A/N:
Hello my lovely readers,
I don't even know where and how to begin apologizing for going MIA and ghosting y'all without any intimation.
My life in the past year has been extremely taxing, physically, mentally and emotionally.
And I am trying to bring it back on the track and I hope that I can do so.
In these past months, my stories have gained new readers and I have gained new followers despite me being unresponsive. And I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude towards all of you.
I have received DM's from some of you, inquiring about my health and well being and I am overwhelmed.
Thank you so much for your concern and support♥️
Meanwhile, I have also received some really disturbing and disgusting messages from a particular user who had repeatedly sent verbally abusive messages, sl*t shaming me for not updating the stories.
And judging by the username, it was a woman.
It was heartbreaking to say the least, to receive such treatment from an absolute stranger.
I did not deserve those words and tried to not get affected by those words but failed miserably.
I understand that you may be frustrated with no updates from me, but that doesn't give anyone, any right to abuse me in such a manner.
I just wanted to share this with all of you and get it off my chest, so thank you very much for reading my rant. ( In case you haven't skipped the A/N).
I have tried to overcome the feelings of distress and resume writing again, after gathering all the encouragement I got from your messages.
I hope you all will like this update.
(Brush over the previous chapters to get the hang of the story)
Try to vote and comment as much as possible for they serve as motivation to write more.
Inline comments are very much appreciated, as always.
This is the longest chapter in this story so far, with 6K+ words.
Kindly excuse the grammatical errors.
Enjoy reading 💛
••••••••••••••••••
It was a breezy October evening in Pagdandiya, as Imlie sat on the verandah of her house, reading a book she had borrowed from Aryan's collection, with a pocket dictionary by her side, while occasionally sipping from her cup of fragrant Masala Chai.
It was going to be Diwali the next day and her mother was busy in the kitchen, preparing the last minute treats and snacks for the upcoming festival, whereas Satyakam was out for some shopping.
It had been five days since she had come to Pagdandiya. And Imlie hadn't realised the extent of how much she had missed her parents, until she had hugged Meethi and Satyakam after almost three months.
The five days had passed in absolute bliss for Imlie. She had done anything and everything which she used to do in her childhood, ranging from taking a bicycle ride along the expanse of the vast greenery, to climbing the trees, playing Gully Cricket with her little friends and basking in the warmth of parental love.
Taking the last sip from her cup of Chai, Imlie checked her phone for the fifth time that evening and sighed, as she waited for a reply from her husband.
Aryan was earlier scheduled to come to Pagdandiya that day but had informed her that he was going to be stuck in Delhi for another day due to a sudden meeting with the clients and would arrive the next day.
Imlie had called him twice and had texted multiple times since noon but they had went unanswered by her husband. She frowned seeing no reply from him and an unease crept into her being, as she anxiously waited for a response from him.
Scrolling through the gallery of her phone, a smile formed on her lips as she came across the screenshots she had taken the previous evening.
Last night Imlie had set up a candle light dinner date for her parents, taking the advantage of the load shedding in Pagdandiya and had come up with an idea to plan a date for her parents, so as to give them some alone time to rekindle their love for each other, whose life had always revolved around as far as she could remember.
And ever since she had come home four days ago, they had been busy pampering her to their heart's content.
Meethi and Satyakam, had reluctantly given in to her demands after she had nagged them continuously, throwing tantrums like she used to as a kid.
She had set up a date for them in their small living room, using the minimal articles available from around the house and had lit up several candles on the coffee table, scattering fresh rose petals all around the room.
And had also managed to convince them to dress up themselves at their best, and the couple had agreed to their daughter, for they loved her too much to deny her wishes.
As she had finished preparing the dinner, Meethi and Satyakam had exited their room, the couple looking ever so beautiful and in love.
After showering them with enough compliments, Imlie had excused herself to her room with her plate of dinner, but not before playing some soft music and asking them to enjoy themselves with a mischievous smile, which had earned her a playful smack from her mother.
After retiring to her room, she had made the customary video call to Aryan, which had been their routine for the past four days, where they talked at length about the happenings of their day.
And the video call had lead to becoming an impromptu, virtual candle light date for the young couple.
