The two days went as fast as heavy winds.
Nishtha was too upset to talk to Yuvaan, and she had decided not to talk to him anyway. After her sleepover, she got him the next morning and was bombarded by a bunch of ladies, including her Aai, into putting the mehendi.
So, she had sat there a day before her wedding, applying the mehendi, for almost 4 hours. Her hands were adorned till her elbows and her legs were adorned till her ankle. She didn't want a heavy wedding or makeup but no one listened. So, giving up, she just sat there accepting it. One of the ladies asked her to put her husband's name onto her hand, but she said no, which was obviously shocking to the lady - but nonetheless, Rupali Yadav wouldn't listen. She told the lady his name and Nishtha now had Y printed on her hand. After almost 8 hours, she was able to wash her hands and legs off and finally at 11pm, she was sitting on her bed, while everyone outside had gone to sleep. She was told to go to sleep fast since tomorrow was the big day - marriage.
Likewise with Yuvaan, who had no idea how to tell Nishtha that she misunderstood, debated on if he should even bother telling her or let her assume whatever.
'This marriage is fake anyway.' he thought.
The next day, he had gotten up to everyone putting mehendi and decorating the house for the big day tomorrow. Yuvaan has just been sitting and watching everyone go crazy over this wedding which he himself didn't believe in.
Or did he?
Did she believe in it? He used to think.
It was the D-Day. July 14. Wedding day.
The Nanda's and Yadav's had booked a grand area for the wedding to take place. It was a long and elegant hall which had a windowed roof, allowing natural sunlight or the rain drops to fall on it. It was decorated in a way that the mandap was elevated for everyone to see, in the center of the hall, with seating all around it and a food room in the nearby hall. Lights and flowers were adorned everywhere.
Yuvaan sat in his room in the first floor of the hall where he was dressed in a pastel pink and beige sherwani, with the Nanda family crescent on his chest, and a styled look. He played with his finger - where her ring was adorned.
"Yuvaan." Jaya Nanda said, "let's go."
Nishtha sat adorned in a pastel pink and green Marathi style saree. Her hair was tied in an elegant styled bun with a ring of flowers around it. Her face was adorned with a small Marathi traditional nose ring, a bindi and had an elegant yet simple makeup. Her hands were adorned with bangles and her neck had two necklaces. She looked beautiful but she didn't feel good. She played with her hand, her finger.
She kept revisiting how Yuvaan remembered what type of a ring she had wanted, but at the same time she felt like it was a coincidence.
"Are you ready?" Rupali Yadav asked her.
She nodded.
"You really look nice." She said.
"Thanks."
"Are you happy?"
"What do you think? Marrying me off to my ex, that too a guy who can't stand me Aai."
She sighed, "it'll work out. Your kundili's said it too, you will be together always."
"Great, so I'll have to bear his hatred always."
"That's not what I meant. I meant that yâ"
"Guys, they're calling you down." Neel said.
"Oh. Okay! Let's go!" Rupali said, "Come!"
Nishtha walked down with her brothers, Neel and her cousin brothers. A lot of family has arrived for the wedding, but a lot couldn't come as well due to time. Nishtha made her way to the mandap where she saw Yuvaan sitting.
She felt tears in her eyes - this is what she had wanted, but not like this.
She walked up and sat next to him.
He looked at her. She looked beautiful.
He had always wanted to see her as his bride, and today he was able to. He was fearing the slow, but constant revival in his heart. After Nishtha, he had shut his heart and made it stone cold, but now... Nishtha had come back. Only Nishtha had the power to revive his stone cold heart, and she was doing it, without knowing it.
He noticed her wearing pastel pink - she loved that color. He also noticed how delicate and cute she looked. As she sat next to him, he saw her play with her fingers. Is she nervous?
"Please get up for the phere." Pandit Ji said. They got up, him leading the way around the fire and then her leading the way. Once they sat back down, Alok Yadav came and performed the main kanyadaan ritual - handing his daughter to him. Jaya Nanda tied the cloth on his sherwani with the pallu of her saree, binding them together.
"Put these garlands around each other."
They got up, and Yuvaan quickly put the garland around her before her brothers could carry her.
When it was Nishtha's turn, Arush and Rohan were on their way to lift him up, but Yuvaan said no, "it's okay." He dropped his head down a little and Nishtha put the garland around him.
"Always a simp!" Arush said and Rohan laughed.
