Akshara shifted her eyes between Mimi and a ghoonghat clad Abhimanyu warily as Mimi came to a halt beside them. Abhimanyu tried to stay as still as possible while Akshara tried to remain as calm as she could even though her heart was racing faster than horses on a racetrack.
"Mimi? What happened?" Akshara stuttered, her voice barely anything more than a squeal.
"Everything good?"
"Me?! Yes! What would be wrong with me?! Pfftt." She rambled, making Abhimanyu close his eyes knowing how terrible of a liar his Akshara was.
"Then why did you scream?"
Crap.
"Scream? Me?" Akshara glanced in Abhimanyu's direction again before turning back toward Mimi. "Ticklish! Her hands were cold so I felt a bit ticklish when she tried to put henna on me and accidentally screamed. And you know me, Mimi, I feel ticklish very easily. Bas, that's it."
Mimi eyed Akshara carefully before nodding her head. "Okay, if you so say."
Abhimanyu and Akshara both sighed in relief as they watched Mimi walk away.
"Remind me to never confide in you if in case I decide to murder someone. Instead of helping me, you'd be advertising with blaring sirens and neon lights that 'Abhimanyu Birla is the killer', Abhimanyu joked.
"Please! Mimi makes me nervous!" Akshara confided.
"She makes me nervous too. But you know, I think it's cute how you can't lie."
"Uh huh. Now be quiet and start applying my Mehendi before anyone else gets suspicious."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Abhimanyu began applying henna on Akshara's hands while Akshara looked around at the rest of the ladies, engrossed in music, enjoying their time together.
"The lady beside Shefali Di, is Parth Jiju right?"
"Yes. And before you ask, the one beside Saanj and the other girls is Neil."
"And whose idea was to gate crash the party?" Akshara teased.
"Mine. I mean it's our first Mehendi together, how can I let it go to waste by spending it apart?" Abhimanyu lifted his ghoonghat and smiled at her before veiling himself again.
"And by the way, who taught you guys how to tie the sarees?" She asked curiously.
"The hotel staff..." Abhimanyu answered casually, earning a pointed look from Akshara.
"Hotel staff?" She probed further.
"Akshara...are you jealous?" He teased, finally realizing what scenarios might be running through her mind.
"Jealous? Me? You wish!" She may have been denying the claims but she was ready to throw hands at any girl that may have touched her Abhimanyu.
"Vandana...aunty was very helpful in teaching us how wear a saree. And YouTube uncle was a big help too." Abhimanyu teased Akshara, making blush with embarrassment.
He may not have wanted to admit it but watching Akshara be possessive of him warmed his heart.
"Umm, focus on the Mehendi please." Akshara replied, bashfully, changing the subject.
Abhimanyu got to work on Akshara's hand. He may not have any experience in henna art but he did have experience in drawing. And henna art was basically like drawing on blank canvas. Except this time the canvas was a palm.
Akshara watched curiously and in awe of her boyfriend —yes boyfriend for now until things got official as he began drawing a heart on her palm.
Except there was one single tiny problem.
"Abhimanyu. You're supposed to be drawing a heart, not a diagram of a heart from biology class." Akshara pointed out.
"I'm a cardiac surgeon, so I do everything with precision. So how can I make a mistake in etching out my own world of expertise?" He explained, making Akshara giggle.
"Yes, that's fine and all but you're not doing a good job of that either. Look at how messy your heart diagram is." She pointed out, trying not to laugh at Abhimanyu's hard work.
"Yeah, well that's here the doctor part of me comes in." Abhimanyu quipped, making the both of them laugh.
~*~
Mimi watched Akshara and the henna artist beside her in suspicion. Something about their demeanors was off. It has been about half an hour and yet the lady was still working on the same hand she had started off with. And both Akshara and her were laughing as if they were best of friends.
Something was wrong. Could it be? Mimi's she's eyes widened as she the sudden realization hit.
