Annika was crying all through the journey till Oberoi Mansion. Not once had he tried to comfort or even talk to her. He looked everywhere but straight at her as if her tears would prick his heart. What bugged her the most was the fact that he wasn't even sitting beside her.
The car jerked stop. They arrived in Oberoi Mansion. Annika wiped her tears and took a look at the mansion, which was soon to be her residence.
Home? She didn't know. Home was where love is. And her said husband, Shivaay, showed no signs of care, let alone love.
The door of the car opened. She turned to find him holding out the door for her. She stepped down. With her first step, she tripped over his feet. He was quick to hold her. Her breath hitched due to the proximity. The attraction was killing her. Now that he was her husband, she had to be careful in every step.
***
They entered the mansion. It was huge, but not that big compared to her old home. She wasn't a snob to care about it though, she just wanted him to be good to her.
Kalyani arrived with a thaali for aarti and a pot filled with grains of rice. Priyanka came with a plate filled with liquid red kumkum, alta.
Kalyani applied tilak on each of Shivaay's and Annika's foreheads. She moved away. Annika came forward and tilted the pot filled with rice grains by her right foot. She stepped in alta and later walked inside the house. This ritual was symbolic to the entrance goddess Lakshmi in the home.
Then Annika dipped both of her palms in the alta and placed her finger imprints on the wall. She just left her mark on this home.
"Good, this ends the rituals" Kalyani announced.
"But Dadi, games?" Rudra asked.
"We will do them tomorrow. For now, let them rest," she replied.
Annika smiled faintly. She was tired, no exhausted. Yet, she looked forward to these games. Maybe those small things will help her fit into this family, and mingle with them easily. She wanted to know Shivaay as well. She waited for them to be in the privacy of their room where she could finally have a heart to heart talk with him.
Om and Priyanka escorted them till Shivaay's room, now theirs, and left after wishing good night.
***
Annika entered his room. It had a blue theme. She liked his room. It was theirs now. She had the right to change it, but she decided against that. She liked the blues in his room, especially the way the water from the swimming pool nearby was reflected in the huge backdrop picture. There were orchids and roses lying on the bed. The room was decorated with fresh exotic flowers.
"I like your room," she complimented.
"Our room," he corrected her, "if you don't like it, you can change the interiors."
"No," she was quick to protest, "I really loved this blue theme."
Shivaay stepped inside and sat on the couch. She sat beside him.
"Tired?" she sighed.
"Very much," he replied.
"Indian weddings are hell tiring," she commented.
"How many did you attend?" he asked since she was speaking like she knew a lot about it.
"Not many to remember. The last one I attended was of a business associate when I was twenty. And then I went to Oxford to study. I was between my friends more than family. And all my friends are still unmarried, you see," she noted.
He hummed realizing that she was too young for this relationship unless she was more mature than her age. He had no idea what to talk to her, how to make her feel comfortable. Neither did she spoke up.
On the other hand, she was waiting for him to say something.
Five minutes of awkward silence later, Annika held open her palms to him. He glanced at the intricate design made on both of her palms. His name was not easily visible.
"Will you look for your name on my hand?" she asked. She wanted to be comfortable with him, to make him her friend. Having no other idea, she settled on this one.
Shivaay looked all over her palm. After two minutes, he left searching and stood up.
"I don't think it's written. Even if it is, that doesn't matter. This game is no fun," he announced and left for the restroom to change.
Annika's little heart broke. She didn't want his love. Not when she could not promise him the same. She just wanted his friendship. Each of his actions intentionally or unintentionally worked against that.
Once he came out, she entered the bathroom to change. He paced inside his room, now hers too. This was one moment to remember. 'Are they going to share the bed?' He thought. Will she want him to provide her the warmth of a husband? Was he ready for this?
She came out. Their eyes met. Breaking the contact, she settled on the right side of the bed.
"That's my side," Shivaay spoke up.
Annika nodded and stood up to sit on the left side.
"Let's sleep" she insisted.
"Are you comfortable sharing the bed?" he asked.
Annika hummed, "Are you not?"
Shivaay shook his head. He had no problem. He just wanted her to be comfortable. He laid on his side of the bed. Annika followed suit. She was lying on his bed, their bed. She closed her eyes and reprimanded herself. They were married and married couples do share one bed, in love or not. And one day or the other, she had to face the moment she dreaded as of now.
Facing opposite sides, they slept.
Towards the middle of the night, Shivaay rolled in his bed. He was stuck. His subconscious mind was confused since he knew that his bed was not small for him to get stuck just by one roll. He opened his eyes to find Annika. He sighed. He had a wife now, one who was sharing the bed with him.
He peeked at her sleeping figure. She looked so cute while sleeping. How was he going to control? He had no bad intentions, but poor him was going to suffer due to the attraction he felt towards his wife.
***
Annika woke up to find herself in an unknown place the next morning. Then it clicked her. She was married. This was her husband's house, his bed. 'She still had to get used to calling his things as theirs,' she thought.
