Today the sun was beaming throughout the whole sky. Not a single cloud was seen. It was as if it was also excited for today. Why wouldn't it be? Today was the big day. The day two souls would tie the knot.
In the huge palace, all the decorations were top notch. The whole palace was dressed like a bride. There was no reason someone could say anything about the decorations and hospitality. After all, it was the wedding of the biggest businessman in Asia, with the daughter of one of the biggest entrepreneurs in India.
• • • • •
Inside one of the rooms of the palace, the bride was being all dolled up for the big day. It was one of the biggest day's in a women's life a women could ever experience.
Nandini couldn't believe it was her when she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a true bride. Her maroon colored bridal lengha fit her perfectly and it was as if it was made for her. It had rusty-golden hand made embroidery in it. The delicate yet elegant jewelry made her look even more beautiful. Especially the matching choora, which adored her mendhi full arms. The nose ring was lightly touching her lips, making her look ethereal.
Her makeup was light, how she likes it, yet you couldn't tell because of her natural beauty. Her long hair was pulled back into a bun with a middle part and had a white gajra around it. And pulling the whole look together and making her look like an actual bride, her veil was perfectly placed on the top of her head.
While she was busy admiring herself, a light knock was placed on the door. Saying a low 'come in', the door opened and walked in the bride's father, all ready to send his daughter off. The moment he saw his daughter he couldn't believe it. He was going to send her off to start her own family. It was as if yesterday the doctor had placed the little baby in his hands, who didn't stop giggling and showing him her toothless smile.
"You look..gorgeous. Just like...how your mom looked like on our wedding day." Nandini gave Aarush a weak smile, knowing she might break down any time soon. Aarush walked up to her and cupped her face. "I can't believe today is actually the day. The day you'll leave me and start your new life." Nandini shook her head and held his hand. "I'm never leaving you. I'm just moving to a new home. I promise, I'll meet you whenever you want me to."
Aarush smiled at his daughter and then noticed her jewelry. "This is the same jewelry that Va-" "That mumma wore to your guys wedding." Nandini finished for him. He nodded, on the verge to cry. This jewelry was special, for not only her, but for Aarush. It was the same jewelry his wife had worn on their wedding day, and years later, their daughter is wearing it too, for her wedding day.
"I wish she was here." Nandini looked down, holding back her tears. "She would've been so proud of you. She gave birth to such a beautiful and amazing person." "Some of the credit goes to you too, doesn't it?" Aarush chuckled at his daughter, who was making these jokes just before her wedding. "Paagal."
The room fell silent and neither one of them spoke. "I'm...going to miss you." Aarush couldn't control himself anymore and his tears fell out. Seeing his tears, Nandini's tears, as if they were prepared, also fell out. "I'm going to..miss you more." She tightly hugged him and didn't want to ever leave him. She wanted to stay in his shadow for the rest of her life. She needed her papa to save her from this cruel world and keep her embraced in his shadows.
Nandini then wiped her tears and also wiped his. "Don't cry. All this expensive makeup will fall off and you guys will be stuck with me again. And we both know, bhai would hate that." Nandini finally managed to get Aarush to laugh. "Speaking of bhai, where is he?" It was quite weird that he wasn't here right now. "He doesn't want to come." Nandini stared at her dad, confused. "He knows he will break down when he sees his sister all decked up to leave him forever. And you know how he hates crying in front of you."
Nandini knew he was right, but she wanted to see him. She needed his support. "Please papa, tell him to come meet me. Just for one minute. I won't be able to do this without him." Seeing Nandini's pleading face, Aarush nodded and agreed. "I'll try." Nandini gave him and tight-lipped smile and he left the room to go find him.
Not even a few moments had passed and the door opened again. This time, both Darsh and Jhanvi walked in. And the moment they saw Nandini's tears, they panicked.
Nandini looked up at Jhanvi and the moment Jhanvi saw her crying face, Jhanvi tightly hugged her and a few tears made down her face too. "Shush Nandu." Wiping away her tears, Jhanvi made her stop crying. "Why are you crying? I thought you never cried. And your makeup! It will all melt off. Bade papa has payed so much for your makeup and you'll just cry it all off." Darsh said. Nandini frowned and smacked Darsh. "See, your stupid husband!" Nandini whined. "Shut up Darsh." Jhanvi interfered quickly, just before Darsh would laugh.
"Nandini I know what you are going through. A few months back, I had gone through the same dilemma. But trust me, in the end it will all be fine." Nandini gave Jhanvi a low smile and said, "You can say that because you married the love of your life and over here, I'm marrying my enemy." Before Jhanvi could say anything, Darsh said, "Then cancel the wedding. I swear, if you don't want to marry him, I will go to Jai and bade papa and tell them to cancel it. Don't do this if you don't want to."
