PUNARVIVAAH - ARRANGED TO LOVE (L&M #3)

SHOT 31

Third person's pov!

The new game launch was a huge success. There were already ten thousand downloads within an hour of the game release. The marketing and promotion team had done excellent work in creating hype among the teenagers and youth for the last two months.

"Wow bhai! Look at this. The downloads are skyrocketing.." Siddhu said, showing his elder brother the reports.

"Great.." Abhay said with a small smile.

"The party is arranged for tonight, right Abhay?" Niranjan asked.

"Yes, papa. The SM party hall has been booked and arrangements are all made. Few rooms are also booked. Mostly the party would go into late night, so we can stay there itself." Abhay said.

"Ah good." Niranjan said, nodding his head.

"Niranjan, when are we going to take the admissions?" Anjana asked, as she came into the living room. Abhay frowned upon hearing that.

"Admissions? What admissions?" Abhay asked in confusion.

"Your Chachu is going to check the colleges for Laya's post graduation admissions. So, we thought we will take admissions for Vaiga also there." Anjana said and Abhay looked at her sharply.

"What do you mean by that? Isn't she returning back to Thanjavur?" Abhay asked. Anjana and Niranjan looked at each other and sighed.

"No. We decided it would be better for her to join here for her post graduation." Anjana said and Abhay glared at her.

"Maa, after everything I told you all, how can you make such a decision? Send her back." Abhay demanded.

"That is not for you to decide, Abhay. We made a decision and we are not backing off. It was difficult convincing Raghu and Vaiga. Somehow we did. We aren't changing it for anything." Niranjan said sternly.

Abhay angrily walked away from there.

"Bhai is right from his side. Let's hope things will turn out better.." Siddhu said softly and left, leaving his parents alone.

*****

"I am not coming, Anjana Maa.." Vaiga said softly as Anjana was sifting through a few sarees.

"Of course you are. The party is going to be a long one. We are not going to leave you alone here." Anjana said sternly.

"I won't be alone. I will have Kriti here." Vaiga said hopefully.

"Who said Kriti isn't attending the party? This is her father's success party. The first one after her birth. Of course she should be coming." Anjana said.

"What is the argument going on here?" Drishti asked, coming in, wearing a beautiful black gown.

"Vaiga is saying she isn't coming for the party." Anjana said glaring at Vaiga.

"Well, leave that to me aunty. I will handle it." Drishti said.

Anjana nodded with a smile and left. She knows Drishti well. She is a force to reckon with. She will handle Vaiga.

Drishti took a black chiffon saree with same colour beads work on it.

"The theme is black. This saree would suit you." Drishti said.

"I don't want to come, Drishti. I am not comfortable." Vaiga said.

"Vaiga, you are very young. But you are acting as if you are sixty. You only live once, girl. Don't spoil your beautiful life for someone who isn't worth it. That ba*tard must be enjoying his life with his new wife now." Drishti said angrily. She doesn't have any filter. Everyone in the house refrains from mentioning Shiva or his marriage, but Drishti had no such qualms.

Vaiga's head hung low listening to that. Her heart ached picturing what Drishti said.

Shiva! Her Shiva is enjoying his life with some other woman. Not just any woman. His wife!

Tears rolled down her cheeks and Drishti sighed.

"Vaiga, look at me.." Drishti said and placed her fingers beneath Vaiga's chin and raised her face.

"For whom are you crying? Wasting your tears? For that a**hole who didn't have any trust in you? I know I cannot even imagine what you went through. I can never know what kind of pain you have gone through, you still go through. But you will have to move on. What is the use of giving up all the happiness in life for someone who doesn't care about you?" Drishti asked.

Vaiga didn't speak. She didn't know what to say. They were all right, but her heart isn't ready to understand any of it.

"Do you know how to drape a saree?" Drishti asked and Vaiga nodded.

"Great. I have no idea how to. So, you have to drape it yourself." Drishti said cheekily and pushed Vaiga into the dressing room.

Vaiga came out of the dressing room, beautifully draped in the black saree. The black colour of the saree accentuated Vaiga's fair skin tone more, making her look almost ethereal.

"Come, let's do your hair and make up." Drishti said.

"I will get ready myself, Drishti." Vaiga said.

"I am not hearing anything.." Drishti said and combed her fingers through Vaiga's long tresses.

"You have such beautiful hair. It would be a crime if we confine it with clips. Let's leave your hair open.." Drishti said and applied light make up for Vaiga. Just some compact powder, eyeliner and a nude shade of lipstick. That was actually enough.

"Oh my! You are going to be the star of the party, Vaiga. The belle of the ball. No man would be able to take his eyes off you. Except Shravan of course.." Drishti said, adding the last part cheekily.

****

Vaiga took a deep breath as she entered the lavishly decorated party hall, her heart racing with a mix of anxiousness and nervousness.

The grandeur of the event made her feel out of place, surrounded by elegantly dressed people and the buzz of conversations and laughter. This was a new experience for her, stepping into such a high-profile party, and she couldn't help but feel a wave of discomfort wash over her.

As she made her way through the crowd, she couldn't shake off the feeling of countless eyes on her.

Men glanced at her admiringly, and the attention made her self-conscious. Vaiga tugged at the end of her saree nervously, trying to blend into the background, but her beauty and poise made it impossible for her to go unnoticed.

Her eyes wandered around, looking for Anjana, who had come earlier with little Kriti, leaving Vaiga to come with Siddhu and Drishti.

Abhay, who had been engrossed in a conversation, looked up and he saw Vaiga. For that one moment, everything else faded into the background, and he could only see her.

He had no idea she was this gorgeous. Maybe he never stopped to notice. But today, in saree, it was impossible to ignore.

He was startled out of staring at Vaiga when he felt someone dabbing his mouth with a hanky. He looked up and saw Mithran smirking at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Abhay barked at him.

"Oh, you were drooling, Mr Agnihotri. I was just wiping it off.." Mithran said cheekily and Shravan chuckled.

"Damn!" Abhay mumbled under his breath angrily and cursed himself for forgetting the surroundings even for one moment..

A/N

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Love,

SF❤️