"Dekh lijiye! beta phas gaya!" An aunty teased.
"Koi baat nahi!" Jaya answered, smiling.
Yuvaan and Nishtha ignored these comments.
"Now the groom please adorn her with sindoor and mangalsutra." Pandit Ji announced.
Vamika brought the sindoor and Yuvaan took a bit of it between his fingers and looked at her.
Her face.
She refused to look in his eyes, she looked down.
He took his hand and adorned the sindoor in the partition of her hairline.
A lot of it fell on her nose.
"Congrats Bhabhi ji," Pandit Ji said, "like I said, a lot of love! Sindoor on her nose. There is a big saying that if the sindoor falls on her nose, her husband will love her very much!"
Everyone chuckled and clapped.
Except Yuvaan and Nishtha, who were thinking how delusional everyone around them are.
"Adorn her with the mangalsutra now."
Yuvaan came closer, the mangalsutra in his hand. He opened it and wrapped it around her neck. Then, he came closer to try to find the hook at the back, ignoring his increasing heart beat due to his proximity to her. He missed this.
Nishtha, too, tried to keep herself calm and kept her head down as she felt him close to her. She missed having him this close but she knew that this was too good to be true.
"Congratulations! From today you are officially husband and wife!" the Pandit ji said, "Would you like to sign your papers here?"
"We'll sign them here." Rajesh Nanda said.
The lawyer brought the papers, their official wedding papers, and gave the pen to Yuvaan.
Yuvaan signed it. Nishtha did as well.
Nishtha recalled the contract she signed, just a few days before this, and how her now- husband had already broken the rule... but she couldn't say anything to him because he hated her. They both were in a contractual marriage, unaware of the turmoil in each other's minds.
"Everyone! Please make you away to the next room for lunch!" Jaya Nanda said happily. She walked over to Nishtha and Yuvaan, "Congrats to the two of you! I hope this marriage will give you both the peace and happiness you deserve."
They both just smiled, unaware of what to reply.
"Come. Eat." Jaya said.
They followed Jaya into the room and ate in silence. They didn't want to talk to each other.
They didn't know how to.
Then came the vidaai - the ritual of letting go.
It was very difficult for the Yadav's to let go off their daughter but the reassurance that she was going into a family she knows well that they will take care of her, even if it doesn't seem that way.
Rupali hugged her daughter.
Nishtha had tears in her eyes but she was not the one to express her emotions openly.
Not anymore.
They sat in the car, with Yuvaan on her right. The rest of the Nanda's sat in the other car. It was 6pm when all the festivities had ended, and now she was to go to her in-laws, to complete the rest of the festivities and start her new life.
It was a silent drive to the Nanda mansion.
Yuvaan looked at his bride, who was looking at the view outside the window. She had opened the window to feel the small drizzles and winds.
He couldn't help but look in awe seeing her. She looked beautiful. She was always beautiful.
Her Marathi attire enhanced it.
He had always been fond of her Marathi style.
They still had an unsaid tension after they had met last night - no one knew how to address it.
Finally, they reached home.
Nishtha got down the car without waiting for him to help her. She wasn't expecting his help.
Her breath got caught in her throat and she felt her heart beat rise exponentially seeing the sight in front of her: the Nanda mansion.
She had promised herself not to enter this place again after she as rudely kicked out from here. Nothing had changed.
She still remembered her screams, his screams.
She looked at the main gate from which he had locked her out, leaving her in the rain.
She is scared of rain now. She used to love it.
"Are you coming or not?" Yuvaan said.
He didn't know how to react seeing Nishtha back at his doorstep. A part of him felt happy to see her back. The Nanda Mansion always only saw one girl as its future family member: Nishtha.
"Yeah." Nishtha replied, not looking at him.
They entered the main door where Jaya Nanda stood, with an aarti thali in her hand. Nishtha saw a white cloth spread out, with a kumkum plate in front of it, right under Nishtha's feet. Jaya Nanda did the aarti of the two newly weds and then instructed Nishtha to kick the kalash and walk after dipping her feet in the kumkum.
Nishtha did as was told and entered the house, with Yuvaan on her side.
Once they entered, they sat down to perform the remaining rituals. Nishtha was not interested. She was a person who loved marriages but not her own, because she believed that marriages are real, and this was not.
Yuvaan, on the other hand, was confused at why his heart had been light the entire day and why, if anyone asked him to rewind and relive the day, he would say yes.
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