Recap : Sharan stops Ishana from leaving - Ishana doubts Sharan

Ten days later
Ishana's POV

Today is my Mehendi function with Mr.Rude. Both Veena and Varna are competing among themselves to see who could deck me better but right now how I look is the least of my concern. In these ten days I couldn't decipher Sharan's real intention behind this marriage and it was bugging me too much. I am not even able to have a single conversation with him. Either he is at work or he is busy along with the others in the wedding preparations. Is he intentionally avoiding me? Why would he do that?

God I am worried about my future now.

"Ishudi, you are looking damn great, bhaiyya is very lucky" Varna said teasing me.

At her words I looked down at my dress. It was indeed a very nice dress, a blue lehenga with silver embroidery. It was a gift from uncle and he seems very happy from the day the wedding was announced. Like all this wasn't enough Sharan is behaving like he was very happy with it. God knows what is going on in his garbage bin. Well you know what I am talking about.

"If your thinking break is done then let's go. Everybody is waiting for you" Veena pulled me out of my thoughts.

We walked downstairs and I can see that there are a lot of people from my village as well. Uncle had invited them for me. While I was talking to some of them I noticed Sharan from the corner of my eyes. He is looking quite handsome in the sherwani that he is wearing but he is not looking at me at all. We are both made to sit on the stage which has been decorated.

He looks at me for a second but turns away immediately. What the hell? He doesn't even tell me why he wants to get married to me and now all this drama. Some girls start applying mehendi on my hand. I keep looking at him and he keeps looking at my mehendi.

I want to shout at him,'You idiot what is there in it that you are staring at it for so long? Look at me." Like that's not enough there is this cryptic smile playing at the corner of his lips. Veena and Varna start talking with me but for the first time I'm not interested in talking to them. I put a smile on my face and get lost in a world of my own.

The function is about to end and Uncle and the twins are busy talking to the guests. Just when I finally. I mean finally get up, Sharan drags me to the corner.

He pushes us both into the crook between the staircase and the wall and I lift my hands to save the mehendi on them. The place was quite cramped and he was standing pretty close to me.

"Sorry that I couldn't talk to you for the last few days. How are you Ms.Idiot?" he said in a teasing way. I never knew you could say this in a teasing way.

 "Why are you avoiding me? Are you scared to talk to me?" I was quite serious and he should be scared. I could kill him now.

"Of course. I am really scared of you."

"Why are you talking now then?"

"Now I'm not scared because your hands are filled with mehendi which means that you can't slap me." He shouldn't count on that because if he irritates me too much I just might.

"Very funny" I said dryly. 

"Are you prepared to be Mrs.Sharan Sharma?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'm in absolutely no mood for this drama. Stop this nonsense and tell me what is really happening? I can't understand a thing or you for that matter."

"Hey didn't I already ask you to stop that. It's very dangerous"

He might be in the mood for this shit but I'm absolutely irritated. He can sit here and talk to himself in circles all day. As I start moving away he holds my hand and pulls me back.

"Usually couples start fighting after marriage but we have started already. But it's a good thing because we are a couple right, at least in front of everyone else?"

"Are you mad?" I didn't know this before. I though he might be mad in the way normal people are but he seems to be really mad. Like a mental condition or something. Here I'm so irritated and he is talking some nonsense and god save me because now he started laughing.

"Yes and you are the person who has turned me mad. Why did you have to mess up my smooth life?" 

Now I'm irritated.

"Will you stop this nonsense or should I apply this mehendi on your face" I gestured with my hands as if I'm going to really do it. He holds my hand - mid motion - and starts observing the pattern.

Mad. Didn't I tell you earlier.

"Hey that's my name but why is it written on your hand?" he is smiling when he is asking this.

"Because you are going to be my husband. That's why" I said in as sweet a voice as I can muster.

"You don't deserve this" saying that he bought his hands forward as if to rub it.

"Sharan. Stop it. Don't do it." When he didn't listen to me I added,"Please." He looks at me for a second before he stops it. Good.

Why did he stop? I thought he will definitely rub it.

"Okay if you don't want this, I'll rub it myself. How about I write Mr.Rude instead?" He is going to kill me today but surprising me he held my ear without hurting me.

I'm a great actress.

"Ahhh...It's hurting" See.

"Stop your acting. Idiot." Maybe not so much.

We stay like that for a few seconds before I ask what I've been wanting to for a while now.

"Sharan it's not a joke....Why did you agree to marry me?" 

"For my dad" he looked into my eyes finally.

"What?" If that's the reason then why not agree before, why only now?

"I don't want him to keep worrying about me. He has already been through so much. If he made a promise then I'll fulfill it."

Good...he is a great son. He is doing all this for his dad and I have place nowhere in this drama.
I don't want to be a burden. It's a torture to be where you are not wanted.

I start to move away from there but he stops me by holding my elbow.

"Sharan leave me" I said without looking at him. Surprising me he held my chin and turned me towards him.

His hold on me loosened but he held me in place with his gaze. His voice was suddenly serious.

"Isha I have lived the last ten years solely for my family's happiness. Almost every thing I have done was for them but they have never been this happy. Just like I act like I'm happy in front of them they too do the same for my satisfaction. I know that they are worried about me but I can't help it either. But they have been really happy ever since our marriage has been announced, really happy and the reason is you." 

"Please marry me" he continued.

"But I am" I asked confused.

"I know but, the thing is that I want you to get married to me but I can't accept you as my wife"

What the hell? He is speaking as though he wants me to take care of his sisters for an evening, or how our neighbors ask us to take care of their children for an hour or to take care of their cat for a day.

"I don't believe in marriage or a family life. Marriage is a license to betray each other or to betray everybody else together" Much like what you want us to do. I bit my tongue to stop those words. The situation is not really good for me to mess it up further. 

"I don't believe in it nor do I think that I can do so ever."

"Stop going in circles and come to the point"

"Isha like I already told you, I agreed to this only for my family. I will marry you but we can't have a husband-wife relationship"

"So you want me to get married to you, behave like I like you, or at least not-hate you in front of the others but I shall have no right on you as a wife?"

"Yes but I know that you are your own free person. I can't force you into this. I have no right to spoil your life for my family so you make a decision on your own"

"Stop saying my family, my family. This is my family too. My dad, my sisters. This is our family." I thought about it. They were the only family I had left too. What did I want? Did I really want to go to some place and learn to live with all new people?

This family had taken me in so readily and if by staying here I can make all of them happy then why not? They would get their happiness and I would be part of this family.

"Okay. Whatever this is, I'm ready" I accepted.

He was surprised by my acceptance. He bent his head, relaxing instantly at the unexpected acceptance. Is he crying? No. Shit, yes. Why?

"Thank you so much. I will try my level best to not hurt you. You know me and you are safe as long as you don't irritate me. Are you ready to adjust with Mr.Rude?"

"So are you like officially claiming that name?" I asked to lighten the mood and he rolled his eyes at that.

"I will kill you..Get ready for our war, one day to go" he laughed. He started leaving but turned around and smiled at me. A real smile and I smiled automatically in response.

Maybe this won't be too bad.

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Precap : IshRan marriage - Horrible first night

Thank you everybody for the response that this story has garnered. The next update is a gift to all of you.

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Final Editing Done On: 20/10/2018

Edited By: k21pt11