Chapter 12

[NOCOPY]

Previously: Raavi and Dev call off their wedding. Shilpa’s boyfriend appears at the mandap to stop Shilpa’s wedding. ShiVi confess their love to each other in front of everyone. Rishita arrives at the venue to stop Dev’s wedding. Suman is disappointed at her sons.

Part 12

“Hey Somnath, tum sab itne bade hogaye ho na. Apne zindagi ke phaisle kud le rahe ho. Ab hum sabke kya zaroorat, jo karna hai karo,” she said disappointed, turning away towards the exit of the hall on her wheelchair.

Everyone shot each other a panicked look. 

“Haan bhai, yahan koi shaadi nahi hogi, Raavi tu ghar chal,” said Prafulla who’d woken up again.

Raavi looked at Shiva appalled at the sudden turn of events. Shiva nodded towards his mother, Raavi understood and they both rushed towards Suman. Dev followed suit, pulling Rishita along.

All four of them kneeled in front of Suman with apologetic eyes. Rishita seemed hesitant initially, but complied after a little nudge from Dev.

“Kya hai?” Suman asked.

Shiva and Dev made an even sadder face, if that were possible. Raavi’s eyes were brimming with tears and even Rishita looked up at Suman earnestly knowing that her happily ever after with Dev depended on this one last challenge.

Suman always had a soft corner for her sons, especially the younger ones. “Chalo teek hai, sab rona shuru mat karna. Meri ashirvad tum sabpe hamesha rahegi,” Suman relented, placing her hands on their heads one by one.

Gaumbi and Dhara sighed in relief, just wanting their kids to be happy, no matter who that happiness was with. Dhara was glad Raavi would still come to their house. 

But Suman wasn’t done. “Ey bagodi ki beti!” 

Dhara turned to Suman, worried, “ji, ma?”

“Tujhe ye sabke baare mein nahi pata?”

Dhara shook her head. “Nahi ma, mujhe bi abhi pata chal rahi hai.”

“Pehle Gaumbi ke shaadi mein bhi tu aur Prafulla milke tamasha kar diye te. Ab Dev aur Shiva ke shaadi mein bhi poora ka poora tamasha hi tamasha chal rahi hai. Agla kya? Krish ki shaadi mein kaun damru bajane waala hai? Abhi bata do,” she said sternly.

Everyone was silent.

“Behtar hoga, Krish, tu shaadi hi mat kar. Ye dekh,” she said pointing to Gaumbi, “ye toh pura petticoat chap ban gaya. Ab baari hai in dono majnuon ki. Mujhe pura barosa hai, ye bhi apni biwiyon ke pallu pakadkar latakte rahenge,” she said pointing to her other two sons. All three of their faces turned red.

“Hamare parivaar mein saath janmo ke liye ye drama vaama ka quota full hai. Isliye beta, tu shaadi mat kar. Haan?” Suman finished looking at Krish.

Krish awkwardly bobbed his head, cursing his brothers for bringing him to this situation.

“Arey yaar, gayi mere pyar ke sapne. Kya kya sochke rakha ta aur kya ho raha hai. Krish, lagta hai tu Devdas banke reh jayega,” he sighed muttering to himself.

“Toh maa, aap maan gayi?” Dev asked.

“Haan, chalo muhrat nikhal rahi hai,” she said as she shooed them on to the mandap.

Everyone’s faces brightened as they proceeded to hug Suman all at once, who swatted at their hands, “haaan, teek hai teek hai. Chalo mandap pe.”

Rishita hugged Dev as they stepped on to the mandap, ecstatic at finally marrying him.

“Eyy, ye sab nahi chahiye, doori rakh,” Suman scolded her, not comfortable with public displays of affection. Rishita gave her an awkward smile but did as told.

Prafulla, who hadn’t expected things to go this way cried in outrage at the couples on the mandap. “Raavi! Tu door reh uss saand se! Yeh shaadi nahi ho sakti!”