Darsh couldn't see Nandini like this. He was like another brother for her and as a brother, it was his responsibility to see his sister's happiness first. "Darsh, I can't..." Nandini shook her head and gave him a weak smile. "You are way to adamant to agree Nandu! There is still time. Just tell me-" "It is all destined. It's meant to happen." Darsh sighed and shut up as he knew there were no chances for Nandini to agree.
"Nandini, remember what you told me on my wedding day? You had told me that, it isn't easy to leave your family but every girl has to one day. You never know if it will work out or not. But in the end, what happens is meant to happen. And you agreed only for this marriage because bade papa and bhai agreed. That is because you trust them. If you trust them, trust their choice. They would've thought the best for their princess. I know you and Armaan don't have the best relationship, but it will work out. Trust me. Just give it some time." Jhanvi held Nandini's hands and Nandini gripped them tighter, taking deep breaths.
Nandini knew Jhanvi was right. She couldn't judge anything right now. And one day or the other, she did have to leave her family and start a new life with a new family. "Are you okay now?" Nandini just nodded and sighed. "You're right. I'll just have to wait." Jhanvi smiled, knowing Nandini's wedding jitters had been driven away a bit. "And look. Your mendhi shade is so dark. And you know what it means when the bride's mendhi is dark. It is said that her husband loves her a lot." It was true. Nandini's mendhi shade was a deep brown. Hearing this, Nandini became flustered. Even though she didn't believe in all of this, it made her blush.
"Oooohooo." Both the girls looked at Darsh and rolled their eyes. "Hai! Armaan kahan par phas gaya." Nandini got up and threw a pillow at Darsh. "Jhanvi, how do you live with such an idiotic human. I feel so bad." Jhanvi just giggled, agreeing. "How rude!" Darsh's girly accent made all of them burst into laughter, lightning up the mood.
The moment they stopped laughing, someone knocked on the door. Poor door was going through a lot today. But once the door opened, Jai walked in with a huge smile. But anyone could tell it was a facade. Nandini could see his eyes and tell he had cried before coming here. Knowing Nandini and Jai needed space, the couple left.
"For the first time you don't look like a bandaria." Nandini pouted and said, "You can't ever compliment me, can you?" Jai chuckled and pulled her cheeks. "Ok fine. Get rid of this ugly frown. You look gorgeous. Just like a princess. Just like...mumma." Nandini smiled and was about to hug him when he turned around. "Ok, I'm going. I need to check in on the guests." Nandini could sense he was lying. She also knew he was going to cry too.
She quickly pulled him back and said, "I need you bhai..." He didn't budge, so Nandini went in front of him and saw his tears. Tightly hugging him, Nandini cried in his chest. "I'm going to miss you bhai. So much!" Jai hugged Nandini back and let the tears spill. "I don't know why, but same. I'm going to miss teasing you and seeing you whine to papa. I'm going to miss eating ice cream with you and stealing some of yours. I'm going to miss you a lot. I can't see you go Nandu. I just can't."
Jai's voice was shaking because it was hard for him to say all that. He didn't want to see her before the wedding, afraid he'd break down in front of her and what he was afraid of, had happened. Nandini was feeling even more jittery now. She had never expected that she would ever experience wedding jitters, but looks like she is.
"Couldn't you have said that earlier!? Now I can't even run away in this heavy thing." Nandini punched his bicep and he chuckled at her childish behavior. "I'm serious Nandini. If you don't want this, tell me. I can explain it to papa. Don't be afraid." Nandini couldn't help but want to cry even more after seeing her supporting family. But she couldn't back out anymore. So she silently shook her head.
"Bhai, stop crying. What if my future bhabhi is here and sees you like this!?" Jai squinted his eyes at her and said, "At least I won't look like a witch, who's makeup melted all off in front of their soon-to-be husband." They both lowly laughed and wiped away their tears.
Aarush, who was at the door and witnessed all of this, also wiped his tears. "I can't believe it. In a few moments you'll be married." Jai and Nandini were both startled at the sudden voice. "Papa, you can't listen to our sibling talks. Those are for us only. You can only witness the fights." Aarush just shook his head with a smile and walked up to them. "Bechara Armaan, kya sapne dekhe hone hai us ne or kya mila."
Nandini's mouth hung open and before she could whine to her dad, her dad stunned her. "Ab un sab ke baari isko jehlne ki." "Papa, aap bhi!?" Jai and Aarush laughed at her reaction and high-fived each other. "What else? You're leaving, so obviously I need to team up with him." "Cheater! I'm still here and you already switched your sides." Both of them laughed at her pout and soon she also smiled.
"I can't believe she is a women! She still acts like a child." Even though she didn't want to agree, she knew he was right. Never in her dreams she would've ever thought this day would ever come. But it did. "My princess is finally getting married to her prince. It's hard to believe you're all grown up." Nandini hugged both of them together and just took in all the peace she could. She wanted to feel all the love she had received throughout her whole life in that moment.
