#Fun fact - Pandas poop most of what they eat.

Her eyes were sinking, comprehending that she was minutes away from her wedding. She cleared her eyes when the makeup artist asked her to look into the mirror.

There sat a beautiful young lady draped in a paithani sheen green saree. Wearing a traditional gold nose pin usually called Brahmi nath, a neck choker necklace around her neck. Crescent-shaped jewel, the iconic bun pin adored her hairstyle. An ornate ear cuff typically made from gold and adorned with Kundan or colourful enamel pieces acted as an earpiece covering her whole ear. The green glass bangles rolled down her arms with pure gold one, causing a jiggling sound. Dainty pearls and golden beads, and feature two strands to symbolize togetherness between a bride and groom called Mundavlyas was sported.

The lady in the reflection looked nothing like her. Many differences struck within her mind, the lady ahead seems to be caged in the name of relation while she was a young, hot-blooded free-spirited bird wanting to fly high in the sky. There were hell differences.

She sighed knowing her future. She knew her coming days, about her to be husband her and having no other opportunity she stayed mum.

"Baba, please pass that pizza." She turned to her father, Harsh Gaikwad. He stood perpendicular with tensed muscles, looking out of her room window examining something.

[Trans- father]

When not received an answer from him she stood up balancing herself with the traditional Maharashtrian saree, she walked to the bed where the boxes of pizza were laid. Crossing her legs, on each other, she started munching on them.

"Sonu baag ja. Your mother is acting insane lately. I will manage her." Her father encouraged her to jump out of the window. He shook his head seeing his daughter relishing the pizza when her life was in merchandise.

[Trans- Sonu escape from here.]

"Ha Sonu. Ta Barbara ahe. Subsequently, with her divorce from Harsh, she is all against him. Ego is the main reason." Her maternal grandmother Vaidehi Pawar mumbled.

[Trans- he is stating right.]

"Done brainwashing her?" Arundhati entered the room with a fake smile plastered against her face. She glared at her ex-husband and her mother.

"Sonu you look like an apsara." She caressed her daughter's face with her dampened eyes. Harsh rolled his eyes seeing her being sentimental.

[Trans- a fairy.]

"Aai I love someone. I can't marry Gaurav no matter his good behaviour." Harsh's eyes widened listening to his daughter whereas Arundhati was about to faint with sudden invasion.

[Trans- mother]

"Sonu, you didn't tell us. Aru-" Harsh stopped unexpectedly seeing the threatening looks from his ex-wife, for still calling using her affectionate name. He raised his arms in the air in surrender.

Arundhati turned around facing her back to the window and was deep in thoughts. In the meantime, Harsh and Vaidehi sprinted to the bed, asking in in gesture whether she loved someone. As a response, she chuckled lightly and winked at them. The elders looked astonished but tried suppressing their laugh.

"What is his name?" Arundhati asked without turning back.

Harsh looked around the room attempting to find something when his daughter started shuttering when asked about her boyfriend's name. He ripped the calendar attached to the wall which had lord Mahadev with his mount Nandi and signalled her pointing at his figure.

"His name is Shiv." She whispered seeing her father.

"What does he do? Family? Job? How long?" Her mother whirled to face her, Harsh stuffed the calendar behind him and gave a huge smile.

"Aai....vo just over two years. He was my senior in my college, Mumbai. He is older by two years and is struggling to find opt job. And sadly he doesn't have family leaving me. Please Aai, let me go to him. He must be waiting for me." She fluttered her eyelashes trying to have instant tears, ready to roll down. She fell over her mother's feet so that it would feel satisfying and her mother agrees to that.

[Trans- mother... I.]

"Annika do you have a photo of him?" Wiping her non-existing tears she turned to face the unwanted guest. Sonali Ahuja, one of her mother's friends. She was nosy but it was okay to manage.

"Why do we need a photo when I have personally met him? He is such a likeable guy." Her grandmother dreamingly exclaimed, holding her chin between her hands and gushing over some imaginary guy.