Imlie's reverie was broken by the loud honk of a passing motor vehicle.
She glanced back at the slightly blurry screenshot on her mobile screen, with her thumb brushing gently over Aryan's picture.
She had been telling him about the way her parents had become flustered when she had asked them to enjoy their date, which had earned her a charming laughter from her husband and Imlie couldn't resist herself from capturing his smile, secretly taking a few screenshots.
A clearing of throat startled her and the mobile slipped from her hands. Looking up, she found her mother, greeting her with a teasing smile on her lips.
"Amma! You scared me." Imlie exclaimed in surprise as Meethi sat down beside her.
Before she could retrieve her phone from the ground, Meethi caught hold of it and studied the picture displayed on the screen.
"Aryan babu ki yaad aa rahi hai, gudiya?" Her smile widening as she questioned her daughter.
Quickly grabbing hold of her phone from her mother's hold, Imlie tried to stay unaffected by her mother's teasing, but failed as she felt her face heating up.
"Kya ho raha hai yahan?"
They were interrupted by Satyakam who had returned from the market.
Just as he placed the numerous bags he had held on the ground, a rich aroma of Ghee and Hing wafted throughout their surroundings.
"Kya leke aaye hain aap?" An excited Imlie asked her father as she rummaged through the bags.
"Kachori aur Balushahi. And the Rangoli colours you had asked for."
He replied, chuckling at her excitement at the mention of food.
"Kachori?" Imlie's eyes lit up in recognition.
Kachoris were Aryan's favourite, she remembered.
'They are my guilty pleasure.' He had said on one of their Sunday outings, where, on Imlie's insistence they had gone out to savour some chaat.
"Ohh! Kachori toh Aryan babu ko bohot pasand hai na, Imliya?"
Meethi asked, her eyes lighting up with mischief, as she saw her daughter's cheeks colour up ever so lightly.
Imlie shut her eyes tightly in embarrassment, as her mother teased her endlessly.
'This is the fruit of my own actions', Imlie thought as she remembered tormenting her mother that morning and grilling her about the details of their dinner date.
"Lekin yeh sab kyun laaye aap? Raat ko khane par koi aane wala hai kya?"
She asked curiously, trying to dissuade Meethi from teasing her further and saw her father stiffen up at her question.
"Tumhari beti ko Aryan babu ki bohot yaad aa rahi hai."
Meethi spoke immediately to distract Imlie from asking more questions and playfully nudged her daughter.
Satyakam let out a cheerful laugh, seeing his daughter getting mercilessly teased by his wife, before taking a seat on the other side of Imlie.
"Dadda! Aap bhi?" Imlie asked, offended by her father's laughter. She had hoped that her father would be in her support.
He only chuckled more seeing her flustered state and placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
"Bas karo Meethi. Don't trouble my daughter anymore." He admonished her in a mock serious tone.
But Meethi was not in the mood to stop, for her daughter had left no stone unturned to poke fun at her since that morning and she wanted to give it back to her just as much.
"Satyakam, what was that song Imlie had played yesterday?" She pretended to think.
"Haan! Yaad aaya mujhe."
"Pehla nasha, pehla khumar...
Naya pyaar hai naya intezar...
Kar loon main kya apna haal...
Aye dil-e-bekaraar..."
Meethi sang and she watched her bold, feisty, and Jungli Imlie, as her son-in-law loved to call, flush brightly.
Imlie felt her face heat up profusely and hid it in her book, unable to face her parents anymore.
"Meethi, that's enough." Satyakam chided, wanting to spare his daughter from her mother's ridicule, as he stood up and held his hand for his wife, helping her stand.
The couple shared a final bout of laughter at their daughter's expense and proceeded to enter the house.
Standing at the threshold of the house, Meethi turned around to observe her daughter, who now had a charming smile playing on her lips.
Entering the house, she joined her hands in front of the deity, thanking the almighty for sending Aryan in her daughter's life. He had truly been a silver lining amidst the clouds of darkness and gloom that had hovered over Imlie.
Meethi had never seen her daughter so happy, peaceful and content in her life in the past two years, as she was at the present.
And she would be forever grateful towards Aryan, for he has helped her daughter to love, respect and care about herself.
