Hello everyone! I know I update very irregularly but I am grateful to you all for putting up with me. I'm sorry for making you wait so much!
I have taken some creative liberty in this chapter regarding the ceremonies and the traditions. My intention is not to hurt anyone's cultural or religious sentiments so if I have done that in this chapter, please forgive me.
The song mentioned is 'Iss Pal' from 'Aaja Nachle'.
Congratulations Avi and Onir! Keep rocking! 🤗
Chapter NineteenCan it get any more embarrassing? I know the answer to this question.
Probably not. Seeing Raya here and knowing that she has seen and heard all that Maan has said and done, I don't think I can be more mortified. Hoping against hope that she doesn't make the situation any more awkward than it already is, I try not to look at either of the two people standing near me but a quick sweep over them tells me about the fidgety position Maan is in and the perplexed state Raya is in. Contemplating over what and how to speak at the moment, I let the silence linger longer than it is comfortable while Maan and Raya remain mum. After a strained pause, I hear Raya clearing her throat and speaking up in her usual chirpy voice.
'Hi! I hope I didn't interrupt anything.' I shoot a glare at her as Maan smiles awkwardly and moves his head in between a shake and a nod. Raya's stance relaxes and she smiles widely.
'Good. Oh, by the way, I'm Raya, Geet's sister. The very Geet who is standing beside you at the moment and you thought it was a hallucination.' Without giving Maan a chance to respond in any way, she continues her tirade.
'Tell me something. Are your imaginations usually so vivid and close to reality every time? It could be a medical problem, you know. Why don't you get yourself checked from a good psychiatrist? We wouldn't want you to be schizophrenic -' As amusing as it is to watch the dull pink colour invading Maan's cheeks, I cut Raya off with a sharp call of her name, knowing she's crossing the limits with her nonstop train of words. I glare at her as I apologise to Maan on her behalf. After a few more seconds of heavy silence filled with thoughts of what passed just a few moments ago, I clear my throat.
'I guess you weren't aware that Raya and I were coming to stay here for a week..?' I let my statement hang so it sounds more like a question.
'Yeah... Uhh... No. I mean, I don't remember Mom mentioning about it.' He shifts uncomfortably from one foot to another and I wave the topic off, wanting to escape to the room myself. Wishing him a good night, I signal Raya to head into the room ahead of me and we both get inside, locking the door. I know she'll ask about what it was all about so I just wait with bated breath as I walk to the bed. Not more than five seconds pass when she asks the obvious question. I try to dodge her question but she doesn't relent so I sigh.
'It really was nothing, Raya. You heard that he thought he was imagining me.' She grins and nods as she lays on the bed, pulling the covers over her. I look at her with narrowed eyes, knowing her too well to believe she won't say anything after that. When she doesn't react for a moment, I lie down too and cover my head with the blanket. Just when I close my eyes, the blanket is pulled off and Chhoti's wickedly smiling face appears in front of me.
'I have to say that he has quite an interesting way to deal with what he believes to be his imagination.' Holding my breath to fight the inevitable coloring of my cheeks at her comment, I snatch the blanket from her hand, pull it over my head and force a good night wish out of my teeth to make it clear that the discussion has ended.
-------------------------------------After the girls close the door to the guest room, I hit my fist to my forehead out of chagrin over my own stupidity. I hear subdued voices from their room and then walk into the adjoining door, which is my own room, all the while chiding myself as I retrieve my night suit and change into it.
Idiot! Duffer! Are you blind or what?! Didn't you realise that your imagination couldn't be as vivid? The feel of her soft cheek under my fingers makes me pause my self-reprimanding for a moment as it sinks in that I was so close to her. And then the image of her sister standing there flashes before my eyes and I groan, covering my face with my hands.
The worst first impression I could ever leave on her sister.
-------------------------------------After tossing and turning restlessly for more than half of the night, I fall into an exhausted sleep only to be woken up by loud knocks on the door. I hurriedly open the door to find a frustrated Ranbir standing there with his hands on his hips, complaining angrily that I have forgotten I needed to go somewhere with him for today. I look at the wall clock and groan, telling him it's still quite early and we can go later but he doesn't comply and pushes me into the washroom. I resignedly take a shower and join him and Mom at the breakfast table where the two are having a casual conversation. I settle down in my seat when Geet's name catches my attention.
'Oh they came last night? Where are they right now?' I quickly shake off the embarrassment from last night as Mom answers Ranbir, telling him that Geet came down earlier and she's just gone upstairs to bring Raya down. I place the bread slice that I was buttering on the plate and ask a question of my own.
