Chapter 22: Mehndi and Haldi

It was the Mehendi function today, which means Meera is going to come face to face with Shourya. It would be the first time she's seeing him after he told her that he loved her. She was so embarrassed thinking of that night, once he told her she felt like time had stopped and it was just the two of them.

And obviously, she ended up being covered in her blush, she looked down and no matter what Shourya would do, she just wouldn't look up. Overwhelmed by the confession, Meera had ended up hugging Shourya, arms around his waist, face buried in his chest. They stayed like that for a while.

"Meera! Are you ready?" Virat calls, taking her out of her dreamland.

"Yes bhai, bas abhi aayi!"

(Yes brother, I'm just coming!)

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Meera was seated on the large swing decorated with flowers. She had two mehendi artists working on her hands and feet, decorating her with various different patterns and motifs. She watches her fiancé getting teased by Virat and Anushka. Her brother had a comedic side to him that comes out once in a while and it looks like today was one of those days.

Meera's thoughts wandered back to their sangeet night, she hadn't spoken to Shourya since then. He loves her. She blushes at the memory of his confession. She had fallen in love with him too. She knows that, all she thinks about is him. There's no one else in this world like him. He's everything to her.

But how will she tell him, she wants him to know she feels the same way but is too shy to even fathom the thought of vocalising her feelings. Meera gazes down at her left palm, the artist was hiding Shourya's name near the peacock made on the corner of her palm. And just like that, she got an idea as to how she would express her feelings.

Meera's eyes look around to confirm no one is nearby before she leans down to the artist to make a request.

"Ummm excuse me, can I ask for a favour please?"

"Of course! What can I do for you?"

"Ummm, can you please, ah, write something for me on my ring ringer?"

"Sure, what do you want to write?"

"Ummm, I- well. Can you please write ah. . . . I . . uh. I love you. Please?"

"Of course."

"But really small, so no one can see unless I point it out."

"Okay."

The artist smiles at the blushing bride before fulfilling her request.

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"Suna hai ki mehendi ka raang jitna gehra hota hai, pati utna hi zaada pyaar krta hai!" Virat teases, winking at the chuckling Muskaan.

(I've heard that the deeper the colour of the mehendi, the more your husband loves you!)

"Aachaji, toh yeh kya hai?" Anushka shows him her hands. Muskaan's laughter grew louder at that. The women had just washed their hands so their mehendi stain was not too deep yet. Meera, however, had not washed her hands yet.

(Oh really, then what is this?)

The couple were seated on the swings together taking on the teasing, they had been teased all day. They were being teased when the artist said she had hidden Shourya's name on Meera's hand, they were being teased when Shourya was feeding Meera when he was fanning Meera to reduce the heat for her, they were teased when he would move strands of hair out of her eyes, even when he would go over to make sure she's okay.

"Accha chalo, mere bachon ko taang mat karo. Ab Shourya beta ne Meera ke haath mein aapna naam doodhna hai." Rohini says to calm the joking group down.

(Alright leave it, don't trouble my children. Now Shourya has to find his name in Meera's mehendi.)

"Haan bhai! Dhoondo dhoondo. Aur agar nahi mila toh Meera Bhabhi jo kahengi krna padega. Jo mangegi dena padega" Riya adds.

(Yes bhai, look for it. And if you can't find it then you have to do whatever Meera bhabhi says. Get her anything she asks for.)

"But koi time limit bhi toh honi chahiye na! Bhai aapke paas sirf 5 minutes hai." Aarav says as he pulls out the timer on his phone. Meera forewards her hands towards her soon to be husband, and he hovers his hands under her palms, careful not to ruin the hard work of the artists.

(But there has to be a time limit. Bhai, you only get 5 minutes.)

"And in 3, 2, 1. . . Go!" Aarav declares. Meera giggles at the sight of Shourya's concentrated face, he was really focused on her palms.

"Bhai teen minute reh gaye hai! Jaldi dhoondo na." Aarav was clearly on his brother's side.

(Bhai, you only have three minutes! Find it quickly.)

"Bas abhi mil jayega," Shourya replies causing Meera to giggle louder.

(I'll just find it now.)

He was really struggling, "Bhai ek minute reh gaya!"

(Bhai, one minute!)

