Gossip, Weddings, and Manipulation

Chapter 42 - Wedding

Hopefully the title now makes sense - hehe!

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A couple of months later.

I waited with my parents at the mandap waiting to see Tara join me. When she finally came she looked gorgeous. She walked with her uncle to the mandap barefoot and dressed in a beautiful pink lengha. She had her sports watch on, her Maui Jim sunglasses, and her hair in so many intricate braids I couldn't tell how many, but she looked gorgeous.

As she walked down the aisle she held up her light pink lengha and I saw that she had her mehndi designed on her feet so they looked like tennis shoes. I looked up at her and smiled. I knew Tara wouldn't fully stick with tradition, I just didn't know exactly what she would do. I laughed at her when I saw her feet.

She looked hip and beautiful at the same time. As she came closer to me she smiled and whispered to me, "Are you ready?"

"Are you ready is the real question," I responded and winked at her.

The priest shushed us, "You have to at least wait for the vows to be finished before you can start chatting like this."

Tara pretended to have a serious face and put her finger on her lips and whispered, "Chup," daring me not to laugh.

Seeing her happy and joking with me made me smile and I stared back at her seeing how long she could keep a straight face.

The joke must have been on me because my sister poked me on the side, "Are you even paying attention, you're supposed to throw the flowers into the fire."

I undid my fist and tried to fluff up the now crushed flowers and threw them in the fire. "Always getting me in trouble," I whispered to Tara.

"Yup. You know that's not going to stop. You still want to do this?" she teased back.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," I teased back.

"You know we could run right now and go straight to the government office and just have a civil ceremony. The priest is so fat he'd never catch up with us," Tara dared.

"We could do that, but then you'd miss the surprise I have for you."

"You have a surprise for me?" she asked eyes wide open.

"Maybe," I smiled.

"What's the surprise?"

Before I could answer the priest looked at us with a stern look. "You two sure like talking. I could change the vows and you'd be pledging all of your money to me and working at my ashram, or maybe I'll banish you to the forest for fourteen years if you don't pay attention!"

"Fourteen years in the forest could be exciting," I whispered.

"Yeah it could be, but the last time that happened the brother came along and the bride was kidnapped by an evil king," Tara whispered back. "I'm really not the martyring kind, plus can you imagine Armaan with us for fourteen years in a jungle? Talk about painful."

The priest asked sternly again. "We can reschedule this to another time when it doesn't interfere with you two's tea party."

"Oh god, do all of the mehndi and get dressed again like this no thanks. I'll keep my mouth shut."

I started laughing so hard, "I'd like to see that."

Tara poked me, "Et tu Brutus! Traitor!"

The priest made us stand up and circle around the fire. I purposely slowed down and then speeded up.