'Why wasn't I told about them coming over?' Both of them look at me and shrug at the same time. As I open my mouth to say something, Mom looks over my shoulder and smiles widely, inviting Geet and Raya for breakfast.
I turn halfway to see them descending the stairs smilingly and they wish us good morning before coming to sit on the opposite end of the eight-seat table. I avert my eyes as soon as Raya looks at me but I do see the grin on her face. Mom's voice distracts me.
'Raya, this -' She lays a hand on Ranbir's hand,
'is the groom. Ranbir.' From the corner of my eyes, I see her nod at Mom and then greet Ranbir.
'And this is -' She looks at me but Raya cuts her off.
'Maan. I've met him already.' Mom's surprise is evident on her face as Raya continues and I hold my breath, hoping she doesn't spill the beans.
'Last night.' Mom nods slowly.
'I see. But weren't you two asleep already by the time he came back?' Raya shrugs.
'Yes we were but - ouch!' My eyes move to the sisters to see Geet smile awkwardly at Mom and an irritated look on her sister's face as Geet speaks now.
'Yes Aunty, we were asleep but I woke up from some sounds and came out to check so we both met him.' My eyes catch Geet's and she smiles at me comfortingly which lets me silently sigh in relief.
'Okay. Now quickly have your breakfast.' With Mom directing them towards breakfast, Ranbir gets up, informing me that he'll be waiting for me outside as he tells Mom about our plan for the day. We both are to head off to the wedding planners to check the arrangements of the reception party - which is the only function that we are hosting - for one last time. I too excuse myself to follow Ranbir as soon as he walks out of the door. As I step away from the table, I hear Raya asking about the schedule of the functions and Mom starts explaining it all to her.
-------------------------------------As the boys leave, Raya asks Aunty about the plans of the week and more importantly, of today. I silently listen to the two converse about all the functions as Raya asks one question after another and Aunty explains everything to her. For today, Aunty tells us that she just has to go the jeweller's to pick something and then there's a high-tea at Zara's place which is only intended for the ladies. Later at night, the boys will visit there and we will practice the dances. For the moment, Aunty and Chhoti agree on letting me study until we have to leave for Zara's house in the afternoon. After breakfast, I leave to go to the room but not without instructing Raya to help Aunty in the kitchen.
Peacefully studying for a few hours, I make my way downstairs to see Aunty and Raya sitting on the couch together and watching TV while discussing something. When they see me, Aunty asks if we should leave. We head out after freshening up and only stop for ten minutes at the jeweller's, after which Aunty drives us to Zara's place. Throughout the drive, there is an easy flow of conversation between the three of us, talking about the city and then about Zara and her family. Reaching the mansion, Zara's mother takes us to a drawing room where I introduce Zara and Zynah to Raya. Zynah excuses herself and exits the room. Only a few minutes of formal talking pass when Anaya comes in with her mother and sisters. Anaya happily hugs Raya when I go through another round of introductions. Raya isn't like me - formal and distant, so she immediately clicks with Anaya's sisters and the girls find themselves a place to sit. I sit down beside Zara with Anaya on my other side as I hear occasional excited squeals from Sia and Pia as they discuss celebrities with Raya.
'Nervous?' I turn when I hear Anaya's voice. Zara smiles a little and nods in answer.
'And excited?' This time she smiles wider.
'Yes.'As Zynah comes back into the room, Zara signals her to come over and then tells her to go sit with Raya and the girls. The quiet girl that she is, Zynah silently goes and sits near them. I observe the three girls being absorbed in themselves and Zynah sitting quietly when Raya notices her and starts conversing with her. As G comes in and starts talking with Zara about where she is going to get her makeup done from and all that stuff, I talk with Anaya. It's only after G excuses herself to take little Ryan to the loo and Anaya turns to listen to something her mother is speaking, that my eyes trail towards my sister and I find her and Zynah talking comfortably.
'That's quite a task, you know.' I look at Zara, puzzled about what she has said.
'Huh?' Her eyes shift towards her sister and mine sitting together.
'Zynah isn't a person who will talk so easily with anyone who she knows only for about half an hour.' I turn to look at the person in question and realise I haven't ever seen Zynah talk much, especially with someone other than her immediate family. At this moment, seeing her talk with Chhoti, it seems like the two are good old friends.
'How old is Raya, by the way?' I turn back to Zara.
'She's nineteen.' She nods.
