A Symphony Of Silence And Storm

Ring Ceremony

The laughter died down as Dadi, a knowing glint in her eye, cleared her throat. "Alright, enough merriment," she declared. "Time for the ring finding ceremony! Kavya has prepared everything in the puja room."

Following Dadi's lead, everyone filed towards the puja room. Om took charge of fetching Shivay while Rudra, ever the eager participant, dashed off to find Annika.

Once assembled, Dadi explained the lighthearted ritual. Both Annika and Shivay would blindly search through a vessel filled with water, rose petals, and turmeric to find their respective rings. The one who emerged victorious – the first to retrieve their ring – would be declared the "dominant" one in the household.

She gestured towards a large silver vessel filled with the colorful mixture. "Now, Shivay and Annika," Dadi instructed, "place your rings in this vessel."

Annika, however, hesitated. "Dadi," she began hesitantly, "since I wasn't formally engaged to Shivay, I don't have a ring."

A heavy silence descended upon the room. Dadi, realizing her mistake – months ago, the engagement ceremony was for Shivay and Kanika, not Annika – cleared her throat. "Don't worry, child," she said. "Many years ago, I made engagement rings for all my grandchildren and their future spouses. Let me retrieve them."

Dadi moved towards a small locker in the puja room and emerged with a pair of beautiful rings. "Since you both haven't had an engagement ceremony, why not do it now with these rings?"

Shivay and Annika exchanged the rings from Dadi's hand, their eyes meeting for a fleeting moment. A round of applause filled the room, celebrating the newly minted symbol of their union.

Pinky, however, wasn't ready to accept Annika. "Mummy ji," she questioned, her voice laced with disapproval, "why weren't these rings given to Shivay and Kanika back then?"

Dadi, her smile strained, explained, "I had informed Tia about these rings, but she insisted on a new, modern platinum set, not these gold ones."

Sensing the tension brewing, Rudra declared, "Alright everyone! Time to form teams! Bhabhi's team, come over here! Bhaiyya's team, gather on the other side!"

To Shivay's surprise, with the exception of Dadi and Pinky, everyone stood beside Annika. Dadi, relieved to see the tension ease, clapped her hands. "Wonderful! Now that our teams are formed, let's begin the ring-finding ceremony. Remember, all in good fun!"

Annika and Shivay took a deep breath before plunging their hands into the cool, slippery water. Rose petals danced around their fingers, and the turmeric paint dyed their skin a vibrant yellow. Fueled by her competitive spirit, Annika dove in, meticulously searching the bottom of the vessel. Her fingers brushed against something smooth and metallic – her ring! A thrill of victory shot through her as she snatched it up, holding it high in the air.

"Yes!" she declared, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. A chorus of applause erupted for Annika's victory.

Dadi chuckled, "That's just the first round, my dear. We have two more to go!" With a mischievous glint in her eye, she dropped the rings back into the vessel.

Fueled by renewed competition, Annika and Shivay plunged their hands back into the water. This time, as Annika's hand brushed against something, it wasn't just the cool metal of the ring. Her fingers brushed against Shivay's, sending a shiver down her spine. Lost in the unexpected moment, she fumbled, and Shivay, seizing the opportunity, emerged victorious with the ring.

"Second round to Shivay!" Dadi declared, clapping her hands. "Now, for the final and deciding round!"

The tension was thick as they both plunged their hands in for the last time. This time, the competition was fierce. Both Annika and Shivay retrieved their rings simultaneously.

Rudra groaned. "A tie! We need another round to see who wins!"

Dadi, however, shook her head with a smile. "No, Rudra, the game is over."

Om looked confused. "Then who won, Dadi? Who gets to dominate?"

Dadi's smile widened. "There is no single winner here, Om. Sometimes Annika will take charge, other times it will be Shivay. But most importantly, they will be equals." With a twinkle in her eye, she concluded, "Alright, all the rituals are complete. Now, why don't you all go and relax?"

As the Oberoi family dispersed, Annika excused herself, eager to check on Kavya. Unlike the others who had retired to their rooms, Kavya was likely drowning in leftover wedding tasks.

Annika found her in a guest room, tears streaming down her face.  Concern creased Annika's brow. "Kavya, what's wrong?" she asked gently.

Kavya looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "Di," she choked out, "I miss you so much!"

Annika blinked, confused. "But Kavya," she said, "I was just in the puja room a few minutes ago. How can you miss me?"

Kavya sniffled. "Didi, that was different. In the puja room, you were Mrs. Annika Shivay Singh Oberoi, not my manager, Anika, the event planner."  Fresh worry clouded her face.  "There's still so much to do, and I don't know where to start.  What will happen to me now, Didi?  Will I get fired?  The staff is saying that once you become an Oberoi bahu, you won't need to work anymore."

A wave of guilt washed over Annika. Here she was, caught up in the whirlwind of rituals, neglecting her responsibilities to her company and her friend. She sat beside Kavya, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Kavya, listen to me carefully," she said firmly. "You're not going to get fired. My event company is not closing down. And most importantly, don't worry about me leaving you with the work. I'll help you finish everything here."

A flicker of hope ignited in Kavya's eyes. "But Didi, how can you manage? You have a whole new life here now."

Annika smiled reassuringly. "Life throws curveballs, Kavya, but it doesn't mean we have to drop everything we hold dear. I may be Shivay's wife now, but I'm still Anika, your friend and colleague. We'll figure this out together, one step at a time. Now, let's take a deep breath and get started on that to-do list, shall we?"

Kavya nodded, a grateful smile replacing her tears. As they delved into the remaining tasks, a newfound sense of determination settled over Annika.

While Annika tackled the remaining event planning tasks with Kavya, Shivay retreated to his room to catch up on office work. He'd been on leave since the wedding festivities began, at the insistence of Dadi and his mother. As he slammed his laptop shut, realizing he'd been absorbed in work for four straight hours, a thought struck him. Annika hadn't returned to the room either. Curiosity gnawed at him, wondering where she could be. Just as he was about to head out, Rudra burst into the room.

"Bhaiya, come with me! I have something to show you," Rudra declared, his usual mischievous glint in his eyes. Before Shivay could even respond, Rudra grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room.

"Rudra, where are we going? What do you want to show me?" Shivay protested, but his questions went unanswered as Rudra hustled him down the hallway.

Finally, Rudra stopped abruptly in front of a closed door. "Bhaiya, I think someone's in there," he said, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Go check it out."

Shivay shook his head, a wry smile gracing his lips at his brother's antics. He reached out and opened the door. The moment he stepped inside, a chorus of surprised voices erupted: "Happy Birthday to you!"

A large cake, elaborately decorated with candles, sat on a table surrounded by his family. Shivay blinked, momentarily stunned. Rudra, ever the instigator, practically shoved him towards the cake.

Shivay closed his eyes, a single silent wish flickering through his mind. He then blew out the candles, a smile playing on his lips. He offered the first slice to Dadi, followed by his brothers and Priyanka, then his parents and aunt and uncle.

As he placed the cake knife back down, Priyanka spoke up. "Bhaiya, how could you forget your own birthday? You have to feed Bhabhi some cake!" she exclaimed. "This surprise party is all thanks to her.We all completely forgot about your birthday because of yesterday's events."

A wave of warmth washed over Shivay. Not only had Annika been diligently working, but she'd also remembered his birthday amidst the wedding chaos and organized this surprise. He smiled at her, a newfound appreciation blooming in his chest, and fed her a piece of cake.