"Let's go. The ceremony is about to start." Clutching onto both of their hands tightly, Nandini took in a deep breath and headed to start her new life with the person she despises the most. She wasn't ready, but it was happening. She was going to become Mrs. Nandini Armaan Oberio.
• • • • •
On the other end, in the same palace, the groom was no less nervous. Probably even more. He had never ever thought that he would get married. He had taken an oath he'd never get married, but look at him now. He was getting married to the same girl, who he hates the most, in this entire world.
Seeing himself in the cream colored sherwani, Armaan couldn't believe it. He had never imagined himself wearing this one day. He never imagined himself getting married and yet he was. It was hard for him to believe it.
Just as he was fixing his sherwani, the door opened and the three most important people in his life walked in. Rishab and Sameer were smiling like mad people while Vanraj couldn't believe his own eyes. He couldn't believe his grandson was going to get married. It was as if it all was a dream.
"Pinch me. Someone pinch me. Is this Armaan Oberoi? The guy who had said he doesn't want to get married!?" Rishab's drama had already started and the wedding ceremony hadn't even begun yet. "For the first time, I agree with you Rishab. I can't believe my grandson is standing in front of me, ready to get married." Sameer was no less. He couldn't believe it either. "Ok, I get it. Stop this drama." Rishab just rolled his eyes while the other two stopped.
"Armaan, I know you never wanted to get married ever, but trust me, you will be so thankful one day that you got married to Nandini." Armaan had controlled himself from scoffing. He knew that day would never come. And if it did, that day the entire universe would turn upside-down.
"Armaan, before you get married you need to know these things. And promise me you'll fulfill them." Armaan looked confused at Vanraj, until he continued. "When you get married, nothing will be easy. There will be someone new in your life. Someone you'll have to spend the rest of the life with. Someone you'll have to cherish until your last breath." Armaan knew where this was going but let Vanraj keep talking.
"You won't be alone anymore, but there will be someone in your life, by your side. You can't just focus on yourself only, but will have to give your time to her. She's leaving her entire life behind, just for you and your family and that is the least you can do. These women are very strong. Stronger then us. But they do have days when they fall apart and feel like they can't do it anymore. But that's when you need to support them. Stay by their side. You need to be their with their every step."
"Promise me Armaan, that you'll always support Nandini and stick by her side. Promise me." Armaan just kept staring at Vanraj, at the loss of words. How could he tell him that he'd never be able to fulfill these promises? How could he tell them that he'll break all these promises tonight? He couldn't. He was getting married for his grandpa, but these promises, he couldn't fulfill them. But he couldn't say no either. If he did, he'd be asked so many questions. So he did what he thought was right. "I promise." Vanraj smiled at Armaan, proud of him while Rishab and Sameer gave him an annoyed look. He knew they both knew that this was all a lie.
"I'm proud of you." Hugging him tightly, Vanraj left before Armaan could even react. Just as Vanraj left, Armaan looked at his best friends and saw them giving him a pissed off look. "You shouldn't have promised him that. We all know you'll break those promises in a minute." Sameer said. "What else could have I done!? Did you want me to say "No dadu, I hate her so I won't promise you but I'm still marrying her because of you."?"
Rishab chuckled and said, "He is right, but again, dadu is also right. You should treat Nandini well. It isn't her fault she is stuck in this." "Technically it is because I never told her to agree to marry me. Why the hell did she agree!? She ruined my whole plan and now here we are. Soon to be married in a few minutes." The annoyance Armaan had in his voice was quite visible.
"Shut up Armaan. You could've also said 'no'. Don't blame her. She is not at fault." Armaan was getting even more annoyed seeing his best friends side with her. "Are you her friends or mine!?" "Her's." Rishab quickly responded, with a sarcastic smile. Armaan rolled his eyes at Rishab while Rishab smiled like a girl purposefully. "Stop your drama and let's get you hitched!" Rishab and Sameer started cheering Armaan, while Armaan had felt as if someone threw a bucket of ice on him.
Oh shit! He was really getting married!
• • • • •
It was time. Armaan was waiting on the stage, for his bride. The whole wedding was taking place outside the palace. Some people were eating and enjoying, while some were gossiping, waiting for the bride to come. It was a very grand yet intimate wedding. Only close family and friends were invited as it was a private affair which Armaan and Nandini both had wanted.
Armaan never knew that he would feel all these emotions. Hell, he didn't even expect himself getting married. As much as he didn't want to admit it, but he was waiting to see Nandini. He wanted to see her, yet at the same time he didn't. He knew his heart would start feeling weird things, like always.
