Once again, sorry for being late. I wrote most of this chapter almost two weeks ago but then life just got too busy. Also, the next update will (again) take time because I'm going on a small vacation tomorrow. Won't be able to write before 10 days at least. Might be active on the Instagram profile meanwhile. Sorry in advance!

--

People always say that you don't get to enjoy your own wedding. Unfortunately for all the brides, this was indeed true. Your own wedding meant hours spent getting dolled up, only to sit through countless rituals with makeup that you had spent a lot of money on running down your face. Wearing heavy dresses and surrounded by nosy relatives for days on end wasn't easy either, and the only thing to look forward to was the post-wedding phase. A honeymoon to the Philippines, and then living the rest of your life with the man of your dreams.

Sighing at this beautiful thought, Pranavi looked up from the mehendi that was being artistically drawn on her hands and gazed around the lawn of their house where the ceremony was taking place. Her female cousins were enjoying themselves by dancing to peppy Bollywood songs while the male ones stood beside the buffet tables impatiently, waiting for lunch to be served. Even with the wedding just three days away her mother was running about doing one task or the other in the gorgeous patiyala suit she was wearing, while her dad sat chatting with his brothers who were visiting Mumbai after so long on occasion of the marriage. Pranavi took her time to observe everyone, a sad smile on her face at the thought that in just three days, she would leave all this behind and start a new life altogether. It wasn't a sad thought, really, especially because she loved Sanjay and his family so much. But it still made her heart clench a little.

Finally, Pranavi's gaze rested on the apple of her eyes. Her little sister; her Jinni. She was wearing a simple red lehenga and standing in a corner, enthusiastically showing her mehendi adorned hands to her boyfriend, probably asking him to find his name which she had discreetly asked the artist to write. Nakuul for his part was gazing at her lovingly, giving in to her every demand while looking dapper in a white kurta-pajama and black aviators. He was eating fruit custard from a small bowl and also forcefully feeding Surbhi a few spoons to keep her strong in this heat. Seeing them, Pranavi's heart filled with happiness.

It was okay if she couldn't enjoy herself at her own wedding, as long as her little sister did.

--

"Will you stop fidgeting so much? It's just a dance performance, Nakuul!"

Standing behind the curtains that covered the sides of the stage, Surbhi glared at her boyfriend who kept shifting on his feet and wringing his fingers together in nervousness. It was hard to believe that a man who was constantly on TV being watched by millions of people all over the world was getting anxious about performing in front of mere hundreds.

"Easy for you to say," Nakuul frowned. "You've danced to like, three songs already."

"Two," Surbhi corrected. "And I wasn't half as nervous before the first one as you are."

"Whatever," Nakuul scowled. "It's just been almost a year since I danced in front of people, Surbhi, the last time being Virat's sangeet. A man is allowed to be a little edgy."

"Well, round up your edges soon because we're going up on the stage in 3...2.."

"...and put your hands together once again for the bride's lovely sister, Surbhi, with none other than Nakuul Mehta!"

As Praachi di who had generously taken the responsibility of hosting the sangeet function made the announcement and a loud cheer rang through the hall at Nakuul's name, Surbhi grabbed Nakuul's hand and made way up to the stage, to give a stellar performance that left everyone hooting in enjoyment.

--

"I told you you shouldn't have danced wearing heels. Ab bhukto."

"If I hadn't danced wearing heels, I would have tripped on my lehenga. You won't understand these things, Nakuul!"

Nakuul glared at her in anger, even as he went on applying ointment on the skin of her feet that had been slightly charred due to the heels she had been prancing around in.

"Jaldi karo, I need to go dance!" Surbhi urged, looking longingly towards the dance floor where all her friends and family had now gathered as a Bollywood number was just starting to play through the loudspeakers

"Patience, Surbhi!" Nakuul chided. "Tell me, haven't you danced enough already?"

Surbhi rolled her eyes.

"It's not my fault everyone wanted to have a performance with me," She said, blowing her nails for dramatic effect. "And it's the sangeet, Nakuul. It's all about dancing. I am not going to sit around watching others enjoy just because my boyfriend can't handle a small scar on me. Are you done or what?"

"Yeah, I am," Nakuul mumbled as he screwed the lid of the ointment tube. "But listen, take it slow and..."

Before he could finish what he wanted to say, Surbhi had run off. Nakuul sighed and shook his head, a smile on his lips, before he too followed behind her. He didn't want to miss out on the fun of a Punjabi sangeet ceremony, either.

--

"You're suffocating me."

"Shut up. In two days you won't be here anymore and the least you can do is let me hug you properly."

Sighing, Pranavi turned to hug her baby sister tightly.

"I'm not even leaving the city, you know. I'll literally be just 20 minutes away."

"It's not the same, di," Surbhi whined. "Why did you have to get married so soon, anyway?"

"Oh shut up," Pranavi scoffed. "As if you're not dying to marry Nakuul already."

Surbhi blushed in the darkness of the room, muttering how that wasn't true.