"So you knew it. And you decided not to inform me?" Arundhati asked, gritting her teeth.

"Even Harsh know." Vaidehi shrugged other shoulders and pointed at Harsh, who was no less than looking like a horrified person going pale with Arundhati's laser glares.

"Y-es. I mean he is nice. Ye-ah, I m-et him." He shuttered not finding the courage to meet her eyes.

"Photo? I want it now." As she commanded all others in the room gulped. The chunk formed and tried diverting the topic.

"Here is he is." Annika passed her mobile, showing a picture of her none existing lover.

"Oh my God." Sonali shirked out seeing a picture on her phone. Annika stood lazily observing her, as she leaned to her mother and whispered over. She raised her brows but none answered instead her mother walked off hurriedly with her friend.

As soon as she walked out, Annika started her happy dance expressing her achievement on her wedding being cancelled. Well, she was definitely sure of it.

"Who was that? Real boyfriend?" Her father asked with amusement matching with his tone.

"No baba. He is some aspiring chef. You remember I was learning cooking a few days back, well I used his youtube channel. I don't know his name perhaps he won't come here." She looked at the ceiling and started thanking her stars. "At least having his screenshot helped. I will never forget him, Bappa." She jumped into her father's arms celebrating her cancelled wedding.

[Trans- another name of Lord Ganesh.]

"Sonu you change your dress, shadi ruk gaye." Her grandmother side hugged her affectionately. Bobbing at her gleefully she started peeling off her bangles. Her face never lost the bright smile, her father and grandmother grinned at her craziness.

[Trans- the wedding has halted.]

"Muhurat ka time hogaya. Annika fast." She flinched hearing her mother's words. Gulping, she changed her facial expressions from happy to saddened by her wedding. Flapping her eyelashes, she looked at her mother with innocence filled within.

[Trans- auspicious time is running away.]

"Aai? I love Shiv. We are meant to be together, please understand." Annika mumbled crashing into Arundhati's chest and sobbed. Harsh and Vaidehi stood gaping at her, it looked almost true.

"Sonu. Trust me. I want my daughter's happiness, not like your headpotted father." Harsh twisted his mouth and passed on the glares as Arundhati did.

Stroking her semi-dampened cheeks of Annika she walked out with a smile on her lips. On the other hand, Annika looked confused and tried understanding her mother's tactics however she didn't.

"Chill baba! This not like that Shiv is here and Aai making an effort to get me married to him." She laughed at her lame joke and continued. "I will go there and start whimpering and you guys just support me."

•••••

"I don't want to get married. Yaar I have been crushing over Aadya for a long time and I need to ask for a date. If I get married I can't see her." Shivaay stopped his rants seeing a pistol pointed by one of the men, the lady ordered.

[Trans- a friendly form of address.]

"You should love our Sonu, not other Kaminey." The man named Prakash whispered dangerously. Shivaay shifted his position and tried escaping from these insane people who are hell bend getting him married.

[Trans- bimbo]

Shivaay was grabbed and made him stand in the mantap opposite to the Antarpat, which was the only barrier between the bride and groom. He stood lazily checking out the decoders, his coworkers of the event management company were wide-eyed looking at him as he had grown horns.

He focused on the white cloth facing him, while the priest chanted various shlokas for lord Ganesh, praying for prosperity start of the wedding. As the aantarpat was slowly taking off, his eyes landed on her. The bride. She looked ethereal with subsidiary and light make-up. She raised her eyelashes peeking through them, her eyes widened seeing him. She whipped her head in a certain direction and started gesturing, she looked cute. Shaking away his thoughts he tried glaring at her with immense anger surfacing.

"Jaimala-" he could barely understand what the priest was saying, he turned to have a look at Sonali Ahuja. It was because of her he was trapped in this situation, neither he could run nor accept the reality. The men were taking their positions, thinking he would escape, having no other opportunity he tugged the flower garland and looped into her.

*****
Hello peeps!
Well, this is not the first chapter not it's interesting. Both Shivaay and Annika are stuck with their lies and trapped in the web. Let's see.

:-P