Mature parts will be star marked. If you are uncomfortable with those you can skip them.

••••
''Dev Sang Raavi. Ring Ceremony.''
The board, infront of the dais in the aangan of the Pandya Niwas, read. The obsidian lehenga complimented the midnight choli, counter balancing the ivory skin of her, flowed down to the floor, hugging her body. Flowers of the floral embroidery covered the floor, in a carpet of flowers, as the lehenga swept the floor beneath. Her charred wood hair cascaded down her back, clipped partially, highlighting the shining dark blue hair strands beneath.
Suman put a kalateeka on her so that no 'buri nazar' should be attracted towards her. She looked stunning. But there was something amiss, her usual glow, her chirpiness.
She was lacking those in the last two months. Everybody noticed it but she said that she was just being emotional remembering her parents and then pulled on her facade of happiness. She was in despair, nobody noticed but one.
Her trepidation grew as she realised that if her plan was not to be executed properly then lives of three will be destroyed. She so wished that Shiva would be present here, helping her in fighting for their relation. But he was absent.
••••

She stood infront of the mirror, looking at herself as Anita helped her in getting ready. Some years back, in her innocence, she had told everyone that she was going to be adorned in this way for Dev. And now it was happening but her eyes told other story. Those eyes held tears of regret. She was not happy now, she had someone else in her heart. Her lips quivered, sobs making their way out.

Anita saw something was bothering Raavi.
'Was she not happy with the marriage? But how could it be, she had always longed to become a Pandya Bahu, precisely to be Dev's wife, her lifelong aim. Maybe some pre-wedding jitters.'
''Raavi kya hua hai?'' Anita asked her.
Raavi just got up and hugged her, letting her tears fall.
''Raavi darr lag raha hai kya?''
''N..Nahi'' She was still sobbing. Her eyeliner had started smudging with the tears, leaving black stains on their way down the cheek.
''Aise rote nahi Raavi. Tu to Somnath ke Sabse Sundar Ladki haina? Agar uski engagement mei makeup kharab hogaya to log kya bolenge?'' Anita had made her sit and started re-doing the makeup.
Raavi was sitting there, her mind wandering off to her moments spent with Shiva.
••••

It was her birthday, 20th birthday to be precise. She was still sulking as it was a minute past the midnight and Dev has not even tried calling her. How could he be so careless. Aren't they going to marry some years later and he can't even call her to wish her a birthday. How could they be the best couple of Somnath? She was pacing back and forth in front of her bed while she thought. As she turned towards the window, she saw a black shadow entering through it, and she let out a scream. It was muffled by the visitor's palm. This was not a new touch, she knew this touch. This touch held a warmth, a comfort. The visitor's breath fanned her neck, their thudding hearts, the only sound that can be listened to. Moments later, his whisper broke the silence.
''Eh Chipkali chillana mat. Haath hata raha hoon.''
As he removed his palm she started her babbling about Dev.
She felt his gaze. It was intense and she suddenly felt a new kind of warmth in it. She felt shy under his gaze.
After she saw him wrapped in a towel, water dripping down his form, a foreign feeling bubbled up inside her. Whenever he was in her vicinity, she would have butterflies in her stomach. Her face would become flushed and Dev would be nowhere in her thoughts.

****
It would be Shiva everywhere as in some corner of her head, she would be sprawled in the bed, the dark, hooded eyes of Shiva trained on her naked form as he would walk towards her discarding his clothing one at a time at each step he took.
His lips would trail down her mouth to the south, planting wet kisses pausing at the valley of her chest. His tongue would stick out, and trail all over the hills on each side, hardening the peaks of the hills by biting gently on the already hardened peaks.
His mouth would trail further south and find her core where his tongue would do inexplicable things, pressuring her nerve bundle to let out all the nectar confined there.
All the while, his name would leave her lips like a prayer.
****

