The sound of anklets was heard from the corridor as Anju came running into the room while panting and taking deep breaths. She excitedly applied kohl from her eyes behind to her brother's right ear. She was hesitant at first but was encouraged to see Rishi's response neutral.
"I am sorry, bhaiya, for touching you. But I heard saying Meera Bhabhi's mother that we should apply something like a black dot or wear black thread or like that. I can't make you wear something black on your day so this black dot seems reliable and don't worry I made a very small dot so no one can see it and even get their evil eyes on you. You are precious, bhaiya ."
Hearing her rishi felt bad for her and somehow regrets seeing her talk with him like a stranger. She apologized for touching him because he never let her talk with him, let alone touch him. He was missing his mother today whenAnju applied a black dot instead of her place.
Rishi's trance of thoughts broke when his father knocked on the door and came in with his younger brother. Rishi's heart was beating very rapidly, but he didn't show it on his face.
"Son, you are looking so handsome and dashing. If your mother had been here, then she would have taken every evil eye on you. "
Rishi glanced at Anju, who was standing at the far corner of his room lovingly looking at their father, as he never allowed her near him.
"Beta, I know I was not your Superman dad like you always wanted, but I can assure you that I never discriminated nor i will in coming future. I wish you a happy married life, son. "
Listening to this, all three of them smiled, and Rishi bent down to take his father's blessings. Later, all of them left for the marriage destination.
.
.
.
The priest declared the couple as husband and wife after all the rituals. They took the blessings of their elders by touching their feet.
After meera's farewell to her family, they departed from the venue and left for their home.
♧♧♧♧♧♧♧
Hriday and Anjana's eternal bond,
Anjana was feeling so alone. She was missing something but couldn't decipher her feelings. She was in deep thought and didn't even know when she got ready and was looking no less than a royal princess who was soon going to be the queen.She was feeling fortunate to have her family and Hriday as her life partner.
She remembers the time when Hriday promised her to marry her only or would be unmarried for the rest of his life. Sounds cringe, but it is what it is. She was alone in her room. She looked around her room, which became her little tiny world for her. She made it with great love and comprises many memories. Her eyes were full of tears, ready to get out, but she stopped them somehow.
Srikant and Shivansh were watching her from her room's window and got emotional. Srikant gaped at her thinking how someone could be this naive and innocent soul and by God's grace that someone was his daughter only.
When Shivansh entered her room, she turned to him and asked,
"How am I looking, shivi baby?"
"Dida, please stop. Don't call me shivi baby in front of anyone. Only you can call me that but please not today."
"No, I will say shivi baby. You know from tomorrow no one will be here to tell you, shivi baby."
She teared up, saying this, and Shivansh ran into her embrace and hugged her. Both siblings cried and left after some time. Then Srikant entered her room seeing his children's love for each other, and he became so much relieved about his decisions and his teachings.
"Meri chidiya to aaj udd jayegi na?"
"Na dada, I'll fly with my wings in the sky and come daily to your veranda to meet with your 'koji ko'."
Kojiko is the name of a pigeon who was named by Anju. That pigeon comes daily to eat grains in front of their home on the veranda as Srikant always spreads grains for birds to eat.
Srikant laughed and kissed her forehead. No words were shared between them. After a while, they all left her room towards Mandap.On the other side, hriday was getting impatient to see her mishti in wedding attire as his 'dulhan.' He always dreamed about their marriage sitting in the mandap and getting married to the love of his life.
His thoughts were interrupted by his bride's arrival. He felt the world around him stop. How can someone be this beautiful? She looked like she was made for him only. Looking beautiful with a little blush on her cheeks showing her shyness, she took her seat beside him.
Royal priest who got meera and Rishi's marriage, also getting them married today. The priest chanted some holy mantras and asked for Hriday's right hand and her left hand. He put some cash on their hand as a shagun and called her father for the 'kanyadaan' ritual.
After that, he asked hriday to fill her hair partition with vermilion, and he did. She closed her as some of the vermilion fell on her nose too. Then, he also tied the nuptial chain around her neck, promising her to stay with her and never leave her. Priest asked them to take 7 pheras around the holy fire where the first 4 were for hriday being ahead and later for Anjana being ahead.
At last, the priest considered them as husband and wife. Hearing him both their eyes filled with tears and this time they didn't stop their tears and let them flow. The couple hugged each other in front of everyone. Later, take the blessing of their elders by touching their feet.
