VANIE's POV
"It's hideous," Sidya tells Dadi, who rolls her eyes at her in return.
"It's decent, beautiful and appropriate for a wedding."
"No!" Sidya stands up. "I am not wearing this. Come on Dadi, just let me wear the teal lehenga."
I want to pull my hair in frustration, but I try to stay calm.
Since morning they have been fighting over their outfits. I asked Dadi, Ishani and Sidya to be my bridesmaid for the wedding. And then Ishani came up with the idea of matching outfits, and they have been fighting over outfits since then.
"No. I don't look good in teal," Ishani says through the screen.
She lives and studies in Bangalore and couldn't be here a month before the wedding, so she joins us every day through video call.
"That's a you problem, darling. I don't see how it concerns me." Sidya replies.
My eyes widen slightly. I feel the need to defend my little cousin from Sidya's snarky comments, but she is at is before me.
"It concerns you because we are supposed to match our outfits." Ishani throws her hands in the air. "Seriously, are you even taking my suggestions into consideration?"
"You are the reason we are in this mess." Sidya picks the laptop and flips it so that it faces the floor. Then she motions at all the mess scattered on the floor.
Shit!
I have been so busy listening to their demands that I didn't even notice the mess around me. I can already feel a headache coming because of it.
We have been planning a wedding for the last three days now. When I came back from the hospital a week ago, having to plan a wedding was the last thing I expected. But since the date for our wedding was set by my parents and the arrangements for the wedding were my mother's duty, none of it resembled what Aadi and I had in mind for the wedding.
So, we set a new date — the end of this month—, and cancelled all the arrangements my mother made. And now we are planning a wedding from zero.
We divided duties, to ensure proper management. Aadi is supposed to look for a venue and send invites, and I am in charge of approving decorations, and well finalising all our outfits.
Apparently according to my Dadi and Aadi, I am still sick and need to be taken care of. So all the dress fittings, and meetings are taking place here, at our home.
And the place is a mess. The entire floor is covered with fabrics, pictures, paper and random clips. I look in the corner of the room where the designer and her two assistants stand. All three of them look equally confused. Poor them.
"Guys come one, let's just let the designers suggest you pieces individually and all three of you can choose what—."
"No," Ishani says, "I want us to match, please. I couldn't even attend your engagement, let me have one wish. I am not even asking that the outfits should be the same, just similar."
My heart melts a little. She is my lovely little sister, who deserves the entire world. And I missed her so much on my engagement. Just because of a stupid feud that happened between our fathers years ago, she couldn't be there for my engagement.
"Then let me wear the teal lehenga and the two of you..," she points at Dadi and Ishani, "find a way to match my outfit."
My eyes move towards Dadi, who has clearly given up on any chance of convincing Sidya to wear something other than the outfit she initially picked.
"Teal washes me out!" Ishani screams through the screen and pouts, probably throwing a tantrum.
"You do realise that I can just press a button and you will be gone." Sidya raises an eyebrow at her, "screaming isn't an option you have, so you find a way to work it out."
My brows furrow. "Sidya stop being mean."
"Yes, stop acting like a stubborn child," Dadi says from the side.
And they all start bickering again. I am so done with them at this point. This is the condition when they are wearing similar outfits, not even the same. I imagine what they would have done if they had to wear the same damn outfits. All three of them have such different styles and they probably would have driven me to madness with their screaming, fighting and arguing.
I move my eyes towards the designer, Dikhsa, and give her a pleading look.
My eyes scream, please shut them up and make them choose an outfit that can meet all their demands.
And her eyes tell me that she has given up on them.
But when I continue giving her puppy eyes, she takes a deep breath, probably preparing herself. And then she moves forward and stands in the centre.
She joins the palm of her hand together a few times, producing a loud noise, bringing their attention to her. "How about we finalise a design, or a fabric, then all of you can get it customised in your choice of colour and type? This way Dadi can wear her saree, Sidya can wear the colour teal and Ishani can wear what she likes, " She raises an eyebrow.
The room goes silent for a minute and then all of them nod in unison. I finally let go of the breath I didn't realise I was holding.
She starts showing them options, and outfits. And I finally let myself relax a little.
I am startled when my phone rings. It's a video call from Rooh. I push myself up and then look around the room. All of them are busy deciding outfits. I get up from the bed and walk towards them.
"I will be back, till the time you guys work out your outfits." I give all of them a stern look. "I need all of you to have your outfits finalised by the end of the day, because there is no way I am letting you guys torture me like this tomorrow."
