||THE TIES THAT BIND||...Mehrya FF...Chap 4 ~( updtd on 31/12/21 -pg16 - Page 4

Chapter 1

Her thumping heartbeats very well marked her uneasiness. A decision binding two individuals, their lives and their families. This wasn't never her dream like someone would quote 'wedding is one of the biggest dreams of a girl'. Well this isn't a dream for Mehak sharma anyways. Neither she was mentally prepared nor ready to come in terms with this so called fate of hers. She thanked god that this wasn't a decision for a lifetime. She could capture all those smiles, cheers and blessings in her glittering eyes. The satisfactory smile that adorned the lips of her family members, the promising ones of her in-laws and that pitying one from her bestie Sonal. The decor, lights, attire everything was class apart,  that she could only dream. But somehow, these things intended to disown her self respect. She roamed her eyeballs all the while to spot few faces. The first one was of course of that old man dressed up in a classic suit, Mr Digvijay Khurana, Shaurya Khanna's trustworthy lawyer, leading divorce specialist. Though his face was expression less, he was quick enough to pass her a comforting smile. Greeting him with a feeble smile, she moved further. The next one was, Mr Rajeev Kapoor , his business partner cum friend, someone capable  putting some sense into the arrogant Sk's mind. She looked at him, who was like a brother for her and he too passed her a comforting smile.

 After wandering her pupils for a considerable time, she finally looked at the dias. There was Shaurya khanna, occupying a seat on  the centre of the dias, surrounded by few known and  many unknown faces of the Khanna clan. They exchanged looks then.

A gaze weaving the fabric of the unsaid words hidden in their eyes. Neither she was a shy bride nor he a desperate groom. Still the warmth of their distant gaze literally heated up the surroundings. She was looking breathtakingly gorgeous, and he handsome as ever. But that didn't bother either of them. Neither he appeared to be bowled over by her appearance, nor she with his emanating aura. To be more precise they have rehearsed for hours to pretend the same. He shifted his gaze, while she lowered hers. Ascending the stairs while cautiously holding her bridal wear she occupied her seat on the decorated couch near him. Their families greeted each other.  Karuna, her mother in law to be, approached her with a lovely smile, caressed her cheeks with all love. She reciprocated to the motherly figure with a warm smile. One by one all the members of the Khanna family were introduced to her. She was lost in her own world that she passively passed a smile at them, paying no heed to the names or relations. Hello Bhabhi'...voiced a young girl in her mid twenties , breaking her reverie. A smile crept on her lips as she saw the cute girl approaching her , while securely holding her small baby bump. "Couldn't meet you before...as you know na it's my first trimester...the girl spoke leaving a perplexed Mehek. I knew it..ki yeh mera khadoos bhai aapse meri intro bhi nahi karwaya hoga (my brother would have never given my intro to you)..the girl said while huffing , yearning a chuckle from Mehek and  a deathly glare from him. "Myself Arpita Agarwal, daughter of your youngest uncle and aunt..Sameer and Diksha..the one and only one sister in law of yours...the girl introduced herself. Though those unknown faces  of khanna clan were still unknown for her,  she simply nodded aiding to her reply. Her sister in law to be was the sweetest , she kept on talking on  anything and everything. Mehak was at peace as she met someone in her age group. Arpita resembled a breath of fresh air, a ray of light in her forthcoming life full of darkness. But , whether she can completely deny that Shaurya somehow turned up to be a saviour for her, what may the circumstances be. But this girl, she was awesome, giving her all in all a positive vibe. Well Mr Shaurya khanna seemed to be not so pleased with his sister's affection towards Mehek. "Appu ...baatein bahut ho gayi haan...tumhe rest ki zaroorat hai..jaao abb'       (enough of your talks..now go and take some rest..you need them badly)... he voiced gently holding his lil sister's hands. "Jaa rahi hoon...abhi shadi hui nahi hai, itna mat utavale ho jayo..bhabhi ke saat time spend karne keliye bhai.. zindagi  poori padi hai  (Don't worry brother...am leaving, also you aren't married now so don't become insanely desperate to spend time with her...whole life is there for you)...she said with a wink leaving her brother in his signature angry mode. He threw a glance at Mehek while she kept herself busy looking in an opposite direction. After few minutes she turned to his side. He kept on glaring at his watch every now and then. There comes a lady in her mid 60s .. probably his grandmother. She understood the same as he stood up immediately and touched her feet. She too did  the same out of respect.