He felt even weirder whenever someone would look at him. Especially his parents. His parents were very happy to see their son getting married and settled, yet couldn't show it. They didn't want to ruin the day by making Armaan mad or anything, so they stayed mum and watched their son from a distance. But now, he was growing impatient. He wanted to see a glimpse of Nandini.
And finally his prayers were heard. The moment the huge doors opened, everyones eyes shifted over there, including Armaan's. There walked in the angel that took away everyone's breaths. She looked like a hoor. Armaan forgot to breathe when he saw her.
Nandini elegantly walked in holding Jai's and Aarush's arms. Feeling the holes everyone was burning in her, Nandini didn't look up once. She tightly held her father's and brother's hand and walked with grace.
The walk towards the stage felt like forever. She felt as if her stomach would explode because of the nervousness and jitters she was feeling. Everyone just stared at her, eyeing each and every move of hers, while Armaan's family just looked at her in awe, excited that she is going to be part of their family now.
As they reached the stage, Armaan still couldn't take his eyes off of her. How could someone look so good!? He was staring at her like a statue, with his mouth hung open. Rishab and Sameer noticed this and smirked at each other. Rishab elbowed Armaan a couple of times to bring him out of his dreamland. Annoyed, Armaan looked at him and Rishab gestured him to give her his hand to climb the stairs of the stage, as they had reached. Even though he didn't want to, he had to because everyone was looking at him and Nandini.
Armaan went towards the stairs and extended his hand in front of Nandini, who was about to climb the stairs. Seeing the hand pop up in front of her, Nandini looked up and met with his dark eyes, taking both of their breaths away. It was as if the world had paused. Armaan felt like as if someone stole his breath when he met with her eyes. He never knew such a hoor existed. While Nandini on the other hand, felt as if the butterflies in her stomach will burst out any moment. Armaan truly did look dashing and she hated to admit this, but he looked so damn fine.
Coming out of her little moment, Nandini let go of Jai's hand slowly and placed it in Armaan's huge cold, rough one. The moment their hands met, it was as if a spark flew threw them. A spark which united them. The feeling which Armaan didn't want was happening. Both their hearts clashed with each other's, as if it is meant to be.
Armaan helped her climb the stairs and it was great help because this lengha and the heels would've made her fall, if he hadn't held her hand. The second she climbed the stairs, they let go of each other's hands and took a deep breath. But before letting go of his hand, Nandini made sure to pinch him, which made a scowl appear on Armaan's face, but thankfully he quickly covered it up. At that moment, he knew his life was about to take a u-turn. "Take that. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Nandini thought, hiding her smirk.
Soon the parents and priest all surrounded the stage. "I can't believe my eyes. Armaan is standing right next to his bride." Rishab dramatically said, which made everyone laugh. Armaan felt like dying at that moment. "This asshole can never keep his mouth shut, can he!?" "Need to agree with Rishab on that one." And of course, dadu couldn't stop himself either and had to join.
"Shall we do the jaimala ceremony?" Aarush asked. They all just nodded and brought the beautiful flower garlands. Aarush handed Nandini one, while Sunita handed Armaan one, which he took quite disrespectfully from her. Sunita didn't let it effect her mood and hid her expressions quickly. The priest explained the ceremony and told Nandini to put it around Armaan first.
Just as she was about to do so, Rishab and Sameer picked Armaan up. Both Nandini and Armaan were shocked, but Armaan smirked at Nandini, seeing her fail. "We won't give you our friend that easily." Nandini didn't give up and jumped twice, but of course, these tall buildings were way to tall for her.
Everyone was enjoying Nandini trying to reach Armaan, especially Armaan himself. Seeing her struggle made him happy. But soon the struggle ended. Jai and Darsh both lifted Nandini up and helped her reach Armaan. Looking at them, she smiled and Jai gestured her to put it around him. Nandini smirked at Armaan and quickly put the garland around him, making the whole crowd cheer. "Yaar, put it around her too! You weigh like a bear." Armaan glared at Rishab, but quickly put the garland around Nandini. Everyone started cheering and hooting for them, while they just annoyingly looked away.
They were placed down and the priest spoke, "The auspicious time has started for the pheras." Hearing that, both Nandini and Armaan's heartbeat raised. It was already time!? Neither one of them expected it. But it had to happen. They had agreed and now they were going to be tied together forever.
• • • • •
They were taken to the mandap, where they both sat down next to each other. The priest started chanting the mantras and explaining the instructions. Nandini and Armaan did what they were told, with a weird feeling in their gut. Their hearts were saying that it's the best decision they could've made, while their minds were saying that they are doing it for their family's. But they were. This was for their family's. They couldn't back out anymore. "Calm down Nandini. You're doing it for papa and bhai. You're doing it for them. And you have to do it." Nandini kept chanting to herself. "This is only for dadu. Not myself. Only for dadu." Yup. It was happening.