...................
The sky painted several vibrant hues of bright orange, pink and red as the sun started to set for the day, and Imlie was immersed on her book when a surprised exclamation of her name disrupted her flow of reading.
She looked up to see, Pooja, the daughter of the village's Zamindar and her childhood companion, standing in front of her, with a look of surprise on her face.
"Pooja! Hi. Kaisi ho tum?"
"Hum toh bilkul badiya hain, Imlie. Tum kab aayi?" Pooja asked.
Bookmarking the page, Imlie kept her book aside, giving her attention to Pooja.
"It's been five days since I came here. Where were you?"
"I had been on a trip arranged by my college for the past four days."
She replied, looking around curiously, trying to peep into the house, as if looking for someone.
Imlie cleared her throat, getting back her attention, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Aryan ji nahi aaye tumhare saath?" Pooja questioned, her eyes still wandering in search of a certain someone.
"Aryan ji?"
Imlie felt a teeny weeny bout of possessiveness course through her (though she would never admit it), as she saw her childhood friend inquiring about her husband rather than talking to her.
Pooja turned to face Imlie, a sheepish smile playing on her lips.
"Mera matlab, Aryan ji-ju."
She answered, her tone slightly hesitant towards the end.
Imlie smiled inwardly, although reluctantly, seeing her friend still crushing over her handsome and stunning husband, even though it had been almost three months since she had last seen him.
"Woh kal aane wale hain." Imlie replied and bade Pooja a goodnight before getting lost in the never ending thoughts about her husband.
Aryan really wasn't someone who could be forgotten so easily, she thought wistfully, glancing at her mobile phone again.
She was now being absolutely desperate to see him.
Although she had been thoroughly delighted for having spent some amazing time with her parents after so long, the thought of being away from her Aryan was not pleasing.
She missed him terribly and the daily video calls did not simply suffice.
He had become her habit in these six months of their marriage, a habit which she didn't want to let go ever.
Wanting to distract herself from the incessant thoughts of her husband, who had been careless enough to not reply to her calls and messages, she picked back her book only to be disturbed by a familiar loud honk.
'Am I missing him so much that now I am hearing Mrs Lambigadi's horn too?' Imlie questioned herself, crying inwardly and covered her face in embarrassment.
But there was another honk she finally looked up.
And there he was, her husband, her Aryan, in all his glory, sporting a comfortable T-shirt and a pair of joggers, a boyish grin playing on his lips, leaning against the car.
His gaze fixed on her, as various expressions displayed on her face, ranging from surprise, acknowledgement, happiness to euphoria.
Imlie stood up immediately, her legs slightly numb from sitting for so long, as she took steps towards him simultaneously as he walked towards her.
"Aryan." Imlie breathed out, still unable to believe that he was present in front of her.
Her arms automatically wrapped around him, with her head resting on his chest as she breathed in his scent, not caring about her surroundings.
"Hey, darling."
Aryan greeted Imlie, hugging her back just as tightly.
"You are here." He heard, her voice muffled due to her face being pressed against his chest.
"I am." He replied, tightening his hold on her.
Moments later, Imlie loosened her hold on him and looked up from his chest.
"I thought you were going to come tomorrow. And you did not respond to my calls and messages." She complained.
"I wanted to surprise you."
He said, cupping her face.
"I was worried." Imlie said.
And Aryan instantly felt guilty for distressing her, as he saw a lone tear rolling down her cheek.
"I am sorry." He apologized, his thumb wiping her tears and he placed a fervent kiss on her forehead, feeling at home with his wife.
In response, Imlie hugged him once again, not wanting to let go of him.
"Let's go inside." Aryan said, breaking their hug.
"Oh, Aryan?" Imlie called him, just as he had turned around to retrieve his bag from the car.
Aryan turned back to look at her in question and immediately hissed in pain as Imlie had elbowed him on his side.
"Oww. That hurt, Imlie."
"That was for worrying me since noon." Imlie replied with a mischievous grin on her face.
Aryan could only shake his head at his wife's antics.
"Jungli kahin ki."
And her grin only widened upon hearing the familiar moniker from her husband.
