Sometimes Hate is Enough

Epilogue I

Khushi

14th December, 2018
Mumbai

"You look beautiful!" I said as I carefully slid a finger under my kohl-lined eyes, then reached behind her ear to put a kala thika and smiled brightly at her.

Jiji returned my smile and pressed her lips together before she looked down at her hands that rested on her lap.

My brows furrowed as I kneeled down in front of her, and she looked at me with her eyes slightly wet.

"Why are you crying?" I asked as I held her hands in mine.

Her lips trembled as she opened her mouth to speak, but she again closed it as she looked away and shook her head with closed eyes.

"Jiji?" I called her as my heartbeat quickened with fear.

She took a moment before looking down at me and saying, with a shaky and teary voice, "What if..." She bit on her red lips. "...This is the third time!"

I tiled my head slightly to my side as she continued, "What if... Nikhil doesn't want to marry me anymore?" What if..."

"Don't say things like that." I shook my head at her as I dabbed the inner corners of my eyes, then grabbed a tissue from the table next to us and dried Jiji's teary eyes. "Jijaji loves you. He..." I swallowed and stopped as I remembered that I had said the same thing that night when Akash Ji and Jiji's wedding broke.

I sucked in a breath as I smiled at her again and said, "Have faith in your love!"

She stared at me for a few seconds before nodding and smiling at me, then turned to the mirror and said, "Offo, Khushi, you smugged my kajal!"

I pressed my lips together, then grabbed a kajal from a makeup box and slammed it on her hand.

"Lo, fix it!"

She stared at me with her lips parted slightly as she asked, "You'll be like this at my wedding?"

I opened my mouth, but Bua Ji spoke as she, Amma, and Poonam Aunty, Jijaji's mother, entered the room.

"Sanka Devi, I will really hit you hard if you continue to trouble Payaliya like that."

"Arre, what..." I started protesting as Amma and Poonam Aunty directly went to Jiji, and they both started doing different things so that she didn't get a buri nazar.

"Chup, budmash!" Bua Ji interrupted with a glare. "Now listen. When we leave, you bring Payaliya down very carefully, okay?"

I nodded my head obediently and gave her a smile.

"Samdhan Ji, you should have also gotten Khushi and Suraj married today." Poonam Aunty said as she opened the three boxes one by one, which she had brought with her.

Amma gave me a look before replying, "I had suggested that, but they said this is Nikhil and Payal's day. They don't want to interfere. And most importantly, they want to get married in Lucknow, not in Mumbai."

Poonam Aunty looked at me with wide, excited eyes as she grabbed a pair of heavy gold bangles in her hands and asked, "You want to get married in Lucknow?"

I nodded as she handed me a red velvet jewelry box and said, "Your engagement gift!"

My eyes widened as I looked at her, then at the box, and again up at her with a big smile.

"We both selected this payal for you!" Poonam Aunty pointed at herself and Jiji, who was smiling at me, and started helping Jiji wear the bangles.

"Dekho, How happy she is after getting a gift!" Bua Ji taunted as she looked at me but then gestured for me to go to her. "I can help you wear it."

I narrowed my eyes at her before she gave a good slap on my arm and made me wear the payal, then said, "We are going downstairs. Bring her in exactly a minute."

I frowned at her as I rubbed my upper arm and closed the door, then turned to Jiji.

"You're ready?"

She nodded, stood from her seat, and I went to fix the skirt of her heavy red designer lehenga. When it was done, I stood in front of her with a smile and said, "Let's go!"

After we went down, I helped Jiji on the mandap, then stood by it on my tiptoes as I looked at the sea of people for a specific someone.

"Where is he?" I glanced at my phone, then again tried looking, but someone blew air in my right ear, and I irritatedly looked over my shoulder, only to find Suraj standing there while grinning ear to ear. "Where were you?"

"Sorry, I had a meeting!" He answered as he stood on my left and greeted Amma, Babu Ji, Bua Ji, and Poonam Aunty with a smile.

I poked him in the arm with a finger to get his attention. And when he turned, I lifted my skirt a little and showed him my payal.

"Poonam Aunty gave it to me!" I said with a smile before I dropped my skirt and fixed it a little before looking to my left at him. "Engagement gift!"

"Where's mine?" He asked.

I blinked once.

"You want payal?" I asked, confused.

He nodded.

"Why?" Don't tell me...

"Because you have one!" And he gave me a smile before looking at the mandap again. "Seeing Payal and Nikhil... I also want to get married!"

I bit the corner of my lips as a smile appeared on my face.

"Karle?" I joked.

He slowly looked at me, then said, "Chalo!"

I laughed as I shook my head, then looked at Jijaji as he slowly put on vermilion on Jiji's head.

"Why?" Suraj spoke again.

"Ab nahi karni!" I said this without looking at him.

"You just said that..." He started, but I interrupted as I looked at Amma.

"Amma is calling me."