LOVE OR ARRANGED ?

CHAPTER XIV

When we entered their house, the garden is beautifully set for lunch, and we see the whole house decorated in white and gold combination. All the furniture was moved to the sides completely, to make big space in the middle for the engagement ceremony. Everything looked so royal like Ananya likes and at the same time a very private event like how Aadhya always wanted. The Pandit ji asked Ankitha aunty to call Aadhya and Ananya.

I was losing my patience when she still didn't come after five minutes, when I noticed Ananya coming first and I see Viraj looking at her with his mouth open and I asked him to close it. Once Ananya came and stood beside Viraj, I see Aadhya coming down the stairs elegantly in a navy blue lehenga, which is the same I loved in the catalogue. She is looking angelic and everything around me seemed to stop for a moment. She kept her eyes down and cautiously got down the stairs and came to stand beside me.

My mom handed me her ring and asked me to put it on her finger. I took her left hand in mine and that is when she lifted her head to look at me, our eyes met with each other, and I fell in love with her once again. I slid the ring on her finger, and she took the ring from her Mami still looking at me and slid the ring on my finger with a big smile. It was all magical. We stood beside each other when all the elders showered their blessings on us. It was time for Viraj and Ananya to exchange their rings.

Once it is done, mom and dad walked towards us and both of them kissed Aadhya on her forehead and gave her many gifts and then finally the jewelry I selected. She was about to deny it, but mom said, "You are my daughter from now, this is your right!" and handed it to her. She took their blessings, and I did the same. Vibha Mami also gave Ananya the gifts and all of them moved towards their seats and we sat in the white loveseats placed for us in the middle. Aadhya's Nani asked the pandit ji, "Now please tell the dates for their weddings Pandit ji."

He nodded his head in a yes and I was so tensed. I held Aadhya's hand and noticed that she was also tensed. After few minutes of silences, the Pandit ji said, "There are a couple of dates for Viraj and Ananya in about a month and a half, which will be the December 6th or December 8th." He again took some pause to check our dates and I wanted to ask him to make it fast. He looked at Aadhya and me once, before again looking at the book in his hands. Mom asked Pandit ji, "Is everything alright, Pandit ji?" He looked at mom and said, "Absolutely Anvitha beta. The earliest date available for the wedding of Arush and Aadhya is the November 5th, which is exactly in 12 days from today and the next date isn't until 6 months that is April 15th."

Everyone was silent thinking what to do and my mom decided to speak, "I know it isn't correct to hurry everyone, but I think November 5th is the best date as 6 months is way too long, and we want Aadhya to come to our home as early as possible." I looked at Aadhya to see her eyes on her Mami and Mamu, who were equally confused. I told mom, "Mom, let us decide this after the lunch. Let us not hurry into anything." Aadhya looked at me questioning me with her eyes, when I whispered not to worry. Everyone moved to the lawn for lunch, and it was just Aadhya's family along with dad, mom and me.

I asked Aadhya, "What mom, me or anyone else wants doesn't matter to me, Aadhya. I know how tough it is for a girl to leave her family, her safe place and come to start a new life. I have a sister and I understand what you must be going through at this moment. So, what you want is important to me. I know I told you earlier that I want to get married to you at the earliest possible date but remember that I am also willing to wait for you as long as you want me to, till you are absolutely ready for the wedding. So, I leave the choice to you. Think about it and decide Aadhya. There is no hurry."

Everyone was looking at her and she replied, "I don't have any second thoughts about when I wanted to marry you Arush, I am ready for the wedding even if it is now. I don't want you to be pressurized between our wedding and the tender you have been working so hard for. I want you to be able to enjoy every single moment of our wedding as much as I do without thinking about our work for once."

I was shocked hearing her reason, while mom and dad were looking at her proudly. I looked at everyone and said, "We will be getting married on November 5th. We both have been planning to have a very intimate wedding ceremony just like our engagement. I am not asking you to make it grand. Let us limit the wedding to only family. We will have a very grand reception after few days of our wedding, where we can introduce Aadhya."

Mom was about to say something when dad held her hand. I looked at her, pleading to agree and she said OK. She asked Ankitha aunty, "Do you have any specific venue in your mind, because if we have to wait till the reception to introduce Aadhya, I don't think any of our hotels isn't a good option." Ankitha aunty looked at Aadhya's grandmom for a moment before saying, "I am thinking of our farmhouse in Matheran. It is very big with about 20 bedrooms and Ma always wished that Aadhya's mom's wedding was held there. There are many guest houses within a very close distance, and we can accommodate the guests there. I can show you the pictures, so that we can confirm the location as we have a very less time."

Aadhya looked at our hands and smiled looking at her ring. Everyone felt the location was good and went for lunch. Ankitha aunty said, "Let me send your lunch to your room in 15 minutes, Aadhya. Why don't you take Arush to your room to relax and make your shopping plans right away, so that we don't need to hurry later." Aadhya said OK to her mami and signaled to me to go with her. We walked to her room slowly and as we entered, I closed the door behind me. She was standing in front of her vanity, which had a very big mirror, and I went to stand behind her.

She looked at me in them mirror and I hugged her from behind, placing my chin on her shoulder. She leaned back into me and placed her hands on mine. "You indeed surprised me in your dress today. You look absolutely stunning. I was so mesmerized when you were walking down the stairs elegantly. You looked like a queen, My Queen," I huskily whispered in her eyes. The blush adorning her cheeks made me want to bite them. I saw her looking at our reflection in the mirror contently.

After some time, I turned her towards me and made her to sit on her bed. I removed my jacket and folded my shirt sleeves and sat down in front of her and held her hands. When she was about to ask me to stand up, I kissed both her hands and looked at her. "So, now tell me Aadhya, what kind of a wedding do you want? Royal, traditional, Disney princess type, what do you prefer?"

She pulled me to sit beside her and laid her head on my shoulders and said, "The one where there are people who are genuinely happy, where we celebrate all the events together, where you try to meet me in the midnight sneaking to my room when everyone is asleep. I want a wedding which I will cherish forever, Arush. It just has to be filled with lots of laughter and happiness." I was amazed at how the simplest things mattered to her.

She was playing with the ring on my finger and said, "I missed you so much, Arush. I felt so stupid for wanting to experience the anticipation to see each other without talking, directly on our engagement. My heart ached so badly to talk to you, every single time I saw my mobile." I placed a small peck on her head and said, "Aadhya, I missed you a lot too. Please don't ask me to not talk to you till the wedding because I am definitely not doing it again."

She chuckled at my words and lifted her head and placed a small peck on my cheek and was about to stand up, when I pulled her hand which I was holding, and she immediately landed on my lap. She tried to get up and I tightened my hands around her waist. She gave up and wrapped her hands around my neck and shyly looked at me and I said, "I love you, Aadhya. I love you so much." She looked so happy with tears in her eyes and hugged me. It was totally unexpected, and I fell back on her bed with her on top of me.

I immediately turned her so that she was on thebed, and I was on top of her. I kissed both her cheeks and looked into her eyes,and then at her alluring red lips which were slightly quivering with the contactof my hands on her bare skin of her waist. She closed her eyes when I moved closer to her lipsand was about to kiss her, when someone knocked the door.