Randeep's Pov

It is done, I am married, as I stand here with my bride, I can see people smiling. My kiddo is smiling so wide, only I cannot bring myself to do the same. I feel as if they are smiling on me, on my existence. Every memory, every fear is coming back, it is getting difficult to control my anxiety, I have to get out before the attack hits me.

"take blessings from your elders" the priest instructs and we move, first I move to her parents and we touch their feet, only she doesn't and straighten before they can even raise their hands. I try to focus on everything else other than what's on my mind.

"dad?" she asks in a hostile voice and her father presents some papers to her

"this is a gift, a farm house in the outskirts"

"thanks" she says and moves to mine, this time I was hostile

"did you get your gift son?" Mr. Raichand asks as I straighten up

"yes"

"I see"

I turn to go to Oberois but kiddo blocks my way and indicate down, I raise my eyebrows in question, "take blessings" he teases and I move forward in mock compliance and he retreats snickering. I – I mean we take their blessings and move back to the altar.

Slowly the crowd of relatives dissipate to the after party area, while we wait for the photographing team for our pictures.

*

It was one of the most tiring and awkward session, she was tensed and uncomfortable in my arms, irritating me and that man had all the proximate poses in the world, smiling was a challenge in its own. At last I snapped and he let us go. I was on the verge of an fucking anxiety attack and he wanted more poses.

We have made it to her house, she is sitting and reading the papers her father gave her, unaware that she looks like a dead person, waiting for farewell and then we can go. Only we will be coming back to the suite so I don't see the point, its just rushed so that we can celebrate our first night together, but the thing is at the most we will be celebrating the fact we caved in to threats and destroyed our lives to save something.

I am bored and I cannot work since my devices are in the hotel, even my mobile was taken for the ceremony which Sid didn't return and ran off to after party. work has been my best distraction for years, today even that is not here. I know we must be there but we don't control anything here, only when she is done with farewell ritual we can move out as couple. I want this to end or I will snap again. I notice now she is looking so hot in the bridal attire to distract myself

Her skin all fair and silk like, her maroon painted hands and the red veil still covering her face, can she see through it? Her bangles jingle as she flips through the pages, her duppatta, sliding from her arm now and then brushing against it, like her skin's smoothness it making it hard to rest there. Her red lips slightly in a pout as she reads, her face glowing as the light hits it. In all she looks ravishing, I never knew the typical Ashi Singhania was capable of this. I want to touch her, feel her, she is making me want her. Good, any other is good except the panic feeling inside me.

"stop ogling Randeep" she says breaking my thoughts and not moving her eyes from papers.

"I wasn't ogling" I lie and she looks up raising her eyebrow

"what are you looking at then?"

"how are you reading through that veil?"

"hm?" she looks blankly and then realizes "oh" she remarks lifting it and proving me wrong, her face is not glowing due to light. Her eyes are painted pink and red, but they only show sadness then how can be they magnetic, a glint of gold in her honey brown orbs resembling green forest woods, look like pixie dust pool. It was as if a brown jungle with little sunlight peeking through the thick woods with a pool of gold peeking alongside, "I didn't pay attention" she again interrupts my thoughts

"what are you reading so intently?"

"my gift" I can sense bitterness in her tone

"what did daddy give his princess?"

"a farmhouse on the outskirts of Bangalore and ownership of heaven delight"

"he really must love you a lot" I guess, I mean he is practically giving her everything the Singhanias own. I can say I married a princess, a real one. I mean just by looking at the papers you can guess, they were preserved for this day, looking slightly worn out still in perfect condition.

She scoffs lowly "he must"I pick up one of them I can pass time reading this , not like I have anything else to do, she gets on the signing part of other one. I skim through the pages leaving me amazed. It's a proper house, not some farmhouse, all tiled in white, with sitting house, yes not an area but entire roof and bricks and drapes. I turn to see the cost and find it values 25 crores (250 million) but if it was any less I would not believe, I mean beautiful is an understatement for this, I have seen lavish houses to grand palaces around the globe but such a house in India will not be possible to even consider, if not an elite person, even the price of land patches are ridiculously expensive here.

"your father bought you this?"

"no, he had it built" she tells casually; I look at her and she is still engrossed in signing. She is not even paying attention

"you don't like it?"

She shrugs, "I got that design" It irritated me, she is talking as if its nothing, I know the value of things built for I made them for myself, and she is treating like 25 crores don't matter. That is why I didn't want to marry such a girl; these are trained to be snobbish. I throw the papers and leave the room.

*

Finally, it is ending; she has already performed the ritual minutes ago and as she did her demeanor changed, she was giving my vibes, cold and poisonous. It was like she remembered something, she was lost, I wonder why is great Ashi Singhania so exposed.... So vulnerable today? You can see through her, her stance says hate and eyes scream rage.

As she comes to the car, I am supposed to behave chivalry so I open the door, but she stops and looks at me expectantly, "can we go now?" I nod involuntarily and she gets in.

My mother comes smiling, how dare she smile, "we are leaving for Bangalore now" I say although I didn't know whether we are and her smile drops

"now? But then how will we welcome the bride?"

"no need Alisha can do it"

"but-"

"she will do it, anyway you shouldn't" I say and I know it hurt her but I honestly don't wish her near any of my family and Ashi is family to Sid and Alisha now. I get in and see her, she really has remembered something bad, for her to be this distracted, her tears flow and she quickly wipes them "where to?" I ask

"home" her voice thick, I groan internally I hope this one hour will be short for I really don't know how to handle crying girls. And I know what she means by home – Bangalore. I instruct the driver and we set of to airport. I call Sid and Alisha to inform them, I am going to go back with my family, this ride is taking too long, I mean it is just one hour with the normal traffic. Her gaze on passing by things, and hands clasped on her lap, she should have something I didn't see her carrying anything "your luggage?"