Then I walk out of the door of the bedroom and towards the balcony. The fresh air hits my face and a small smile spreads and lifts my cheeks up involuntarily. "Hey!" I answer the call and Rooh's face pops up on the screen.
"Hey! How are you doing?" She asks.
She has been concerned and calling me daily since the kidnapping. And I am very grateful for all the emotional support she has given me along with everyone else. I have finally processed what happened, all because I had everyone supporting me.
Ishani was so worried she wanted to come here straight away, but I had to beg her to focus on her studies.
"I am good, what about you?"
"Same usual," she presses her lips in a thin line and folds of worry crease her forehead.
I frown. It's not like her to be so... unenergetic. Her eyes look tired and face a little tense.
"Is everything okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, just work."
"Well, don't stress and don't overwork yourself. You should just come to India. It's your brother's wedding. Spend some time with us, away from work."
She laughs a little. "The wedding is at the end of the month. I can't abandon work for a month straight, so don't tempt me like this." Her lips turn to form a pout. "I want to be there."
I smile a little. We all want her to be here.
"We all miss you, you know." I tell her.
"Me too. I really wanted to help you plan the wedding, but things here have been crazy."
"I get that."
We continue to talk for the next 30 minutes. She jokes about her current work situation, but I can sense something is wrong. I don't say it, but there is definitely something bothering her. She might try to hide it all behind a smile, but I can still sense it.
"And you know how it—," she pauses mid sentence, "let's talk tomorrow."
She doesn't wait for my reply and cuts the phone. I frown in confusion.
Suddenly a strong arm wraps around my abdomen and pushes me in. My back collides with a very strong and masculine chest. A very familiar scent fills my nostril and I immediately lean back in the comfort of his hold. I can feel his heart beating in a strong, powerful and rhythmic beat.
"You are home early."
"I am," he says and places his face between the crook of my neck and draws in a deep breath. Grazing his lips along my neck he presses a soft kiss against my jaw. My entire body breaks in goosebumps, being aware of his every movement.
I turn around to face him. "How are you feeling?" He asks.
"Exactly how I have been feeling for the last three days, healthy." My voice sounds different to my own ears and I immediately shut my mouth.
I let my eyes move all over his face as my fingers trace a path along his cheeks and his subtle beard. Then my eyes fall on his lips and refuse to move anywhere else. His perfect, pink, plump lips.
He brings out his tongue and moves it across his lips. My mouth waters at such a simple action. I lift my eyes towards his', only to find him looking down at me with darkened gaze and dilated pupils.
Slowly rising on my toes I press my lips against his'. And the moment our lips collide he takes the charge, his hold around my lower back tightens and he lifts me up deepening the kiss further. His tongue strokes against mine and all my tiredness from the day washes away.
The kiss is soft, tender and yet it consumes my entire body. My skin heats with the need for more and I press myself tightly against him, grinding myself against his hard chest. His teeth graze along my lower lip and when he bites them softly, a little moan escapes my mouth.
We continue to devour each other and only break apart after what feels like forever. We both breathe frantically. Our chests move up and down at a fast pace.
"I missed you...., your smile....,your fragrance and...your mouth," he says in a husky voice, the type of voice that sends rumbles down my entire body.
"And I missed you even more," I murmur and press my forehead against his chest. He holds me gently and runs his hand in my hair.
"How was your day?" I ask him.
"I was waiting for it to end, so that I could come back to you."
I hit him lightly in the chest. "Don't flirt with me. I really want to know how it was."
"It's the truth. I missed you the entire day."
"Yet you only called once," I raise my head up to meet his gaze.
"Well, take that up with your girl gang," he brings one of his hands around my face, while the other is still holding me still, and tucks my hair behind my ear, "they all warned me to not distract you with my constant calls and messages."
I smile.
Of course they did.
Before I can say anything a voice distracts us. "Vanie!" Sidya's voice echoes in the doorway and we both turn around. She is walking towards us, her eyes fixed on the screen in front of her.
"I need you..," she slides the glass door of the balcony and lifts her head up. When her eyes land on Aadi and me she freezes.
"You need what?" I ask. I am still pressed against his chest and his arms are still around me.
"Yes, what do you need, wild cat?" Aadi raises his eyebrow at her.
She frowns and her mouth turns downward with distaste. "And one would think you would have picked up manners by now. But guess not."
"Well, it's you who lacks manners. It's my house, you shouldn't be entering places without knocking, and especially not when a couple is spending quality time."
She narrows her eyes at him and an evil grin spreads across her face, she steps back a little.
"Dadi!" She shouts. "Come here on the balcony. I have something to show you."