Aarush came and tied Nandini's dupatta with Armaan's shawl, tying the knot between them. They then stood up to take the famous 7 pheras. They slowly walked around the holy fire, as the priest chanted the vows. Neither one of them could express the feeling they both were feeling. It was unknown yet so known. Each phera they took, it was uniting them for not only this life, but the next seven lives. Nandini felt as if her heart would jump out of her chest any moment now.
After the 7 pheras were over, they both were made to sit down to complete the last part of the ceremony. "Now tie this mangalsutra around her neck." the priest explained. Armaan slowly took the beautiful mangalsutra and tied it around Nandini's neck, claiming her as his. His fingers brushed against her neck, making her shudder. As he finished, his eyes locked with Nandini's and the feeling he felt at the moment, he couldn't describe it. It was new. A feeling which he didn't want to feel. They both quickly looked away, trying to get rid of that feeling.
"Now fill her mang with the sindoor." Taking a pinch of the vermillion, Armaan filled her mang, after Jhanvi lifted her tikka up. Nandini's eyes closed automatically when he did and her whole life flashed in front of her eyes. She was his now and he was her's.
"The marriage has completed. I announce you both as husband and wife." the priest announced. It was over. Nandini was officially Nandini Armaan Oberoi. She was a married women now. She wasn't just a daughter anymore, but also a wife and a daughter-in-law. And with these new relationships also accompanied a new set of responsibilities. And even though Nandini knew she won't be able to love Armaan and treat him as her husband, but she knew she'll fulfill her duties wholeheartedly, even if any obstacle came her way.
They both stood up and the looks on their family's faces made them know they had done the right thing. It was worth it. The happiness on their families faces made them know they had made the right decision, even though they had to compromise their own happiness for it.
• • • • •
What is a wedding without pictures? Just after everyone congratulated the new couple, everyone moved out to eat, while the couple was taken to take some intimate pictures.
The photographer made them stand very close by each other, very close. They both were in each other's personal space. "Sir a bit more closer." They did as they were told, so they could quickly leave. "Ma'am, move a bit closer to sir." Both of them were getting frustrated now. This was the millionth picture and the photographer was still not satisfied. "Sir-" "Just take the damn picture." Armaan said, when his anger reached peak.
The photographer was afraid of the tone Armaan used and quickly nodded. "Just pull ma'am towards you and ma'am put your arms on his chest." They both hesitantly did so. It was as if they would burn if they even touched each other. "Good. Now stare right into each other's eyes."
Their eyes met and they had lost it. They both were lost in the emotions and both drowned in each other. "Perfect." Hearing the snap of the camera, they both came out of daze. They both sighed and let go of each other, looking away. "Actually-" The glare they both sent the photographers way, scared him to death, making him shut up. "You're good. You guys may go now." As they both left, the photographer took a quick deep breath and thought, "They both have the same anger issues. God please help them."
They reached the tables, where food was placed and where their families were eating. Sunita quickly helped them sit down, while Jai told the waiters to bring them food. Even though Nandini was hungry moments back, it was as if all her hunger was gone now. She felt like puking when the idea of leaving her brother and father passed through her.
Just then, a plate full of delicious desi food arrived and was placed in front of them. Nandini didn't wait for Armaan to take it and quickly took it herself. She wasn't hungry, but obviously she wouldn't let him take the first plate. Armaan saw this and rolled his eyes. "Bhukad." Without caring, Nandini started eating because food was life.
Armaan, who also wasn't hungry, just wanted to leave. "Nandini, what are you doing?" Nandini looked up at Aarush, confused. "Give some to Armaan too." She was still confused. He should eat out of his own plate. Why does she need to share? "It's fine. I'll wai-" "What uncle means to say is that you both need to share that plate." Bewildered, they both stared at Sameer. "Not only that, but you need to share everything now. So we'll start with food first." Vanraj explained.
Sighing, Nandini pushed the plate between them and started eating again, while Armaan took his spoon to eat. As they were about to eat, Rishab stopped them. "You guys just got married. At least feed each other." Nandini's eyes widened at that idea, while Armaan glared at Rishab, who innocently smiled. "Come on. What are you waiting for?" Sameer also said. Seeing everyone's eyes on them, they hesitantly fed each other.
While doing so, Armaan decided to take revenge. He fed her the spiciest dish out of all of them, but little did he know, Nandini was great with spicy food. But this was way to spicy. Nandini quickly gulped down a glass of water while Armaan just smirked inwardly. But then, it was Nandini's turn. She wouldn't let this go so easily.
So, as Nandini fed him, she stabbed her heel into his shoe, making him choke. "You okay?" Sameer asked. Everyone's eyes were now on Armaan, while Nandini sat back and hid her grin. Armaan just nodded, drinking some water and glared at Nandini, who was lost eating the food.
• • • • •
It was time for the most dreadful part. The badai. Nandini felt as if she would puke here any moment now. She didn't want to leave her family. But she had too. It is destined in every girl's life.
