𝟔: 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

This part is all about Hindu weddings, so some terms and things might not be known to those who are not Hindus! So please bear with my poor writing skills because it's hard to explain these types of things so descriptively.

_____

"hum dil de chuke sanam."

The priest started the rituals and we did as he said. After all the rituals, he ordered Nirwan ji to make me wear the mangalsutra.

A shiver ran down my spine when his hands came so close to my neck to make me wear the mangalsutra, and I closed my eyes tightly.

He then lifted up my ghunghat slightly and applied the sindoor on my hairline, while Sakshi di did the gathbandhan. We both stood up to take the essential seven rounds around the sacred fire.

As I walked around with Nirwan ji, I felt the changes which might now occur in my life. I'm no longer going to live with my family, who now do not even deserve to be called as a family.

Nirwan ji took the first four rounds while walking ahead of me, and then I took the lead to finish the remaining three rounds.

The moment the seventh round was completed, we heard a loud sound that sent shivers down my spine.

Sound of gunshot.

The sound that made the entire crowd scream and in no moment, all which was there at the spot was chaos.

The sounds of gunshot increased and I shut my eyes tightly, covering my ears with my palms.

I'm afraid of anything but loud sounds and blood.

The sounds were increasing minute by minute, and I heard men shouting on top of their voices. I couldn't listen and interpret their words, because the only thing I could feel in the moment was fear.

Everyone was shouting out to their loved ones, asking them to run and were saving each other's life, but no one called out my name.

No one.

A let out a whimper when those past memories began haunting me, my body started shivering.

My legs were trembling and I felt I won't be able to stand on my feet anymore. The energy inside my body was draining.

The panic attack, it was happening again.

After so many years.

I nearly fell on my knees when I felt a strong arm wrapping around my waist, one sliding under my legs and I was scooped up into someone's arms.

I didn't open my eyes but I could feel the person holding me while running. Running so far that the loud noise of the crowd and the firing subsided a little.

"Sir, are you okay?" I heard a man's voice.

"Open the door," I heard his familiar voice and that was when I snapped my eyes open.

Nirwan ji.

He put me in the back seat of a car, his deep eyes boring into mine.

"Don't go anywhere until I come. You're safe here," he said before turning around to leave. His assistant came towards me with a bottle.

"Ma'am, please have some water," he said, while I took the bottle from him with trembling hands and drank a few sips of water.

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down.

It's okay, Aakriti. You're safe. Nirwan ji said you're safe.

But what is happening here? Who planned an attack in between the marriage?

Who wants us to die?

Is it because of me or Nirwan ji?

☆

I'm here at the Malhotra mansion without any answers to my question. Nirwan ji came back after an hour when he left me in the car.

All the guests were safely sent back and police were called at the venue. Because our marriage was successfully completed, we came back.

But Nirwan ji didn't answer me at all. I asked him twice on our way but he reacted as if he didn't listen to me.

I reached the main door of the Malhotra mansion with Nirwan ji behind me. Anandi Malhotra welcomed us with a pooja thaal.

She warded off evil eyes from me and applied the tilak on my forehead before doing a small aarti of me. I had to keep a smile on my face, and it wasn't fake. I felt warm and loved looking at her smile.

She then handed over the thaal to a servant and spoke softly, "Now gently tip over the kalash with your right foot."

I nodded and slowly raised my right foot before tipping the kalash that was placed on the floor in front of me slowly. It fell down and the rice it contained fell out.

"Now keep your feet in this plate and leave your footprints," Anandi Malhotra said while another servant placed a plate with vermillion in front of me. Pressing my feet in it, I walked ahead, leaving a trail of my footprints behind.

All this time, Nirwan ji only followed me silently, looking unbothered about everything.

Anandi Malhotra embraced me in a gentle hug, "I'm so glad that my Aakriti is back."

Aakriti is back? What does she mean by that?

I smiled when she pulled back from the hug, "You can go upstairs to your bedroom and rest."

I nodded while she looked back at Nirwan ji, "Nirw, take her to your room."

Nirwan ji widened his eyes, before glaring at me, "Mom, she is not staying in my room."

"Nirw, stop speaking rubbish! She is your wife and she will stay with you in your bedroom on your bed. No need to argue back on that," Anandi Malhotra spat at him, while he stomped his feet and started walking upstairs.

