Manvi exchanged glances with everyone present in the large hall. She gazed at her cousin, Pooja and ran forward by her side to save her from the strange confusion that was summoned up in the room. Manvi gulped looking at the frantic face of Pooja, it was boiling red and orange with anger.
"Manvi, are you married...?", Pooja asked suspiciously eyeing both Virat and Manvi. Virat stiffened at the sudden question and immediately lunged forward from getting his whole plan ruined. Manvi fidgeted with her dupatta, her eyes downcasted thinking of an excuse.
"Yes, we're married", Virat smiled cheerfully looking at Manvi's cousin, trying to snake his arms around Manvi, but each time he tried she pushed his hands away glaring down at him. Pooja saw both of them skeptically trying to draw a conclusion. She was sure that how modern her cousin can get but she could never marry a guy without letting her choice known to anyone and disregarding the traditions. Pooja sighed smiling at Manvi. Swamini and Kadambari got eased out of the tension that penetrated on their faces few hours back. Manvi's eyeballs popped out of their sockets at the strange reactions of everyone.
"So you are my daughter-in-law", Swamini came and stood before Manvi, slightly caressing her cheeks and contemptibly looking at the cute pair of her son and now his fake wife. Son, Holy cow! She knitted her eyebrows together drawing a long breath at the new piece of information. She mentally calculated the family tree of the Vadera family strating from Swamini and ending at Virat, and now her? She shuddered her head at the inept thought and glanced at Swamini.
"Haye ni so lets welcome the new bahu of this house with a grand ceremony, band baaja barat layo oye", Kadambari yelped like a school girl hugging Manvi. Manvi swallowed the possibility of her getting married to Virat on the spot. She gave a broad smile and sidelined for taking some fresh air for sometime. Virat slowly paced to her grinning like a fool.
"So who is the big fat liar now? Mr. Virat Singh Vadera?, Manvi questioned jarring at him to which he smiled sheepishly.
"I like the way you call my name", he tutted looking at her closely. She quirked an eyebrow at him showing her displeasure. He laughed and continued teasing her, "You actually make it sound sexy", he continued his persistent tantalizing. She thew a disgusting smile at him.
"Shut up Virat", she snapped at him.
"Sexier now", he aped.
She instantly took her bags and marched to the other side of the hall with Virat following her. She grew tired of the long journey and mostly his ribbing. "Manvi", he tried to call her but when she didn't turn around he ignored her and moved forward now.
"What the hell do you think of yourself", Manvi rattled on almost running behind Virat now as her tiny winy footsteps were no match to his giant ones.
"I'm asking you something. How dare you walk away like that! No one till now has done this to Manvi", she shrieked passing through the contemporary rooms of the Vadera mansion. He walked along increasing his walking speed without acknowledging her. Her breathing ragged as she held onto the nearest door to regain her composure. He stopped without a second thought as the footsteps behind him died down. He turned around only to see her eyes emitting dazzling fires. Before he could try to explain she came at full speed barging in ultimately hitting into one of the small chandeliers which was hung low; in fact very low that it got hit to her head.
"Ouch", she shrieked rubbing her forehead furiously trying to sooth the pain. Virat got alerted at her clumsiness and lunged forward to help her.
"My fate has got only to get hit by things, kabhi waha to abhi yaha", she said dashing into his strong chest. For a split of second she felt her head block and become plane black due to the constant hits. He moved forward holding her head in a tight firm and rubbing it constantly. Due to the constant rubbing his head started to tilt to and fro. For a person behind him it would look as if they were kissing; that too very passionately, her hands raised upwards.
"Manvi Jiii", a male voice shrieked running forward with an over-sized pair of rimmed spectacles around his ears. Dressed in a long kurta and a handful of hair arranged neatly in a row completely chopped with a full bottle of coconut oil and ever so expressionless face made his way to the front of Manvi.
" Why did you stop? I was feeling better", Manvi replied to Virat opening her eyes and trying to figure out what was going before her. Virat looked strangely at the person before him. The strange person tried to steal some dirty glances at Virat as if he was doing some crime.