“Arey bhai, ek shaadi ko kitne baar rokoge,” Krish sighed shaking his head.

“Ayy Maami, chal mein tujhe do choice de raha hoon. Tu ek choose kar le. Beti?” He nodded his head towards Raavi. “Ya kangan?” He asked pointing at Prafulla’s hand.

Prafulla’s eyes widened as she promptly clasped her hands behind her back.

“Choose kar li? Toh Raavi meri hai,” Shiva declared.

“Ey bhai, nahi!” Prafulla cried reaching out her hands towards Raavi.

Shiva’s eyes zeroed in on the kangan on her hands. Prafulla followed his gaze and immediately hid them behind her, taking a few steps back for a safe measure.

Shiva snickered, Raavi laughed softly shaking her head at her Mausi’s antics.

“Mausi, aap chinta mat karo. Mein Shiva ke saath bahut khush rahungi,” Raavi told her with a  wide smile. Her Mausi still wasn’t convinced, but after a few quiet words from her husband, Prafulla gave in and nodded at Raavi.

Everyone smiled, relieved.

“Ye jodi final hai? Ya koyi aur bhi aane waala hai shaadi rokhne?” Krish asked sarcastically, looking at the entrance.

He cried out as Gaumbi smacked his head.

“Chaliye pandit ji, mantren shuru kijiye,” Gaumbi said with a smile.

Raavi turned to look up at Shiva, her eyes wide with adoration. “Shiva, mujhe vishwaas hi nahi ho raha hai ki mein tujhse shaadi karne waali hoon,” she said dreamily.

“Aaa,” she cried softly as he pinched her good arm. 

“Pinch kyun kiyaaa,” she whined rubbing her arm.

“Kiss toh nahi kar sakta,” he whispered to her.

Raavi blushed, looking down at her feet.

“Aaj isse zyada kiya toh teri Mausi ko dil ka daura pad jayega. Vo picture ham use kuch aur din dikhayenge,” he said smiling down at her.

She lightly slapped his arm.

“Ay Mami ki behen ki beti! Chot lagi hai vahan,” he hissed holding his arm away from her.

“Sorry sorry,” she said quickly.

“Beta aapke baat katam ho toh shaadi shuru karen,” the pandit ji asked gently smiling at them.

“Ji pandit ji,” they both said at the same time.

Both the couples were handed their garlands, they were lost in their respective partners’ eyes as they put it on each other. 

After he placed it on her, Shiva held her garland and tugged her towards himself. Raavi placed her hands on his chest to stop herself from crashing into him, her face turning crimson.

“Kar kya raha hai, Shiva?”

“Tu aisi kyun sharma rahi hai? Paanch minute pehle hi toh gaaliyan de rahi thi. Vo waali vapas chahiye mujhe,” Shiva said pulling her further towards him.

Raavi’s mouth formed an O in outrage at his mood killing demand. She grabbed his garland and pulled him closer.

“Patha hai? Tu romance ka number one dushman hai. Romeo-Juliet, Laila-Majnu, Heer-Ranjha sab milke tere kilaaf aandolan nikhalenge,” she said not bothering to keep her voice down.

The pandit had gone beet red, he looked at Gaumbi silently for help. 

“Shiva?” Gaumbi called.

They both looked towards him at the same time as if surprised by the intrusion. And then took a tiny step away from each other hesitantly, taking note of their audience who were currently laughing at their antics. 

Gaumbi prompted them to sit down for the gatbhandan and kanyadhaan.

They both sat way too close to each other than what was prescribed for conservative marriages. The pandit had a hard time chanting his mantras, he kept coughing, refusing when Gaumbi offered him water. How was he supposed to tell him that he was coughing due to embarrassment and not from the smoke.

Raavi’s folded leg was half on top of Shiva’s. She smiled at him smugly. He took one look at it and shook her leg off his thigh, brining his own leg above her folded leg, returning her smug smile.

Raavi narrowed her eyes at him and elbowed his thigh roughly, his leg jerked up at the contact. He shot daggers at her. She returned it with a sly smile.

