Two Birds One Arrow (Completed)

Chapter 13

After completing the saree purchases, everyone left home and it was decided that Gautham and I will leave with our friends to get matching sherwani and lehenga for the reception.

However, Gautham's grandmother was very much reluctant about it and said that it was not good for us to roam together before the marriage even took place. Soon, her reluctance was suppressed as everyone else starting making comments that we were already roaming the streets together and that this shopping was not going to make any difference.

So bidding our farewell to our family, both of us got on the bike and left for shopping, asking our friends to directly join us there.

"Neha, I must really say, the saree looked good on you." Gautham suddenly remarked and I was left blushing.

Blushing? Neha never blushed before meeting Gautham. Gautham was starting to rub off as a bad influence.

"Why is my wife suddenly silent?" He asked me, seeing my lack of response to his comment earlier.

"Excuse me. A small correction, it's not wife, it's to-be wife." I sass him, still choosing to ignore responding to his compliment.

"Same difference, Neha. Same difference."

It was moments like this that seemed strange to me. Like, suddenly a person came into my life out of nowhere and everything he says or does is affecting me. This sometimes even scares me whether all of this will change after marriage. If all love stories were this sweet, then why were there so many unhappy marriages and divorces.

"What are you thinking, biwi?" Gautham asks me. 

"Stop calling me your wife, Gautham." I blush even harder this time and the shyness gets reflected in my voice making it  very much evident to Gautham.

"Okay, okay. " He tells in a kiddish tone.

We reach our destination and I find my friend, Ananya, waiting by the entrance. I have a very few friends but they are the absolute best. It only takes a few more minutes for Gautham's friend to arrive too.

First we stop by the lehenga section so that I could chose mine and then color co-ordinate with Gautham.

It takes us a lot, I mean a looooooooooooooot, of time to find the perfect one - a blue one with peacocks all over it. It looked really elegant and it was love at first sight.

Then we headed to the men's section and looked for matching sherwani. But finding a sherwani for Gautham wasn't as difficult as well as time consuming like my lehenga.

We, then, shopped for our friends too and while we were about to pay the bill, Ananya said that there was a shop in the next street where we can get really good bangles. I turned her offer down saying that jewellery shopping was for another day.

We soon leave the store, our next agenda being leaving me home. But instead of going in the route I am familiar with, Gautham takes a different route. Since, I am generally not quite familiar with routes, I decide to remain silent on the matter.

The next thing I know, he suddenly stopped the bike in front of a small shop- the bangle store that Ananya mentioned.

"Get down." He tells me, seeing that I make no move to do it on my own.

"But, as I said, we planned jewellery shopping for another day." I inform him again.

"This isn't for the wedding. I don't wanna bring you home empty-handed. Get down." He tells me again. This time I get down and we both go inside.

I don't do anything. I just merely watch him point towards the direction of certain bangles and ask the shop keeper for them. Soon, he has enough bangles. The shopkeeper neatly arranges it in a combination and places it in front of Gautham.

"How much does it cost?" Gautham asks him, taking his wallet out.

"Rs. 1200, Sir."

"What? 1200 for such a thing? No way-" Gautham cuts my sentence off before I could get it out.

"Shush." He places his index finger against my lips. I immediately become silent as my heart begins to race at a whole new speed.

Gautham pays him and he takes my hand in his and stretches it. He then slowly slides them across my wrist one by one, not breaking eye contact with me even once. The whole time, there's a thousand butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

He does the same thing for my other hand too and this time, he lifts my wrist further up and before I could suspect what he is doing, he places a kiss in the bare spot in my wrist.

The whole time, I was thinking how do humans breathe.

The agenda continues as Gautham drops me off after our bangle rendevous session. The whole way back home, I did not take my eyes away from the set of bangles adorning both my wrists.

After getting down from the bike, he gives me the bag that has my lehenga in it. I take it from him.

"You look beautiful, biwi." He calls me his wife once again.

But this time, without stopping him, I do the unpredictable.

"Thank you, Pati Parameshwar."

The look in his face was priceless and before he could say anything, I open the gate and run inside.

Maybe that's why inspite of so many unhappy marriages and divorces, people still fall in love. Because, times change, people change, situations change. But, memories don't.

And that's what love is all about, creating memories.