Grabbing hold of his hand, she led him towards the house.
"Chalo ab. Amma, Dadda will be surprised to see you." She said excitedly.
"Er- they already know that I was going to come today." He confessed hesitantly.
"I can't believe this! My parents and husband are ganging up on me."
Imlie muttered under her breath, as they entered the house.
Meethi and Satyakam who were seated on the sofa, smiled as soon as they saw Aryan and Imlie entering the house and stood up to greet him.
"Amma." Aryan greeted Meethi as he bent down to touch her feet.
But she stopped him midway holding onto his biceps, "Koi baat nahi, Aryan beta."
Something tugged at Aryan's heartstrings after hearing the familiar endearment after months from a maternal figure.
And before he could have resisted himself from doing so, he had leaned in to embrace her, catching her off guard.
Meethi, although surprised, welcomed the hug wholeheartedly. Feeling the slight tremor from Aryan's body, she wrapped her arms around him.
Blinking back the tears that had suddenly appeared in his eyes, Aryan chided himself for losing control and awkwardly shuffled back, unable to meet her eyes.
"It's okay." Meethi said softly, with a warm smile and in her face and clasped his hands in hers.
"Aryan babu." They heard Satyakam coming towards them.
"Dadda." Aryan greeted him with a nod of his head, bending down to touch his feet.
"Achha hua aap aaj aa gaye, Imlie aapko bohot yaad kar rahi thi." Satyakam said, leading Aryan towards the sofa.
"Dadda!" Imlie gasped in horror, seeing her father spilling her secret to her husband.
Aryan flashed her a teasing grin before engaging himself in a conversation with the older man.
"Aap hath-muh dho lijiye, tab tak mein aapke liye coffee bana deti hoon."
Meethi said addressing Aryan, as she moved towards the kitchen.
Imlie was quick to follow her mother, as her father ushered Aryan towards Imlie's room.
"Amma, mein Aryan ke liye Chai bana deti hoon."
Imlie said, grabbing a saucepan.
Aryan always preferred tea to get rid of the exhaustion.
"I will do it, Imlie. You go and check on him." Her mother said, measuring the required amount of water.
"But-"
"I know- less sugar and more ginger in his tea."
"That's all you have been talking about since the past few days. How Aryan likes his tea, his coffee, his food choices, his favourite cuisine. I know."
Meethi said with a knowing smile and glanced at her daughter who grinned sheepishly at her mother and strode out of the kitchen.
Moving into her room, she found Aryan busy, taking out the towel and toiletries from his bag.
Taking long strides, she reached him and wrapped her around him from behind, snuggling into his form.
She felt Aryan wrap his hands around hers that were on his torso.
"I missed you very much." She said softly, kissing on his clothed back.
Getting hold of her hands, he brought her in front of him and snaked his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to his body.
"I missed you too, Imlie."
Aryan said, placing a long fervent kiss on her forehead, flashing her an endearing smile.
Imlie tightened her hold on him and proceeded to stand on his feet, shuffling closer to him.
"Ek aur." She demanded, tapping her finger on her forehead.
Chuckling at his adorable wife, Aryan did as he was told.
Imlie then offered her right cheek and his smile widened more, if it was even possible, as he placed soft kisses on her right cheek, followed by feather light kisses on the left.
Gosh, he was falling in love with his wife more and more.
A knock on the door, had them step away hurriedly and Imlie found herself flushing bright under her mother's gaze, who stood at the threshold of the room, looking quite embarrassed at witnessing the young couple's moments of affection.
"The tea's ready."
Aryan quickly grabbed his towel and walked towards the door but stopped midway to turn around and throw a wink at his wife.
Imlie let out a laugh at his actions but it died down as her eyes met her mother's.
"Darwaza band kar lena chahiye tha, Imaliya." Her mother advised before turning back.
Mortified at being caught, Imlie swiftly closed the door and changed into a yellow chikankari kurti, brushed a comb through her hair and dabbed some tinted lip balm on her lips before looking at her reflection in the mirror.
She smiled looking at the reflection, satisfied that she looked presentable for her husband.
Throwing a flying kiss to herself, she exited the room.
......................