"I'll miss you," She said softly after a while. She was so used to being babied and pampered by her big sister that the thought of seeing her sister leave the house scared her. Life would never be the same again.

"I'll miss you too, Jinni," Pranavi said, her voice cracking. "But I promise we'll meet often, okay? Every day if we can."

Surbhi nodded as tears spilled down her cheeks and snuggled closer to her sister. Tomorrow, everyone else, especially her mother would hijack whatever free time Pranavi would have, so this was the last night Surbhi would have with her sister while she was still a bachelorette. Not wanting to waste it in crying—because let's face it, there would be enough of that during bidaai—Surbhi wiped away her tears and looked for topics to start off happier conversations.

--

"Nakuul, don't you dare!"

Too late, because Nakuul had already smeared haldi all over Pranavi's face and ran away, leaving everyone in laughter. As he went to wash his hands inside the house, he bumped into his girlfriend who had just emerged wearing a yellow suit and patiyala pants, hair tied into a side braid. She beamed at him.

"You applied haldi to di?" She asked as she noticed the turmeric on his hands.

"Not just applied," He grinned, "But basically showered her in haldi. You missed the show."

Surbhi gasped, before bursting into peals of laughter.

"Damn, that would have been perfect for my Instagram story," She said after recovering.

"Don't worry, I'm sure someone must have recorded it," Nakuul said as he slowly inched closer to her. No one was around since everyone was gathered in the lawn for the ceremony, and this was the perfect time for some romance.

"What are you doing?" Surbhi asked cautiously as she backed away. His hands were still full of turmeric.

"Wasn't there a scene in Ishqbaaaz where the hero-heroine have a private haldi ceremony?" He asked her, his eyes glinting with excitement.

"Nakuul, don't you dare!" Surbhi shrieked as she made a run for it. Nakuul laughed before running behind her. His naïve girlfriend had forgotten that he was an athlete and, well—running was part of the job.

--

"Jinni, this is not fair. She slept with you last night, now she'll sleep with me. Kal shaadi hai uski!"

"Areh toh she'll sleep with you na mumma, I'm just taking her away for a couple of hours. I'll bring Cinderella back before midnight, promise!"

"Where are you taking her, anyway?" With hands on her hips, Shashi Chandna demanded to know. Surbhi bit her tongue.

"Actually mumma, Nakuul has planned something for di to help her relax before the wedding tomorrow. It will only take a couple of hours mom, pakka!"

Shashi looked at her younger daughter with narrowed eyes before relenting.

"Fine, but only because Nakuul will be there and I trust him," Surbhi scowled at that. "Don't make that face! And Sanjay better not be there, okay? Pranavi is not supposed to meet him before the wedding tomorrow."

"Huh, as if I haven't grown up hearing stories about how dad came to meet you on the night before the wedding, climbing up pipes and all," Surbhi muttered, making Pranavi who was standing beside her giggle and their mother raise an eyebrow.

"Kya kaha?"

"Nothing mummy," Surbhi said hastily, grabbing her sister's hand. "Anyway, we're off, bye!"

--

"Thanks a lot for this, buddy. We really appreciate it."

Snuggling his fiancé and very-soon-to-be-wife closer, Sanjay conveyed his gratitude towards Nakuul. The cricketer, for his part, was sitting on the sand with his own girlfriend between his legs.

It was late night, and through some connections, Nakuul had managed to book one part of a beach in case anyone decided to visit there. The four of them sat on the sand lazily, enjoying the slow breeze and the calming sound of the crashing of waves. Sanjay and Pranavi were extremely thankful for this. Amidst all the wedding rituals they barely had gotten time for each other, and this late-night rendezvous was much needed to remind them of what lay ahead. To remind them that all this apprehension was worth it because, after tomorrow, they would always be together.

"I told you guys, it's not a problem," Nakuul said. "You deserve this, okay? Kal shaadi hai and both of you needed a bit of relaxation."

Surbhi leaned back against Nakuul's chest and smiled up at her considerate boyfriend. He had done all of this for her sister and she couldn't be more proud of the man that he was.

"Anyway, how about you two spend some time alone?" Nakuul suggested to Sanjay and Pranavi. "Surbhi and I will just go get some ice-cream. What say, babe?"

"Sounds perfect," Surbhi said, getting up. Holding hands, the two drove off to find an ice-cream parlor, leaving the other two love-birds alone for a while.

--

"I always knew you would make the most beautiful bride."

Standing in front of the mirror, Surbhi looked at her elder sister with moist eyes. Pranavi was all decked up in her bridal lehenga and looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Funny, because I always thought you would make the most beautiful bride."

The two sisters laughed before Surbhi hugged her sister from behind.

"Ready?" She asked Pranavi. All the guests had left the house already and it was time for the bride to leave for the wedding venue.

Pranavi took a deep breath before answering.

"Ready as ever."

--

I've only given glimpses of the wedding ceremonies because otherwise, it would take too long to get done with it. If you want details such as their outfits and random pictures, follow my Instagram account (@rainboww_veins). I'll upload stories and posts about the wedding in progression (but after my own vacation ofc).