Dedicated to my dear friend naina1cholke

We reached our destination, my new home, my husband's place, Karshyav Mansion.

It was a big one but I really didn't care if it was big or something. The thing I cared about was that I felt the warmth of home there. The moment I walked down from the car, I could feel that homy atmosphere around me. Guru and I walked to the door and stood there as Guru's mom did our Arthi. She then placed vermilion dots on both our fore heads and instructed me to tilt the bronze container kept on the floor which was filled with rice grains. I pushed the container with my feet and it fell on the ground with all the grains coming out from it.

Then I stood on the plate which had some pink coloured fluid on it and then walked on a white coloured cloth, leaving my red footprints on it. Then we were seated at a sofa and Guru's mom fed Guru a piece of sweet and then fed me the same sweet. Then it was the time for some game and they brought a bowl filled with water. My dear sister-in-law, Jia took both our engagement rings and made them rotate around the circular rim of the bowl. At first, my ring followed Guru's ring then both the rings got seperated for a long while and then both the rings started to move in unison.

Jia gave both of us the rings and took some money from Guru in the name of ritual and then I was guided to our room by Jia and Guru was taken somewhere by his father.

Jia directed me a part of the mansion which was less crowded. It had a different entrace to it along with the one small door connection the rest of the mansion to this part. The wall's colour, the attire, the atmosphere, all were different in this part of the mansion. It seemed as if it was not at all a part of the other part. It was a sofisticated and cold atmosphere all over it and didn't seem at all homely like the other part of the mansion.

"So this is Bhai's part of the mansion and you are it's queen now." Said Jia half mindedly.

"What?" I asked in shock. " Bhai's part of the mansion?"

"Umm. Just nothing. Its just that my brother is a little loner and shy kind of a person. So he lives here at the backside. You can join us in the front side whenever you like to." Said Jia in her regular bubbly way.

"I see." Said I as I entered the room to which she held the door open.

"Lobby." Said she as she walked through it to the other side.

"Bhai's mini office." She showed me a little office.

She walked past it and guided me to the living room.
"Living room." She said as sofistically as the living room appaered to me.

She then walked up the stairs and guided me to the bedroom.

"Adjoined bedroom, bathroom and closet."

She then walked to the other side and opened the sliding glass doors leading to a beautiful verandah.

"Verandah and pool area." Said she.

The area seemed to me more like a courtyard connecting all the rooms of that area of that part of the house with the pool in the centre and is a view from all the rooms.

"The parking lot is just a floor down. Hopefully Bhai will show it to you." She said as she exited the room in a hurry. As if she was abandoned to come in there.

"Hey listen, Jia? Would you mind staying with me for a while?" I asked.

"Well Bhai will be here any minute. I should leave." She didn't say another word as she walked out from the place.

The place was dead silent and it kind of creeped me. It was cold as the air conditioners were at full blast. How could this man stay all alone in such a big place? Doesn't he feel creepy?

Just then, I heard the door of the bedroom open and Guru walked in. He didn't even give a damn that I was there and walked inside the bathroom. Within minutes, he came out in a blue t-shirt and black track pants and asked me with a sofisticated voice, "Which side of the bed would you prefer?"

That was the first time in my life I heard his voice. Though it had a tone of sofistication, yet it sounded to me like a melody.

"Umm. Right." I said timidly.

He didn't say a word before he walked to the left side of the bed and tucked himself under the blanket and closed his eyes to doze off.

"Khadoos!" I muttered under my breath.