As The Pink Blush Appeared....

33.

A/N : Manjiri's saree for the Haldi ceremony 👆

Manjiri was sitting on the pat and her aunts and cousins were applying Haldi to her. Saanvi was at a distance, tears almost threatening to spill from her eyes. She loved Manjiri, the bride with all of her heart. She loved her till the point that she dreamt of Manjiri being her bride. But to see her then in the yellow saree and covered with Haldi, which enhanced her complexion, somehow pained Saanvi. How could it not? Her love, her Manjiri would be someone else's arms soon. It hurt badly. Saanvi snapped out of her thoughts when somebody called her to hand over something.

Soon, Manjiri was made to stand on the pat. Saanvi stood in the group surrounding. Five tambya (drinking vessels) were tied together by strings and filled with water and were placed around the pat. Some older ladies picked up a tambya each and slowly emptied them on Manjiri. A smile made its way on Saanvi's face when she saw Manjiri being shocked as the water made its impact with Manjiri. Manjiri bent down and tightly held little Bhavana. Saanvi wanted to offer some means to make Manjiri dry and provide her some warmth. 

Manjiri went through a huge emotional turmoil. She was in her room and she had changed into a different set of clothes after washing the yellow turmeric from herself. She was relieved that all the rituals for the day were over. But at the same time Manjiri was stressed, she was more tense that day than she was on the day of both Accounts and Healthcare exams. Tonight, before her mind changes, she'd reveal everything to Saanvi. Would she hate her? Manjiri could feel her heartbeats rushing faster than the metro. Was it right? Would it not impact their relationship if she spilled out everything? "Manjiri, Manjiri, it's now or never. Maybe Saanvi would feel bad and all that. But it won't last long. Everything, be it bliss or gloom, will disappear and so will this Manjiri. At Least I won't regret," Manjiri kept on convincing herself. She had changed into a light coloured kurti. She went to the balcony with a book and snacks perfectly balanced in her hands.

Sitting on the swing in the balcony, Manjiri could not even concentrate on what she was reading. She kept on pacing around. Cool breeze blew time and again but still she was sweating profusely. She got goosebumps and every time she'd hear somebody saying something, her heartbeats would accelerate. She kept on reciting what she'd say once Saanvi arrived. She clutched the note with a few lines scribbled with pencil, that was what she prepared. Manjiri took a deep breath and sighed. "One, this idiot heart loves somebody who's out of league and two, when it's the time to admit it all, it just chickens out," she thought while her hands were on her waist.

Suddenly the door of the room opened. Manjiri turned into a puddle due to nervousness. She smiled shyly since she was embarrassed then. She rushed out of the balcony. She had speculated that she'd bring her lover to the balcony, confess everything to her, show her the gifts and the handwritten notes which she had very carefully preserved. 

But to her dismay, it was none other than her bua who had entered the room. The older lady kept on blabbering about the 'unorganised' state of the near perfect room and how lucky she was to get that other girl as a daughter-in-law. Manjiri barely paid any heed to her bua and soon the older lady left the room. After the talk with her bua, Manjiri again sank in the pit of negativity and self-doubt. She re-read the note multiple times and she found it all stupid.

Manjiri was quite perplexed, everything was derailing. She had to do something, she knew, but she couldn't think straight and come to a conclusion. Tomorrow, early in the morning, that is, before the break of the dawn, she'd have reached the Mangalkaryala and would be occupied with rituals and poojas. From tomorrow she'd lose her sense of identity, she'd no longer be Manjiri Diwekar but Manjiri Raut. Of course, she never wanted that, she wanted something else, someone else.  

A/N : Manjiri's baffled, Saanvi's overwhelmed and clueless. What do you think will happen next?

Stay tuned and find out in the next chapter. Have a great time ahead 🤗