A few hours later, Imlie and Aryan found themselves lying on their backs in the makeshift bed in Imlie's room.
After having a scrumptious dinner earlier that evening, the family had sat down to talk and get to know each other better, before Meethi had ushered them to go sleep early, stating about Aryan's exhaustion after driving for hours and their need to wake early the next morning for the Diwali pooja in the temple.
"I miss home." Imlie whispered, turning towards him. Her hands ran through his hair, ruffling it and messaging his scalp.
Pulling her closer, Aryan nuzzled into her neck, placing numerous soft kisses there.
"The home misses you too." He replied, kissing her closed eyes one by one.
Imlie looked at the door, making sure that it was closed this time, before climbing on Aryan, aligning her body with his and kissing him squarely on the lips.
Eagerly responding to the kiss, Aryan carefully changed their position without breaking the contact as they devoured each other thoroughly, having missed each other's touch since five days.
They broke apart breathing heavily and Imlie smiled at him as she lifted herself to kiss his forehead.
"Home is with you." Aryan said tenderly, pulling her closer and felt her smile widening against his chest.
......................
The next morning found Aryan, Meethi and Satyakam seated in the living room, savouring their morning tea and waiting for Imlie to come out of her room.
"Yeh ladki humesha aise hi karti hai. It's been twenty minutes since we are waiting for her and she is not ready yet."
Meethi complained as she collected the empty cups.
Aryan shook his head incredulously, amazed at Imlie's actions. She was never the one to take such a long time to get ready.
He stood up to go and call her, but stood rooted on his spot as Imlie entered the living room, her phone pressed to her ear.
"Happy Diwali, Arpita didi." She spoke excitedly into the phone.
"Happy Diwali to you too, Imlie." She heard Arpita wishing her back.
"Didi aapko yaad haina-"
Imlie was cut off in the middle,
"Haan Imlie mujhe yaad hai. Don't worry, after finishing the pooja here, I'll go to your and Aru's house to light the diya in the temple and I'll also water your plants. Theek hai?"
"Thank you di." Imlie thanked her before ending the call.
She sighed wistfully at not being able to celebrate her and Aryan's first Diwali in their home.
She had been reluctant to come to Pagdandiya for the festival, but Aryan had managed to convince her, reasoning that they had many more years to come, to celebrate in their home.
Straightening the pleats of her saree, she looked up to see her parents admiring her.
And Aryan was frozen on his spot, unable to take his eyes off her.
"Hey." She greeted, moving towards him.
"Beautiful." Aryan breathed out, still studying her intently.
Imlie preened herself, smiling proudly on rendering her husband speechless.
Aryan came out of his stupor and gazed at his wife fondly.
She looked absolutely regal and elegant, just like a queen, his queen.
The royal blue and pink soft silk saree, beautifully complimenting her skin tone, pinned on her shoulder, clung to her body at the right places.
Her hair tied up in a low sleek bun and neck adorned with the beautiful temple jewellery and her nuptial chain and her ears dangling with matching pair of jhumkas.
Sill admiring her daughter, who looked absolutely beautiful, Meethi neared her and made a move to place a dot of kohl behind Imlie's ear to ward off the evil eye.
"Bohot khoobsurat lag rahi hai meri gudiya." Her mother said, kissing her forehead.
Imlie grinned at the compliment.
"Mumma ki saree hai. Aryan ke Maa ki." She said proudly, caressing the soft silk.
Feeling Aryan's heated gaze on her, she locked her eyes with him, whose eyes had a sheen of tears, blurring his vision slightly. He nodded at her appreciatively, a pleasant smile playing on his lips.
Imlie moved to stand beside him and intertwined his right hand with her left and gave it a comforting squeeze.
Her mind recalled the events of prior fifteen days, where she had learnt yet another major part of Aryan's life and upbringing and had felt closer to him, more than ever.
.................
Flashback.
Fifteen days ago:
Aryan had woken up Imlie in the early morning, the next day after her exams had concluded, ordering her to get ready soon as they were going somewhere, very important.
He himself had selected a saree for her to wear, a pastel pink organza saree with delicate pearl border.
Imlie had been incessant with her questions about their destination throughout the journey but Aryan had kept mum, until they had come to a stop.
