And the last chapter is hereeeeeeeee!
Ready for it?
Here we go then!
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*3 Months later*
"Elena? Shona ready hui ki nahin? Gaye Holud (Haldi) ka mahurat ho gaya hai, ussey neechey lekar ao" Asha yelled at the top of her voice so that her voice could be clearly heard above the ruckus that all the guests present there were creating. She was sure she would go mad even before the wedding took place that evening.
According to tradition they were holding the Haldi on the morning of the wedding. Even though Sangeet was not a part of the Bengali tradition, they had celebrated Sonakshi and Dev's Sangeet the day before. After all, Sangeet was a part of Dev's community tradition. Both families needed to honour each other's values and traditions. So both the families had agreed to hold all the events according to both their traditions.
As Elena yelled back a, "Haan Mashi. Sona ko lekar aa rahi hoon main" Asha sighed in relief and turned to Saurabh. "Shona jahan baithegi, woh jagah theek kiya naah tumneye?" Saurabh nodded his head vigorously, "Haan ma. Sab ready hai. Aur Daadi ko maine Shankh nikal ke de bhi diya hai" he informed his mother. Asha smiled, "Thank you Saurabh. Tere rehtey mujhey zyada chinta bilkul nahin karni padti." Just as Asha patted Saurabh lovingly, she heard someone say, "Aur main? Meri shaabashi kahan gayi Aunty?" Asha turned around to see Ritwik holding the tray that had the container of Haldi which was to be applied on Sonakshi during the ritual.
Asha's smiled grew larger, "Arey, tujhey toh bada wala hug dungi main. Mere dono beto neye toh meri saari problems duur kardi!" Putting the tray in the right place she turned around and gave Ritwik a hug. "arey Aunty, aap jab mujhey beta kehti ho naah, bohot achha lagta hai. Mom dad ke janey ke baad seye, aap aur Bijoy uncle hi unka khalipan duur kar saktey ho" He told Asha smiling sadly. "Dhatt pagal. Aisi baatein nahin kartey. Bete ko beta hi kahungi naah? Ab yeh sad baatein na karkeye jaakey guests ko sambhalo" she shooed him away from there along with Saurabh and went ahead to check all the arrangements for the last time before Sonakshi came down.
Just as Asha finished her last minute inspection she almost bumped into her husband who seemed to be pacing the floor seriously. "Bijoy? Kya ho gaya tumheye?" She asked him, concerned. "Asha, Shona kab nichey ayegi? Jitni der yahan hogi, utni der wahan hogi. Yeh haldi Jamai babu ke ghar bhi toh bhejna hai naah. Aur Shaadi ke venue pe 7 bajey tak pohunchna hai. Aise kaise hoga?" He said all in one breathe, stressed about his daughter's wedding. "Arey calm down Bijoy sab ho jayega. Aur dekho-" And she paused. Bijoy looked up from the floor, "Kya hua? Ruk kyun gayi?" Asha pointed behind him and said, "Shona aa gayi." Bijoy quickly turned around to see his daughter looking like a fairy in the pretty yellow saree that he and Asha had chosen for their little princess, specifically.
Sonakshi came straight to her father, "Dekho baba, theek lag rahi hoon na main?" Bijoy smiled at this and said, "Bilkul pari lag rahi hai meri bachhi" saying this he hugged her tight. Sonakshi felt satisfied that she had been able to make her ma and baba happy. Letting her go, Bijoy guided her to the place where she would sit so that they could start the ritual. As per tradition, Asha was the first one to put haldi on her while Daadi played the shankh. One by one everyone put haldi on Sonakshi.
Once the last relative applied Haldi on Sonakshi, Ritwik and Saurabh sneaked up on Elena and put Haldi on her face. Elena screamed and said, "Aap dono ko toh main nahin chodungi!" And that is how they started a haldi war among themselves while Sonakshi just sat there laughing her heart out at her mad family's antics. "Main inn sabko bohot miss karungi" she thought to herself sadly as she watched them have fun.
Finally the Haldi was sent to the Dixits on time and they could also complete the ritual perfectly. Sonakshi sat quietly while Elena brushed her hair. She had finished wearing the Benarasi, which had been Asha's bridal outfit in her own marriage. Sonakshi had always dreamt of wearing it and this was the perfect moment. So they had decided that she would wear this as her own bridal outfit too. As Elena finished styling Sonakshi's hair with the flower around her bun she asked her sister, "Zyada tight to nahin hai na Sona?" Sonakshi smiled at Elena through the mirror, "Bilkul nahin. Teri hairstyling is perfect as always. Isiliye toh main tujhey itna trust karti hoon ki maine professional bulaney se mana kar diya" she told her sister proudly.