Shourya uses his finger to skim over her palm, his fingers itching towards the peacock, he's almost there.

"Times up!"

"Shourya jiju haar gaye! Di jo mangna hai mang lo!"

(Shourya jiju has lost! Di, ask for whatever you want!)

"Haan Bhabhi, bhai aapko bilkul bhi mana nahi kr payenge! Kuch bhi maang lo!"

(Yes bhabhi, bhai can't even say yes! Ask for absolutely anything!)

Shourya shakes his head before saying, "nahi, ek aur baar! Itne chote chote designs hai, kaise milega naam?"

(No, one more turn! The designs are so small and intricate, how would I have found it?)

"Haan bhai ko ek aur chance milna chahiye!"

(Yes, bhai should get one more turn!)

Meera shakes her head at them as Muskaan and Riya protest, "Nahi, dusra chance kyun? Bhai ko pehli baar mein hi doondhna tha!" The two teams began to argue and create a ruckus, getting louder by the minute. The elders kept looking at them, trying to calm them down.

(No, why a second chance? He had to find it in the first turn!)

"Accha accha, Shourya ko ek chance aur de do, agar is bar nahi mila to woh haar maan lega. Thik hai." Sunita Devi pronounces, stopping the fights.

(Okay okay, Shourya gets one more chance. If he can't find it this time, then he loses. Okay.)

Meera puts her hands forward again for the final chance. Again Shourya was focused, feeling the pressure of winning. His eyes were skimming over the Taj Mahal on her right hand when her left hand moves slightly. What?

After a second the hand moves again. Shourya looks up at Meera, she looks at him and then moves her eyes to her left hand. She does it a few times, before subtly wriggling her left hand again. Why?

And then it clicked, she was taking pity on his miserable condition and was giving him a hint. Shourya moved his eyes back to her left hand. "Bhai, ek minute reh gaya hai! Jaldi!"

(Bhai, only one minute is left! Quick!)

He's look over this hand. Last time he was near the peacock. "30 seconds!"

His eyes look at the peacock and then around it. "15!"

He skims around the bottom of the peacock. "10 seconds!"

His eyes went near the feathers and looks closer.

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2" "Bhai!"

"Found it!"

"I found it, here near the feathers of the peacock."

Meera gazes at her fiancé, who was extremely proud of his accomplishment. It was all over his face, especially his huge toothy grin.

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The Rao's and Singhania's had decided to do the Haldi together, even though that wasn't the traditional way of doing things. The bride and groom were seated on their seats next to each other, ready for the ritual, however, they were separated by a yellow curtain.

Suman and Rohini said that the bride and groom cannot see each other for the ritual and won't be meeting after this until the wedding. Which was going to be the day after tomorrow.

"Bhai, aapne naam toh dhoondh liya mehendi mein par humne aapko dusra chance diya tha. Is liye kam se kam ek baat toh Bhabhi ki maani hi hogi!" Riya was sitting on Shourya's side of the curtain infront of him, she was applying the haldi on him.

(Bhai, you found your name, but only because we generously gave you a second chance. Which is why you have to say yes to at least one of Bhabhi's demands.)

"Jo aapka hukum, meri pyaari behna!"

(Whatever you say, my sweet sister.)

Once Shourya's haldi was done, the Rao's started on Meera's. The women were singing folk songs as they apply the haldi. Shourya was trying to peek at what was happening on the other end, he was being mischievous, something he never was.

What he couldn't see was the unushered tears in his bride's eyes as her family took turns applying the haldi. It wasn't until Suraj and Virat made their way over to their princess that tears rolled out of her eyes. Shourya could hear her sniffles as the family gathered to console Meera.

Shourya looks over at his mother to see her wiping away tears, and he didn't notice when his own eyes started to water. His tears didn't fall out, but they were there. He knew the sacrifice Meera was going to make, moving away from her family, into his. But it was only now that it really started to set in. And another thing he understood, he could never make the sacrifice Meera was about to make to be with him and his family.

He gazed at her through the curtain, if it wasn't for the stupid curtain and traditions he would have taken Meera into his arms by now and made sure she was okay.

The Singhania's were standing on this side of the curtain giving the Rao's their moment to come to terms with the fact that very soon their little Meera isn't going to be with them every day anymore.