"Armaan, take care of her. She might be stupid and annoying at times, but she has a good heart. She might act tough and all, but she is a child by heart. Please don't ever hurt my princess. She is the most precious thing I have and I am giving her to you now. Promise me you'll take care of her." Aarush gently placed Nandini's hand in Armaan's, choking back his tears. Armaan just nodded, but both Nandini and Armaan knew he won't ever fulfill that promise.
"Nandini, look at me dear." Nandini just shook her head, keeping her head down. She was hiding her tears, not wanting to break down. But she couldn't control herself. A sob left her mouth and her tears flowed down her beautiful eyes. Nandini clutched onto Aarush tightly and sobbed in his chest. Aarush lovingly caressed her back and wiped his tears, but another set flew down. "Shh.. You can come meet us whenever you want. And you can call us at any time of the day. Don't worry Nandu." Aarsuh finally detached himself from Nandini and wiped her tears, moving away.
Jai came up and tightly hugged her. "The house is going to be so quiet without you. I won't have anyone to tease anymore. No one will be there to tell on me to papa. Who will I eat ice cream with now?" Nandini chuckled through her tears. "Then get me a bhabhi. She can do all that. And I can finally gossip with someone." Jai smacked Nandini's head with a smile.
Breaking the hug, he wiped away her tears while she wiped away his. "I don't know why you agreed to marry her but you're now stuck with her. Good luck!" Everyone laughed while Nandini squinted her eyes at Jai. Armaan on the other hand wanted already leave and go home. Nodding his head, they moved on.
Nandini hugged Darsh and Jhanvi and Darsh told Armaan, "She gave me a whole speech on my wedding but I'll just give you one piece of advice. Don't ever make her mad. Or else, you're gone brother. She will seriously murder you. Now you handle her." They were then made to sit in the car, which would take them both to start their new life. A life which was a compromise.
• • • • •
The car had started moving, but Nandini's tears hadn't stopped yet. It was as if she was going to cry out the whole Niagara Falls. Armaan had finally gotten the chance to look at his phone and he was dismissed when he saw that none of his employees had bothered him.
Hearing Nandini's cries, Armaan's heart clenched. As much as he liked seeing her sad, he didn't like seeing the tears in her beautiful hazel eyes. It hurt him. And this was shocking for him. And he did an even more shocking thing afterwards. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Nandini. Nandini, who was crying saw it and immediately knew who's it was. But keeping up with her attitude, Nandini ignored it and wiped her tears with her hand, only to start tearing up again.
Armaan looked over at Nandini, feeling rejected. Taking back the handkerchief, he controlled his anger by looking outside and tried to ignore Nandini, who had stopped crying now and was looking out her side of the window. In between them was a huge gap, which was left their purposefully. And let's just say that the rest of the car ride was passed with them ignoring each other's presence.
• • • • •
Finally after the one hour quiet drive, they had arrived at Oberoi Mansion. Armaan stepped out of the car and walked over to Nandini's side. But he didn't open the door. Instead he just stood their, waiting for her to come out. Nandini thought he'd be a gentleman, but why would he when she had rejected taking his handkerchief? So, she opened the door herself and managed to get out of the car with her lengha.
Nandini saw the mansion and was awestruck. It was beautifully decorated and looked amazing. She couldn't believe how well the interior was done. Nandini came out of her trance when she felt Armaan walking. Nandini quickly reached his side and walked towards the entrance, where everyone was waiting, with him.
They reached the huge entrance and saw everyone. Sunita stood at the front, holding the aarti, with a smile. "Welcome to your new home beta." Nandini smiled at Sunita while Armaan just scoffed. "Can we go in now or will you make us stand here the whole time!?" Sarcasm was evident in his tone. This didn't go unnoticed by Nandini. "Why does he need to be such a brat?" Sunita quickly hid her emotions and again smiled. "You can only come in after completing this ritual." Mentally groaning, Armaan nodded at Vanraj.
Sunita was just about to do their aarti when Armaan stopped her. "Is this necessary? Do you have to do this?" The cold tone Armaan used made the smile on Sunita's face fall, which Nandini also noticed. "Of course it is. This ritual happens after every marriage." Vanraj explained. "Someone else can-" Vanraj glared at Armaan and Armaan stopped mid-sentence. He knew it was better to not start drama.
"Sunita beta, go ahead." Nodding her head, Sunita did their aarti with a smile. "Now Nandini, kick this pot of rice with your right foot and step inside the house with your right foot." Sunita explained Nandini. Nandini nodded with a tiny smile and took off her heel, doing so as she was told. "Next, step into the alta and mark this house with your foot and hand prints." she continued. Nandini again followed the directions and stepped into the alta, imprinting her foot and hand prints onto the ground and wall.