'About the same age as Zynah. But whatever the age, Zynah has never had friends. Seeing her with Raya, I think they have become friends now.' Zara smiles fondly at her sister just as her mother announces about the high tea being served.
-------------------------------------Getting done with the job for the day, we reach Zara's house by late evening, just about the time that we were invited at. Meeting Ranbir's would-be father-in-law and brother-in-law, we settle in the living room. As opposed to what I had expected, the living room is empty and silent so I wonder where all the women are. They were supposed to be here and seeing Mom's car outside along with a few other cars, I know they are here but where? Ranbir blurts out the question that I just think about and his father-in-law laughs, teasingly stating that he's impatient to meet Zara. To my surprise, Ranbir doesn't retort or shamelessly accept like he has always done earlier when anyone else has tried to tease him. Amused, it dawns on me that Ranbir not saying anything depends on the person who is trying to tease him. It's Zara's father and Ranbir is trying not to ruin his image in front of him. I disguise my laughter as a cough as we are informed that the ladies will be joining us any minute.
As we are told, all the women file out from a door which is off to one side of the house. Within no time, the living room is filled with chatter and excited voices which make the atmosphere livelier. Neil calls for all the youngsters to go with him for dance practice. As all of us get up and are led into another room, I look at Geet and see her listening to something Anaya is speaking. Looking at her, my eyes catch another figure standing right beside her who is staring right at me. It's her sister and she has her eyebrows raised. She flashes a mock smile at me which I find out is very similar to Geet's, with the dimples appearing on her cheeks. Embarrassed at being caught staring at her sister, I faintly smile at her and look away.
Gah! One more negative impression! Who appreciates their sister being stared at by a guy, after all?
'Oh hello beautiful! How come I didn't see you earlier?' Neil's voice makes me look up to see him talking to Raya. She has a cautious smile on her face as she looks from Neil to Geet.
'Hi Neil! This is my sister, Raya.' She looks at Raya.
'And this is -' Neil interrupts her.
'Let me introduce myself.' He looks at Raya and bows a little, holding his hand out.
'I am Neil. Zara's brother and Geet's dance partner. Nice meeting you, lovely lady!' Raya smiles a little, still guarded, and places her hand in his, pulling it out almost in a second. Her discomfiture is apparent and she turns away, walking to stand beside Zynah. Neil has brought us in a large hall which has a stereo system placed in a corner. We're instructed to pair up and so begins another round of my multitasking: half my attention on the dance steps I'm attempting with Anaya and half on the same steps being performed by Geet and that Neil.
-------------------------------------Completing two rounds of practice, the group is dispersed so I walk over to where Raya is sitting. She gets up and excitedly exclaims about me dancing.
'Wow Di! I had never thought you can dance so well! Now when I call you to dance with me the next time, you aren't going to say no, you get that?' I am conscious of a few ears listening to what she is saying so I shush her down. All of a sudden, Neil is standing beside Raya with his arm around her shoulder as he asks her to dance with him. My protective instinct kicks in just at the moment that Raya steps out of his arm with a disgusted look. Before either I or Raya can say anything to him, Maan comes up behind Neil and turns him around with his hand on Neil's shoulder.
'Watch it Neil. They are not like the girls you go around with.' There is a hint of an anger on Maan's face which only becomes apparent when Neil shrugs his hand off and steps closer.
'What's it with you?' Shocked at the turn of events, I look to find Ranbir or Zara, but they haven't yet come into the room. I look at Raya to see her eyes widen in alarm. Before it turns into a serious fight or it alerts the elders, I decide to intervene.
'Maan. Neil. Stop it you two.' They don't pay any attention to me, still glaring at each other. I call Maan again and he steps back, turning around and walking towards the door.
Apologising to Neil, I follow Maan out with Raya trailing behind me. I reach in time to see him walking towards his car so I speed up to catch up with him, calling his name to which he doesn't pay much heed. I hold his wrist and force him to stop and turn. He sighs and looks at me, and then at Raya who is standing beside me with worry on her face.
'Let's not ruin it for Ranbir and Zara. Do you get it Maan?' He nods and I let go of his hand.
'It's alright, Maan.' Raya's soft voice makes us both turn to her.
'Everything is fine.' She smiles reassuringly at him and just at that moment, Ayush and Anaya catch up with us. I nod to them, indicating it's all under control. To diffuse the tension, I hear Ayush introducing himself to Raya.
'Hey, we never got introduced. How mean of you two!' He looks at me and Maan accusingly and then turns to Raya, holding his hand out, with a goofy grin on his face.
'I'm Ayush. The coolest guy you'll ever meet.' All of us smile at his attempt and Raya shakes his hand.
