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CHAPTER 20: Ira as a Bride

Ira

I stood before the full-length mirror, taking in the beauty of my outfit. The pastel-themed lehenga had been crafted with exquisite attention to detail. The soft pink hue of the skirt enveloped me, making me feel like a princess. Its flowing silhouette and delicate embellishments of shimmering zari work created a sense of opulence and elegance. The green border at the hemline added a touch of vibrancy and contrast, enhancing the overall beauty of the ensemble.

The blouse, in a rich shade of green, perfectly complemented the pink lehenga. Its fitted design accentuated my figure and added a contemporary touch to the traditional attire. The blouse was adorned with intricate embroidery that echoed the motifs and patterns of the lehenga. A pink and green dupatta was gracefully draped over my shoulders and covered my hair bun. A statement necklace, intricate earrings, nose ring, headpiece, and bangles, all crafted in green gold with precious stones that harmonized with the pink and green hues, completed the look.

Today, I was getting married.

"You look like a Goddess," Vaani came up behind me, her eyes teary, and she draped her hands around my waist. "I bet your fake to-be husband is going to be swept off his feet today." I chuckled. She wore a powder blue saree with a pearl bralette and a pearl maang tikka.

"If he does, it will be good for the act." My phone buzzed, and I looked at it to find a text from Ahaan, or as saved on my phone, 'Captain clumsy.'

< I hope you are not going to make me wait today. >

"Who is it?" Vaani asked.

"My fake to-be husband," I held the phone before her face as I typed a reply.

< You are the tardy one, Mr. Jindal. >

He replied almost immediately.

< I will still be waiting *wink emoji *>

There was a knock on the door, and Mom and Eka di entered. Di looked ethereal in a powder blue dabka work saree with gold jewellery, while Mom wore a sage green net saree with diamond jewellery.

"Oh, my God, Iru! You look breathtaking," Di placed a dot of kohl behind my ear.

"The baraat (procession) is here. All of you come downstairs in ten minutes," Mom's voice was monotonous.

"Mom! At least look at her. See how beautiful she looks. She looks divine. At least appreciate her. It's her big day," Di looked at her at the door.

"Oh, please Eka. It's just the makeup, designer lehenga, and expensive jewellery doing its work. This is the least she could do anyway. Your father paid for all her education; she could pay us back by looking beautiful for her husband and in-laws." Vaani opened her mouth to say something, but I clamped my hand over hers to hold her back. I just didn't want any more drama today. It might be a fake marriage for me and Ahaan, but for others, for his family, it wasn't. "Don't be late. The faster this is over, the better." With that, she left the room, and I turned back to look at the mirror, wiping away a tear, making sure the other two didn't see it.

"Don't mind her, Iru. She didn't mean any of that. She must be worked up with all the prep—" I cut di off and spoke.

"We both know she meant all of it," my voice took on a falsely joyous tone, "But the good part is I am used to all of this. So it didn't bother me much." They held sadness in their eyes just then the door knocked.

"Come in," Vaani shouted.

"Hey, we wanted to see you," Saanchi Bhabhi said, peeking through the door, and little Kairav came running in from behind us. He had a huge smile on his face, and adoration glistened in his eyes.

"Maashiii," I bent down to pick up my little bundle of joy. "You look like a Disney princess."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"He's speaking the truth, bhabhi. You look ethereal," Reet peeked from behind Bhabhi.

"Hey! I didn't notice you were there too." She wore a bright yellow chiffon saree with a shimmery yellow plunging neck blouse and dangling earrings. I hadn't met her since our encounter on the plane when I didn't know who she was. She came back from the wedding a week ago, but I couldn't meet her due to all the preparations, but as she came within my reach, I embraced her in a bear hug. We hadn't told her family about our first encounter. There wasn't any specific reason but I thought that if she and Ahaan didn't tell anyone, I shouldn't either.

Bhabhi came up behind her wearing a peach georgette saree and intricately designed jewelry and holding Aariv in her arms.

"You look charismatic, Ira. Ahaan's gonna have a hard time keeping his hands to himself," She said the last part in my ear, and I shyly smiled. There wasn't gonna happen anything like that but in the past 3 months, he had made it very clear of how much of a flirt he was. We didn't go out as often as we told our families, but on the few dates we did go to, he didn't leave a single chance to appreciate me or flirt with me. 

Bhabhi too placed a dot of kohl behind my ear, and I took Aariv from her hand, keeping Kairav down. He wore a blue and white striped onesie with a bow " You look so adorable, baby." His eyes glistened as a giggle erupted from his small mouth. I placed a kiss on his forehead and handed him back to Bhabhi. 

"We'll be waiting for you downstairs." With a final kiss on my temple, she walked to the door.

"Can't wait for you to officially be a member of our family." Reet cheerfully added before joining Bhabhi. 

I guess God was paying back for a horrible family by giving me this one. Even if it was just for a year. I was going to make this year count. They went downstairs, and almost after 5 minutes, so did I.

The wedding was being held at the Mehta mansion. I didn't call it home, because it never was one to me. It was a grand estate large enough to accommodate all the business partners and media people who made up the guest list. The mandap was set up on the front lawn, adorned with white hydrangeas and suspended crystals. I loved subtle colours, but something like this for my wedding wasn't what I wanted. However, who cared? All the Mehtas cared about was their reputation and their image. They just wanted to show off their money.

Vaani and Eka di walked me down the aisle. This was something parents usually did, but I never had any, so I couldn't have been happier for the two women I loved the most to walk me down the aisle. From the corner of my eye, on the left side of the aisle, I could see Samar jiju picking up Kairav, who ran to him from behind us. He had a huge smile on his face, and adoration glistened in his eyes. In the row in front of him stood Saanchi Bhabhi, Vihaan bhai, Reet, Aarav, and Karan with Aariv in a stroller. On the right were his parents, Chachu, Chachi, Bua, and his grandparents. They all had such adoration and love in their eyes; it didn't feel like I was going to be a new addition to their family. It felt like I belonged to them forever.

I lifted my eyes to look at him standing there on the mandap. He looked like a Prince Charming. If this were a real wedding and I were in love with him, I would have fallen even more for him. He wore a meticulously tailored ivory-coloured sherwani with a matching churidar, adorned with intricate gold embroidery. The gold detailing added a touch of grandeur and opulence to his ensemble. A dazzling gold and emerald necklace hung down his neck, and an intricately embroidered safa (turban) was skillfully wrapped around his head, with a feather topping it. With that smouldering smile and dreamy eyes, he looked like a freaking Greek God.

How the hell was I going to spend a year with him like this?

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