"it has reached" her eyes didn't move and voice monotonous and rest of the drive she just sat looking out the window but didn't cry , thankfully. Not long after, I mean minus the torture of tears we reached airport and behind us another Porsche stopped revealing Sid and Alisha with princess along with Dev – her husband. Ashi doesn't wait and goes to the person holding her luggage and takes her bag. Meanwhile three of them come to me.

"what happened?" Alisha asks worried

"she is not well" I lie "she is a little .... sensitive to climate change" I lie for I don't know if she is but its February and thus time for season change, so they will believe. Nodding they board in and I go to Ashi and she nods joining me.

As soon as we sit I get my bag and take my medicines to stop the anxiety attack and instantly feel its effect calming me down. I see her shuffling in her bag and doing the same. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, she needs medicine for what? I am not in state to worry about anyone, so I make way inside the bedroom; yes my jet has a bedroom or two if you count makeshift bed area, with 8 seats and a cabin separate from pilots'. I go and sleep instantly under medicine effect. I wake up with the announcement of landing, and get up to get to my seat. It is after buckling up I see her asleep, unbuckled.

She should have wake up by now, shaking my head I get up to do it but stop, I shouldn't touch her. I walk to Alisha to the separate set of other four seats, she was talking to Dev, with a sleeping Sid on the side. "Alisha help me?"

"what do you need?" she is always so polite

"come with me" I say and she complies, I show her Ashi "please buckle her up"

She raises an eyebrow, "you couldn't have done that?" but does anyway and at the same time Ashi jerks awake, her demeanor defensive "whoa, relax" Alisha steps back.

Ashi looks around at my frown and Alisha's surprise and breathes "sorry". Alisha goes back flipping her hair

"Ungrateful" she is back to attitude, test for Ashi. I know my sister, she will torture her to see if Ashi is worthy of me.

After the jet lands, I find my baby standing – my Jaguar XF, my most recent and so far favorite car. I love my cars, I don't have some big collection but all I have I treat with utmost care. I am going to buy one more in this month itself. This time I open door for Ashi, since I don't want her to bang the door close, I love my baby and will not let her harm it. Alisha rolls her eyes when I slowly close the door, and gets in the Mercedes Benz.

I start driving liking the feel of the smooth steering of my baby under my hands, I love driving, and often go on long drives when I buy a new car, this one I couldn't since I got this three weeks ago. I see Ashi looking outside; I can see her expression of pain anger and longing mixed with sadness. I wonder what made her so weak as to put down her ever present guard, I will be honest, her eyes sometime I read before but never in two years I saw her body language so..... Broke. I turn my attention to driving but keep thinking about her. Finally we reached my mansion, she was still in her trance, so I decided not to break it and Alisha and others went in for preparation of rituals while I waited in the front porch.

In minutes she came out and tsked at me, "where is the bride?"

"ill bring her" I go and open her door, she's still not aware, "Ashi" I call and she looks at me

"huh?"

"we're home" she gets out looking at the mansion and sighs almost inaudibly. She walks holding her lahenga, her eyes wandering in amazement as she proceeds, assessing admiring and analyzing something. As we reach the end of porch, the door opens to small corridor and we reach the main door.

The main door opened on cue and there stood my family, my sister with pooja thali and my brother with kalash and vessel and my brother in law held our princess, their smiles all genuine and warm, I don't remember anyone other than them like this, all others are fake, this is family and for a boy like me who had no one this is everything. Alisha does aarti and puts tika for us, "Ashi kick the kalash with your right foot" she instructed and Ashi followed, I can see hesitation in both girls' eyes. As the grain in kalash spread freely on the floor both relaxed. She stepped in vermillion filled vessel and stepped in the house marking this as her home, as the ritual conveys. As it all ended we sat on the sofa in the sitting room down here, to decide and you'll eventually know what.

"I'm tired" I start

"isn't she? Do you see her complaining?" Alisha counters

"I think we can do rest of the rituals tomorrow, let them rest" dev says

"we all know resting is the last thing they will be doing" Alisha comments making me groan

"I am going to bed, you all continue this"

"Randeep!" she says sternly and I stop "take her, to 2nd floor" I frown and she continues "not tonight brother, you both will not be in the same bed before pooja"

I nod "come Ashi" she gets up, I'm indifferent to her being in other room if anything it will be less awkward. I show her the room and as far as I know Alisha will be also in here tonight. This is the girls' room among all, leaving her there I go to my own to rest.

I have a massive mansion, too big for one person but it is fine since I'm used to being alone for years now; ground floor has nothing much just a front porch, a vestibule, living room with the kitchen and dining, a library separate from my study and a back garden and yes a pool.

Then 1st floor has 4 rooms, 2 designed for girl one normal and one playroom, the type with video games and pool table and yes the bar in it. At the garden end I have balcony bedroom area for it gives a good view of my beautiful garden, on the front end it is just open balcony

Last 2nd floor before terrace, it has again 4 rooms, one is mine, other is my gym and last at the corner of the corridor is my fort room as I like to call it, one is just made for chilling with friends with a little mini golf area, only I don't have them so its of no use. I didn't want that theatre and all, so I skipped it. I didn't see the point after already owning original so yeah.

Next is terrace, its normal like any other only it was quiet big to let it be so I made another pool at its back end, Alisha uses it for some of her gatherings when she gets bored of her own mansion. You didn't think I will marry off my sister to an anyone, dev is a self made man, owns a food product company here in India.

I collapse on my bed as soon as I enter, I'm tired like hell.

*****