The locality was peaceful and pleasant, away from the usual hustle and bustle of the fast moving, noisy city, surrounded with greenery.
They had stopped in front of an independent house and Aryan had proceeded to unlock the high metallic gates to the house.
With her right hand secured in his left, they had eneterd the confines of the house.
In front of them stood a majestic abode, painted in hues of off-white with royal blue highlights. The lawn had been maintained well and colourful flowers had bloomed, increasing the beauty of the house.
Walking on the pathway that lead to the entrance of the house, they had reached the door.
"Aryan, where are we-" Imlie's voice had stuck in her throat when she had noticed the name board on the right side wall of the door.
On the dark black granite, engraved in gold were the words,
"Rathore Nivas" in the beautiful Devanagari script.
Her hand had moved on its own accord to stroke the engraved words.
A tug on her hand had brought her out of the reverie and Aryan had started to unlock the house. There was both the traditional lock system as well as the smart lock system installed for the door.
Encircling his hand around her shoulder, Aryan had lead her inside the house.
"This, Imlie, is the Rathore ancestral house and my childhood home."
He had said in a gentle tone coupled with pride.
The interior of the living room had been minimal with a few decorative vases and lampshades. The furniture was vintage and had shown usage of a good number of years.
Numerous photo frames were hung on one wall. And a tasteful, traditional Rajasthani handmade tapestry had captured the beauty and grandeur of the living room.
"Your childhood home?" Imlie asked, her voice thick with emotions.
"Yes." Aryan nodded in affirmation.
"Thank you for bringing me here."
"You deserve to know everything about me, Imlie." Aryan said, embracing her in his arms.
Moments later, the huge family tree that had been drawn on one of the walls had captured Imlie's attention and her feet had involuntarily moved towards it.
Aryan had kept quiet, observing her reactions and letting her explore the house.
On top of the tree was the name, Adhiraj Singh Rathore, father of Aryan's great grandfather and his wife Manvita Singh Rathore followed by their son Abhiraj Singh Rathore, Aryan's great grandfather and his great grandmother Sanskriti Singh Rathore.
Then there was his grandfather, Adarsh Singh Rathore and grandmother Advaita Singh Rathore and there was a frame of black and white picture of the couple.
Next was her father-in-law, Arjun Singh Rathore and Aryan's mother Divyanka Singh Rathore with their wedding photograph framed on the wall. And Aryan's uncle Ashish Singh Rathore and his wife Narmada Singh Rathore.
The latest branches of the tree were Aryan Singh Rathore and Imlie Aryan Singh Rathore along with Arpita Singh Rathore and her husband Sundar Tiwari.
(Was Sundar's surname known in the show? Let me know, I'll change.)
There was Arvind jiju's name too, connected to Arpita's.
She observed that as Aryan had previously told her, all the names of Rathore heirs started with 'A' and that there had always been only one male heir in the Rathore family, but that was until Aryan's grandmother gave birth to two sons.
And Arpita seemed to be the only girl child for many generations. No wonder she was the lucky charm of the Rathore family, regarded as the Lakshmi of the household. She was calm, collected, beautiful and extremely kind. But had unfortunately suffered so much in the hands of destiny at such young age.
Imlie absolutely loved Arpita, her soul sister.
Imlie's hand then advanced to caress their wedding photograph, hung on the wall next to their names. They were lost in each other's eyes, without a care for the rest of the world, Aryan's hands cupping her face and Imlie looking up at him and the diamonds in her Mangalsutra and his wedding band shining brightly in between them.
She felt Aryan's hands snaking around her waist from behind and his head being placed on her shoulder.
"How do you like it?" He asked, placing a kiss on her temple.
Her hands enclosed over his, that were resting on her torso.
"This is fascinating."
"Come on, let me show you around." Aryan guided her through the house.
The house was spacious, airy and luminous with many windows, consisting of 4 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. The interior of the entire house was in a similar fashion, as that of the living room, simple, classy and sophisticated.
Minutes later, they stood in front of a closed door. And Imlie felt a change in Aryan's demeanor, she could feel his anxiety and unease and immediately realized that it was his parents' room.
