To Love Again !!!

Chapter - 24

Abhay was getting a little irritated with how he couldn't take Amrit off his mind. Since the wedding he had found himself looking for her every time she wasn't close enough. What was wrong with him? He was still questioning his decision to remarry not sure if he had done the right thing and it had nothing to do with how or who Amrit was but just him and he couldn't stop looking at her. She had been with his mother for almost the entire afternoon and of course some relatives too and they hadn't had any time alone where he could have asked how she felt or if everything was fine and then they were hurried into changing and getting ready for the evening party. Damn these rituals and parties. He just failed to understand why was there such unwanted celebration? Two people got married but instead of them everybody else got to enjoy and celebrate while they just dressed up as dolls for display.

But he had found it interesting that every time his eyes had sought her she had been looking at him. Their eyes had made contact several times over the evening. Was she trying to tell him something? Or was it a coincidence? What was it? She looked gorgeous in the sari his mother had chosen for her and the hair. He had been wondering all evening if her hair was actually this long. It went past her waist. How come he hadn't noticed it before? It was thick and heavy. And the way it draped over her shoulders and back like a curtain, it was beautiful. She had fixed a smile on her face for everyone's benefit he knew that and he had to smile because he knew she didn't smile all that much. She had been polite to everyone so far. He had found her looking at him with a strange expression on her face. He could attribute it to interest but he wasn't really sure with all the staged lighting and the distance between them but he had seen her expression change for sure when Simrit, her sister had approached her. Her face had suddenly turned cold, her smile froze and her eyes opened wide before she had turned. After that he could only see Simrit's face. And he had seen her expressions changing from smugness to irritation to anger and he had decided to check if all was well. But probably Simrit had noticed his approach because she had plastered a smile on her face. He couldn't hear much of the last words Amrit had said because of the noise and music but he was sure Amrit was upset even as Simrit left in haste. He could see her erect shoulders and straight spine. So when he had broached the subject she had been a little too loud and tight in her reply. He had thought best to let it be but he was now certain that all was not right between the two sisters. That comment Simrit had made last night was not made in jest. It was strange because both Kulraj and Preeti seemed fond of Amrit. It was a puzzle and he needed to solve it carefully. He didn't want to spook his bride. It had to be slow and steady. There were many layers to her and he had to peel each layer to get to know the real her.

After dinner as the crowd thinned he noticed Amrit was looking tired. She had to be. There were always more rituals in a bride's home than in a groom's. More preparations and more drama. And with all the hours poor things put in to look great on each occasion, the makeup, the heavy clothes and jewelry, the hair and all the other things that went with it. The late nights, the early mornings, the people, it had to be tiring. Hell as a groom he was fed up with these things. He had told everyone he had wanted a quiet wedding ceremony and no reception but his parents had been adamant and he had agreed reluctantly. He found beeji coming towards him and he stood up out of respect for the elderly lady she looked exhausted too.

"Beeji," he said with a smile as she came to stand in front of him.

"You don't need to stand up every time you see me coming Abhay," she said smiling.

Abhay wasn't sure what kind of response was she expecting so he kept quiet waiting for her to say what she had come to say.

"Sit," she said, "I need to talk to you and I can't do that while you are standing," she said and he frowned, "it will give me a crick in the neck," she said and he almost laughed.