Hardik's POV
"Bhai, you did it." Krunal said to me as I got ready.
I tuned around and hugged him as he patted my back. "Thanks bhai." It was muffled in his sherwani. Today was probably one of the most important days of my life.
I was getting married today.
"Chalo, let's go." Shikhar bhai came into my room. "The auspicious time will go if you keep looking at yourself in the mirror."
I went down to my mom bawling and my dad trying to console her.
"Mera beta shaadi karne wala hai and you are telling me to calm down?" Ma was shrieking to papa, while Krunal was laughing in the corner.
"Chup kar, then it'll be your chance to get married." Ma spoke to him, which made him immediately stop laughing.
"Ma, I'll stay forever with you, you don't have to worry about me marrying anyone." He said, keeping his hand on Ma's shoulder. "For now, let's get him married." He said, pointing at me.
"Mera baccha." She came and hugged me. "You keep Eira safe, okay?"
"Yes, Ma." I said.
We went down to the pavilion where the marriage was going to be held. Almost all of the aunties and uncles stood up and offered me congratulations. I sat at the mandap, waiting for my bride.
Holy shit, Eira was my bride.
Eira was marrying me.
How the fuck did I get so lucky?
"What is this, Hardik?" Eira asked me as we were heading up to the terrace. We were in Antigua for the West Indies series and I had planned this for her.
"Wait, let's go up." I said, pushing the button for the terrace.
"You might not have a match tomorrow but you do have practise." She giggled as I traced her sides with my hand. "You need rest."
"Chalo na, don't be moody." I pulled her out of the elevator and opened the door to the terrace.
Immediately, her expression turned to one of awe. I had asked the people to decorate the entire place with fairy lights, keeping a table for two in the centre. On the side, there was a radio for music and the waiters would bring up the food.
"Wow, when did you do this?" She asked, going near the fairy lights.
"Last night." I hugged her from behind, feeling her curves being moulded into my body. I could never get tired enough to not feel her, she was exquisite.
"Let's eat?" I whispered in her ear, feeling goosebumps being formed on her shoulder from the scruff of my beard. God, I loved the reactions.
"Oye, kaha koh gaya?" Krunal pulled me from the memory. "Eira's always in your mind, huh?" He said and everyone within hearing range laughed.
"Bacche ko pyaar ho gaya hai." One of the uncles guffawed.
Just then, Eira came down the stairs, helped by Gia, followed by her cousins. She looked down, concentrating on her steps. Huh, Gia had finally forced her into heels.
As she reached the last step, she looked up and I was blown away. She looked beautiful and I couldn't believe that I was the lucky person who had her for the rest of my life. She smiled at the awestruck look I had on my face, while Gia giggled at Virat who wasn't able to control Giulia and Ayaan together.
As she reached the mandap, she sat down.
"Hey." She whispered, looking at me.
"You look so, so beautiful." I spoke out, holding her hand. "I really really like you."
She giggled. "I really really like you too."
As we took the saat phere, I remembered what I had told her the day I proposed.
I want to marry you because I want you to be the first person I wake up to and the last and only person I kiss at night. I can't live a moment without you and I need you with me, for every step of my life. So, um, will you marry me?
"Papa!" Karan shouted as I stood at the playground, seeing him play with Giulia and Eshan on the see saw. "Hiiiee." He shouted with glee, going up.
"Hello." I said, smiling at him, moving closer.
"Uncle, I want to eat icecream." Eshan said to me, after I helped him off the see saw. Being three, he was pretty smart.
"Acha, beta. Aur tumhari mummy mujhe maregi." I said, pinching his cheeks. "No icecream, you have a cold. And the same goes for both of you too." I looked up from Eshan to their faces, knowing that they would also ask.
"Aw." Giulia said, pouting. "Let's go play!"
After dropping the siblings off at Virat's home, Karan and I returned home, where Eira proceeded to change his clothes and serve us dinner, even after me protesting.
"Yaar, you're pregnant. You can't do all this." I said, pulling her body closer to mine as we saw TV on low volume, as Karan had gone to bed after dinner.
"I'm not an invalid." She laughed. "Gia was right, you would become so overprotective, na!"
"Whatever." I said, keeping my head on her shoulder and my hand on her belly. "It's so going to be a girl, I can tell."
"Ha ha, you say that." She said. "It's going to be a boy, again. Mother knows best, remember?"
"Whatever, as long as it is healthy." I said, breathing in. "I really really like you."
"I really really like you too, bubba." She kissed me on the cheek.
Ola, habibi💛
At first I was so going down a depressive route, I swear. Let's just say, if the chapter had gone the way I had actually planned it, you would've been cursing and crying right now.
But since it's only the first bonus chapter, I thought let's lay off the depressive stuff.