"We don't have to do this now, Aryan." She said, entwining their hands.
"I am alright. Come on, let's go."
He gave a squeeze to their entwined hands and pushed open the door.
And Imlie was greeted with the most beautiful room in the entire house. The room emitted a specific kind of warmth and comfort and it was inviting.
The interiors were tastefully decorated with personal touches in every article. A king size bed was pushed against one wall, opposite to which, were two rustic study tables and chairs and a wooden book shelf, filled to the brim with hundreds of books. A large cupboard was placed against one of the walls with a dressing table and a full length mirror next to it.
"Can I?" Imlie asked him, itching to go and explore the beauty of the magnificent room.
"Go ahead." Aryan consented.
Running her hands over the numerous books, Imlie reached the study tables and found a book on the table, titled 'The Elements of Architecture'. It looked well-read.
Curious, she opened the book, only to come across a cute doodle drawn on the title page.
She saw her father-in-law's name written on the top right corner and right in the middle of the page was a heart drawn around the names, Divyanka+Arjun, by a teenage Arjun Singh Rathore.
"Adorable." Imlie let out a teary chuckle, fondly touching the doodle, as Aryan came to stand beside her.
"It is."
"I often come here to read this book. Makes me feel that they are closer to me." Aryan admitted.
Moving closer to the bed, she studied the photo frames that hung on the wall above the bed, starting with the pictures of teen Arjun and Divyanka to their youth selves, their wedding photographs, them working together, the memories from their trips, and finally the picture of a very pregnant Divyanka having a beautiful glow on her face.
Unable to see it anymore, Imlie crashed into Aryan's chest, a loud sob escaping her as she clutched him for her dear life.
"There are so beautiful, so in love." She said in between her tears.
"They are."
Aryan hugged her tightly to his chest, his own eyes tearing up.
"Why did they have to leave us?" Imlie cried, her tears unstoppable.
She couldn't imagine what Aryan would be going through, when she herself felt so attached to them, while not having met them even once in her life.
"Shh. It's ok." He consoled her, drawing soothing circles on her back.
Gently breaking the hug, Aryan took out his handkerchief to wipe away her tears.
"Come here, I want to show you something important." He led her towards the large cupboard.
Using a key he unlocked the cupboard and Imlie was greeted with multi coloured fabrics, an exquisite collection of sarees hanging in the wardrobe. Ranging from Silk to Chiffon, Cotton, Tissue Silk, Bandhani, Banarasi and Kanjivaram. They were soft to touch, pleasant and vibrant to the eyes.
"These are gorgeous." Imlie expressed.
"Mumma loved to wear sarees." Aryan told her.
"Papa had donated most of her clothes after my birth, but these were her favourites, so he left them."
"I can't take my eyes off them." Imlie said in awe.
Her mother-in-law was a graceful woman, she had known from seeing the various photographs and hearing the stories which Aryan had shared with her in the past six months of their marriage, and her choices in sarees were just as graceful as her, if not more.
"All this belongs to you now." She heard him say.
"What? But how can I? I don't deser-"
Aryan interrupted her,
"You deserve all this Imlie. My father has left these behind for his daughter-in-law."
"They would have loved and cherished you, had they been alive today." He explained to her, softly.
Imlie turned to face him and took hold of his hands, kissing on his palms.
"Thank you so much."
He guided her towards the bed, making her sit there and went back to the cupboard.
"What happened?" Imlie asked him quizzically.
"Just a minute, I have something precious for you." Aryan said, taking out a key from his pocket and unlocking the built-in locker of the wardrobe.
He turned towards her with a large velvet jewellery in his hands and settled on the bed beside her, placing the box in between them.
Slowly opening the box, he turned it towards her, waiting for her reaction.
"Oh my God!" Imlie breathed in awe as her eyes fell on the most beautiful piece of jewellery she had ever seen her life. Being a jewellery lover, she had seen countless ornaments in all shapes, designs and patterns and had a collection of jewellery clippings from newspapers during her teenage, but nothing came close to the work of art that sat nestled on the velvet cushion in front of her.
The necklace, she thought, was probably the most beautiful thing she has ever seen, studded with uncut diamonds, rubies, green polki diamonds, and embellished with innumerable pearls.