'I know how cool you are. Heard a lot about you.' Ayush's eyes widen.
'Really? I'm famous, aren't I?' This time, I chuckle along with Raya and I see Maan relaxing a bit.
'Yes, of course. You're famous for being the chocolate lover who doesn't share his chocolates with anyone.' Raya's playfully taunting answer does the final act and the atmosphere turns lighter so we head inside after a few more minutes. Thankfully, nothing unusual happens after that and though I feel the tension buzzing between Maan and Neil, they both keep their distance from each other.
-------------------------------------'I feel bad, Di.' I look up from my bag to see Chhoti slumped on the bed with an upset look. We are in our room at the Khurana house now.
'About what?' I sit beside her.
'About what happened between Maan and Neil. Your Maan almost fought with Neil for me.' I ignore the
'your' she has attached with Maan's name.
'They never were friends earlier, Chhoti. Besides, they're boys and like the majority, they too are hot-blooded. They'll fight one day and be fine the next. You don't have to feel upset.' Sighing, she nods and I instruct her to get ready for bed. As she settles to sleep, I tell her I want to study for a while so I walk out of the room into the attached balcony which overlooks the backyard. Before sitting on the chair placed in the balcony, I lean against the railing and take a deep breath to clear my mind. That is when I see a silhouette pacing the backyard garden. Peering a little more, I realise it's Maan. After observing him for a few minutes, I switch the balcony light on to let him be aware of my presence. When he looks up, I smile and wave at him. He smiles back and asks why I am not sleeping.
'I was about to study.' He nods.
'Oh. Okay.' A few beats of silence pass before I ask him if he needs company. He beams at first and then dims his smile, shrugging nonchalantly.
'I won't mind it.' I grin and go into the room, seeing that Chhoti has already fallen asleep, I quietly make my way to the garden.
Maan waits for me at the entrance and then we break into a slow-paced walk in companionable silence.
'Raya is asleep?' He asks in a soft voice. I nod and look up at him to see concern on his face.
'She is fine, Maan. Just a little upset but she'll be good by morning.' I smile a little to convey my reassurance to him.
'She need not be upset for anything...' We fall silent again and the only sound that echoes is the crunch of the dewy grass under our feet. I initiate a normal conversation asking how he feels about Ranbir getting married and a new member coming into the family. He thinks for a moment before answering.
'I don't know. I'm happy for him. He's getting a wonderful life partner in Zara and she even gets along well with Mom and me. But there's still a little... a little...' He seems to be looking for the right word so I offer it to him.
'Apprehension?' He nods.
'Yes. There is apprehension about what the future holds.' We have stopped walking now.
'I will just tell you to hope for the best, Maan. Put in your best efforts to make it all good for yourself and your family and leave the rest on God.' He smiles.
'You're right.'
After a few more minutes, we both head inside to sleep. He wishes me a good night as I head inside the room. I hear the click of the door of the adjoining room which tells me that he's gone inside too. Putting the books I had abandoned in the balcony back in my bag, I lay down and close my eyes, a contentment sweeping over me as an after effect of the walk.
Or maybe it has something to do with the person you walked with. My smile deepens.
No doubt about that!-------------------------------------The next day is more or less chaotic with Aunty running around the house, instructing everyone to do different tasks, Maan and Ranbir getting the house decorated with lights and Raya sorting out all the clothes that we both will need for the functions. I offer to iron the dresses and we only take a break for lunch before everyone runs off in different directions for different tasks. Grimacing while ironing the pink lehenga, I hope that Chhoti has brought at least one extra dress for me which I can wear in place of this one. Walking back to the room, I find Chhoti relaxing on the bed, twirling her phone in her hand. I sit beside her and lean against the headboard, closing my eyes.
'I haven't noticed his smile yet but his eyes are definitely attractive.' I open my eyes to look at her, perplexed. She grins and that's when realisation dawns on me. I gasp.
'You read my diary?' She shrugs carelessly.
'Raya, you better not take any rubbish I've written in there seriously.' She is about to say something when the door is knocked. Both of us look towards it to find Maan standing there.
'Umm... Mom said you should get ready now. We have a get-together here and everyone will be here in some time.' Saying that, he walks away and I take the opportunity to escape into the washroom on the pretext to change and get ready.
-------------------------------------'Hey!' I look up to see Raya standing there. After changing into a comfortable pair of jeans and a white shirt, I have just come downstairs to see the completely decorated front of the house. Raya comes to stand beside me. With her here, I can't decide if I feel more embarrassed remembering the first encounter we had, or more protective towards her for the sole reason that she is Geet's sister. I smile at her.
