My (fake) Wedding

ISHQBAAZI

October, Two Years Later

It was a perfect day for a wedding. Brightly coloured butterflies flitted from flower to flower, pausing to drink the sweet nectar inside while the crystal blue lake of Oberoi Udaivilas glistened under the sun's brilliant rays. Monsoon had slowly drifted in on the spring wind, wakening with the kind of warmth that flows to the core. The birdsong drifts as well as any pollen. It's a truly magical atmosphere.

There were hundreds of guest - from top political influencers, bollywood celebrities & business associates. Waiters moved through the garden silently, carrying trays filled with different mocktails and champagne glasses and hors d'oeuvres in all shapes and sizes as the guests mingled with one another. When it was time for the ceremony to commence the waiters disappeared and they ushered everyone to take their seats. The mandap that stood in front of the lake was decorated beautifully with draping floral curtains in the bride's favourite colours. Rows and rows of chairs stood alongside the stage which too was decorated with oversized rose and crystal balls - every minute or so the later would come to life with fireworks.

Next to the priest stood the groom and his brother who smiled politely to those who greeted them. As his brother spoke to the priest for a moment the man of the hour shuffled nervously, something that caused his companion a great deal of amusement.

"Keep dancing like that and people are going to think you need to use the bathroom," his brother joked.

"Shut it," the groom glared, pulling at his collar. "Is it me or is it really hot today?"

"It's you, this is a perfectly breezy day for an outside wedding otherwise."

The groom groans. "What's taking them so long?"

"Would you stop fidgeting? You are acting like a damn child!"

"I think I'm going to throw up."

"You aren't going to throw up."

The groom shakes his head, his face going somewhat green. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"You aren't going to throw up! You aren't going to make a show of any kind when this wedding took so much preparation in short time at the cost of our sanity!"

"I feel like everyone's staring at me....."

"No one is staring at you! No one gives a damn about you when all they want to see is the bride and what she's bloody well wearing! You're only duty is to smile, hold her hands, perform the rituals, cut the cake, and get to the fun portion of tonight."

"Please tell me that the party speech you have planned for tonight is better than this prep talk - "

All source of conversation comes to an abrupt end as the soft music of Din Sagna da begins the anticipation of arrival of the bride, the music drifting through the garden without efforts.

"Last chance to run," Rudra says, turning towards the opposite end of the mandap where Viren and Sahil came into view holding the phoolon ki chaddar in their hands.

The bridal party which consists of three ladies is next to follow down the flowered path towards the mandap.

"Do you see her? I don't see her. What if she ran off or something?" the groom turned towards his brother who rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Would you just stand still and keep your mouth shut for the first time in your life?"

"You're a terrible brother I hope you know that, Here I am having a bloody panic attack and you're judging me -"

"Keep talking and I'm going to throw you in the lake. Haven't made this body for show you know."

"Why you -"