Elena gave her sister a big hug, "Thanks Sona. Main tujhey bohot zyada miss karungi. Tu mujhey wahan jakey bhool toh nahin jayegi naah?" Sonakshi hit Elena on the forehead and said, "Pagal. Kuch bhi bolti ho!" She took out her favourite earrings from her drawer and gave it to Elena, "Tujhey yeh bohot pasand the naah? Toh yeh main tujhey dekar jaa rahi hoon. Sambhalkey rakhna okay? Nahin toh maar khayegi!" Elena was almost in tears. She knew how much those earrings meant to her. Saurabh had bought this for Sona with his first salary. And she refused to share it. If she was giving it to Elena now, it was a huge thing. "Thank you Sona. I promise main iska achhey se khayal rakhungi!" She said smiling through her tears.
The sisters shared another emotional hug. To an outsider it must have seemed like a small exchange, but that small exchange held a lot of value for both the sisters and it described their relationship beautifully. Just then Sonakshi's phone started ringing and she smiled to see it was Dev. Elena wiped her tears and snatched the phone off the table and answered it before Sonakshi could blink. "Helloooo Jeeju! Pata hai naah Shaadi se pehley mil nahin saktey aap dono" she giggled. Dev smiled at his sister-in-law's antics and said, "Mil kahan rahey hai Ele? Buss baat hi toh karna hai" he said into the phone while fixing the topmost button of his sherwani. "Theek hai theek hai chalo de detey hai baat karneye" Elena laughed and gave the phone to Sonakshi with a wink.
Leaving her alone to talk to Dev, Elena left the room closing the door behind her. Sonakshi put the phone on speaker so that she could talk to him while wearing the jewellery. That was the last thing she needed to do to complete her look for her marriage. "Ready ho gaye aap?" She asked Dev. Dev's smile grew wider hearing her voice, "yes ma'am. Aapkey to-be pati ready hai. Buss Sehra pehenna baaki hai, jo pata nahin Nikki neye kahan rakh di" he said looking for his Sehra.
Sonakshi laughed while putting the second set of bangles on her left hand. "Mr. Dixit, aap kisikey pati banney ja rahey hai, ab toh apney kapdeye khud dhoondkey rakhiye!" Dev quickly stopped looking and said to Sonakshi in mock anger, "yeh kya Ms. Bose, apneye hone waaley pati ko koi aisa daanta hai kya." Sonakshi giggled again, "Jaiye ab. Thodi der me milengey. Mujhey abhi bohot kaam hai." Dev stood beside the window and smiled at Sonakshi's bossy instructions. "Jo hukum Ma'am. Mujhseye aur intezaar nahin ho raha. Aap buss jaldi Mrs. Dixit ban ke aa jaiye mere paas humesha ke liye" he told her fondly.
"Patience Mr. Dixit. Thoda sa ruk jaiye. Phir toh humesha ke liye aapko mere saath hi bandh ke rehna hai" she told him teasingly. "Aisi baatein mat karo Sonakshi" he replied seriously. "Mujhey yeh bandhan humesha khush rakhega. I am sure about that. Tum meri life ki best decision ho" he said to her lovingly.
Sonakshi became teary eyed and said, "Same here Dev. In 3 mahiney meye aap keye saath itney keemti pal bitakey I am even more sure now that you are the other half to my soul." Dev smiled. "Achha Miss Bose. Ready ho jaiye aap. I will be waiting to see you." Wearing the last necklace Sonakshi replied, "Main Bhi Dev. I love you." "I love you too, Miss Bose." He said happily. Before hanging up Sonakshi laughed mischievously and said, "it's Dr. Bose for you!" And Dev just nodded his head from side to side fondly, thinking of his cute rabbit.
On the other hand as Sonakshi cut the call, Asha came into room. "Shona, ready?" Sonakshi turned to her mother and stood up. "Haan Ma, dekho!" Asha stared at her daughter and then wiped a tear that had rolled out. "Meri Shona kitni badi ho gayi. Vishwas hi nahin ho raha ki aaj teri shaadi hai." She caressed her daughter's cheek's proudly. Bijoy also came into the room at the moment and said, "Tumhari Shona? Shona humari hai. Samjhi Asha?" And he brought the two of them in for a group hug. "Main aap dono ko bohot miss karungi, ma baba." Bijoy disgreed and said, "Nahin Shona, hum tumheye zyada miss karengey" Sonakshi laughed. "Aap dono zyada ladai mat karna. Dada aur Elena aapko akeley sambhaal nahin Payengey" she told them matter of factly and got a light smack on both of her cheeks from her mother and father in return.
"Mujhey pata hai ki tum sab sambhaal logi, par kabhi bhi kuch bhi problem ho, toh batana" Bijoy told his daughter. "Par mujhey pata hai Dev koi problem hone nahin dega" he said, sure of the fact that his Son-in-law was a good man who would take excellent care of his little princess. "Haan baba. Dev mera khayaal rakhengey. Par aap dono abhi bhi mere ma baba rahengey, okay? Yeh bhool mat jana" and with that she received another loving whack on her forehead from her father, before Ritwik and Saurabh came in and literally pushed them out of the room and then the house so that they wouldn't be late to the wedding venue.