"Wah kya khoob jodi hai..kisi ki nazar naa lage mere bacchon  ko ...tum donon ki jodi hamesha salamat rahe(wow..what a match made in heaven!..may God protect you from evil eyes..and may this pair of yours remain eternal).  The lady blessed them and literally had tears of happiness  in her eyes while she caressed their cheeks  in unison with love. Mehak was frozen for a moment ,maybe the corner of her heart ached then. Even he was restless and she never missed to catch him gulping saliva , through the corner  of her eyes . It was complete silence after the elderly  lady left them . "tum dono ki jodi Hamesha Salamat Rahe " her words echoed in their ears simultaneously. Ideally the games of destiny caught them in its cobweb.  she kept her gaze lowered , while he randomly moved his eyeballs, urging a better way to distract himself. Meanwhile  he caught a glance of her reddened palms, where his name was written as mehendi motifs. what the hell' he was quick enough to  exclaim. she threw a confusing  glance at him "excuse me ??she retorted. "what is this Miss Sharma...have you gone nuts?...he said gritting his teeth pointing towards the mehendi motifs. She rolled her eyes and huffed being annoyed with this impossible man and his illogical queries. "Excuse me Mr Khanna, for your kind information applying henna is a pre wedding ritual, guess you haven't skipped the haldi, sangeet at your residence flaunting about your so called agreement..she mocked at him. "And waise bhi mujhe koi shauk nahi hai..tumhare naam ka poster chapwane ka (Also am least interested to move around flaunting your name on my palms)...she added almost raising her voice in anger.He immediately eyed her to reduce her temper and decided to keep mum, not to awaken the lioness in her. The colour of her henna rose by every passing minute. As if his name was getting engraved into her life forever.

Few more minutes of silence as they sat together distancing themselves calculating a measured distance. They kept their expressions subtle as the Jay mala proceeded. Their actions resembled a puppet show, where the strings were the cheers and giggles of their families.  They stood like two mannequins wearing Garlands, during the photo session. People smiling all the way, came and left, and these two somehow managed to put an artificial smile. The photographer then signalled the duo to follow him to the roof top balcony. They both very well knew for what they have been called. Without even sparing a glance they both followed him like strangers. The rooftop resembled a heaven on earth with its beautiful picturesque and lavish decor n lights. The awkward moment rose as they stood closer with less than an inch distance. They weren't left with any option rather than looking into each other's eyes. She breathed hard when his large palms rested on her waist. Cautiously she rested her palms on his chest. It was weird and embarassing moment for her. May be Shaurya khanna had his own way with girls, she thought in her mind . She pursed her lips to suppress her nervousness. He held her like a fragile doll ,his intense orbs swallowed her appearance. They were lost in each other's eyes that they didn't realise,      that two hours already passed. Almost taken away by their sparkling intensity that was building between them without their knowledge. They were poles apart as individuals, but at present their heartbeats were in sync. The pre wedding shoot reached its end ,when the actual wedding rituals were about to commence.

She was turning more nervous now and badly wanted to have a talk with her bestie. To her bad luck there wasn't the much needed privacy, as she was surrounded by her aunts, grandma  and cousin sister. Sonal could vividly notice her uneasiness but she was helpless too. Later, the excited bridesmaids along with a worried Sonal accompanied her to the altar. He was already present there with his family. She greeted her in-laws and proceeded to perform some rituals with the pandit's assistance. Both of them were in a dilemma, when the pandit asked them to pray for their togetherness. Next was the turn for 7rounds across the holy fire, signifying the seven vows to be fulfilled as a married couple. Things were getting out of hands. Marriage is not a game...' Sonal's words echoed in her ears. Even he couldn't pretend himself to be normal, his squeezed cheek muscles very well explained his nervousness. Similar thoughts fiddled in their minds as they took  vows. After exactly two weeks of their meeting they are officially getting married. Little they knew, neither they are professional actors nor their life is a movie. Somethings do happen for a reason, but here  only coz of an agreement. Their nervousness reached a considerable peak when he was asked to fill her hairline with vermilion, and then to tie the mangalsutra around her neck. She stood numb as he did the same. Either of them couldn't deny how divine that feeling was. Still they composed themselves masking their faces with their new found acting skills. Once the wedding was complete, they seek blessings from the elders in unison and each one of them wished them an eternal married life. Sonal neared her and rubbed her back as of comforting her. "I will be there for you Mehak... always..no matter what...said Sonal while gently wiping the lone tear that escaped from the corner of her bestie's eyes. After bidding bye to her family members and bestie Sonal , she left with him.

