Please vote and comment! Motivates a lot!
Mythili's POV -
The visit to the temple was uneventful. We prayed and then the Panditji did a small puja before coming back and later, I got to sleep for an hour again but the next time that I woke up, it was because of Amrita who had shook me so violently that for a moment I felt that there was an earthquake!
" Get up bro! You need to start getting ready. Your engagement starts in like two hours!" She went on as I opened my eyes and eventually threw myself out of the bed. She was all ready herself in a beautiful green embroidered suit with a heavy phulkari dupatta.
I then went on to wash my face and then she started to help me getting ready. I had practically begged Malini aunty to not call any make up artist for the functions and thankfully, she had obliged but what I forgot was that I had a personal self-appointed one in the form of Amu.
She made me sit in front of the mirror for god knows how much time and then occasionally went on to scold me too for being fidgety.
" Do you think my parents will come?" I couldn't help myself from asking her and her hands froze mid air.
" Do you want them to?" She asked back after recollecting herself.
" I don't know Amu. I mean those guys are my parents after all but then again, I was never their family. I don't know if I want them to be there or I want them to stay away. I know that I am such a confused person but this is a bit frustrating." I confessed in front of her, standing up from the chair.
" Mythili you are allowed to feel that way. You are allowed to feel anything that you do but personally, I will be glad if those humans are nowhere around you. They only bring negativity and hatred along with them, nothing else. I know this is not how a girl exactly imagines getting married but who are we kidding? When does what we want even happen? It is life and it sucks half the time but the other half, miracles do happen. Maybe this is all a miracle in waiting for you. I see how Shivaay's mother talk to you. She likes you and maybe this all is the best for you. Move on girl. Forget those people who treated you like shit when what you deserved was the world, okay?" She embraced me in a hug.
" I love you." I couldn't help the lone tear that escaped my left eye.
" Love you too and for god's sake stop crying! You'll ruin your mascara!" She exclaimed as she made me sit once again to fix whatever she saw bad.
" All done." She kept the brush back in the vanity and looked at me.
" Perfect. Now the hair." She was just talking to herself at this point and I rolled my eyes but let her do whatever she wanted.
Soon enough, she was done with that too and I went to change into the dress that Anamika and Aunty had selected for me. It was a peach coloured lehenga.
Mythili's Look -
" Oh My God Mythili you look so beautiful!" Nupur exclaimed as I stepped out of my walk-in closet after changing.
" Hell yes." Amu agreed and I managed to give them a smile.
" Wear these sandals and let's go. Anamika, Aunty and Shivaay bhaiya have already reached to the venue. We need to hurry." Nupur said and Amrita nodded.
" Where are Viraj and Hritik?" I asked Amrita as I wore the heels and fixed the dupatta properly.
" They have reached too. Let's go now." She said and we left. It took us about half an hour to reach the venue which was The Taj Mahal Hotel and I just couldn't keep my eyes off the decorations. It looked nothing less than some magic.
" Here you all are! Come on now." Malini aunty spotted and came to us.
" You look so gorgeous beta. Here." She said and put a nazar ka teeka behind my eyes and gazed at me lovingly.
There weren't many people around. Just a few relatives and most of them were Mr. Rathore's business partners and others as per Anamika.
Anamika had accompanied to one of the rooms of the hotel since people were still gathering and Shivaay was busy with a meeting. This takeover going on was something of a very huge deal among the business fraternity and everyone was talking about it too. He had been over the NEWS for the past some days and now with this wedding, there was media attention more than ever even when this was a very close knit and lowkey ocassion but what surprised me was how unfazed he was with everything happening around him. Just so involved with work and unaffected by anything going on rather than that while I was sitting here, doing nothing but panicking for the past week.
I just sat there for a couple of more minutes before Amrita, Viraj and Hritik came to fetch me. The guys joked around and got me a dairy milk which the four of us shared before walking out to the engagement.
" You got this and you got us." Viraj gave me a smile which I returned.
" Always?" I asked.
" Always." The three of them chorused and we then entered the hall where everyone was present.
" There comes the beautiful bride!" Anamika announced and then escorted me to where Shivaay was standing along with Aunty.
I looked up once to meet his eyes which were on me but for some reason, looked away just as quickly, dropping my gaze to my hands.
" Let's begin, shall we?" The priest asked and then the chaos all around started with people moving here and there before everything was settled. Panditji read some mantras and soon enough, he had asked Shivaay to put the ring on my finger.
" Beta give your hand to him." Aunty asked me and I lifted my left hand to get it towards him and put in all the effort that I could to keep it steady and calm but I must have been doing a miserable job because when he held my hand in his own, that's when I found myself to calm down. Usually, he makes me fidgety when he was around me but at this very moment, I was almost glad that he was holding my hand. It somehow helped me relax and once again, I decided to look at him. His time, I held onto his eyes as he slipped the ring on my finger.
It was only because of the claps that went around which told me that there were people around and I then looked at the finger which had the most beautiful ring that I had ever seen.
It had a huge diamond in the centre surrounding by two bands of smaller stones.
" Come on it is Mythili's turn now." Hritik said and Anamika gave the platinum band ring to me. It was going to reach for it when I realised that Shivaay was still holding my hand and once again, I looked at him so that he'd leave it but he didn't. His face had no emotions, his eyes were devoid of any either but even then, that coldness was missing in them from the first time that I had met him and I was thankful for that.
" Shivaay you can leave her hand now. Don't worry, your bride will not run anywhere." One of the relatives said and my eyes automatically widened at her words and I couldn't stop the blush that had creeped its way to my cheeks.
