Bonded by Fate *Completed*

4. Sweet Revenge

As the ritual of muh dikhai started, women came turn by turn and lifting the veil off Guddan's face, complimented dadi on getting a beautiful wife for his son.
Guddan tried to smile her level best, trying to ignore the searing pain shooting through her ankle, every time an aunty mistakenly touched it. She could just scream it out, but then she was quite sure that AJ uncle would chop her head off with his knife and eat her.
No! He will feed her to the dogs and cats and whatnot. Because most probably her taste wasn't going to be good enough to be swallowed by him!
The point is she wasn't scared of him. She just didn't want to see his sour face twice a day. Once was enough, another one would definitely make her want to go blind!

Halfway through the ceremony, doctor showed up, and in Akshat Jindal's 'glaring' presence, treated her ankle.
The doctor was not the target. She was...of his glares, that is.

Once the doctor was gone, in a shockingly surprising turn of events, all 3 bahus flashed their pearl whites at her, when they picked up her veil for muh dikhai.
Thank god, the shock didn't last for too long. Otherwise Guddan would have lost her trust in humanity!
First came the eldest daughter in law of the house, Durga Jindal. She leaned her lips closer to Guddan's ears and whispered, " I'll make your life a living hell".
And then a tubelight bright smile was flashed.
One needs not Diabetes to die, if you have such sweet daughter-in-law.
Guddan smiled. Only her mother held the exclusive copyright to taunt her.
"Durga bahu, wait!" Guddan called out.
Durga turned around, raising a brow in surprise.
"Even I wanted to share something with you, please come a bit closer.."
As Durga leaned closer, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"You need not to be scared!I am not going to scold you after all it's my debut as a mother-in-law..", Guddan smiled foolishly, causing Durga's lips to twitch in annoyance.
"I was just saying that, rather than threatening me, why don't you go and talk to your 'AJ'?!"
Durga's eyes widened, at her MIL's audacity.
"And as far as I've heard, it's the Mother-in-law who performs the whole 'I-will-make-your-life-hell-routine'!" Guddan announced staring into Durga's fuming face.
"That's what I've heard....." Guddan concluded, smiling innocently like a child dictating a gossip to his parents.
Then came Saraswati. As she lifted the veil, she spoke in a funnily menacing way.
"36 ka aankra hai humara!"
"1760 ka kyu nhi!!" Guddan quipped back, questioningly.
"Th..that...I don't know..", Saru stammered, caught off guard, and scurried away quickly.
And then came Lakshmi Jindal, smirking in her usual I-am-the-best way.
Guddan stared at her from under the veil and whispered to herself, "Sorry partner, but cheaters deserve only punishment!"
As Lakshmi moved forward, Guddan extended her right leg in front of her making her trip, and fall down straight into Guddan's feet.
"Arre Lakshmi bahu, my blessings are eternally with you!" Guddan blessed trying to suppress the chuckle threatening to escape from her lips, by keeping her palms on Lakshmi's head.
Saru looked on, puzzled.
"Jiji, what happened to Lakshmi!!" Saru asked, to which Durga continued to glare at Guddan.
"Now get up, your place is not in my feet but....in my heart", Guddan proclaimed dramatically, as she held Lakshmi by her arms and helped her up.
Once up, Lakshmi scurried away, huffing and puffing in irritation, embarrassment added!

Soon, to Guddan's absolute relief, ritual of muh dikhai was over and everyone moved to the temple area, where Dadi had organised a pooja for Akshat's and Guddan's happy married life.
As the pooja started, pandit asked the new husband-wife duo to come forward and do the Aarti together.
As Guddan and AJ came forward, AJ held the handle of Diya in his palms while Guddan's fingers encircled over his.
And they both shared a long look.
(Tere haathon mein, naa meri lakereein...
Hain bahot alag si, apni taqdeerein...)
Once they were done, they gave the diya to Durga and her husband.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Everyone had their eyes closed when Guddan's eyes snapped open, in extreme worry.
She had heard a snapping sound...and that feel!
*snap*
Guddan's eyes widened like saucers, as she felt another one come loose.
She peeped to her right side, to see Akshat deep in prayer and then looked around, to confirm that no one was watching. Once assured, Guddan started to slip away from temple area. She had almost wobbled her way towards the stairs when another *snap* sound struck her ears, and in extreme state of panic, she ascended to the first step of stairs when someone pulled her back.
"Where are you going!?" Akshat asked.
"Vo...I..I...room.." Guddan uttered incomprehensibly, getting increasingly uncomfortable.
"Can't you keep still for even 2 minutes!!" Akshat chided her.
'Just one is left!' Guddan struggled in his grip.
"Come with me!", Akshat ordered and started to drag her away when she resisted.
"You go ahead, I'll come in 2 minutes", Guddan spoke trying to get away from him.
But he won't budge.
'Please let me go!!' Guddan whined internally.
"You can do your work later, this is more important. This pooja is for US, so you should be HERE", Akshat emphasised and started to drag her away.
In a final attempt to preserve her 'slipping' chastity, Guddan held the railing of staircase and held her ground.
Akshat glared at her. How stubborn!
Guddan pleadingly looked at him.
'It's coming loose!!! ' Guddan shrieked internally.
"How stubborn you are!"
Both spoke in unison, as Akshat tried to pull Guddan away while she tried to resist.
"Leave it!"
"Leave mee!!"
Both spoke in unison yet again ( AJ, in context of railing)
"Let me go! Its falling apart!!!" Guddan whined.
"What??!", Akshat asked getting annoyed.
"My blouse!" Guddan replied.
"What!!!" Surprised Akshat let his hands fall free to his sides
*snap*
Their eyes widened as Akshat turned around in embarrassment, while Guddan crossed her hands in front of her chest, to prevent the blouse from slipping off.
"Why are you standing like a statue!!Hurry up to the room before someone else shows up!" AJ ordered in a state of absolute fluster.
Guddan peeped at him. Why was he closing his eyes? He had his back turned to her!
"Have you gone?!" AJ enquired in a state of emergency.
"GOING!" Guddan replied annoyed at his kiddish behaviour.
It was her modesty that was in danger and he was the one getting all red about it!!
As Guddan turned around to ascend the stairs, her eyes widened on seeing Parv and his name escaped from her lips.
"Parvvv!!"
Akshat's eyes snapped open and then in a flash, Guddan was pulled away from the stairs to the tiny space right below it.
When Guddan opened her eyes, she saw herself being enveloped by Akshat Jindal's huge frame, squeezing in the tiny space that could hardly room a single person. And here she and huge AJ were packed together.
His frame towered over her, as his Godzilla sized palms covered her mouth, while his arrogant head tried its level best to peek over the stairs.
"Mmphh..mmhpphh..", Guddan tried to speak as Akshat turned around to glare at her. She tried to remove his hands but as always, to no avail.
The instant she had cupped his palm with hers, to try to remove them from her mouth, realization dawned and her hands quickly crossed in front of her chest.
Akshat's eyes widened and he felt uncomfortable.
"I am removing my hand, be quiet, Parv is right over our head...ok??!" AJ asked.
As Guddan nodded, AJ removed his palm and concentrated on hearing to Parv.
It seemed like he was talking on phone and didn't plan to move anytime soon.
And this place was dangerous, the house was brimming with people and if, accidentally, someone saw them...a scandal was bound to follow!