The Baraat arrived on time and Asha welcomed the Dixit's into the venue. Ishwari marveled at the set up made by the Bose family and said to Asha, "Bohot hi sundar sajawat hai. Par itne saarey intezaamo ki kya zaroorat thi, aap apni saabsey keemti cheez toh de hi rahi hai naah humein?" Asha smiled and said, "Ishwari ji, iklauti beti ki shaadi hai, armaan toh pura karneye hi the naah" Ishwari laughed at Asha'a honesty. In these three months, since Sonakshi and Dev had declared about their love to their families, Ishwari and Asha had bonded really well. While Asha liked how Ishwari had no arrogance because of their wealth, Ishwari had come to admire Asha because of the wonderful and sensible woman she was. They now had immense respect for each other. Ishwari had bonded with Bijoy too, but it was Asha who had become a very good friend to her. All these years she had been alone, looking after her kids and helping them grow up, because she had lost her husband long back.
Finding a friend in Asha had made her happy and she was ecstatic that she was not only going to get a wonderful daughter in law, but she had also found a real reliable friend and the best part was that her son was happy and content. Nothing could be better than that. As the Baraat settled into the venue, Sonakshi was brought down for the "Shubho Drishti" rasam where the bride would be put on a small wooden plank, which would be hauled up and the bride would be taken around the groom but she would be covering her face with two paan leaves. Only after this ritual was carried out, would the groom see his bride's face and then the main rituals of the marriage would begin.
The Dixits had never seen something like this and they enjoyed it a lot, especially Dev. It brought in a newfound excitement in him. When he finally saw his Sonakshi's face, he just couldn't stop staring. She looked absolutely beautiful and he just couldn't be any happier. Sonakshi too stared at her almost husband in awe. He looked like a Prince in his attire. She felt elated to realise that her "Prince" was standing right before her, ready to take the oath to make her his forever. As the ritual ended, the bride and the groom where taken to the mandap and after the completion of a great many wedding rituals, Dev put vermillion on his wife's forehead and finally they were man and wife forever.
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After the Griha Pravesh was completed and Sonakshi had given the small little gifts she had brought for her three sister-in laws, she was finally allowed to go into Dev's room to retire for the night. While she trudged up the stairs Dev said, "Tum jao, main aata hoon" and disappeared leaving Sonakshi utterly confused. Sighing she made her way into the room and was in awe of how beautifully it had been decorated. Sitting on the corner of the bed she looked lovingly around the room. Dev's room was now her room too and soon she would fill it with their pictures, she decided. Getting up from the bed she decided to take the jewellery off, to make herself more comfortable. By the time she finished that, Dev had still not come in. Sighing she went to the bathroom to loosen her hair pins. When she came out she saw Dev standing near the window facing her.
"Kahan chale gaye they aap?" She asked him annoyed. "Kyun, itney me hi miss karneye lagi mujhey aap, Ms. Bose?" Sonakshi walked up to him and flicked his nose saying, "It's Mrs. Dixit for you." While Dev laughed at Sonakshi's statement, she noticed he was hiding something behind his back. "Aapkey haath me kya hai Dev?" She enquired curiously. As she tried to reach for it, Dev stopped her. "Bataunga. Pehley bed pe baitho." Sonakshi went and quickly sat on the bed and Dev laughed again, seeing her eagerness. He went and sat on the floor near her feet and brought out his hand from behind his back and Sonakshi was surprised to see that it was a rose.
"Aap mere liye gulaab lekar aye?" She said smiling at her husband. "Haan. Par main issey aise hi nahin dunga." Sonakshi furrowed her brows, "Phir kaise?" Dev took her hand in his and said, "Pehley hum ek dusrey ko kuch promises karengey." Sonakshi waited for him to continue. "Mere saath rehna will not always be fairytale-ish Sonakshi. Difficult situations ayengey. Par hum unheye milke solve karengey, aur baat karna nahin chodengey. Yeh hai pehla promise. " Sonakshi smiled and said, "I promise hum aisa hi karengey." Satisfied Dev went on, "Doosri promise yeh hai ki, Hum kabhi problem me padey toh ek dusrey se share karengey, aur stress ho toh ek doosrey ko samajhneye ke liye time dengey, okay?" Sonakshi nodded, "Okay." Dev moved a bit closer to his wife and said, "Aur aakhri promise yeh hai, ki hum ek doosrey ka saath kabhi nahin chodengey, even if all the world is against us, okay?" Sonakshi held his hand tighter, "Kabhi bhi nahin."
Getting up and sitting beside Sonakshi on the bed he gave her the rose, "Toh yeh lijiye wifey. This rose is a welcome for you into my life and mine into yours." The moment Sonakshi accepted the rose, Dev swooped in for a kiss and sealed their fates. And after a blissful night of lovemaking, they officially became one forever.
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So it's over!
But I said two parts right? ;)
The epilogue is on the next page!
Hurry and scroll to the next page then! :D