When it was time to leave, she cried hysterically. Rishi came near her and said in his monotone,
"Stay happy. Congratulations SISTER".
Hearing him, she once stilled and then got back to normal when hriday tucked her slightly. She met everyone in her family and bid them farewell.
Throughout the journey to the palace, Anjana was silent and rested her head on Hriday's chest.
♧♧♧♧♧♧♧
Hriday slightly shook her as she slept after crying. He smiled at her, and she reciprocated his smile. He gestured to her towards the entrance of the main door where his whole family was there. They both got out of the car and stopped by the main door where all the family members were there, including meera, to welcome the new bride. It's not the first time she came to Rajvansh palace but surely the first time as their elder daughter-in-law.
Anjana performed all the rituals like her Graha Pravesh, taking zigzag arranged plates without making any noise, which represents that she would be able to find the solution for her family to protect them.
Then Seeta came in front with a plain white cloth in which her name was already written as Anjana Hriday Singh Ravish. She got confused and looked at her, to which Jankee, her mother-in-law, explained to her to imprint her both hands and feet with an altar on the white cloth. This ritual represents that the family will keep their Laxmi with so much love and care forever. She imprinted her hand with Alta and was about to lift her leg when her Veena shook her head, telling her that they couldn't keep the cloth on the floor.
Anjana frowned and started thinking about ways of imprinting her footprints when suddenly she found herself in Hriday's arms. She blushed and got so shy that she whispered and yelled at him to put her down, but he just smiled and kissed her cheek in front of everyone. Everyone smiled, looking at them, and later, she got to know that her husband's help was a must in this ritual, representing their eternal bond and being there with each other in any situation. With the Hriday's help, she imprinted her footprints on the cloth.
She gestured for him to put her down, but he just shook his head and gestured her through his eyes to look forward toward his dadi. Seeta told her about the last ritual of the day the husband had to lift his bride in his arms to their room in which their life would get started. A happy married life.
At last, they bid farewell to each other and departed to their respective rooms to sleep as they were too tired with two weddings at a time and their preparation.
♧♧♧♧♧♧♧
When they reached his room, he made her stand at the door and go outside, not before closing the door from inside. She frowned and shouted from outside, telling him what he was doing. After what felt like an eternity as she was so tired, the door creaked open, and there he stood with a slightly moist cement rectangular sheet. She understood, and tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, thinking he didn't forget any minute thing about her dream. She once mentioned him imprinting their footprint on cement sheets to make their moment memorable. He chose the best moment to use her idea and also fulfilled her dream. She pulled him outside the room and kissed him on his cheeks, hid her face in his chest, and cried.
He, too, hugged her back and moved her apart.
"Shall we, Mrs.?"
"Sure, Mr."
They both imprinted their right footprint on the sheet at the same time and took their feet back. The beautiful imprints were visible on the sheet, one was a slight red imprint, which was, of course, as she just performed her ritual, and one was a normal one. He promised her that he'd make the huge frame of their imprint for their forever memory.
Both entered their newly furnished room as hriday specially asked her about her likings before the wedding. Anjana moved her eyes from one corner to another and twirled a little in happiness, showing her happiness.
Hriday clicked some candid pictures of her unknown to her. He looked at her and then the picture when she was twirling. She was looking like a princess with her red bridal outfit. She was looking no less than the goddess.
Hriday stopped and back hugged her. They stayed like that for some time and moved towards the closet where the dressing table was. Hriday helped her remove thousands of pins from her hair and released her bun, to which she leaned back in relief on his chest as he was on his knees to help her.
He also helped her in removing other jewelry, leaving her only in her outfit.
She kept leaning on him while he was doing all the tasks. When he was done, he was about to get up but looked in front of the mirror where he saw howshe slept on him.
"I wish my eyes could take pictures."
He whispered. Though her face was showing tiredness, happiness was evident. He smiled and caressed her cheeks with his first two fingers and thumb caressing her lower lip. He lightly pecked her lips and moved one arm around her waist and the other one under her knees. She carried his bride in bridal style and gingerly walked towards their king-sized bed.
He gently placed her on the bed and went to the washroom to get fresh. After a while, when he came wearing a grey t-shirt and trousers, he went towards her and wrapped her in a blanket, then kissed her on the forehead, wishing her night.
Later, he also joined her in bed beside her snaked his arms around her waist, and pulled her towards himself. She moved in her sleep and unknowingly towards himself.
