𝘈𝘮𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘢𝘳, 2017
𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘺𝘢𝘢𝘯𝘵

Pushpinder Singh ─ a prominent personage in the field of drug dealing and prevarication was decisively taken away to his warranted place under the wings of the lawful acts of the judiciary and of course, the Police and before everything, the testimony of cases against him was shown to his frightened family and other important guests also who were not buying our statements.

"My son cannot do this, he has a business there in Canada, he cannot do this," Pushpinder's mother was crying hysterically as the police had already handcuffed his hands and were pulling him towards the rightful place for his interrogation and later punishments which were anticipating for him. The lady had gone berserk the way she was hauling but it was not her mistake ─ it was her son because of whom she had to face so much of mortification in front of so many people.

Not only her, but Pritika's family too was crushed. A girl's marriage is the most important event of her life springing with her engagement ceremony, and it'd be very ruinous if they get to know that their would-be husband has already mated eight women and is contracted in the unauthorised transaction of drug-dealing. No girl deserves such fate.

An eerie reticence had befallen and Pritika's physiognomy was echoing as if she would cry any moment. Studying the sumptuous arrangement and the extravagance of this resort, I could effortlessly calculate how feather-like the pockets of her father would've become. It was still a resolute reality that the wedlock of a couple is such a consequential event yet only the father of a girl has to pay for all its expenses as girls are the only ones who have taken the heavy burden of a paid partnership to be a sous-chef, cleaner, duties-performer and next, a 24*7 servant of yours.

I sighed at my extemporaneous philosophies and glanced at the distressing atmosphere for the last time as even I likewise needed to leave as others among my team also were vacating this place. I was feeling wretched for Pritika and her family, they really didn't deserve all this. I would've surely grasped and comforted her but this was not the appropriate moment for it. Not for once did she adhere her orbs with mine as if my kernels would burn her alive if she'd venture to do so. Releasing a profound flutter, I grimaced and said sayonara to Pritika, telekinetically.

However before I could've taken a step towards the egress, a hand suddenly came from nowhere and stopped my gait. I turned my face towards the invader and received something which I for sure hadn't envisioned even in my worst will-o'-the-wisp.

A darshan of stars detour in the form of a cheek-puncturing slap!

A few minutes passed by and everyone just stood there in silence looking at me as if I did something wrong ─ I guessed it even with my eyes closed because of the fierceness of the slap. Everybody started to whisper in each other's ears. And then I opened my eyes to see who was the one who had taken a step against a proficient advocate.

Kiski shaamat aayi hai!

I witnessed none other than would-be Mrs Hippo in her hot under the collar vogue. My eyes were still taking in the enraged form of my chewing gum who was resembling no less than the Goddess Mahakali I had mentioned prior. I watched her in absolute terror and bewilderment, questioning her with my eyes for the gift of slap she had venerated to me.

Shaamat to meri aayi hai!

"The engagement is over now, please leave," before Pritika could've inaugurated her mouth to explain her sudden burst of violence on me, her father requested in a polite tone to everyone. He too might have comprehended that there was something-something cooking between his daughter and me, after all, he was the farsighted and calculating SP of Chandigarh police. The guests started moving out the banquet hall with their inquisitive eyes already implanted on us, and as if they were threatened, none of them was muttering among themselves now.

I could still feel the wretchedness of her slap on my cheek, it was as if someone had inflamed fire athwart my cheek. When black dots tardily quitted covering my vision, I noticed the once congested castle was absconded now with only a handful of personages.

"It was because of you only that I agreed to this matrimony otherwise I'd have not consented to this marriage ever with that donkey. You gave me a reason to slaughter my life with my own hands. I will not leave you, I hate you, so so much," Pritika sobbed into her hands and the tears dripped between her fingers, raining down onto the alabaster floor. Her breathing was ragged, gasping and the strength left her legs. She sank to her knees not caring about the hardened floor that channelled her kneecaps. She cried until no more tears came, but still, the emptiness and sorrow remained on her countenance.

And I just kept observing her in utter dismay and tribulation. It was as if my world fragmented down in front of my eyes the way she was crying so lugubriously. I could honestly sense how constricted my throat was right now along with my parched lips mirroring her.

Her family members promptly hastened towards her side and tried to coax her to stop her tormenting and sorrowful sobbing but she sustained her crying and blaming.

"Will you tell me dude, what had you done with my sister?" Ranveer Bhaiya ─ her sturdy and brawny brother pivoted towards me proffering me a ghostly glare. My orbs quickly machine-gunned up and down his physique and estimated his strength, he was powerful."Veerji, he hadn't done just anything, he had broken my heart, saying he couldn't be with me anymore," Preet responded on behalf of me and her brother's eyes constricted at that.

I am dead, morose insights started clouding my subconscious and I was foreseeing another blow from the Singh and Kaur family when I received a thump on my shoulder from Pritika's father.

"Why did you break my daughter's heart, young man?" out of all the emotions present in the entire human psychology, I wasn't least expecting a peaceful and serene demeanour of her father who had kept his hand on my shoulder. Her brother was still communicating me hostile stares and the lady party were busy in consoling my chewing gum.

Clearing my throat, I declaimed, "Sir, I didn't. I was just narrating her how grisly it had turned in my family when one of our uncles had married a girl out of the community. He was mercilessly killed. And Preet took it all in another way and broke all the ties with me. I hadn't done anything immoral to her. You can ask her." I glanced at her and she was already looking at me in an angry stupor.