Akshara felt a heavy presence around her, making her go numb as she shifted her eyes hesitantly and fearfully to meet Mimi's knowing gaze. Mimi was walking towards them. Mimi came a halt behind Abhimanyu, who was too immersed in applying the henna to notice the shift in Akshara's demeanor.
Mimi glared at Akshara, challenging her to keep quiet and not utter a word to tip off Abhimanyu. Akshara gave Mimi a pleading look as she shifted her eyes between an oblivious Abhimanyu and a very unhappy Suhasini Goenka.
Involuntarily, Akshara began prying her hand away from Abhimanyu irking him.
"Akshara! What are you doing?! Don't move your hand!" He bit out, engrossed in his handy work to realize he was being watched like a hawk by all the ladies around him.
"Abhimanyu beta..." Suhasini Goenka called out, sweetly and sarcastically.
"Ji Mimi?" He replied, in his normal voice, as he continued to apply henna on Akshara.
That is until his hands froze in place and his jaw locked, and his eyes widened in horror at what had just happened. He glanced at Akshara through his ghoonghat to see she was looking worriedly at the person standing behind him, letting him know they had been caught.
Shit.
Mimi uncovered Abhimanyu's face for the entire group of ladies to see. Akshara bit her lower lip and turned her face away in embarrassment, looking for a hole to bury herself in.
Akshara and Abhimanyu stood up and glanced at each other, before staring intently at their feet.
The rest of the women were watching the drama unfold in front of them while trying to contain their laughter. Manjiri and Swarna covered their mouths to avoid any hint of laughter to escape whilst Mahima just shook her head in disbelief at Abhimanyu's foolishness.
The younger Birla and Goenka girls were eagerly watching in anticipation as the chaos ensued in front of them. Neil who was standing beside Reem and Saanj too was starting to enjoy his elder brother's public humiliation.
The only ones without a hint of enjoyment on their faces were Shefali and Parth who looked equally worried.
"Abhimanyu. Akshara. Look at me." Mimi's voice was authoritative.
Akshara winced at the tone of Mimi's voice as she turned to face her great-grandmother.
"I didn't expect this behaviour from you Abhimanyu. I'm disappointed. And you too Akshara." She scolded.
"Sorry Mimi." Abhimanyu and Akshara responded in unison, apologetic.
"But Mimi, this wasn't my plan. Woh toh Parth Bhai wanted to spend Mehendi with Shefali bhabhi..." Abhimanyu pointed toward the ghoonghat clad woman in a saree standing beside Shefali.
"Abhimanyu, what do you mean it's my plan?" Parth argued, removing his ghoonghat in the heat of the moment, earning gasps from all the women around them.
"Parth? Tum bhi?" Manjiri questioned, shocked by but yet amused the antics of her two sons.
Parth glared at Abhimanyu who decided to change tactics and oust the their musketeer of their group. "Haan...toh Neil!" He pointed towards the third woman standing beside Saanj and Reem. "It was his plan!" He accused.
Saanj took the liberty of unveiling Neil, who was equally surprised and shocked at Abhimanyu's betrayal.
"Bhai?!! You're blaming me?!" Neil questioned, dramatically.
"Haan toh?! Aur kya?!" Abhimanyu argued, trying to convince Mimi of his innocence.
"Pata hai Mimi, Parth Bhai and I, we didn't want to do this. We were being good boys. Kairav had even warned us against this. But Neil. He tricked us. He conned us into gatecrashing this event. He said that this is Parth bhai's Mehendi too, so he should get to fully enjoy it with Shefali bhabhi. And Parth Bhai got convinced and then they both teamed up against me." Abhimanyu lied, innocently, leaving his two brothers shellshocked at the strange turn of events.
"And you know what a good boy I am, I didn't want to do this at all. Maine naa bhi bola tha, lekin..."
"Wah Bhai. What fabulous..." Neil interrupted.
"Be quiet Neil. This is a conversation between Mimi and me." Abhimanyu glared at Neil to shut up before turning back to Mimi.
"Aur?" Mimi probed further.
