FF - |As Fate Would Have It| Chapter 9 June17 - Page 12

Chapter 7

The silence within the room was undisturbed but for the birds chirping outside the windows, marking the start of the new day, marking a new beginning.

The couple within the room was so engrossed within their silence, that the chirps of birds were left unnoticed.

With his untrained fingers trying to undo the naughty deed of Aarti's friends, Yash tried, unsuccessfully, to unpin Aarti's dupatta from her blouse. The safety pins were intricately woven to the layers of material making it close to impossible for him to pull the pieces apart. How do girls do this on a daily basis, and live to do it again the next day was beyond him.

Aarti has expected YashJi to come to her rescue, pull her pins apart and let her finally breath an unconstraint breath. Had she known she would be subject to his fingers all over her back - grazing, touching, holding, steadying - she would have ripped the offending dupatta off her body many hours ago. How she exercised her restraint, and remained straight-spined throughout the ordeal was a secret only she knew the answer to.

The struggle, and the silence, that could very well have lasted half an hour, finally came to an end when Yash finally pulled a safety pin apart. Just one pin, but his reaction was as if he had moved mountains. As he put the pin away, a smile lingers on the edge of his lips. Giving away to his release, he burst out laughing, jolting his bride into a surprise.

Realizing his folly, Yash went on to justify his actions.

"It was a good thing then -" was all he offered as an explanation.

Willing to bait in order to keep her physical reactions at bay, Aarti indulged in a conversation, "what do you mean?"

Raising his eyebrows in mischief, Yash explained, "Well, that it was a good idea our night shaped the way it did. Had I had to do this on the marriage-bed, not only would the mood have dampened, but our frustration levels would have soared."

Incredible he thought! Just as his words slipping his mouth, a deep blush coloured his wife's face, warming her all over - as his fingers on her back, still continuing to unravel her, would attest. He could not remember the last time he had witnessed a girl not in her teens that blushed. Although he was caught unawares, he realized that her blush had charmed him, and he hoped he could see her blush again, very soon.

When he finally pulled the last pin, Aarti excused herself and went straight to the bathroom to change. In the solitude of his room, Yash once again thought about his situation. Even though he did not agree with his parents methods - especially their tactics of emotional blackmail, he could not say, very honestly, that he did not approve of their choice of Aarti. Although too soon to say anything, he knew, by sheer institution, that she had the trimmings of being the ideal wife. Had his parents wished him to be married off, they could have chosen any girl, considering many girls fell over themselves in vying to get the attention of the Schindias, but he was pleased with their choice. She did not appear superficial, for despite their limited time in being in each other's company, she had proven herself countless times: she did not yell, scream of cry for answers, was levelheaded, and best of all, was an innocent. Her blush, if he could assume correctly, would one day be his undoing.

While Yash was getting accustomed to his bride's ways, she was having very different thought while locked up in the bathroom. Fully changed into a sari - one that she pinned only once, and one, which would not require any assistance in undoing - Aarti fumed. The gall of the man to make innuendos to her while having a lover stowed away someplace! A lover, he had met no less than an hour ago.

Taking deep, and calming breaths, Aarti quickly freshened herself, before deciding to leave the room. Vidhi bhabi, alongside her mother in law, had mentioned a pooja in the morning, and the faster she got out of the room - and away from YashJi - the better it would be for Aarti.

Exiting the room, Aarti quickly made way for the mandir within their home. She had always been a religious girl, and believed that god had been kind to her, despite her struggles. Once the pooja was done, and the breakfast eaten, the younger generation of Schinias had taken it upon themselves to tease the newlyweds endlessly.

"So Aarti, did you sleep well?" asked Vidhi Bhabi

"I don't know bhabi. The bags under Aarti bhabi's eyes are quite telling" chimed Paridi, Prateek's fianc.

As they laughed, Aarti lowered her eyes, lest anyone notice a distinct sadness within them. Yash, noticed however, and called himself fifty kinds of fools. He would, he decided, make it up to Aarti, and clear the misunderstanding between them as soon as he had a quiet moment between them.

Truth be told, he had expected things to get slightly better after this morning. He thought conversation would come easy after they had broken he ice while he had unpinned her. But the minute she had come out of the bathroom - freshly draped in a red sari (with a blouse that could create scandal for him as he was close to asking her if she required more help in either the tying, or the untying of it), she had made a beeline for the exit, not meeting his eye. Even during the pooja when both of them had to preform a few rituals together, she had made sure to touch the farthest tip of the pooja thaal, and had stood keeping a good distance from him. Even during breakfast, she had made sure to offer him food, politely, but refused to acknowledge his thanks, or even sit beside him, offering that spot instead to Prateek.

Hoping his siblings and sister-in-laws would leave them be, he silently prayed to have a minute alone with her. Not a second had passed when his mother offered him an opening.

"Yash!" she called, "The Dubey's will be expecting you and Aarti soon. There is a final ritual you both have to take part in. Please get ready while I ask your brothers to load the car with gifts." No sooner had his mother finished talking, that Yash bolted towards his car.

As Aarti went to their room to grab a few of her belongings, Yash patiently waited by the car.