In a trice, she felt being pinned to the wall, Shiva's hand blocking her escape routes.
''Dekh main aaj bohot bada kaam karne aaya hu.'' Raavi felt a little surprised.' Shiva kya mujhe wish karega?'- was her first thought.'' Tere ye sab faltu k nautanki ki time nahi hai mere pas. To accha ye hoga ki tu chup chap yaha khadi reh. Hilna mat.'' Shiva stressed on the last two words, his voice going husky and that was her melting point.
The voice made shivers run down her spine. It made her feel something new, something unnamed. Her thoughts of being dominated ran wildly. And she squirmed under him. His gaze scrutinizing each and every move of her.
She felt his hand slide down her top to her bare waist, his fingers tracing lines and drawing circles on her waist. Her hands looped around his collar and heart started beating faster and louder.
''S..Sh..Shiva, kya kar raha hai?'' She asked, her question came out as a whisper which was hardly audible due to the loud heartbeats of her and the tensed atmosphere around them.
Within a moment her lips were captured in his and her eyes closed as a reflex and her body went in a state of paralysis. She felt chilled shivers running down her spine. She was neither able to pull out from the kiss nor kiss him back. She felt his lips tugging at her bottom lip before leaving her lips from the hungry mouth of his.
''Tu sirf aur sirf Shiva ki hai. Aur Shiva jisko chahta hai, wo uska hi hota hai. Iss janam me tu phas gayi, mere saath.'' Shiva whispered against her ears.
She felt blood rushing down her cheeks, surely painting them in a bright hue of red. Her emotions went haywire and for the first time she figured out her answer. She thought that the relation that Shiva and she shared was nothing. But the unnamed bond was a relationship of love, a real love.
''Shiva!'' She called out, as she saw him moving out through the window, and sped towards Shiva.

Just as she called out to him, Shiva turned and met with the delicate form of her. He missed his footing due to the sudden impact and stumbled over. The soft bed dipped as they both fell together, flailing. His hand went behind her waist and wound her protectively as they fell and her palms curled into a ball, tugging his shirt at the chest. As they fell, her head dipped into his chest, thumping heartbeats of his calming those of hers.
''Abb mujhe bhi tere pass rehne keliye Dev ka naam nahi lena padega.'' Her voice suppressed a giggle.
As her eyes met his, all her blood drained to her cheeks and she again hid her face in his chest, inhaling the scent of his hard work.
Shiva made her look up, with a finger under her chin. Their gazes met, her chin rested on his chest. His thumb caressed her cheeks, grazing over her lips slightly. Her eyes closed on its own, and all of a sudden the air around was filled with desire.
She leaned in and their lips met halfway. None of them felt the cliché feelings- they did not feel any firecrackers burning or the world exploding. But they were able to feel the love, the respect and the attraction they shared. Their chins tilted, teeth gnawed on the lips, tongues darted out, feeling the strawberry and burnt-mint flavours of the other's.
Raavi's hands went around encircling his neck, and clasping at the back, tugging at some of the hair as their tongues met.
Shiva made his palms rest upon her cheeks, with a gentle yet firm grasp. His thumbs stroking her cheeks slightly.
They parted when they needed to breath, their forehead joined, eyes refusing to stop gazing at the other. His phone ringed, making them come out of their trance. 'Krish' floated on the screen.
''Bol''
''Tu ghar kab aaraha hai? Bhabi puch rahi hai.''
''Bas raaste me hun. 10 minute.'' And he hung the call up.
They stood up, and Raavi hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her there for some time. He kissed her on the forehead, lips lingering for a moment and their eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, some drops of tear streamed down the hazel brown eyes of her. Shiva's thumb wiped the stream and grazed on eyelashes, wiping the unshed pearls.
••••

''Raavi!'' Anita called out, rather impatiently. She was unable to remake her makeup. This was the fifth time she was doing her makeup. Why is she crying so much, after all she is getting married to her love. She did not even cry this much when she ditched Gautam, on Prafulla's demand.
Raavi sat down again after she cleaned her face. It was a hard work.
Anita started working on the makeup again.
••••

It was the day of shopping for engagement. Much to his reluctance, Shiva had to follow Dhara and Raavi for shopping. Their negotiation of staying away from each other was being broken by the family. Shiva had to tail along with the ladies for shopping, take Raavi to the temple and all the things that Dev needed to do with her.
Raavi sat on the customer table with her DharaDi, choosing lehenga for her from the huge collection laid infront. Dhara gave Raavi one to try and she went about choosing her saree after making Shiva stand infront of the trial room and help Raavi if any was required.
Some time later, Raavi came out of the trial room.
The obsidian lehenga, with floral imprints as the border, was looking ravishing on her.
''Shiva.'' Raavi called out, turning around, showing him the open dori of the blouse.
Shiva's eyes latched onto the exposed skin of her as she gathered her hair to one side. The midnight black blouse complemented her ivory white skin. The broken heart of his, unable to beat, even thumped at this sight of her. His fingers went to the strings and he started to tie them. As his fingers touched the exposed skin, a shiver ran down both their spines.
Shiva fastened the strings fast. He was afraid of losing his control as he could feel himself arouse.