He put her head on his chest and again kissed her cheeks. He kept gaping at her for some time, not knowing when sleep consumed him.
♧♧♧♧♧♧♧
When morning came, hriday being an early riser, he woke up. When he was about to move, he found slight weight on himself and looked down to see that her mishti was sleeping entirely on him instead of the bed. He smiled so wide after seeing her cheek squished on his chest and arms wrapped around his torso so tight as he'd get away.
He stayed there as he was then slightly carried her with the help of his arms and put her on the bed and made her hands wrapped around a big pillow making her think of him so that her sleep wouldn't get disturbed.
He got up from the bed, put on his Crocs, got freshened up, and departed from the room for his morning walk with Advait. After an hour or aroundhriday, he came back to his room. He expected her in the washroom or getting ready but laughed seeing her sleeping like a log on the bed as it was as he left her, even though her posture was the same. He shook his head while smiling and again clicked her picture to show their future kids to team up with them and tease her.
He shook her, she moved slightly but then no progress. He looked around and noticed the glass of water then sprinkled some water droplets on her face and laughed, seeing her wake her instantly with a horror face. She looked at him, then at herself in yesterday's attire, then looked around her room. She asked him,
"Was I in a coma or something?"
He laughed out loud hearing her and questioned her back,
"Why do you think so? And please don't think something bad mishti "
"Because you look so fresh, and your room is also new, but I am still in my bridal attire. Why?"
"Because your Highness you slept on me while I was helping you remove your accessories. "
She made a crying face and hugged him, hiding her face in his neck and whispered
"Daeeee, I am so bad. You must be thinking, what kind of girl I am who keeps sleeping on the first day after marriage? I am sorry but I was so tired I can't give this excuse as all members were tired still they all are on time including you"
He listened to her very calmly and caressed her hair. He shushed her and said,
"Shhhhh! Not a word, mishti. It's okay, it's fine. And it is just 8.30 am, not so late. I am a morning person, you know na, then. For your information, everyone in the family woke up that's true but they are stillgetting ready except Dadu and Dad. You still have time to get ready, there's no need to rush."
She smiled and kissed his cheeks and got away from him. She went towards the washroom to take a bath and put on her bathrobe. She then went to the closet to get ready. Meanwhile, hriday made a few calls with his other secretary, getting reports and events taking place in his absence at his office.
When he ended, his call turned around, not finding her in the room but in the closet getting ready. He saw she was fiddling with her clothes so he went to take bath. She pulled out some drawers to get her lingerie and outfit for the day. When she finalized her things and matching accessories, she decided to get ready. When she got ready and came out of the closet, she saw hriday spraying his cologne. She blushed, thinking about him being her husband now. She's always thinking about their life, and when she's living her dream, it feels like a fantasy in the real world.
She was smiling like a fool in her world, unknown to her that her husband saw her in the mirror. He turned around to her but was displeased seeing her hiding her smile from him.
"Do the universe a favor. Don't hide your Smile
.
.
Mrs.Hriday singh rajvansh."
His raspy voice made shivers run down her spine. She was getting ready to depart from their room for their post-marriage rituals. She was cladded in a red organza net saree with a golden border and blushing at his freshly passed comment about her. She was just about to depart from their room but stopped by and replied to his praise,
"So it was this smile. The first time you saw it. I knew you wanted to see
it for the rest of your life...
.
.
Husband of Anjana Das."
He corrected her, saying,
"Aha! Wifey. It's the husband of Anjana Das Singh Rajvansh. Woah,
such a big name you got!"
She smiled at his words, thinking how in her childhood she only had her name with her, but now she had her name with her father's surname and also her husband's.
Hriday smiled, knowing what she was running in her mind. So, to divert her mind, he teased her, but she was leaving their room without her husband playfully.
Her husband frowned and turned around to take her purse, which she intentionally left for him to carry for her, and followed her. Such a great help from the CEO.
On their way in the corridor of their room's outside lounge, he snaked his arm around her waist and pinched her. She shrieked loudly, causing households and maids to look at them. She just smiled and waved her palm, showing them nothing, and nudged him to get away, but he was stronger than her like in novels.
"Yaah mishtiiii... this is not fair. I am your husband, and you are bound to stay with me forever whether you want or not."
He whined and stubbornly stuck to her and occasionally peppered her with butterfly kisses on her neck till they reached the living room.
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