Chapter 44

44.

The pandit decided that Mansi’s and Rahul’s wedding should take place first at four in the afternoon, and after, Raghav and Pallavi’s at six in the evening. When Pallavi arrived home that night, Keerthi immediately dragged her to Keerthi’s room.

“What, I can’t sleep in my own room?”

“Akka, technically tomorrow is your wedding, so have some patience,” Keerthi giggled.

Raghav noticing Pallavi wasn’t downstairs went upstairs and heard Keerthi laughing, “what’s going on, Keerthi what’s so funny?”

“Anna, I you will have to live without your pyaari Bibi for one night.” Keerthi laughed, closing the door in his face. Pallavi catching his eye and trying to tell him this wasn’t her doing.

Raghav was miffed, but so what, after tomorrow, Pallavi wouldn’t be away from him for even one night anymore.

As Raghav tossed and turned in his bed, he realized that he couldn’t fall asleep without Pallavi next to him anymore.

Pallavi, in Keerthi’s bed, couldn’t sleep either, she kept touching her bracelet, thinking back to everything that happened today, what Raghav had said, how electrifying it felt when his hands found her waist, how it felt like his eyes could drive deep into her soul, how safe she felt in his arms.

She snuck out of Keerthi’s room, and decided it wouldn’t hurt to check on Raghav, just to make sure he fell asleep.

She tiptoed to their room, but when she opened the door, she saw that the bed was empty. Where was Raghav?

She made her way downstairs and checked the kitchen, the living room, his studio, his study, and then she hear the clink of a glass coming from the outside bar. Of course, the ping pong table. Raghav would be drinking and playing table tennis against himself again.

There he was, bouncing a ping pong ball on his bat, taking a sip of some scotch with his other hand. When he saw her he lost concentration and the ball bounced to the floor. She looked like a goddess, in a simple grey and black sari, her hair up in a bun, her eyes glittering in the moonlight.

“You couldn’t sleep?” Raghav asked.

“You couldn’t sleep either.” Pallavi responded, “and what’s this, drinking before you wedding day, are you that afraid to marry me?” She raised an eyebrow, grinning.

“Yes,” Raghav said.

Pallavi was taken aback, she was just joking, but what was he saying?

Raghav caught the look on her face and immediately tried to clarify himself, “I mean, I am afraid, not of the wedding, but of all the mistakes I know I’ll make after, what if—“

Palalvi walked to him, and put his glass on the counter, and her hands on his shoulders. She looked into his eyes, “Raghav Rao, ex Don of Hyderabad, you are a man of your word. And from what I remember you didn’t promise me that you’d be perfect, you just promised your support. Of course you’ll make mistakes, I’ll make mistakes. We’ll fight, we’ll yell and throw things, and tell each other unforgivable things. But I’ll promise you one thing, I will always forgive you, no matter how stupid you are.”

Raghav smiled, and brushed a strand of hair away from Pallavi’s face.

“I really can’t imagine my life without you Pallavi Deshmukh.”

“That’s Mrs. Pallavi Raghav Rao to you mister.”