'Hi!' She takes a look at the decorations and lets out a low whistle.
'Wow! It looks beautiful.' I don't say anything, only silently wondering where Geet is.
'If you're thinking where Di is, she is with your Mom.' Not letting myself think about why she thinks I was thinking about Geet, I only smile at her when she continues talking.
'She is such a boring company, you see. Doesn't talk much so I let her go help Aunty and told her I'll find company for myself.'
'I don't agree. She isn't a boring company at all.' I say that out of reflex in response to her calling Geet boring. When I realise what I've said, I look at her and catch her twisting her lips.
'What?' She sits down on the steps and pats the space beside her. I cautiously take a seat.
'How can you say she isn't boring? I mean, she's my sister and I know her best.' I shake my head slightly.
'I know her enough to say that, Raya.' She raises her eyebrows.
'So you think she's a fun person?' I don't have to think twice before answering. '
Of course! She's a wonderful person with a beautiful heart.' She contradicts.
'Or maybe it's just you who likes silent people and think they're fun.' She pauses.
'Maybe you like people like my sister.' Her perception stumps me.
'Perhaps that's true.' I look away nodding slightly. I feel her studying my face for a few silent moments.
'You are a nice person, Maan. Not the kind that I assumed you to be at first.' I tilt my head, looking at her curiously.
'What did you think about me at first?' She laughs.
'That you're someone who hallucinates weird things.' Her reference to the first encounter I've had with her only brings the embarrassment to the front and I look down.
A hand comes in front of me and I look up to see Raya smiling.
'Will you be my friend?' I look from the hand to her face and smile heartily. Even though she is the opposite of Geet in many ways, she is still very similar to Geet in the way she has the ability to make the other person feel comfortable.
'Friends.' I shake her hand. She mumbles something which sounds like
'she is right about the smile'. I ask her about it but she dodges it and points to the drive way where I see Ayush's car stop. As all of the guests arrive, we celebrate the festive mood since this dinner is the last one before the wedding ceremonies begin. The dance practice goes by fine though I try to keep my interactions with Neil to the minimum and his flirty attitude is just the way it always is.
-------------------------------------I wake up early the next morning since Aunty has told about the henna artists coming in today. Waking Chhoti up is a task and it takes me almost fifteen minutes of coaxing, cajoling and threatening to get her to freshen up. I go downstairs after I'm sure that she won't come out and go back to sleep. Breakfast with Aunty, Ranbir and Maan is a quiet affair. About an hour passes when Anaya comes in with her sisters and mother and Ayush's mother. Three henna artists arrive and Aunty tells three of us to get our hands decorated first. I sit with Anaya and Raya as they choose some intricate designs for themselves from the booklet which the artists provide. Since I am not so fond of henna, I choose a lighter design for myself but Anaya and Raya gang up on me and reject the design I choose. I don't agree for the heavy designs they show me and it becomes an impasse. I warn the two that I won't get my hands decorated if they don't let me go for the design I want.
'Okay. Let's take someone else's opinion.' Anaya suggests and Raya agrees with her.
'Maan.' I look up to see Maan, who was passing by, stop and turn questioningly to look at Raya. She signals him to come forward even as I stop her from calling him. When he comes closer, Anaya pulls him by his hand and he leans down, squatting beside her. Anaya and Raya show him both the designs without telling him which one is chosen by me and which one they both have been choosing.
At first, he shrugs and says they all look similar to him but on Anaya's insistence he points out one. I eagerly peek into the design and then beam at the two girls.
'See? He chose the one I had chosen. And I'm going to get this one now. No more argument!' Maan looks at me, surprised.
'You chose the same one?' Raya butts in.
'Yes of course! And it isn't surprising in the least. You both have similar choices.' I look at Maan and he smiles before excusing himself, leaving the girls to get their designs done.
-------------------------------------After getting our designs done, all that we do is sit and chat. I have only gotten the back of my right hand and the palm of my left hand decorated so doing tasks isn't difficult. I help Raya have her lunch and then after the henna dries, I dab the mixture of sugar and lemon juice on her hands and mine, to get a deeper shade. It's evening by the time that all the women leave and the plans for the next day, which is the mehndi ceremony, are confirmed. Dinner again is a quiet, family time and I escape to my room with Raya earlier to let the family have some time to themselves without feeling that Raya and I are intruding.
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Continued in the next post Edited by mayyo13 - 12 years ago
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