People had started trickling in, but all from Neel's side and neither from hers. Neel and his parents had together invited more than 250 guests, including relatives, colleagues, business associates, clients, so on and so forth while the only people from her side, apart from her family were Navya & Ranbir.
Nandini glanced at the heap of clothes spread on the bed infront of her. They had reached the banquet, and Nandini had been asked to get ready in one of the rooms upstairs. From the look of it, the banquet appeared rather expensive and because it had to be booked at the very last minute, owing to Amms's stupidity, the owners must have charged an astronomical rate from chacha. What a waste of his hard earned money! Nandini thought. Her mouth had gone sour, and her limbs were numb. Her heart , beating at thrice the normal rate, had consumed all her energy. Much less the bride, with that morose expression on her pale face, Nandini looked like the proverbial lamb before its slaughter..as if she was dressing up for her own funeral.
Nandini glanced at the bed again and picked up the sari. Pulling it close to her bosom, she embraced it as dearly, as she would have embraced Manik. No she wouldn't wear it, even though, she was bound to do so by her culture.
Reluctantly, she put on the grandiose lehenga, Manik had sent her. It was an exquisite piece of craftsmanship, carefully hand stitched over months, yet when she looked into the mirror, she saw a living corpse draped in red. 'just few more hours Nandini and this nightmare will be over' She kept on repeating these words to herself. She kept on reminding herself that it was all staged, & that they were reading out from a script, but all her efforts were going in vain. She had to struggle to breathe as her breaths fell shallow. She was literally waiting with bated breaths for Manik.
Nandini ran her fingers over the gold neckpiece.
"Too engrossed in dolling up Sweetheart? So engrossed that you didn't even notice your to-be husband ?"
A chill ran up Nandini's spine. She raised her face slowly to see the most hated reflection in the mirror. His snaky eyes were glimmering and a lustful smile hung from his bumpy lips.
"Engrossed or lost? Still mourning the break up is it? Waise congratulations honey, both for the marriage and for your sweet sa break up.c'mmon get up and give me a hug."
She wanted to pick up the copper kalash (vessel) lying on the bed, throw it at his shitty face and then spit on the bloodied mass that would become of it.
'Control Nandini, he is trying to instigate you.. Don't react...don't do anything stupid & ruin it for Manik..let him handle this asshole' she clenched her hands into a tight fist struggling to hold herself back.
"Chor diya na tumhe? Aukad dikha di tumhari, us Manik ne? bohot ud rahi thi...how does it feel now? To be dumped after being f**ked? Does it feel as good as it felt warming his bed?"
Nandini didn't even care to turn around and face him. His words had riled her up enough make her want to puke. She remained seated, motionless, scanning his ugly reflection with her steely eyes. If he had come here, looking for some cheap thrills, he wasn't going to get any.
"Chalo acha hi hua tumhare liye, that he broke up himself. Imagine if he hadn't and I had told him your truth...kitna zyada drama hota na fir..kaise ghasitke who tumhe apni life se kick out ar deta.." He scanned whatever little of her face was visible to him, but didn't find the kind of reaction he was hoping to see.
"You don't think he would have thrown you out? Koi nai I had an alternative plan too...What if another car had crushed him under its wheels...ish..ish..sad na..." he mocked her " Remember those messages you sent me..bragging about him..lol, I feel so sad for you baby..I really do..trust me...but pata hai meri problem kya hai that I love seeing you sad, it gives me a high. And the best part is, beginning today, you will only cry and beg for your life before me." he kept on ranting, and laughing to himself. People marry either for love, or under family pressure, but Neel was marrying out of hatred. Her suffering turned him on, seeing her beg and cry satiated his carnal desires. And if merely watching her cringe in disgust could give him so much pleasure, he couldn't even imagine the adrenaline rush he would get from torturing her mentally and physically. She was just a tasty piece of meat that he was obsessed with.
Imagining his first night with her, he was already feeling light headed with anticipation.
He stood there, running his eyes over her, from head to toe, going back and forth over her pretty frame. He noticed her expensive lehenga and the heavy jewelry adorning her innocent face."Well, I can see you didn't wear any of the dresses I sent for you. Aise dil nahi todte Nandu, kitne pyaar se I got these for you. But this one is also nice, kahan se churaya? Don't tell me you bought it, tumhara wo dumb chacha, uski to itni aukat nahi hogi."
Nandini forced her eyes shut, unable to hold herself anymore and then took a deep breath. Only she knew the battle raging inside her. She had never felt such putrid hatred for anyone or anything, and it was making her sick.
"But I got another gift for you...I invited your lover... I mean ex-lover to the wedding today. It will be so much fun na, we taking the feras and he watching us? And that guy even agreed to..." he couldn't even finish his sentence when he felt a tight slap on his back. Surprised, he turned around to see a robust guy in a vest and wearing goggles, staring at him.
"kya re bhai, tujhe udhar light fix karne ko bola tha na, tu idhar kya kar raha hai?" ordered Ranbir. He turned to Nandini, and seeing her red face and swollen eyes he asked, all concerned, "Nandini, kya hua? You all ok? Chalo get ready fast, waise yeh sample tumhe disturb to nahi kar raha tha, I am sorry wo got a little busy with all the tam jham going on.