" I think he is a bit worried about leaving her. They look so good together." I heard another voice and this time, I knew my cheeks must have been as red as a tomato and I looked away from Shivaay whose lips had twitched in a smirk and he did gently let go of my hand for me to take the ring.
" Okay everyone stop teasing my bhai and bhabhi. Look at her and have some pity!" Anamika, went on to tease me further and I turned my head to look at her accusingly. She was supposed to be on my side!
" Come on....you cannot snatch away my right to tease you." She complained as I took the ring from her and looked at Shivaay who extended his hand towards me.
I lightly held his hand and then slipped the ring onto his finger and left his hand just as soon.
Their Rings -
" Now the couple will sit together for a small puja." Malini aunty said and I nodded my head as we walked to where the set up was built and Shivaay and I sat opposite to Panditji as he started with the rituals.
I was trying my best to concentrate on what was going on when Viraj, who was sitting behind me with the other two came closer to me and told me that he needed to tell me something.
" What is it?" I whispered back.
" You've topped the university this semester." He hushed back.
" I what!" I didn't realise that I had screamed in happiness like an idiot and the next second, all the eyes were on me and Panditji was giving me an annoyed look.
" I am so sorry." I started to apologise furiously to everyone, super-aware of the blunder that I had just committed. Oh god what is wrong with me!!
" What happened Mythili? You look too happy." Nupur asked but I shook my head in a nothing, embarrassed. Thankfully, they didn't pursue the matter further and the puja was resumed again and I folded my hands and closed my eyes again but I still couldn't shoo away the grin that had broken out on my face.
" What has made you think happy?" I heard Shivaay's voice ring in my ears as I opened my eyes and turned my face to look at him.
" It's nothing Mr. Rathore." I tried to avoid answering his question and looked straight again, biting my lip.
" Mythili you haven't as much as smiled in these past ten days." He deadpanned, leaving me shocked. How did he notice me?
" That's not true. I did smile." I lied.
" Haven't we already established that you aren't a good liar?" He mocked me and I sighed.
" It's really nothing that great. I just got a good rank this semester in the university." I whispered to him.
" A good rank of the first rank?" He asked and I could hear amusement in his tone even as we were talking softly but how on Earth did he know!!?
" First but how did you know?" I exclaimed in surprise and turned my head to look at him again to catch him smiling and immediately looked back towards the havan.
" You shouldn't be downplaying your accomplishments when you work hard for them. You are too modest for your own good." He almost schooled me without answering my question.
" I don't need any praise for something that I do for myself Mr. Rathore." I told him the truth, shrugging my shoulders a bit.
Before he could reply, the puja was over and Malini Aunty had asked us to stand up. I was gathering my lehenga to do the same when I saw Shivaay holding out his hand for me as he was already on his feet.
I looked around and hesitantly gave my hand in his and stood up with his support, thanking him.
All of us then had lunch and my friends dragged me out for a bit later, cheering to me.
" Enough people." I tried to stop them but who was I kidding?
" We have to sort out our internships soon. This last semester is basically one month of classes and then three months of internship." I said, taking a sip of water.
" We'll see that later but right now, I need to get you ready for you Haldi ceremony which begins in the evening." Amrita changed the topic and I nodded and then I found myself looking at the ring.
I was engaged and I will be a married woman in the next two days.
" Don't go there. Just don't." I muttered to myself as we went back inside the hall where my friends told Aunty and others about my marks and they congratulated me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haldi was a bit of a lighter affair where there was a curtain placed between me and Shivaay and my friends went crazy, breaking out into a Haldi fight. Nupur had got Snowflake and Casper here too for the function from home and everyone was having fun and for a change, I did too. The Haldi war was awesome!!
Mythili's Haldi Look -
" Now that the Haldi is done, I don't want the two of you looking at each other before the wedding. Mythili you have to make sure of this beta because I know Shivaay does not care for any of these customs. Alright?" Aunty asked once we were done.
I nodded my head in a yes as I gave her a smile and she returned it.
" Okay go now and take a bath. After that, you can go home and relax. It has been a long day. I will come back with Anamika and Nupur once everything winds up here, alright?" She asked me and I did as she said.
Reaching home, my friends chilled with me for a bit before leaving and then as I was on my way to get some water for Snowflake who was comfortably lying on my bed as if she owned it, I felt someone come in and I was very sure of who it was and keeping in mind Aunty's promise, I begun to tiptoe back to my room.
" Mythili wait." Shivaay spoke up but I didn't turn around to look at him.
" Mr. Rathore I can't talk to you. Aunty's orders." I told him.
" Maa has asked us not to look at each other, she hasn't said anything about talking. Besides, this is about the internship you require to do. Your friend mentioned it today and you will be joining my office starting next month. I'll fix you up in finance or marketing, whatever you want." His words rang in my ears and I had almost turned to face him when I stopped midway.
" I want to get the internship based on my skills Mr. Rathore, not because of the fact that I know you....." I started but he cut me off.
" It has nothing to do with that. You have got the first rank. You were bound to be selected no matter what." He announced but his phone didn't give me a chance to respond as it went off and he excused himself, walking away.
How does he manage to notice all these little details about my trivial matters when he has been dealing in companies worth lakhs of crores for the past one month? He surprises me so much and confuses me to no end, this Shivaay Singh Rathore!
Hey guys! This is the next chapter.
I haven't been able to write it good for some reason. I am sorry for the disappointment.
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Please vote and comment! Motivates a lot!
I love you all. Until next time. Byee!!❤❤