"Aur kya Mimi, Parth Bhai started emotionally blackmailing me, saying this was his only chance and if I really considered him a brother, I would do this for him. They were two of the me against one of me, so majbooran aana paada." Abhimanyu lowered his lashes in shame.
Akshara was embarrassed whilst Manjri, Swarna and the rest of the girls, even the original, real henna artists were amused at Abhimanyu's train wreck explanation of a lie. While Parth and Neil thought of ways to murder their brother in vengeance for his betrayal.
Abhimanyu was proud of his explanation, as he looked back at Akshara with a satisfied smile on his face. But his proudness only lasted up until Mimi grabbed him by the ear and began dragging him out of the designated premises for the henna party.
"Hum bhi aaj peda nahin huyen hai." Suhasini Goenka informed him.
Abhimanyu winced, "Ow Mimi, ow, ow ow."
Akshara looked around her shyly as she bit her lip to try to hold back her embarrassed laugh.
It was a sight to witness, a 5 foot something elderly lady dragging an almost 6 foot broad shouldered man who towered over her, by the ear. Only Suhasini Goenka had the power.
"Hume sab pata hai kis ka plan hai aur kiska nahin." She dropped Abhimanyu off to the exit of the garden, where he was joined by his two brothers.
"Thank you, Mimi." Neil and Parth sighed in relief.
"But how could you two let him trick you like that?!" She reprimanded the boys.
Neil and Parth had no answer for that question and decided it was in their best interests to keep quiet.
"Sorry Mimi." Parth and Neil apologized, glaring at Abhimanyu who avoided their gaze on purpose knowing full well he was going to get his ass handed to him.
"Aur Abhimanyu, dekh na, hum jab tumhari aur Akshu ki Mehendi hogi, toh tumhe Akshu ke saath kya, uske aas paas bhi nahin bhatakne denge." She warned, albeit jokingly but with a resting poker face so the boys would have a hard time deciphering the seriousness of her threat.
"Mimi?" Abhimanyu pouted with innocent boyish eyes, whilst Neil, Parth and the girls, including Akshara snickered at Abhimanyu's misery.
"Bas, I don't want to hear anything else. You boys, out! Warna humse bura koi nahin." Mimi threatened, leaving no room for argument.
But it did seem like Abhimanyu had a death wish. He turned towards Mimi again, trying his best boyish charm for the one last time.
Abhimanyu put his arm around Mimi's shoulders, leaning into her as if there was a secret underground drug deal happening.
"Mimi. I was thinking...that we, I mean us, the boys are already here, and Mehendi ka function is also almost half finished so what's the point of kicking us out now? Mil kar celebrate karte hai na?" He whispered, sweetly, innocently, cunningly, convincingly.
Akshara and Shefali ran up behind Mimi in support of the boys. "Haan Mimi, let us all celebrate together? Please Mimi?" The girls pleaded in unison.
"Akshu, Shefali, if you care this much about the boys, then you can join them too —outside of this garden and away from the event. Understood?" Mimi's words were cold and enough to put the fear of God into anyone thinking of defiance.
Without uttering a single word, Mimi turned on her heels and left leaving behind Akshara and Shefali to glance at their respective partners helplessly and hopelessly.
"Maaa." Abhimanyu and Parth whined, gaining Manjiri's attention who was making her way towards them, with a smirk on her face, enjoying the shenanigans of her three sons.
"Sorry boys, I wish I could help you. But whatever Maaji says, goes. So now hush and leave."
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Abhimanyu accused, pouting at his mother.
"Very much so." Manjiri agreed, breaking down into laughter.
Once they realized they and no option and no amount of convincing will get Mimi to change her mind, the boys decided to finally take their leave.
Abhimanyu and Parth, dejected, waved goodbyes to Akshara and Shefali who returned them with equal sorrow. All that was left to add to this animated theatrics was sad musical violins playing in the background.
"Let's go, you goofs. I don't know about you but I have no mood to get acquainted with Mimi's cane." Neil summarized, dragging his brothers away making Akshara and Shefali laugh in the wake.
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Hope you like this part too! Lemme know if you enjoyed reading it and if there are any changes I can make!