"What the heck???who are you?" Neel was alerted at once. Who was this new character in the story? Neel wondered. He had never seen this guy before, nor had Nandini ever mentioned him. But the way he was being all bossy , he had to be someone close to her or her family.
"Who am I? Ab sala tujhe introduction bhi dena parega? Yeh sab nautanki saale kahan se aa jate hain? Dekh hero isse pehle ki I lose it and ask your supervisor to kick you out of here, jake sare lights check kar. Mera dimag is already too hot right now, tu fokat me timepass mat kar." Ranbir was in no mood for any more frivolity. He had had a sleepless night editing the Video which would be the 'piece de resistance' of this fake marriage. But even though the marriage was fake, the people and the headache they were giving him was absolutely real. Being the only capable guy between Rishab and his chacha, he was having to oversee all the preparations at the banquet hall. That's what had kept him busy since morning. Juggling between the guys fixing lights and the ones decorating the mandap, Ranbir had been running around in a pair of jeans and a red vest like a mad man. He was just passing by Nandini's room when his eyes fell on Neel standing and mistaking him for one of the mechanics, he came in to shoo him out.
"Main koi mechanic nahi hun you bloody wierdo, I am the groom, Neel Dixit."
"Chal na bhai, kyun free mein bheja fry kar raha hai, yeh jokes kal mar lena. Aaj bohot kam hai..chal..."
How dare this fellow was calling him a mechanic when he was insisting that he was the groom. He looked at Nandini, angrily. Why was she not clearing the air..
"He is right bro, he is the groom, THE NEEL DIXIT." And thus entered Nishaant. Ranbir immediately walked upto Nishaant and drew him into a hug. On the other hand, Neel was beginning to feeling uncomfortable. First this guy and now his brother. Waise to he hated his younger brother, but the fact that whoever this guy was, knew his brother so well wasn't a good omen at all. Neel wondered if he missing something? Even Nandini's silence had seemed a little suspicious. That loud mouthed girl always hurled abuses at him. But today she was eerily quiet, as if in a trace.
"You got to be kidding me...ye tera bhai nahi ho sakta...he doesn't even look like your uncle man."
"But he is my brother dude..."
Ranbir's jaws dropped. Were they serious? This was Neel Dixit ?!?!?! This fat, distorted, strange looking jerk. Ranbir tried to dig through his memory. Over the past couple of weeks they had discussed so much about him, planned and plotted so much against him but he couldn't remember ever having seen his real face. But honestly he hadn't expected Neel Dixit to look so bad, this was truly beyond imagination. Now he was sure that Neel and Nishaant couldn't possibly be real brothers.
He stole glances at Nandini and Nishaant in quick succession. Now he understood why she looked so agitated. This shithead might have upset her. Gathering himself, Ranbir put on his trademark fake smile and sliding an arm over Neel's shoulder he tried to whisk him away from the spot."I am so sorry JIJU, for the confusion, but kya hai na, you weren't looking like the groom so..but I am..extremely sorry, By the way, I am Ranbir, Nandini's friend cum bro. waise what are you doing here, naughty JIJU, don't you know, you are not supposed to meet the bride till the marriage?" Holding him by his collar, he dragged Neel Away and Nishaant too followed suit leaving Nandini alone.
"Waise jiju, can I ask you a question if you don't mind? Yeh aapki pehli hi shaadi hai?"
"Don't act oversmart with me." Neel hissed. He was furious, almost to the point of swearing under his breath. How dare ranbir drag him out of Nandini's room. He had prepared a n entire monologue to assault Nandini, to completely break her down before the wedding, but thanks to the idiot he had to stop midway.
"Are JIJU aap to bura man gaye, I was just checking you know. Kya hai na ki Nandini looks a little young, If u stand next to her, people will be confused whether you are her groom or her second uncle."
To add salt to injury, Ranbir made Neel sit and then called the make up girl " Listen suzanne, we called you to do Nandini's make up but I guess we need your help more here. Can you please do some magic and fix this face?" He twisted Neel's face in his fingers as if he was displaying a broken piece of crockery to a prospective buyer. "Thora tough hai I know, but you will fix this with a bit of a make up, right? These days, they can fix just about anything with a little touch up here and there. I am sure you can atleast make it presentable."
The girl nodded sidewise, controlling her laugh.
"Chalo yeh to done hai ji, par iska kya karein?" Ranbir pinched Neel's belly as hard as he could, crushing layers of his skin and the underlying fat under his deft fingers. "I just wish you had a few inches less here, unfortunately iska to make up nahi ho sakta"
Neel stood up, wincing with pain. "Get lost you f**ker!!! I told you not to act oversmart with me. I am allergic to oversmart people."
"Smartness to tune dekha nahi abtak, aage aage dekh scumbug" Manik whispered to himself, as he stealthily passed by the scene on his way to Nandini's room upstairs.
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