The next destination was yet another luxurious hotel in the vicinity of Delhi. The whole journey was completely soaked in their expected silence. She was lost in her own world, anticipating about her future life. While he was also busy in his deep thinking. Hours passed, and they finally reached the destination for the grand wedding reception. The hotel staff welcomed the newly weds in royal style and accompanied them to their respective suits. Within an hour's time, she dressed up for the evening. Leading designers and beauticians were at her service. She stood like a doll, when Mrs Shaurya khanna was in the making. Paying no heed to the praises of her beauty, fortune and what not she stepped out of her suite and found him occupying a seat in the lounge. They exchanged looks and without much conversation headed towards the reception hall in colour coordinated outfits. They could hear applauds and cheers as they made their way into the hall. Amidst the noise, he could spot few suspicious looks too. After  few seconds of pondering, he swiftly clutched her palms gesturing her to walk hand in hand. She wished to protest ,but couldn't, as she need to play this role for almost an year. Hours passed, guests arrived and departed admiring and blessing the newlyweds. The initial phase of awkwardness during the wedding never existed then. They were bit comfortable with their proximity, breaths and gestures. They presented themselves as a happy married couple infront of the guests and media. When almost all the guests left and they were about to wind up the party,.. there came their most important guest, Mr Digvijay Khurana. The old man formally congratulated the newlyweds and passed on a file cautiously, without aiding suspicion from the people around. " Since the agreement is mutual, I have added few more clauses and your conditions too Mehak... just read it before putting your signature... voiced Mr Khurana.  Shaurya made a face learning about the new clauses. "Easy ... Shaurya..kaanun tumhare hisaab Nahi chalega (the law won't work as per your wish)...the old man said while patting his shoulder. She smirked while he kept his annoying expression intact.

 She let out a deep sigh and signed the legal document. He too did the same after proofreading the document.

After almost two hours, they drove to Khanna mansion. His mansion was huge and beautiful, she sent a silent prayer for a peaceful stay there. She received a warm welcome and she courteously performed all the post wedding rituals. Since almost everyone was tired and exhausted, coz of the grand wedding, she was given time to relax. Karuna Maa and Arpita guided and accompanied her to his room, which was decorated like a new bride with scented roses and candles. Arpita passed her a teasing smile and both the ladies left closing the door. She was nervous and suffocated to see the decorations for the so called first night of her marriage drama. She knew that he won't do any such mischiefs that would violate the clauses in the agreement. But still, somewhere in her mind she had a fear. She took a deep breath to become normal and remain unaffected. She quickly changed into her nightwears and grabbed her phone. She dialed Sonal's number. She thought it would be an ideal way to ignore and remain unaffected by his presence. Unfortunately, Sonal was not picking up the call. She somehow wanted an escape from the weird situation, so she neared the balcony. She started playing games on her phone while relaxing on the swing. Meanwhile Shaurya enters the room in a hurry and in a haste enters the washroom. He came out of the washroom, with a set of neatly pressed clothes. The next moment his butter came in with a suitcase and arranged the clothes, following his master's orders and left the room when it was done. Mehak was watching all these things, 'may be he is shifting to another room'..she self talked and continued her business. After few minutes she spotted him infront of the dresser, in his three piece suit. She was perplexed and thought of asking him, but her ego didn't let her do so. He got a glimpse of her via the balcony window, purposefully ignoring her he stepped out his room, asking his butter to roll the suitcase. She couldn't hide her curiosity and she stealthily followed him and haults near the stairs. She could clearly hear a heated argument between the mother son duo. 'Am sorry Maa..I need to attend an important conference and also few meetings are lined up'..he said. "You can't go today Shaurya... it's not even a day after your marriage...said Karuna . "I have been postponing the same coz of marriage and all... clients won't be waiting long Maa..please let me go...Ill be back in a month...he said in a sweet tone enough to pacify his mother. Mehak quickly ascended the stairs hearing them. By the time, she reached the corridor, he already left. She was flabbergasted and being hit with the worst reality that she need to manage this wedding fiasco all alone...that too for a month. Shaurya Khanna made an easy escape, turning everything much difficult for her.