Mafia's Girl

Part 53

Shehnaaz's P.O.V. 

Sidharth took us to a temple and upon entering the priest came and welcomed us personally, making me a bit surprised. "Come," he said and led us into a private room at the back of the temple. Taking a seat, he asked Sidharth, "How may I help you?" Sidharth looked at me and said, "We have come to set our wedding date. If it can happen before Navratri ends it would be best." "That's a great thought. I will match your horoscopes and pick out the soonest date there is," he said. I frowned as I looked at him. "But I don't have my horoscope with me. That is at home," I said. "No problem. I can make a new one for you. Just tell me your birthday and I will start the work," he said. I smiled and gave him my birth date. I clasped onto Sidharth's hand, excited as the pandit studied something carefully in his books. My heart was racing as every passing second added to my tension. The pandit looked at us with a smile. "Very rarely I see such a perfect match between horoscopes," he said, "You two were born to be together." Happy and excited, I held onto Sidharth's hand tighter as tears flooded my eyes. "What is the closest date for the wedding?" Sidharth asked. "After three days is a very auspicious day to get married," he said. Sidharth looked at me, asking through his eyes if it's alright and I nodded with a smile. "Okay then. We will start our preparations," he said. My heart's biggest desire was unfolding into reality so quickly and I couldn't control my excitement and happiness. I will be married in the next three days, that too, to Sidharth. Life is perfect at this point. We got up and clasped our palms together in front of the priest. "We will take your leave now. We have a lot of preparations to make," Sidharth said. "Goodbye," he said. We left and I took the chance to ask Sidharth, "Do you know him from before?" "How did you guess?" He asked.

"The way he came to us and attended to us, isn't it obvious?" I said. He stopped and turned to me. "Mom used to come here often when I was a child. She took a lot of vows in this temple and when they got fulfilled she always made her way back to give thanks. You can easily say that this used to be my second home given the amount of times I came here," he said. I was taken aback by this side of him. "Even the pandit knows me very well. When I came back to India, I donated a lot of money to rebuild this temple and make it the place you are seeing right now," he said, making me even more surprised. "But, whenever someone does something so big they usually have some sign or something," I said, looking around. He smiled at me and held my hand. "Come," he said. He led me to a plaque which read, 'In the loving memory of Ritu Shukla.' I looked at it with tears in my eyes. Even Sidharth's eyes filled with tears as he looked at it, filled with emotion and a lot of memories of his mother. I held onto his arm and smiled through my tears. "I didn't do what I did for any sort of recognition but in fact, in memory of my mother and her faith in this temple. After rebuilding it, this is the first time even I am coming back here," he said, "Thank you." "For what?" I asked, confused. He took a deep breath and exhaled saying, "I forgot how much peace this place holds. I would have never come back here if it wasn't for you." "Then let's remain for a little while longer if you want," I said. "No, let's go. We will come back after our marriage to take blessings but for now, we have to start preparing for our wedding," he said, "Trust me, I want to make this day the best day of your life." "So, where do we start first?" I asked, wiping away my tears. "You need to get a wedding outfit," he said. "Let's go," I said. We drove to a high end boutique and I started looking at sarees and lehengas for my wedding. Sidharth was by my side throughout the process as I tried on one after the next. 

After every trial, he asked the price and instructed the attendants to increase it and bring something more expensive. Although I tried my best to convince him in the opposite direction, he was adamant. He even passed on some I loved and like this we spent more than an entire hour only changing into clothes. "You are my bride so you have to get my approval," he said. I sighed and went up to him. "You go outside and wait. When I choose one and I am done, I'll come and meet you," I said, sternly. He pouted sadly as he asked with puppy eyes, "Why? Don't you want me to see you in your wedding outfit?" "You will see me after three days on the wedding day. But I want to surprise you when you see me for the first time as your bride," I said. "Please? Let me help you choose?" He pleaded like a child. "Sidharth," I said, glaring at him, "Go outside and you will see me in three days in whatever I choose." He  handed me his debit card, lowered his eyes like a sad child and bent his head as he slowly exited the boutique. I was amused. I went back to the store attendants and they showed me some more. I wore a beautiful pink lehenga and instantly fell in love with it. My heart was overjoyed and I knew this was the one. From the moment I wore it, it just felt right. I looked back at the empty couch behind me and began missing my family. This was an experience I always wanted to share with my parents and sisters but that was impossible. My heart sank thinking that they won't be able to make it to my wedding. I somehow gathered my emotions and choose out a simple set to match my outfit. By the time I was paying, Sidharth called me. "Yes," I said, answering. "Can you do me a small favour?" He asked. "Sure," I said. 