"Show what? Can't I hug my fiancée now? Huh?"
"Of course you can. But not before 8 PM. You were told not to disturb us before that. And here you are distracting our bride to be. I imagine what Dadi will say when she sees you breaking the rules she made," she shakes her head, "poor start, Aadish Arya. It's really awful when your in-laws don't like you. Instead of sneaking in like this, you should try staying in the good graces of Dadi," she says in a teasing tone.
"What rules?!" I look at both of them. "Did you ban him from entering his own house?"
None of them answers. Both of them continue to smirk at each other with a devilish grin. Like they both can't wait to prove the other wrong.
Then Aadi bends down and slowly whispers in my ears, "just wait."
Dadi approaches us. She takes one look at us and another at Sidya. "What?" She asks her.
Sidya says nothing, but gestures to Dadi to look at us. "He broke your rules."
Dadi looks back at us. She smiles a little taking in the sight of me and Aadi holding each other. A part of me shies away and wants to push Aadi away, but then the other wants to hold him closer to herself as she shows him to her Dadi. Her eyes meet mine and I can see the happiness shining in her eyes and then she gives me a little nod of approval.
Then she turns around to face Sidya. "No, he did not. I told him to come home. We are leaving and I didn't want Vanie to be alone, she is still recovering."
I roll my eyes, "I am fine now. Stop treating me like I am still sick."
But before she can tell me that I still need to rest and take care of myself, Sidya straightens and brings Dadi's attention to herself.
"No, I am not leaving," Sidya says and looks at Aadi like she wants to lunge forward and strangle him.
Dadi shakes her head and walks away without trying to convince her. We all are familiar with her stubbornness by now. Dadi doesn't even care anymore and that makes me laugh a little.
"Yes, you are." Aadi tells her and then motions his hand towards the door telling her to leave us alone.
"Nope."
"What is it you have against me?" Aadi asks.
"Everything," she says with a grin on her face and then winks towards me.
She is toying with him and enjoying it. I shake my head at her. Since the past week the two have developed a weird bond. And I am very grateful for it. They are always bickering, arguing and teasing each other like siblings.
Aadi glares at her, and I am sure he is holding himself back from saying something. I can already feel the wheels turning in Sidya's head, like she is planning something to make him even more miserable, to tease him. And for some reason it's exciting and something I am anticipating.
"Now that I am free, I think I am just gonna watch a movie or something in your living room." She looks at him mischievously, waiting for his reaction.
"As long as you don't disturb me and my lovely bride, I don't care what you do."
"Oh! Sorry, my bad. I meant let's all watch a movie together. We have finally started to bond, and I hate you a little less now. So, we should keep working on our relationship," she motions towards me with her hand, "for Vanie's sake."
Aadish doesn't say a word. He stands there completely still, like he is finding a way to tell her off, to get out of his space.
"You finish all your lovey dovey business, I will find a movie for us to watch till then." She waves her fingers in the air, flips her hair back and walks out of the balcony towards the living room.
When there is no one except us, I look up and meet his eyes. "It's just a movie."
And he shakes his head dramatically and slowly whispers, "fine."
We walk towards the living room, hands in hand. Sidya has already made herself comfortable on the couch, while she waits for us. She motions for me to join her with her left hand, and browses the movies with the remote in her right hand.
Before I can walk towards her, Aadi pulls me back, "she isn't sitting with you." He holds me around my abdomen and pulls me in. And for some reason my cheeks start burning.
"Well, I prefer sitting with Aadi." She instantly looks up, like I have betrayed her and spoiled her plan. I send an apologetic look towards her.
Her eyes look straight into mine, like whispering, you could have at least gone with my plan for a little while.
And in this moment I realise I have everything I have ever ached for. I have a family. No matter how much they pretend to hate each other, both of them have equally grown to care for each other. There is something in this moment that I have never felt before, home. People say home is a place, but for me it's a feeling. A feeling that makes my heart swell with love and happiness. A feeling that just made me feel warmth.
And I am going to hold onto it for as long as I can. This is my home. These people are my home.
Dadi is my home, Ishani is my home and even though I have just met Rooh and Aadish's mother, they have become my home too.
I bend back and press a soft kiss against Aadi's cheek, "I love you," I slowly whisper.
He looks down at me with complete affection, like I am his sun, his light.
Then he bends and presses a kiss against my forehead. My stomach breaks into a kaleidoscope of butterflies.
"Okay, don't make me feel bad for not leaving," Sidya says softly.
And a laughter erupts from my throat and I shake my head at her. "I am glad you are here."
"And apparently I am too," Aadi says softly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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