Vodka on the rocks

And they fought happily ever after...

"I can't believe it Rao! How could you forget to invite my Dada and Vahini? I mean what!!! You promised you'll handle the invitations! And this is what you do? I mean if this is what is meant by handling then I shudder to think how your company is afloat till now!"

"Aei Saree Ka Dukaan! You have no idea how I run my business! So don't comment on it. And so what if I forgot? Message them now!"

"Right! And how will they reach here? You'll bring a wizard to magically make them appear here?"

"What nonsense are you spewing? Its okay na.. we'll call them in the reception!"

"Raghav!"

"What!"

"They are my only guardians! They need to be present in my wedding!"

Pallavi heard a series of loud and rough coughs from the background and she turned sheepishly to see a highly amused Deshmukh clan looking pointedly at her. She bit her tongue in embarrassment.

"Sorry.. what I mean is.. part of my family! How did you forget that.."

Raghav rolled his eyes so exaggeratedly that a bit more and it may have fallen off from his sockets.

"You had ten thousand and one guests in that list. I missed some of them. It was a mistake. Don't over react."

Pallavi stood up fuming and glared at him with her kohl lined eyes making them look huger on her beautiful face. Farhad looked at Harish with the corner of his eyes asking him in a sigh language to keep the fire brigade at stand bye. If by chance his Anna or the Rao Mansion catches on fire spontaneously, he would need a backup. Raghav looked up from where he was seated cross legged and met her furious gaze undauntedly and with a matching glare.

"I am over reacting!!! And what did you do yesterday when I threw that whiskey bottle!"

Raghav stood up immediately and everyone could see a flash of grief on his otherwise raving mad face which might have looked tragic in other circumstances but looked almost hilarious given the object of his consternations.

"Don't even remind me about it Pallavi! That was a limited edition. Do you even know how hard it was to find that precise age and flavour in today's time? And you threw it away..."

"It was alcohol Raghav!!! Not your lover that you are whining about it till now. It would damage your liver. And you.. you threatened that you would throw me out of the window if I touch your bottles again!"

Nikhil Deshmukh who had been filming the entire scene tried to smother his laughter at that and failed miserably setting of Milind and Amrutha as well. Yet the furious duo locked in their fight were oblivious to the surrounding giggles going round in circles from the spectators.

Keerti Rao, the only unamused person in the entire melee sighed exasperatedly at the bickering five year olds in front. She looked aside and saw her mother, Jaya trying to control her amused smiles and turned on the other side and saw the Deshmukhs enjoying the spectacle too mightily to be of help. The poor Pandit looked like he would faint now and Farhad was standing like a marble statue at the corner, the only hint of his amusement shining in his otherwise inanimate eyes.

She huffed and decided to take the lead herself if no one was willing to help. Keerti went and stood in between Raghav and Pallavi who were still fighting and spoke loudly to out sound them and subsequently stunning them into silence.

"I swear to Venkateshwara! If it weren't for the fact that while on the wedding mandap and in middle of the ceremony the bride and groom are given a divine status and we can't assault them then I would have seriously broken a limb or two."

Keerti was smiling but the vein beating furiously at her temple gave everyone a clear idea of her wrath. Raghav and Pallavi looked slightly scared at her.

"Keerti.."

Both had begun to say only to be shut off.

"Ahh haan! No... nothing! I do not want to hear anything from both of you! Anything except the mantras which you both have to repeat, do not speak a single word till the wedding gets over and we get to lock both of you in one room. God! You both have no shame whatsoever. Going on and on and on for the past twenty minutes. Fighting like two year olds."

They blushed heavily at the implication of the last statement feeling like all kinds of foolish. Keerti continued though in the same pretended joviality and said the last part loudly for all the audience and their families to hear.

"And if I hear another squeak from any one of you, I will have both of you locked away from each other and neither of you will be able to ever see the other person in your life, forget getting married."

Raghav and Pallavi who were looking here and there sheepishly looked at her, widening their eyes, horrified at the implications of the threat and immediately shook their heads vigorously like kids.

"No!"

"No!"

They exclaimed simultaneously making the others chuckle seeing their sudden fear at the prospect of never being able to be together. Never mind how they were squabbling like enemies just a second earlier. Keerti looked unfazed even as she coolly pushed them slightly to take their intended places again.

"Ahh haan! What did I say! Shut up and sit down! Right now!"

And all watched amused and delighted seeing the couple sit down hastily and were almost seconds away from their fingers on their lips like children told to keep quiet.

Keerti gave the pandit a glass of water while he mopped the sweat from his face relieved.

"Are you okay Panditji... Don't worry they have a few of their screws loose and get too aggravated at each other's presence. This has become a normal occurrence by now.."

Raghav looked at his bossy sister in irritation now.

"Keerti! Don't go on speak..."

Keerti glared at him and put her balled fists on her hips in a pointed manner. Raghav promptly closed his mouth making the Raos and the Deshmukhs burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter seeing them struggle to remain angry even as the crimson on their faces deepened with their breathless chuckles.

They were absolute goofballs! These two..

So mercifully, Raghav Rao and Pallavi Deshmukh remained silent for the rest of the ceremony taking their sister's threat to heart (much to Keerti's satisfaction) while they were bound to each other for the next seven lifetimes giving them a free pass for an eternity to continue their unfinished crazy and juvenile game of one-upmanship to their hearts content.

That's why they agreed to get married right?

At least that's what they had convinced themselves as the reason cause confessing the other one would mean accepting defeat and neither of the now newly minted Raos would ever be anything but victorious.

Don't laugh dear readers.. it is a serious issue of prestige and pride.