"Welcome to your new home!" Vikrant said with a smile. Nandini gave her gorgeous smile back to him. "Thank god! Finally you're married. I can die peacefully now." Hearing Vanraj, Armaan's face turned sour and Armaan said, "Do you always need to talk about death?" Vanraj gave a cheeky smile and moved towards them.
He tightly hugged them both, giving them his blessings. Sunita came forward and cupped Nandini's face. "I'm excited to have you as my daughter." Nandini's heart melted hearing her words. She could feel the love her mother used to give her through Sunita. "She's right. We didn't get a daughter-in-law but we got a daughter." Nandini knew she would cry if they kept talking more. She never knew that she'd already get this much love and that to, from Armaan's family.
"Ok, I'm bored. You old people move and let's start the fun rituals." Rishab cheered, making the rest cheer. They were then made to sit down in front of each other and start the rituals, which every youngster loved. "First ritual is the ring finding ritual. In this ritual, I will put a ring in a pot of a mixture of milk and water with rose petals. You will get 3 chances to find the ring. Whoever finds the ring the most amount of times will win the game and will be the dominant one between you two." The big pot full of water, milk and rose petals was in front of them, in which Sunita mixed the ring. "3, 2, 1 go!"
They both were very competitive. Everyone knew that. So not wasting time, they both put their hands in the pot to find the ring. "It is game on!" Nandini thought. "Oh it is!" Some were cheering on Nandini while the others cheered on Armaan. Both of them were doing this ritual only to make the other one lose and no other reason.
Just as Nandini felt something cold by her finger, she knew what it was and quickly took it out. "And Nandini has won the first round!" Sameer announced, making Armaan's supporters go boo. "You seriously already lost to your wife. What else do I need to see in my life!?" Rishab smacked his head.
"Okay, next round!" Armaan was even more determined now. He couldn't let her win again. They were searching the pot and Nandini again had felt the ring. And at the same time, Armaan also felt it, but he knew Nandini was holding onto it. So he did what he thought would help him win. He tickled Nandini's hand, and Nandini being a ticklish person, immediately let go of the ring, letting Armaan take it. With a smirk, Armaan took it out and his teammates cheered for him. Nandini's eyes widened while Armaan smirked at her. "Cheater!" she wanted to yell out loud.
"Third and final round. This round will determine the winner." It was getting real now. They both put their hand in the pot, in search of the ring. This round was quite intense. Armaan found the ring and just as he was about to take out to claim his victory, Nandini took it out of his lose hold, showing that she is the winner. "And the winner is Nandini!" Vanraj said.
"Which means Nandini will be the dominant one in the relationship, having upper hand in it and Armaan will have to always follow her lead." "Finally there is someone who can beat Armaan Oberio!" Rishab yelled. Nandini smirked at Armaan while Armaan glared at her. Vanraj had noticed the exchange between them and smiled, knowing that Nandini will definitely fix Armaan.
"Next and final game. In this game, Armaan bhai will have to find his name in bhabhi's mendhi and he will have only 5 minutes. If he finds it, he wins, if he doesn't in those 5 minutes, bhabhi wins." one of Armaan's cousins said. "I am not doing this stupid game. I already have done the other useless one." Armaan annoyingly said. "He's just scared he'll lose again." Nandini thought, smirking in her mind. "Just win one game. If you don't do this, we all will know you're a sore loser, who lost to his wife." Rishab's words perked Armaan.
Armaan didn't care after that and quickly grabbed Nandini's hands, looking through her palms to find his name. Feeling his hold on her hands, Nandini's face turned red. She was blushing! The things he was already doing to her. "Stop Nandini! You hate him, remember?" Right! And just 2 minutes later, Armaan found his name in the beautiful designs. "Thank god! He finally won." someone groaned.
"Ok, enough. They both must be tired now. Nandini, come with me. I'll take you to your new room." Nodding her head at Sunita, Nandini left with her. But then it hit her. She'd have to share a room with him!
• • • • •
Nandini entered Armaan's room with Sunita and was flabbergasted seeing his room. It was huge. At least 30 people could sleep in this room. The whole room was decorated nicely. A big bed was placed in the middle while there was a lounge area on one side and a dresser on the other. There weren't any pictures, yet it looked nice.
Not just that, the room was decorated with scented candles and rose petals. That's when Nandini realized. It was not only her wedding day, but also her wedding night. She had forgotten about it because of the other stress she had. But now she was thinking, what if he forced her? She won't let him touch her. She won't even let him anywhere near her.
Nandini was taken out of her trance by Sunita. "Welcome to your new room. I know you must be tired. The bathroom is that way and the other door is the closet. All your stuff has been placed, so don't be afraid." Nandini gave a thankful smile to Sunita. "Thank you aunty." Sunita smiled at her and said, "You don't have to call me aunty. You're my daughter now, so call me maa. But only if you want. I don't want to fo-" "Thank you maa."