I excused everyone and followed him upstairs, entering his bedroom after him. He went straight towards the washroom without even sparing me a glance.

I sighed and looked around his bedroom. The walls were covered with photo frames of a woman. Probably his first wife.

Will he ever remove these photo frames from the walls or will they remain hanged like this even when I'm married to him?

Re-realising that I'm not even a replacement. I'm an extra which nobody wants to keep.

I'm just a source of power to Nirwan ji.

I had changed my heavy lehenga and wore a simple night suit. All my clothes and essential belongings were here before I came here.

I felt light weighted when I removed the makeup from my face. I was never used to wearing such heavy makeup, dresses, and jewellery, so the complete wedding outfit was a total exhaustion for me.

I glanced at Nirwan ji from the mirror of the dressing table. He was busy doing something on his laptop.

The problem was, he was sitting on the bed. I was so tired that all I wished to do was lie down and fall asleep instantly, but I'm scared.

Scared to go and sit on his bed when he didn't even say a single word to me since we came here.

Has he distanced me from him even more?

I slowly made my way towards the couch and settled down, looking down at my hands.

The dark colour of the mehendi made me remember the words of my mehendi artist.

Nirwan ji just proved that the dark colour of the mehendi doesn't mean your husband will love you blindly.

I sighed and closed my eyes which were burning. I want to sleep right away. I don't have the energy to do anything else right now.

Why can't he see and understand my condition? He's not even looking up at me from the laptop's screen.

I gulped and slowly lay down on the couch itself. It wasn't so long that I could straighten my legs and relax, but I just wanted to let my body go free.

I was almost drifting off to sleep when I flinched hearing his deep voice.

"What are you doing?" he asked, while I shot my eyes open and sat up straight when I saw him standing so close to the couch.

"Woh hum t-thak gaye the isliye socha so jaate hain-"

[I was t-tired so I thought to sleep-]

"Go and sleep on the bed," he cut me off, while my eyes widened.

I shook my head, "No, I'm alright here-"

"Jitna kaha hai utna karo," he cut me off again, but I shook my head once more.

[Do as told.]

"I'm okay here, I swear-"

"Choti bacchi ho kya jo ek baar mein samajh nahi aata?" he asked, his voice turning dead serious and cold.

[Are you a little girl that you don't understand once?]

I gulped and lowered my gaze before slowly standing up and walking towards the bed.

I laid down and covered myself with the blanket, finally drifting off to my dreamland.

☆

I woke up the next day, rubbing my eyes. I looked at my side and saw no one.

The bedsheets were plain, meaning no one slept here last night.

I sat up straight at the realisation and found Nirwan ji sleeping on the couch. His one leg was down on the floor and he was on the brink of falling from the couch.

I slapped myself initially and stood up slowly, walking towards him.

"Nirwan ji?" I called out slowly, but he didn't move. He was probably deep asleep.

But how the hell can anyone sleep on a couch like that? His body is even bigger and wider than mine, yet he managed to spend the whole night on the couch, that too without a pillow or a duvet.

I was so sleepy that I didn't even care about him. I didn't even ask him to take a duvet and pillow.

I was thinking about winning his heart but this is the first impression that I made on our first night.

I sighed. You can do this, Aakriti.

"Nirwan ji!" I called out to him louder this time and he snapped his eyes open immediately, losing his balance and falling off from the couch.

"What happened?" he asked while hesitantly standing up. I tried to bite back my smile and control my laughter.

No, you damn idiot. Don't laugh.

Don't laugh.

DON'T LAUGH.

I couldn't hold back and smiled a little while looking down at the floor. I looked back up at him to meet his cold and stern eyes.

He was literally shooting me a death glare?

I immediately stopped smiling, "I...I was just...aap couch par so rahe the toh-"

[I...I was just...you were sleeping on the couch so-]

"Toh?" he cut me off rudely, while I gulped. "Toh isme hasne ki kya baat hai?" he asked while taking a step closer to me, making me flinch slightly.

[So?]

[So what's the need to laugh in this?]

"I...I didn't laugh. I didn't-"

"Shut up," he spat before turning around to walk outside the room.

I knew I will fuck it up. He's annoyed because I laughed at him.

Shit.

