Handcuffed Bliss - Watty Awards... 2012

Prologue - to a new begining.........

All my family members laughed and rejoiced. These years had been blissful and fulfilling to say the least.

Laddoos were now being prepared in a rush, we Rathores were after all welcoming a new member into our family. Rudra had bought us luck. After he was born, all our lives changed, I hoped Rudraksha would do the same.

When Rudra turned 5 his mom and sister shifted to the warehouse with Ethan and turned it into a home. Rudra simply lived between the two houses. He couldn’t differentiate between his mother’s house and his fathers. He loved all his cousins as well so he simply hopped from one place to another. None of us would have wanted anything else. 

What had come as a shocker was Ishan and Caro’s love. Life had put them together and he was soon trying to bring Caro out of her shell. He had always been over protective but when she shifted to her father’s house, he seemed totally lost. It was as if he lost his anchor.

One rainy night, his Grandfather found him on the terrace, drinking himself into oblivion in the storm. Ishan hadn't even realized it had been raining for hours. Shiva, his dad got him down, dried him and out him to sleep. The next morning the boy was made to sober up and then began an interrogation. Why would a sensible doctor behave the way he did last night. A speechless Ishan turned red and then tried to run away but he didn't utter a word. When all coaxing failed, his mom simply pulled him by his ear and ordered him to show her who is love was. That got him reeling. "How do you know I'm in love mom?", A shell shocked Ishan had asked and I remember all of us laughing away. 

"I'm your mother young man." was his mother’s reply. 

"You will be ashamed of me if I tell you." He whispered as he hung his head down in shame and that stunned us. Why would we be ashamed we all wondered and Ishan, head down red in embarrassment whispered " I love my sister, I love Caroline. I am awful but I can't help it. I tried to love her as my sister, as my sister Rudra's daughter, but I cannot. I love her as a woman, as my wife." He whispered

"Does she love you too?" Asked a stumped Celia and he nodded a no, eyes still at his mom's feet. "She doesn’t even know." He whispered.

I remember thinking that this time, a limit had been crossed but to my surprise, my husband, the ever understanding romantic hero of my family simply began laughing and all of us looked at him, mouths hanging open and eyes wide with surprise.

"You fool, although Caro is related to you because of two weddings, she is no blood relation to you at all. Therefore she is technically not your sister. You have my permission to court her young man." He had boomed and it seemed as if a problem had solved itself. Shiva and Celia were a little skeptical but everyone else soon agreed. Caro and Ishan were not related by blood or directly either. They could marry.

"She refuses to even think of marrying or even having a boyfriend. How will I win her over?" Ishan had asked shyly.

"You are a Rathore," One of his uncle's had boomed in happiness. "You can get any girl you set our heart out on. You promise to work hard and we will all help you." He had boomed and we all agreed.

That evening, we began "Operation Caro." She had to open to men, live a little and finally see that Ishan loved her and wished to marry her. It would be a test for everyone’s patience as Caro had famously adapted her mother’s stubbornness. Although she had gone to college and taken care of Rudra while their mom worked, she had helped Rudy so much over the 5 years that she had to be constantly be reminded to live