Through the mirror, as Raavi looked up, their eyes met. He saw in her onyx eyes, tears were welled up. Some teardrops flowed down her kohled eyes as she blinked. They knew this was difficult but was to be done.
Seeing tears in her eyes he would always kiss them out when they were in a relationship. And now he could do nothing.

Suddenly, he made her turn. His palms cupped her face and made her look up, into his eyes. She wanted to tell something but as soon he made her look up, her words choked, hot streams ran down her cheeks and her palms fisted on his shirt. He gently grazed his thumbs and removed the stray drops from her lashes after he wiped her cheeks. Warmth engulfed her being.
His fingers grazed on her lips slightly and an electric jolt went down her spine. She swallowed the lump down her throat and looked up. Their eyes met and the world around her spun. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment, as she felt his hands on her waist to help her keep balance.
A small smile played on the corner of her lips as her lips parted. Feeling his lips on hers, her hand travelled to the back of his head. She felt his hand trailing up from her waist, disappearing into her hair and pulling her more into him, as he would do everytime they had kissed. Their lips sucked on each other as they lost the sense of their surroundings.

Hearing a woman gasp, they broke away. Till then they have managed to suck air out of each other's lungs. Raavi looked up, startled. The warmth in his eyes was now replaced by horror.
''Ra..Raavi. I...I-" Shiva choked on his words. ''Raavi. I am so..sorry. Sorry..'' His voice came out in whispers as he turned around and moved out of her sight, in a jiffy.

Raavi stood frozen, staring at the direction he retreated. Her heart splintered into a zillion pieces. Knowing the sacrificial man Shiva was, Raavi knew that he would be feeling guilty for his doings. Her vision hazed and a warm gush started flowing down her cheeks.
••••

That evening Shiva was seen in the favourite tree of his. He would sit there everytime he felt sad and Raavi knew this. So, she did not have hard time finding him.
He wanted to be alone. At least for sometime.
Guilt overtook his senses. He wanted to kill himself for what he did. She was his brother's bride.
How could he lose his control? He asked himself.
Those luscious pink lips were the reason, he knew. He was attracted to them like a moth attracted to fire.

After a week, Raavi got to know from the Pandyas that Shiva had left Somnath and set out for supervising the store being built in Ahmedabad. She did not try contacting him as he had said her.
••••

That day when she was coming back from Delhi, she was very excited. Her heart thumped faster as the aeroplane neared the airport.
She had got to know that the Bhootnath of hers was planning a proposal, on the airport.
Her adrenaline rushed as she imagined a version of her Bhootnath, sitting on his knee, his hand held out with a rose. The would surely gape at him.
They had a talk on disclosing their relationship infront of the world and were going to tell the family about it.
She knew her Maasi Ma would be a little problematic but she would manage her. But her Mausapa would be happy for her. And she knew the Pandya's well, they would not have any problem and would be fully supportive.

••••

She looked up to be greeted by the reflection of her own. Her form was adorned by jewelleries. In the past years she thought to be adorned in this way only for her Shiva. She would become the Gauri for her Shiva, adorned in those jewels.

But her fate had given her a tough predicament and she needs to overcome it if she wants to unite with her love. She could noway spoil the life of three people.

She knew Dev was not her type of person and he required someone way calmer than her. She needed to steer the boat of them in the correct direction as she is now the controller of the rudder. She can not give up without trying.

Anita left the room as Prafulla called her to make the last minute decorations. Within some moments Raavi made-up her mind of what to do and just then she was called.
''Raavi neeche aa jaldi. Pandya Niwas jana hai, sagai keliye.'' Prafulla called out.

The car stopped in front of the Pandya Niwas, a soft music was being played inside. The house had minimal decorations as the engagement was meant to be only for the family.
Dev sat on the decorated chairs in the podium made in the aangan. A ring box in the table infront, decorated with rose petals.
Raavi was made to stand in front of him.
With each step she took towards Dev, her will of doing what her mind made up was becoming stronger.
She stood in front of Dev, her hand in his. Dhara gave him the ring which was to be exchanged.

''RUKO.'' Everyone in the room trembled as Dev was going to put the ring in her finger.

••••

At last updated.
Phew.
Do say kaisa laga and Vote zarur karna.
Word Count- 2700+