Sighing, he said, "Now I can't see your outfit until the wedding day so please match and buy an outfit for me while you are in there, please?" "But you will have to see what you like or don't," I said. "I trust your taste and who knows me better than you? Whatever you choose, I'll wear it," he said. "But this is not done. I had the right to choose my own outfit, you also must have a say in yours," I said. "So, can I come in?" He asked. "Yes, anyways I am done with my shopping. You can come back in now," I said. "Okay boss," he said and hung up. I finished paying for my clothes and gave my measurements for minor alterations. Sidharth came back inside and we started seeing his outfits. He tried on all that I chose and I decided on one which would match with mine. He easily agreed with my choice and we paid for his clothes also and left. "I have informed Daksh about the date so he is already seeing arrangements," he said as we were leaving. Just as we were about to get into the car, I noticed Dad, Mom and Bani across the street, looking directly at us. I froze as my eyes filled with tears. Dad held his usual furious face while Mom and Bani smiled emotionally at me. Sidharth looked at them and held my shoulder, behind me. "Do you want to meet them?" He asked. "Can I inform them about the wedding?" I asked. He frowned at me. I looked at him and he nodded reassuringly. He closed the car door and as I was about to make an approach towards them, Dad turned and walked off, stopping me in my steps. Without any other choice, Mom and Bani silently left behind him without getting the chance to meet me. From behind, Sidharth held onto my shoulders, giving me the much needed support I required and made me sit in the car. Both of us were silent for a while. "If Dad found out that I am getting married, he might accept me back into the family," I said. Sidharth simply drove the car silently. "Maybe, just this once I can make him proud of me. Maybe, this time he will be happy seeing me settling down in life. Maybe, he will forget all the bad things in the past and forgive me," I said with my voice breaking.

Suddenly, the car came to a screeching halt. Sidharth looked at me fuming as he gritted his teeth. He got out of the car frustrated and slammed the door behind, leaving me a bit scared. Quickly, I got out and followed him. We stood in the middle of a secluded road with just a few snack and tea vendors spread out here and there. "What's wrong?" I asked, going up to him. He turned around and aggressively grabbed onto my shoulders, looked angrily into my eyes and yelled loudly at me, "What is wrong with you? Why don't you give up caring about that man who only hates you? Everything you do you hope that it makes a difference in his perspective but it never does! Nothing but his fake reputation and pride matters to him! Accept that's how he is!" "I understand but...." I started but he cut me off saying, "I can't stand to see you like this. It shatters me everytime I see you shed tears or feel hurt because of that man's dirty comments! Please, stop being like this! Stop chasing after his acceptance because it will lead to a lot of hurt and disappointment. I am only saving you from a lifetime of pain and regret, Shehnaaz. I can't see you crying and behaving so helpless." He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly. Lightning struck brightly in the sky and thunder burst loudly giving the signal of a sudden shower of rain approaching. Soon enough, water burst down from the sky in a heavy downpour, soaking us both. The few people around ran helter-skelter for shelter to protect themselves from the shower while Sidharth and I stood in each other's embrace, unaffected. A minute later, Sidharth broke the hug and cupped my face. The heavy rains made it difficult to raise even my eyelids but I managed to look up at him. Holding my face in his palms, he said, "I understand what you are going through but everything has it's own time. Don't rush and try to force acceptance. If it has to happen it will. But please, for my sake, stop begging like this for that man's attention and affection. I can't see you in so much stress. It kills me inside."

For his sake, I promised him, "I promise, I won't ever do this again. I'll be patient and wait now. But, this is not going to be so easy for me and I need you by my side throughout the time. Would you stand by me?" "That's not even something to ask. That is the one thing guaranteed. No matter what happens, no matter how many problems come our way, I will always stand like this by your side. For me, there is no other promise bigger than this. I'm not going to leave you in any problem alone. I swear on you," he said. My heart filled with love and respect for him even more as he made the biggest promise of all to me. "You are right," I said, holding his hand, "There is no promise bigger than this one. I promise you with my life, no matter what happens, I will never abandon you or give up on you. This is the one thing certain in my life." He kissed my forehead and embraced me once more as the rain poured down on us.

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Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed that update! I am enjoying writing this wedding sequence for you all and I hope you all liked it too. Please vote, comment your thoughts and share my story! Fingers crossed, the next update can be the moment everyone has been waiting for, if you know what I mean 😉 Until then, take care! Bye!