They heard a cough behind them and turned their head around to see Anita standing there. She smiled teasingly before tying his scarf with her pallu. They both looked down at the knot, and then at each other with soft smiles.

“Raavi? Shiva?”

“Hmm?” They both responded in sync, lost in each other’s eyes.

“Shiva?” Gaumbi called again, nudging Shiva’s shoulder.

Two pairs of eyes swung to him, wondering why he’d interrupted them. Shiva frowned.

Gaumbi put his hands up, “bhai, shaadi complete kar do, phir koyi disturbance nahi hogi tumhe.”

“Haan, haan. Saara din room mein guse rehna. Mein khud tum dono ko undar lock karwadunga,” Krish quipped, earning a light slap to the arm from Dhara.

Raavi’s face turned red, looking anywhere but at her family. Shiva just smiled at her, still not able to believe this complete 180 degree shift in his fate.

They stood up for the pheras.

“Ab var apne vadhu ke haat thame,” said the pandit.

Everyone laughed when the couples held hands rather eagerly. But then, Shiva hissed lightly. Raavi had forgotten his injury from the previous night and had held it a little too tight.

“Sorry sorry,” Raavi said lifting his hand up to examine the wounded area. Her chunri that she’d used to cover up her own injured hand shifted.

“Raavi, tujhe aur Shiva ko same jageh par chot kaise lagi?” Dhara asked noting her bandage.

“Haan Shiva, batao batao? Kal raat waali chudail Raavi bhabhi toh nahi thi?” Krish quipped, recollecting Shiva’s explanation for the injury earlier.

“Aur Raavi, tujhe daraane wala bhoot Shiva toh nahi ta?” Anita asked catching on.

“Achaaaa! Hume kyun nahi mili iss bhoothon ki convention ka invite?” Krish teased.

Raavi blushed.

“Beta, tu ghar aa. Phir dikhata hoon,” Shiva threatened Krish.

“Nahi nahi, bhai. Tujhe ghar jaake kisi aur ke liye time kahan hoga,” Krish said laughing at their expense.

Raavi turned an even darker shade of red.

“Raavi bhabhi, aapko itni sharmate huye meine kabhi nahi dekha,” Krish said, prompting Shiva to turn to look at Raavi.

“Ay gadhedi, tu itna sharma rahi hai ki tere saamne tamatar bhi haar jaaye,” Shiva said amused.

She elbowed his ribs lightly, making him chuckle.

“Ay bhai, ye sab mujhe dekha nahi jaa raha,” Prafulla complained to her husband.

“Chalo! Shiva, Raavi, ab please concentrate karo aur pheren pure karo teek se,” Dhara said.

The pandit began to chant mantras as they walked around the fire, promising to be each other’s for eternity. 

Once, they’d completed it, Dev and Shiva were handed the mangalsutras.

Raavi teared up at the sight of the mangalsutra in Shiva’s hand. Her lips quivered and a happy tear ran down her cheek as he slowly leaned towards her, delicately fastening it around her neck. Once it was secure, he cupped her cheek using his thumb to wipe away the stray tear. Looking into his eyes in that moment, Raavi knew that she had made the right decision listening to her dil ki baat. She knew that he was her one, she’d found her soulmate. Her eyes blurred with more tears, but she blinked them away quickly, not wanting to lose sight of Shiva even for a second.

Dhara handed Shiva the sindoor, he took it in his hand and looked up at Raavi. Ten years ago, when the angel in the white dress ran towards them, he immediately knew she was special. And every single day after that, it became clearer to him that she was his one and only. 

As he pinched a little of the sindoor in between his fingers he thought back to when he’d accidentally covered Raavi in it and how they’d unknowingly completed each and every rasam. His eyes focused on the beautiful angel in front of him, as he lifted his hand up to her forehead. She smiled closing her eyes, her lashes fanning her cheeks as he filled her maang with sindoor. His Raavi, his Gauri.

The end ♥️