I sighed and went to the washroom to take a quick bath.

Wait, today is my first day after marriage so today should be my first rasoi?

But I know nothing about cooking.

What should I do?

I know I'll cook rubbish even after I try my best, and I'll make one more negative impression on Nirwan ji.

And what will his parents think of me? I'll be fucked up for sure.

And I guess their other relatives are staying overnight too, so they'll be tasting my food as well.

Fuck.

I took a quick shower and stepped outside, getting dressed into a wine colour saree.

I applied sindoor in my hairline and light makeup as usual, before leaving the room.

Nirwan ji hasn't come back to the room yet, he's really annoyed. What if he tells everyone what happened last night? Everyone will blame me initially for treating my husband like that being a newly wedded woman.

I descended the stairs and went inside the kitchen, where the servants were waiting for me.

"Ma'am, Anandi ma'am asked us to prepare the ingredients for you. Everything is kept on that counter. You can cook using the ingredients," one of the servants told me and they all left, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

I looked around the kitchen; I could identify a few raw ingredients but I couldn't differentiate between the spices at all.

I scratched my head, looking at the entrance of the kitchen. I wish some expert chef could appear out of nowhere and help me with this.

As far as I could interpret looking at half of the ingredients, I should make something sweet.

Maybe kheer?

That's really simple to make, at least I would please them with one dish.

And I should definitely make sure I don't add salt instead of sugar.

I poured milk in the pan and heated it, before adding rice and sugar.

Not to mention, I tasted it to verify that it wasn't salt.

I stirred it until I felt I should stop, and then added dry fruits.

This is how you make it, right?

I then proceeded to make aaloo ke parathe. I kept the potatoes to boil and started preparing the dough.

I made the masala and then started making the parathe. I don't know how to do it properly but I have to do it in any way.

Papa is so cruel. He didn't even give me a chance to learn the basics of cooking.

A servant walked inside the kitchen and smiled awkwardly looking at my condition; I was sweating due to nervousness and the kitchen wasn't clean anymore.

"Ma'am, Anandi ma'am also asked if you could make tea as well," she said, while I nodded immediately.

"Of course, hum waise bhi bohot acchi chai banate hain," I replied while smiling and she left before nodding.

Finally something that I know to make very well.

After approximately thirty minutes, I was done with cooking. With the help of servants, I took the dishes to the dining table.

Nirwan ji was there too along with the other Malhotras. They all smiled looking at me and I shot them a nervous smile back.

The servants started serving them while I awkwardly stood at the side to observe their expressions.

They took the first bites of the paratha, while my heart thumped in my chest loudly.

I noticed a mix of change in their expressions, and some of them picked up the glass of water and gulped it down.

Is it really so bad?

I looked at Nirwan ji, who did the same. He gulped down the whole glass of water, and left the second morsel of paratha which he was about to eat. He tasted the kheer and shot his eyes up at me.

Did I fuck up with the kheer too?

Hey Mahadev, I should have tasted the food before serving it to them.

A woman sitting beside Ashish Malhotra cleared her throat, "Arora khandan khana banana nahi sikhata?"

[Arora family doesn't teach cooking?]

My heart shattered at her comment, "Actually...I'm not so good at cooking-"

The woman cut me off again, "Shaadi ke pehle toh yeh sab sikhaya jaata hai na?"

[Everything is taught before marriage, right?]

I fell silent at her words. Anandi Malhotra looked at me while shaking her head slightly, "Aakriti, it's okay. It's not your fault if you're not a good cook-"

"Bhabhi, aisa thodi hota hai. Khana banana nahi aata toh bol deti. Itna ganda khana khilakar-"

[Bhabhi, this is not done. If she didn't knew cooking, she would have told us. She fed us such bad food-]

"Bua," Nirwan ji spoke in a loud tone, and the lady fell silent. So she was his aunt.

"Khana accha nahi laga toh ek baar bol kar chhodh dena chahiye," he said, while his bua rolled her eyes.

[If you didn't like the food, just say once and leave it.]

"Nirw, don't talk back like that! You're saying as if you liked this trash," bua replied back, and that was when tears welled up in my eyes.

So what I cooked was trash according to them?

I turned around and went upstairs, and I could hear Nirwan ji saying something to his bua, but I didn't bother to hear anything.