My IAS Husband

Chapter 15: Tilak

There somewhere else in the late evening, Ria was facing a hard time explaining why she will not be able to attend the Tilak to her mother.

She said," Ma, I know it's Tilak of Aashish's brother but that doesn't mean that I have to attend it anyhow?"

"Ma, I m in my periods, I have severe stomachache right from the morning. You may ask Mausi."She tried her best to convince her.

Her Mausi nods to show she was saying the truth and not pretending. Ria continued, "Though I don't want to go but honestly I'm not in a situation to go."

"See Anu, I know its way of her for skipping this function." Her Ma thought she was still pretending.

Her Mausi said,"Leave it didi, let her take good rest for today. Maybe the long drive journey was tiring for her."

"but Anu..." Her Ma was about to say when her sister gently grabbed her arm and took her with her.

"Didi, anyway what 's her role in Tilak? She asked her sister.

"Let her take rest. She would definitely attend other functions. Alright?" Her sister nodded with a smile.

Ria got an escape from Tilak as her Mausi knows about her state earlier and also that she was really not pretending earlier. The rest of the family went finally for the Tilak. When they arrived, they were warmly welcomed by the Agrawals.

From the balcony of the first floor opening to the main hall, Aashish was keenly looking at the entrance. He saw Ria's family coming towards the main hall but could not find Ria.

He could not stop himself and quickly went down. He called Samar aside and asked, "Where is your sister? When is she coming?"

"Bhaiya, she is not well. She isn't coming today." He informed him.

"What happened? Is she fine? Should we consult a doctor?" He panicked while asking.

"Don't worry bhaiya. She is quite exhausted with today's long road journey and also had a stomachache since early evening." He tried to explain him.

"Only if you say so... If you need anything, be always free to ask me." saying so, he left as he was being called by his mother.

Aashish came and sat next to his brother. The Pandit initiated the puja. The bride doesn't participate in the Tilak. One by one, each close relative of the bride comes and gives gifts and fruits to the groom and his close family.

When Rishi's turn came, he was not knowing that he solely had to give 5 pairs of causal and formals along with some branded perfumes as gifts to the groom for the sake of being the bride's brother.

After the Tilak, there was a buffet organized for all the guests. While eating with his cousins, one of them told him about the groom's younger brother, Aashish who just went near the buffet.

"Hey, I'm Rishi. I m...." Rishi was about to continue when Aashish stopped and said,

"Rishi, wait... If I'm not wrong then you are bhabhi's younger brother. Hey, I'm Aashish. I have heard a lot about you." He gladly extended his hand for a handshake. He went on,

"You know, just like you, I also wanted to join Civil Services but after schooling, I cleared JEE and went to IIT. There, I quite developed my interest in computers so I went more ahead in that field and later, had to drop the idea of thinking more about Civil Services."

He continued, "....but honestly I m still quite envious of you guys because you get quite a lot of fancy perks and many facilities after being an IAS."

"So what..? Still, we have to reside in India, not like you guys who go abroad for a job. Isn't that cool?" Rishi argued back.

From the outside, if anyone doesn't know them then they may surely think they are good friends. The way they were supporting each other gives a look as if they knew each other for so long.

He continued, "Besides that, if you add my perks and facilities along with the salary then that would be equivalent to yours."

"What I believe is one must cherish and respect their work to the fullest, after all, it is the prime source of our all income, what's say?" He asked him.

"Truly said, IAS Saheb, we really need to learn that from you!" Aashish said mischievously.

"Oh common, don't call like that, I don't want to sound older right from this age . Tell me how's life going on?" He intentionally asked to divert the topic.

"Everything is fine and set. I'm just waiting for someone's YES." Aashish opened up his heart.

He went on, "She is just hesitating. She is quite young and ambitious. Although, now her focus is only on her career but I'm willing to wait for her. After all,

"She is mine."

After listening to him, Rishi was quite amused and find himself in a much better situation. He wished him luck by saying,

"My your ladylove does not make you wait for long and quickly say YES to you!"

There Ria got a sudden hiccup while she was talking to Niharika through video call. She drank water to quickly get rid of it.

Niharikha asked, "How's your stomachache? Are you fine?"

"After drinking warm water, it's fine, now. Finally, we both are in Benaras, what's the plan?" She asked her.

"Babe, just give me some time. Let me inform you everything after 11 pm." She informed her.

"What about Aashish?" She deliberately asked her.

"Whenever I 'll get a good opportunity, I m surely going to confront him about my feelings," Ria answered determinedly.

                                                                                

It seems Rishi and Aashish had become good friends but till how long did their friendship survive?

When will Ria finally confront Aashish?

And many more questions come to my mind...

Don't worry, I'll be back soon with a new chapter. Till then don't forget to vote and comment to show your interest and enthusiasm.

I would really like to thank all, my readers who especially take out their time to read chapters of my book, and a big thanks to all MY ACTIVE READERS who especially vote for them to show their appreciation. Your these efforts compel me to write for you and motivate more to bring relatable content that keeps you engaged to my book.