(A/N: Yipee! 1500 followers. Thanks to everyone who made this possible. Loads of love to everyone. Love you all, my 1.5K family ❤️.)

Status: Edited
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My alarm went off at freaking five in the morning that day. My wedding was to begin. As much as I was annoyed, I had to admit, I was mildly excited too. Everything so far had been spontaneous enough to keep the thrill of the event intact. The new bride phase was also a beautiful phase, where I would be given special care, love and then have 2 families who would take care of me. I wanted that attention, even if it was only for a little while before I got trapped into Mr. Manik Malhotra's damn clutches.

I called for Amma the second I was minimally dress. She came in moments after to help me get ready. Amma, accompanied by Nyonika, draped me with a yellow lehenga saree.

I wore simple stone jewelry with yellow and clear gems, which Nyonika bought for me. My hair was done in a casual updo with a hair brooch and I had to admit I looked gorgeous.

"Wow Nandu..." Appa came and looked at me. He pat my chin lightly. "You look beautiful Kanna." I looked at Amma and Nyonika and smiled.

"Acchha chalo. You guys finish the ceremony. Vahan Manik ko bhi tayyar karna hai. And waking him up is a herculean task." (Alright then. You guys finish the ceremony. There I need to ensure Manik is ready.) Nyonika said with a light chuckle and Amma and Appa smiled. For a moment, the thought of him, a douchebag of a man, cuddled up like a baby in his sleep crossed my mind and a small smile appeared on my face.

My relatives engaged me with games and some talk after Nyonika's departure. Most children were still asleep, but not babies! They were all over the place! It struck 7:30 on the clock and I sighed, amazed for handling myself with all these adornments for half an hour. That's like an achievement for me.

***

"Kamine, uth ja ab." (Idiot, wake up now.) Cabir slapped Manik's arm and Manik pulled his blanket over, muttered a few abuses and turned to the other side.

"Yaar, kya hai yeh? He needs to get ready in less than an hour and look at this guy. Poor Nandini..." (Dude, what is this?)

"Screw her dude. She had a choice and she fucked up. Now if I am going to hear her name again, I swear I'll punch your face." He dug his face into the pillow.

"Nandu..." Cabir screamed into Manik's ear and Manik shot up, got out of his bed and held Cabir's neck in a strangling manner.

"Saale. Problem kya hai teri?" (Jerk! What the hell is your problem?) Cabir faked a few coughs and breaths, pretending to suffocate to death. The others watched the banter between the brothers silently.

"Manik, go get ready. You don't have time." Nyonika passed by, giving Manik a final warning and Manik, being Mama's boy, sighed and went to the washroom. His friends teased him a little for being such a wuss but he didn't bother himself too much with them.

He was ruffling his wet hair down when Nyonika entered. His face lit up seeing his mother and he turned towards her, acknowledging her presence. "Manik, here. Get dressed. People are waiting downstairs." She cupped his face. "You've become such a big boy. I'll miss you Manik." He said, ruffling his hair.

"Mom, I ain't gonna die. I'll still be here na?" He said, a little annoyed with his mother's emotions. How would he know what a mother would feel like, getting her son married off when she still thought of him as her baby: the one she rocked in her arms to sleep. 

"Chal kya raha hai? Mother and son romance?" His father peeped into the room and Manik burst into small chuckles. On certain levels Manik could sympathise with her dilemma, for he was in one of his own.

He was about to get married to a girl the world knew as his long-term girlfriend but for him she was just an acquaintance he was protective of, as a responsible man. That was all our 'relationship' was for him. Was he ready to spend his life with a woman he barely knew, or worse, hated?

Rakesh put his arm around Nyonika's shoulder. "Don't worry love. We shouldn't be crying, right? We should be happy. A new girl will be coming into our house, to light our house with her happiness and love. And we should be prepared to do the same to her, correct?" Nyonika nodded with a smile and Manik wiped her tears despite pooling some of his own, making a cute pout.

"Manik..." Someone called from downstairs and Nyonika snapped herself out of reminiscence.

"I think you should get ready now. It's late." She smiled faintly on the way out.