"Then why didn't you stop me? Han? You could've obstructed me, no? You're so evil," she sobbed more and her father groaned heavily beside me. "Ladies," he whispered but I heard that and stared at him in amazement.

"Preet, you could've told us about this? Didn't you think for once that your parents deserved to know about all this? Why did you agree with the marriage with Pushpinder in the first place? Tell me? Where did we go wrong that our own daughter masked this thing from her parents? Tune ta dil dukha dita, puttar," Mr Singh lamented grievously, giving disapproved squints towards Pritika.

I straight away felt like an outcast who was eavesdropping on a family's private chit-chat.

"I was extremely angry on Divyaant, that's why I agreed to the alliance with that Langoor. I wanted to avenge against him, but in the process of all this, I lost the consciousness of my own disposition of what would be my state if I'd marry that donkey. I am sorry, Papa. Please forgive me," she whimpered more and hugged her father's legs that immediately made him kneel on the ground. "Your happiness matters the most, kiddo. And other than that, nothing matters to us. You are our princess and if you love some other prince, I'd love to marry you off to whoever kingdom to belong to," Mr Singh rustled with glossy eyes and patted Pritika's hair and I felt as if I won everything.

This was nothing but a confirmation for our sacrament in the broad daylight.

I was euphoric would be an understatement of the year.

"But Baaji, he belongs to another community, how can we espouse our Preet to him?" every beautiful path has an evil road-stopper, mine was Pritika's brother, I rolled my eyes at his statement. His father laughed at his response and stood up from the ground.

"If our Preet has fallen in love with a person and chosen him as her life-partner, I think it'd be the best of all the choices that we'd have arranged for her. And I think he already has proved how suitable he is for our Preet; if not for him, we'd likewise have been circumambulating around the concourses to get that criminal imprisoned." Her father's statement was the green beacon for the ultimate bliss in which I was already hopping within, mirroring the Naagin of any baraat.

"Also Ranveer, he's a human, right? He also has same red blood, same eyes, same nose, everything same, so why should we prohibit him from marrying our Preet? I find no faults in him," her father continued his speech and my subconscious its dancing, when he turned towards me and spoke softly, "So, when are we going to meet your family, young man?".

Could this day get any better?

After the formal talk with Pritika's father was done, everyone retarded to their respective rooms which they had booked, bequeathing the two of us to stare at each other in contrasting emotions inside the same desolate hall.

I wanted to embrace her so tightly and she seemed as if she'd shoot me any moment.

No one was there except for us. And then I noticed her really, how dazzlingly divine she was looking today and her red angry face was making her look like a delicious apple which I wanted to savour so terribly.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away but in my case, this apple was going to be mine till immortality and it'd surely kick out every aspiring doctor from my life. I laughed at my flagrant thoughtfulness and tried to initiate a conversation with her.

"You won't talk?" I dared to question and she huffed frivolously, folding her hands against her chest. I laughed at her childlike antics and tried to ultimately take her in my arms when she moved away abruptly and glared at me. "You destroyed our first kiss too, I won't talk..." I needed one single chance, just a single chance to taste her succulent lips and she did give one after which I didn't perceive anything and smashed my lips on hers, taking her by bewilderment.

I kissed her and the world fell away. Our lips pressed hard and it felt as if the fire was being inflamed from both our mouths, were we dragons by any chance? I chuckled at my lame joke and resumed caressing her lips with mine, bracing her by her waist with another hand cradling her face. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. My hand rested below her ear, my thumb caressing her cheek as our breaths mingled. And my chewing gum was awakened from her cantankerous mood as she too started reacting back with an invincible fervour. She ran her fingers down my spine, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us.

My dominating wife!

Before my virgin tongue would've touched hers, we parted away breathless and stared at each other in pure love and desire. And as if on cue, she embraced me tightly burrowing her face into my chest.

This was bliss and, our love irrevocably won.

A comfortable quietness befell when I resolved to break it with a query that was popping in my head from a long time now. "You've devoured Rasgulla?" I canvassed her joyously. And my queen didn't answer it but asked another question, "Why?", coming out of my embrace and staring at me.

"Because you tasted like that," I replied and a crimson red blush reddened her chubby chops. It was the blush of roses, that peek of champagne pink. The colour infused cheeks dimpled with the blossoming smile and her eyes shone in a way that only deep happiness can bring.

We both were ecstatic, so much so as if we won the world.

"Wait, close your eyes, I need to show you something," I requested and she obliged. After a moment, I was back with a box.

"Open it, baby".

She was amazed when she scanned the thing inside the box.

Two white rose and sugary liquid-dipped Rasgullas peeping at her!

"Congratulations for our first official kiss and also for the alliance with me, would-be Mrs Hippo," I rejoiced and fed her one of the Rasgullas which she gorged instantly down her oesophagus and then she began feeding me one which I devoured very naughtily, licking her fingers in the end.

But before we could've continued another session of kisses and hugs, my phone rang, blazing the picture of my father.

Time for the most dreaded moment!

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Happy Janamashtmi!

Radhe radhe!

As many were unhappy that this story is ending so soon, so I decided why not to add one more chapter. So, 

Cheering news! This book will be having sixteen chapters and one epilogue!