palm, and so I thought to make it difficult for him, for if he won't find his name, he will grant my one wish, so why not take advantage of it?

I made his name write in codes, on the edge of my palm with curvy pattern and a beautiful design, just microns above it. Now if he searched attentively, he would find it but if he skimmed through, he'd never going to find it. I chuckled on my plan and decided as to what to demand for gift?

I knew, he was very understanding and sincere but still...I didn't want to take risks for this particular front, after all he was a man and when I was going to be his legally wedded wife, why would he hesitate with me? So I better prepare for asking him to wait until we both know each other completely.

Of course, we'd chatted often after engagement but then suddenly his calls ceased. The amount of info that I knew about him, didn't cajole me to intimacy. Yesterday, when Vidhi bhabhi and Dada appeared to hand over his used turmeric which was meant to be applied to me, they filled me up with a packed schedule in the office. That made me realize why his calls ceased. He wasn't close to me and I was often wondering if he didn't want to be in a relationship with me.

___________

Hey guys, please leave your votes and comments to help me being motivated. I will be finishing the story just in a week.

Love,

Shruti.

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