'But when he is not hers from the heart, how can his things be hers?' Her inner voice spoke up.
Shoving those thoughts, she got up from the bed to get ready for the day.
What should she wear? A saree? That was not her type. But wasn't she supposed to wear a saree on her first day at her new home? Again, she firmly believed she should wear what she was comfortable in. She was proud of her choice in fashion and would wear that only.
With that set, she took a shower and got ready in a floral print bonhomie dress.
About saree, she could wear it in the evening when her muh dikhai function would take place.
Shivaay was up by then. He got ready in his formals and passed by the mirror. She stood there combing her hair. He observed as she adorned the mangalsutra around her neck and applied the sindoor on her maang. He also noticed that she wasn't wearing a saree, something that new brides traditionally do on their first day at home.
Again, did he care? Not really.
But what caught his attention was the fact that while she won't wear a saree , she would still wear sindoor and mangalsutra. So what opinion of her could he form? Was she traditional or liberal? Or wearing sindoor and mangalsutra didn't have to do anything with a person's beliefs. It was rather a choice.
If it was her choice, he couldn't help but feel peace in mind for reasons unknown to him too.
Her eyes met his through the mirror. He was looking at her. His mouth was slightly open. 'Was he attracted to her the way she was attracted to him?' She thought.
The next moment she frowned. Even if he was, this was an attraction, not love or friendship like she wanted.
A knock on the door disturbed the moment.
***
"Bhaiya-Bhabhi, are you ready?" Priyanka came inside.
Shivaay cleared his throat, "I am."
"Dadi is waiting for both of you. Come downstairs" she informed.
Annika smiled faintly. A bride has two go-to people in her new home: her husband and her mother-in-law. And here she was unaware of her husband's stance in the marriage. And Kalyani? She couldn't feel the warmth or the feeling of acceptance from the old lady.
***
Shivaay descended the stairs with Annika following him. Both of them bent down to take Kalyani's blessings.
Kalyani touched Shivaay's head and uttered, "Stay happy, always."
Annika frowned. Kalyani could have touched her at least.
Both she and he stood up. Rudra came with a large bowl filled with milk and placed it on a table between two chairs.
"Shivaay, Annika, sit opposite each other," Kalyani asked and Annika obeyed. Shivaay stood there.
"Shivaay, go" Kalyani insisted, but Shivaay remained where he was.
"Dadi, please. I don't have time for these childish games. I am needed in the office." he explained.
Annika became nervous and started to play with the edge of her dress. Should she ask him to stay? With what right? As his wife, of course. But what if he shoos her away? She won't handle his rude behavior.
"Shivaay, no more words. Just sit and play this game with your wife." Kalyani stated. Annika smiled a bit. The elder lady did accept her as Shivaay's wife. But she wanted to be welcomed as the daughter-in-law as well.
Shivaay sat down opposite her. Om and Rudra stood on either side of Shivaay. Priyanka stood by her right side. Kalyani placed a ring inside the bowl and mixed the milk inside it. Then she stood by Annika's left.
"Now Billu, Annika, find the ring. We will have three rounds. The one who wins the most is the winner" Kalyani announced.
"Dadi, what childish game is it?" Shivaay asked. He noticed Annika suppressing her chuckle. Was she laughing at the name Billu? For the first time in his life, he cursed the moment Kalyani started calling him that.
"Bhaiya, stop complaining, start enjoying," Rudra said and Shivaay sighed. He looked straight at Annika. She was not demanding anything from him. It was his family. He wondered if she was uncomfortable between them. If she was, he just hoped he can change it.
As per Kalyani's instructions, Shivaay and Annika immersed their hand inside the bowl and started to find the ring.
The first was won by Annika, and Shivaay won the second one.
Shivaay's competitive streak allowed him to play the third round with much passion, which was unexpected from him. She was no less. Annika found the ring, and Shivaay held her wrist under the milk mixture. Both at the same time. She took out the ring from the bowl. He realized he was holding her hand.
She got the ring, but he got her.
Breaking the contact, Shivaay stood up and wiped his hands with a napkin. Annika followed suit.
"Now Annika, it's time for you to start your pehli rasoi. Let me show you the kitchen." Kalyani said.
Annika was nervous. She wanted to go back to her home. She can't cook!
Shivaay noticed the worried expression on her face.
"What happened, Bhabhi?" Om defeated Shivaay in asking the question first.
Annika faced the truth. She was in her in-laws' house, and people expected certain things from her. She worried if she would be able to meet those expectations.
"Nothing" she assured herself more than anyone else.
"Great, now follow me to the kitchen," Kalyani smiled and made her way to the kitchen.
"Papa," Annika muttered under her breath and followed Kalyani.
Shivaay didn't fail to notice Annika's unusual expressions. Could she cook?, he thought.
He must do something. The last thing he would want was for her to be embarrassed in her new home on her first day.
Precap: 'Billu ji'