There was a matching pair of jhumkas, kangans and a finger ring along with the necklace. All looking equally beautiful.
They looked extremely delicate, meticulously designed.
Her hand reached out to touch the precious piece of art, ever so gently.
"This is wonderful. I don't have words to explain what I am feeling right now."
Aryan smiled at her words, he had already expected this type reaction from her.
"This is the Rathore family heirloom for five generations, bequeathed to the daughters-in-law of the family."
"And now, it rightfully belongs to you." He told and saw her mouth fall agape with disbelief evident on her face.
"You can't be serious." Imlie said incredulously.
"I am. It is yours now."
"Bu-but what about Arpita didi? Shouldn't it go to her?"
The ever so selfless and considerste Imlie questioned him.
Aryan smiled hearing her question.
He remembered asking a similar question to his father many years ago.
"Imlie, you might have noticed that, there has always been only one male heir for generations and so this has been passed down to the daughter-in-law in every generation, but when my grandmother gave birth to her second child, my great grandmother made another set of jewellery for her younger grandson's wife.
Arpita didi inherited it from Narmada chachi." He expounded.
"Oh."
"Yes. Now come here, let me help you wear this." Aryan said picking up the necklace.
"Are you sure?" Imlie asked, still hesitant.
"Yes, hundred percent sure. Being my wife, this is your right. Now turn around."
Complying with him, she turned around with her back towards him and immediately felt a weight adorning her neck as Aryan clasped the necklace.
Turning her back, he helped her wear the jhumkas and kangans.
And picked the last piece of jewellery, the finger ring and held her right hand.
"This ring has always been a perfect fit for all the Rathore daughters-in-law." Aryan said, just as he slid it around her right hand ring finger, smiling when the ring comfortably fit on her finger and kissed her knuckles.
Looking up, he found her gazing at him with teary eyes.
"Oh! Come here."
Keeping the empty box aside, he pulled her in his embrace, kissing the top of her head, affectionately.
"Thank you." He heard Imlie mumble against his shoulder.
Breaking the hug, he escorted her towards the full length mirror in the room.
Imlie looked at her reflection, amazed at how beautiful she looked and just as beautiful she felt.
The pastel pink saree she wore perfectly complimented the jewellery, as the sunlight from the windows fell on the previous stones and she felt herself glowing.
It did not feel like it was just some jewellery, but a responsibility that had been entrusted to her.
"Thank you", she whispered to the reflection of her in-laws' photograph in the mirror
Leaning against the cupboard, Aryan saw his wife admiring herself in front of the mirror and then looked at the smiling faces of his parents, as if conveying to them that he had fulfilled his responsibility.
Imlie moved towards him, to face him, and standing on her tip toes, she pressed her lips against his warm ones, snaking her hands around his neck, expressing her gratitude, for trusting her with the treasure.
Grabbing her by her waist, Aryan kissed her back with equal vigor, tilting her head for better access. He felt her whispering a 'thank you' against his lips and smiled, before continuing to kiss her passionately.
.....................
After spending another hour in the house, Imlie and Aryan reluctantly moved out as their stomachs had grumbled with hunger.
On their way out, Imlie spotted a two seater hanging swing in the lawn and dragged Aryan with her to sit on it.
"Yeh tootega toh nahi na?" She asked him, innocently.
Aryan chuckled at that, and helped her to sit on the swing, before taking a seat beside her.
"I have it regularly maintained, Imlie. One of my trusted teams comes here every week to clean the house thoroughly and a gardener comes here daily to take care of the garden."
"That's great." Imlie replied, as she snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.
End of flashback.
................
Present:
Imlie's trance was broken when she felt Aryan shake her slightly.
"Tum theek ho, Imlie?" He asked, concert evident in his tone.
"Hum bilkul theek hai." Imlie assured him.
"Shall we proceed towards the temple now? We're already running late." Meethi asked, picking up a bag of ingredients required for the pooja, which was taken out of her hands by her husband as the older couple exited the house.
"Chale?" Aryan asked.
Imlie nodded at him, before wrapping her hand around his elbow.
••••••••••••••••••••••
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