Hearing Nandini, Sunita's heart bloomed. For the first time, someone was calling her maa and the feeling she felt, she couldn't describe it with words. She felt like she was on top of the world. She wiped away the tears before Nandini could see and pecked her forehead. "I'll go now. You can change and relax yourself." Giving Nandini one last hug, Sunita left the room, closing the door.
With a huff, Nandini sat down on the bed and fiddled with her dupatta. "His family is so nice while he is such an arrogant man." She then started panicking, thinking about sharing this room with Armaan. How could they? Even though they were married, they despised each other. She can't think of her and Armaan living like a normal couple and doing normal couple things. She just couldn't. So she decided to wait for Armaan and clear everything out with him.
Moments passed and she was growing impatient. "This dress is killing me!" Finally giving up, Nandini stood up and decided to change. She stood in front of the vanity and started taking off her heavy jewelry one-by-one. But just as she was taking off her second earring, the door opened and Armaan, who had been crowded by his cousins and friends and was made to pay up to enter his room, entered. She ignored him as she wasn't in the mood anymore, while Armaan realized he'd have to share his room with her, when his eyes landed on her.
A wicked plan brewed in his mind and he decided to mess with Nandini. Armaan walked towards Nandini with slow predator steps, while Nandini watched him through the mirror and she had forgotten what she was doing and started panicking. Quickly moving back, Nandini turned around but Armaan was right in front of her. She took a few steps back but hit the wall, and was now caged between the wall and Armaan, with his arms on the wall.
He evilly smirked at her and brought his head closer to her's. Nandini tightly shut her eyes, thinking of the worst. But when she felt his breath move away, she slowly opened her eyes and found Armaan smirking at her, as if he had won a golden medal. Realizing what he was trying to do, Nandini pushed his arm away and moved away, with a pissed off expression on her face. "Idiot." Nandini muttered. Armaan heard it and moved towards her. "Okay. Let me get this straight."
"I have only married you for dadu's happiness and no other reason. This is just a compromise which we both are stuck in. So don't you dare claim your rights over me or act like my wife Nandini Grover!" Armaan exclaimed with venom dripping out of his voice. "Well copy that Armaan Oberoi. I only married you for my papa and bhai. I also don't have any intentions of considering you my husband." Nandini replied with the equal amount of attitude.
Turning around, Nandini grabbed her clothes from the suitcase and stormed inside the fancy looking bathroom. Armaan just stood there, pissed off and went inside the closet to also change.
Angrily, Nandini took off all her jewelry and managed to get out of the lengha. She removed all of the pins in her hair and she felt so relieved after taking it all off. That lengha probably weighed more then her. She put on her black satin pajamas and washed the makeup off her face. She finally felt relaxed and now all she needed was a good nights' sleep. But with that monster outside, as she likes to call him, she couldn't get that.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and at the same time, Armaan also exited the closet after changing. He had switched into sweatpants and a shirt. Thankfully, he had decided to be modest and put on a shirt, unlike other days.
Ignoring each other, they both walked to the bed, but stopped and stared at each other. Oh no! In no way they were going to share the same bed with each other. "I call dibs on the bed, you sleep somewhere else." Nandini quickly said. "It's my room and my bed! So I get to sleep on it." Armaan retorted back.
"Well, haven't you ever heard that ladies first or watched any movies? The women always gets the bed. So I will sleep on the bed. And I need my beauty sleep!" Nandini fired. "As if you'll become a princess in the morning when you wake up. You need your "beauty sleep". My bed, I get to sleep on it." Nandini glared at him and said, "Let me sleep on the bed or else I'll tell dadu." Nandini came up with the best she could. "Go ahead. The door is that way."
Just as he was about to say something else, Nandini jumped onto the bed and tried to cover the whole bed by spreading her arms and legs out. She looked like a little mouse on the gigantic bed when she did that. She smirked at Armaan while Armaan gave her an 'are-you-serious' look. "My bed now!" "You are such a cheater." Armaan said. "Excuse me! Who cheated downstairs? Say whatever you want, but I sleep on the bed. Now goodnight." Without letting him speak further, Nandini covered herself with the duvet.
Armaan glared at her figure but knew he couldn't do anything now. His only option left was the sofa or the floor. And the sofa seemed way more comfier then the floor. So, he took a pillow and moved towards the sofa, placing it on it. "It's my room and she is already claiming it as her's." Shaking his head, he lied down on the sofa, which was to small for his structure, and closed his eyes. Nandini was peaking out through the duvet the whole time and smirked. "Told you not to mess with me!"
That night, neither one of them could sleep just because of the other's presence in the room. And this was just the first night. Only god knew what the future held for them.
________________________________________________________________________
Namaste guys!
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- Gurleen