From Vows to Forever

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐎𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮

"When I am with you,
My heart beats like a drum,
Every moment spent together,
Is a treasure to become."

All of me and my sisters walk towards the area holding hands, where the breakfast is set, in which everything is made out of haldi. After we all had our breakfast, we went to our moms. Me and Meera walked towards where mom and dad were standing. And immediately my mood dulls seeing dad, and he smiles at me like he didn't just ruin my mood in the morning.

Whatever, I don't want my mood to spoil again because of him, so I fake a smile back. They never know which one is a fake and which one is real. "You look gorgeous, Baacha," mom says. I hug her, trying to squeeze out as much comfort from one hug as I can. I drag her aside and apologise to her. "I'm sorry, mom, for ignoring you. I am at fault. I know you can't say much in front of dad for his decisions, but I really hoped you would have at least helped me out and spoken against it." I say it and kiss her cheek.

She kisses my cheek and says, "I did, baby. I did. Do you really think I would let your dad marry you off like that? I tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn't listen. You know how money-minded he is. And as soon as he got the option, he wanted to marry you off so "you don't become a liability for him' ". His words hurt when she said that, but I didn't expect anything else from my dad.

"We had a big fight that night. I wanted you to fall in love, get respected and loved by your husband, and not get treated the way your dadi, nani, and I got treated. But when Ayaan came home that day, I knew I wanted you to marry him. Call it mama's instinct, but I knew he would give you the love and respect you deserve. I wanted you to have it; that's why I didn't say much against it. But I did fight for you, baby; I would never leave you in a position, and you may be a liability for him, but for me, you're the love of my life." She said so, and I hugged the life out of her. My eyes watered, and I wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Don't let him make you sad; don't let anyone pull you down. I know that all your life, I never protected you from him; that was because I was too scared. I didn't know how to handle him and his anger, and I still don't. You're going to be leaving us tomorrow, and I want you to know I am very proud of you, baby. I am proud of the woman you are and will be." And I full-on sobbed into her arms. All my life, I wanted to hear that from him, but I knew my dad wouldn't say it. So, I am glad my mom did.

As soon as we get back to our normal selves, Ayaan's family and he himself come through. And then his and my family mingle and walk together towards the place where the haldi is to take place. But all my attention is on him and how anything he wears he looks good in, and how all our outfits match. I asked my mom why they were matching, and she said that both our moms chose our outfits for each of us together.

He is laughing with his cousins as my cousins join me, and Shreshth takes me by surprise and picks me up and puts me on his shoulders, making me shriek, and just like that, all my sisters are on their brothers shoulders, and we giggle and the adults holler and hoot. I look behind me to see Ayaan and a cute baby girl on his shoulder. I smile to myself, thinking how good of a dad he will be.

We reach the place where the haldi will take place. It's beautifully decorated; everything is yellow, with two huge pots in the middle, which are filled 1/5th with haldi water, in which I am guessing we both have to sit. There are huge tables and beautifully decorated flowery chairs as the priest waits for us. The tables are filled with huge plates of rose petals and bowls of haldi paste.

My brother puts me down and kisses my cheek, complimenting me on how beautiful I look. I fix his collar and tell him to find himself a girlfriend as well, saying that he looks as handsome as the princes from Disney. Both my mom and Ayaan's mom surround us, making us sit on the stool in the middle of the round pot. I take off my juttiya before sitting inside.

For the next 30 minutes, the important rituals take place; after that, the actual haldi ceremony starts. Usually in my family, the groom's family and the bride's family do the haldi ceremony separately, but our families decided to do it together. Loud Hindi music starts playing as the haldi ceremony starts with the eldest members of the family. Both our families put haldi on both of us. Soon it was time for my cousins and his cousins.

All of them looked absolutely devilish with the haldi in their hands, like they had wanted to take out their anger on us for God knows how long. All my brothers put it on me first, rubbing my face with it completely until it was all in my mouth. "Bhaiyaa, stop. How much will you put in? It tickles." I say and laugh hard as they put on my feet.

I looked to my left and saw Ayaan's cousin tearing his shirt off and rubbing it on his chest. While he tries to stop them. Soon it was my sisters turn; they also rubbed my face and put their hands inside my suit to get it everywhere, but then got scolded by the adults. I can see they are having fun. Let them see what I do at their weddings.

They move towards Ayaan and put on his face and hands so calmly, and he looks at me and smirks. After they finish, they look at him and say in their all-too-sweet voice, "Hurt our sissy; we will hurt you. Do you understand?" His smirk falls, and he nods like a lost puppy, making me giggle.

He got threatened by a lot of people in one day: my mamus, nani, and nanu; Mausaji; all my cousin brothers; all his cousin brothers. While his cousin brothers told me to make his life a living hell, I laughed it off.

At last, it was his and my parents turn. My mom smiled at me as she put the haldi on me, kissed my cheek, and told me to always stay happy in her ear. Then my dad put haldi on my face, hands, and feet, wishing me all the best on my new journey. Then both his parents, together, put haldi on me and told me, "I really hope you teach him how to enjoy life, as all he does is work, work, work." I smiled at them and nodded. I love his parents.

As soon as we were done with the haldi ceremony, both me and him went to our rooms to take baths and get some sleep before the wedding tonight, but I had other plans.