"Mom..." She turned around, still teary. "I love you." Manik said, pointing towards her.

"I love you too Manik." Her eyes were filled with love for her gorgeous son who could capture many hearts with his manners in split seconds. Manik put on his 'deodorant for the night', wore a brand new white t-shirt with the first two buttons undone and black shorts. He set his hair and descended the stairs, like a king waiting to claim his throne.

***

While everyone—by which I mean, the invited guests—was getting ready for the ceremony, the makeup artists had come to touch up on me. The mandap for the event was adorned with several shades of yellow marigold garlands from the top of the white shamiyana frame to different lengths resembling curtains. Floral curtains, they were, and they looked expensive with the pure white sofas and bright yellow cushions.

Photographers came in and called me for the venue shoots. I posed in various different ways and I heard a few clicks. I had about 20 odd pictures of me, solo, even before the Haldi ceremony.

About an hour later, people assisted me to the mandap scorched with yellow. I looked beyond beautiful in some shots the photographers showed me after I sat down. Madhyam and Navya had also arrived and they smiled gracefully seeing me sitting there. God knew what that show was even for, but Manik took it on himself to deal with them firsthand. They weren't my problem, not anymore.

Amma first applied the yellow turmeric paste on my cheeks. I smiled until my cheeks covered my eyes and my mouth formed a pucker. A shot was clicked in that nick of time. It was a moment to be cherished, a daughter being pampered for one of the last times by her family. Then she rubbed some on my legs, though I was hesitant to let her touch my feet. It wasn't tradition for older women to touch younger women's feet. It always went the other way around. She did so anyways, apparently Punjabi traditions said so. Slowly, one by one, the other ladies put Haldi on my arms, legs and face, of course.

Though men weren't involved in the ceremony, many of my male relatives did apply Haldi on me, applying some on my hair and played around. Some kids also were excited about the entire idea of the ceremony that they applied some on their hands and mine too.

Then Madhyam came about. He brought his hand close to my face and rubbed the paste on me. My gaze was fixed on his, trying to decipher his actual intentions and his was on mine for God knew what reason. I was put in an uncomfortable situation until Amma quickly came to my side. We then broke eye contact and went back to being 'friends'. Was there something else he wanted to say?

People surrounded me and pictures were taken. After the ceremony, everyone ran for their lives to prevent the remaining Haldi from being applied on them. It felt like the festival of Holi. Everyone, including Amma and Appa, were coloured with Haldi and Rishabh was the main culprit for that too! We were all giggles. Until then, I never knew weddings could be that fun.

***

"No no no no. You can't put this on me. Mom, no. Tell them." Manik was screaming for his life. The others assembled there were wheezing for more oxygen while he looked horrified.

"Manik, it's a ritual. It's supposed to make you glow." Nyonika was beyond annoyed by his tantrums. "Come on, it's just Haldi."

"Eww. No way in hell am I gonna let anyone put that. Na-ah. It's disgusting. I'm pretty content with how lush and vibrant I look." He said, flapping his hands helplessly in the air.

"Really Manik? How childish of you." Cabir said, laughing his head off. Manik shot futile glares. Nyonika approached him with the plate and fearfully he took two steps back and then... thud! He landed straight on his bum! Everyone burst into laughter and Nyonika took the opportunity to put some on his cheeks, despite his protests. He was practically helpless after the first move was made. That scene would have been a treat to watch.

The others who gathered there further enjoyed playing with him. Cabir took some of the haldi and threw it on his face from a distance and Manik shook violently because of the impact. People who clicked pictures of the ceremony cracked up about how Manik looked grumpy in all of them. At one point, he had had enough, that he got up in the middle of the ceremony and walked back home, muttering abuses under his breath.

***

After the ceremony, I went to have a bath. It was immense hardwork, to get the paste off my body. After a long one hour of scrubbing, lathering and cleansing, I was back in a normal kurti and leggings. I was tired indeed.

"Hahahaha. What do you think Nandini Murthy? You'll get away just like that? There's still a long way to go." I heard someone chuckle and heard some loud sounds.