"Manvi Ji ye..ye aap kya kar rahi thi (what were you doing before), he asked sounding extremely depressed. Manvi instantly opened her eyes to the voice gasping. Sure, she knew the guy that her parents especially her mother pestering her to see would be present at her cousins wedding but she didn't in her wildest dream think that he would land up this soon as if it wasn't already enough for her to deal with a bonehead like Virat that now this jerk has made his entry.
"Shyam tum..", she looked faking surprise.
"How could you do this", Shyam turned his face away sounding very much disturbed. For the first few seconds she felt as if he had known everything; the fake marriage, everything.
"Wo actually", she trailled off unable to start it. She didn't knew how to begin it without hurting him in the same process. Virat turned his head to left of Manvi and right of Shyam trying to make sense out of their words.
"You could have called me..", Shyam replied aghast and hurt at the same time. He was beyond baffled at the kiss assumed by only him that they were having. Manvi smiled uneasily at him nudging Virat to tell him that he was the same freaking marriage proposal guy.
"I didn't find you here, so he was passing by so I called him. I felt better you know after he..", before she could complete her sentence Shyam raised his palm indicating her to stop. She was talking about her hitting the chandelier but she had no idea what he was talking about.
"Manvi Jii you're not understanding the depth of this conversation, I mean how could you just ask a stranger to..to ", he trailed away without finishing his words and muttering "to kiss you" under his breath. Manvi didn't understand why he was digging a mountain out of a molehill. She got hit by something and a person was helping her out. What's the big deal! she wondered in herself.
"Who did you call a stranger', now Virat made into the scene. Manvi held onto his hand to stop him but he was more than involved in getting the Shyam or Ganshyam whatever his name to repent for his words.
"Jee aap kon (Who are you)?, Shyam asked facing Virat.
"Tera baap (your dad), do you have a problem", Virat replied standing closer to Manvi. Shyam looked at the proximity they shared and gulped down looking at Virat. Virat tried to put his arm around her but each time he tried she pushed his hand away, his efforts going into vain.
"Virat Sir and Manvi madam I have arranged a room in the couples side of the hallway as per Bua ji's instructions", a middle- aged maid spoke politely taking the luggage out of Virat's hands. As if the already happening drama wasn't enough the entry of the maid served as a cherry on the cake. Floor felt slipping away under Shyam's feet.
"Ar..are, you both marr-r-ied", he asked flabbergasted.
"Of course we are", Virat replied casually.
Tears started slipping off Shyam's eyes. Manvi gulped down looking at his face which was now worse than a rotten potato.The only fear she had right now was, what if he narrates the whole drama to her mom? What if..he tell her mom about this marriage? She pushed her hair to the other side trying to ignore the what if's.
"You played a game on me Manvi Jii!, how could you do this to a meek, gentle and a harmless man like me", he rattled on like a school boy crying for a candy. Manvi looked nonplussed at him. She tried to stop him but in vain. Both Manvi and Virat slipped away silently to the room shown by the maid to them.
Virat creaked opened the door jumping on the bed in a reflex and laughing like a maniac. Manvi flung her bags away throwing nasty looks at him. "Were you going to marry that freakkk", Virat laughed rolling on the bed. Manvi sneered at his antics. What was so funny? she thought.
"Virat don't piss me off", she dragged sitting on the sofa tiredly.
"Oh I'm multi-talented right, I can talk and piss you off at the same time", he raised up his collar boosting about his useless abilities.
"I hate you", she threw a fit at him getting up and banging the door shut of the washroom.
"Is this a coincidence that we both hate each other", he leered causing her gnash her teeth in utter annoyance in the washroom, his words booming in the whole room. She sighed looking at herself in the mirror, thinking about living a week with her fake annoying husband in the SAME room, she gasped!
~~~
Thanks for the comments, I have tried to reply to some of them😊
Anupamaa
