Paradise ~ A Devdutt Padikkal Story

Epilogue 1

"Get out Dev! You cannot see her before the wedding!" Chandni stood in the doorframe, blocking Dev's view. He tried very hard to peek inside the room to catch a glimpse of Vedangi.
"What nonsense! We live in the twenty first century." Dev argued with his sister.
"No don't throw those scientific arguments my way, it's the rule. Now get lost or I'll tell Amma that her dear son cannot wait to see his bride!" Chandni threatened her brother.
Dev scowled before disappearing from her eyesight.

He was standing on the lawn of The Peacock Grove. It was the same place Dev's teammate and friend Prasidh Krishna had wed his girlfriend Rachana. Vedangi was in complete awe of the earthy and vintage aesthetic of the place. Dev had mentally decided upon the place as their wedding venue and today he overlooked the preparation standing against a pillar.

Reflecting on their journey from their dating days, Dev was reminded of the trial he had to face five years back. Those six months will always be the most torturous days of his life. He knew how it felt to just exist and not live. Smiling at his naivety, Dev saw Disha attending a call infront of him. She nudged his friend Shubhang in the stomach while he mischeviously tried to irk her. Three years of dating and they still had not matured. Dev could vividly recall the day when his best friend Shubhang had asked him if Disha was single. That guy had been smitten from the very moment he had seen her.
Turns out, Shubhang actually got lucky and few months later him and Disha had announced of them being in a relationship.

Dev was happy for Disha more than he was for Shubhang. She had relentlessly been at his side since the very beginning and he would always be eternally grateful to her. The fact that he was going to marry Vedangi today was solely due to Disha. Had she not reunited them all of this would've never happened. Shubhang was a close friend of Dev since childhood. They had trained at the same academy, gone to the same college, played for the same team in the Ranji Trophy, the IPL and also in the Indian Team.
It was 2028 and all the legends of cricket had retired. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah had all retired and the new Indian Cricket Team consisted of Dev and his peers.
He particularly bonded well with Ruturaj Gaikwad, apart from his Karnataka teammates.

At Ruturaj's wedding, Dev had seen the Maharashtrian side of Vedangi. She surprisingly spoke fluent Marathi, vibed with everyone out there. Dev could never forget the way she looked in the Paithani Saree at Ruturaj's wedding. The nath in her nose had looked breathtaking literally. He was left smitten all over again that day.
She continued to amaze him everyday.

Five years down the line and he still fell in love with her everyday. He could finally understand why Mr.Darcy had fallen irrevocably for Elizabeth. Dev truly understood the depth of the word 'irrevocable' for it meant that one could never rise from it. Being the book buff that she was, Vedangi had pressurized Dev into reading Pride and Prejudice. He was never a book person let alone fiction or non fiction. But halfway through Pride and Prejudice Dev was hooked to the book.
He could perfectly relate to the longing, yearning and shameless pining of Mr. Darcy for Elizabeth.

His chain of thoughts was broken at a tug on his kurta. Dev looked down to see his niece Antara looking up at him expectantly. Dev sat down on his knees to face her.
"Devu, see!" She said in her gibberish language. Dev chuckled at the name she used for him, sometimes it was Devu, sometimes D and sometimes Mama. He was fine with every name.
Chandni would always scold her brother for spoiling her daughter. Dev always brought expensive toys, clothes and chocolates for Antara from his tours around the world.

Antara violently gestured at her feet. Dev chuckled on seeing her wear the baby Jordan's he had brought for her from London. It was that moment that an idea struck him.
"C'mon let's show this to your Amma!" Dev suggested and Antara jumped happily as he picked her up in his arms.