"Wh...what do yo...you mean?" I said, trying to step behind and I hit something.

"You don't get it? Nandini, marriage is a sacred ritual, where you commit to another person, in the presence of God for life. Are you ready for that with Manik, to cheat God with your relationship?" She snapped into my face and my vision clouded. I wasn't ready for any of it.

"Yeah, cheating God, now this is gonna be fun." Manik smirked, rubbing his hands together and his friends joined too. They pulled me towards them.

"Bye Nandu." They mocked and pushed me behind. Before I could realize, I was free-falling through thousands of feet into some place warm, red with flames all around. I screamed for help but my voice seemed to deafen me as I sunk into a red hellhole.

"Manik! Manik!"

"What the hell? Nandini, wake up." A voice seemed to echo into reality, when I pulled myself up. I felt a blood-rush in the process and my brain blanked out for a second. Manik was right before me, at an arms reach. I was on my bed, not falling into a blood cave. I had fallen asleep. I hadn't sinned; not yet. Manik who sat flabbergasted right before me was grabbed into my arms violently, almost against his will.

"Manik... this is wrong..." I cried and he was somewhat understood I must've seen a bad dream. How bad could it really have been though? He adjusted his hold on me, patting my head in gentle motions.

"Ssshhh... It's okay. Relax." Maybe he wasn't ready to hear what I had to say, or hear my dream. He just wanted me to stop crying so he wouldn't get into trouble or get caught for sneaking in. Once I was rest assured that I was clinging quite tightly, I relaxed inch by inch and my sobs turned into soft sniffs. "Alright. Now what happened? Is it that idiot 'friend' of yours again?" He groaned disinterested at the crux of the issue. I wondered if he was jealous of Madhyam.

"I saw a dream... where you... and your friends... you..." I said in between hiccups but couldn't complete the sentence.

"Okay okay. Calm down. It was just a dream." As long as it was just a dream, I didn't have to worry. But what I saw seemed real. It seemed like a possible occurrence in my life; one of his friends, someone related to us could say that to me, and Manik would just let go of us, our marriage that he'd promise to hold until death parts us. It seemed too real to be denied.

"Will you ever leave me?" He looked a little surprised at my question and the timing. We weren't that close yet, he wasn't obliged to answer every question of mine. In fact, he didn't even know me enough to promise such things. He chose not to answer it. When I pressed for a reply, he conveniently changed the topic.

"Your phone... it was missing. Did you file a complaint?" It seemed serious now, for me to also consider the changed subject more important than my dumb dream.

"No." I released my hold and he stood up, walking over to the other side of my bed. I sat on my knees, rubbing my nose on my comforter.

"Hmm... Okay... This is for you." He said and handed me something. It was a present wrapped in purple craft paper, the expensive glittery kind. I looked at it and back at him.

"Yeh kya hai? And why are you..." (What is this? ) I wanted to know why he chose to present me with anything at all. He wasn't compelled to. What changed?

His face fell at my countless questions. "Agar nahi chahiye toh vapas do." (If you don't want it, then give it back.) I grabbed it, despite his force. I liked presents. He let go of it and I held it to my chest before becoming the dwarf Grumpy for him. He smirked and headed to the dressing table, checking his hair in the mirror while I raised my eyebrows at him. What's up with his hair? Boys and their hair obsessions.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat as he caught me looking... at him. Shit! Why was I always stuck in such embarrassing situations, Ayyappa?! He leaned towards me. "I know I'm hot but you don't have to look at me like that. Besides there'll be a lot more for you to look at, after 2 days." HAW! No man had ever spoken to me with such confidence in himself.

"If you think you're hot, then that's probably in your dreams." I shrugged indifferently. He smirked again. Can you stop smirking please?

"We all know who actually dreams between the two of us." He said, fanning his hot minty breath on my face. Facing the window, he turned to wink at me and then jumped across.

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(Yaayiee! Finally 1700+ words. Now I have my Math exam to study for. Loads of love to everyone of you. Thanks a lot for being a part of my 1.5K family. Cheers.)