the desert's rose

shaadi - the man with the hazel eyes 🏜️🌹

flashback

The Gangaur festival had concluded five days ago, yet as she sat behind the mirror, her mind could not help but go back to the man at the Gangaur lake.

She had initially believed him to be Raja Suryabhan as she had never set her eyes upon him until the day before and the only times she had spoken with him was between a thin wall with her ghoonghat concealing her face.

Yet, when she got to finally behold him without any obstacles, her heart fell at the fact that her mysterious man was not Raja Suryabhan.

The man she saw in the waters had fair skin - her first sign that he was not from around here while Raja Suryabhan had the tanned complexion common around Rajputana.

Her mysterious man had intense hazel eyes which had the ability to send shivers down her spine the moment her eyes met his. The eyes Raja Suryabhan had for her were dark brown like hers which spoke of a gentle kind of love their owner held for her.

Her mysterious man had given her a smile which twinkled with mischief and something more while Raja Suryabhan's face lit up in appreciation as he got to gaze at her beauty for the first time.

If that man at the lake was not Raja Suryabhan, then who could he possibly be? What was the goddess Gauri trying to tell her? And most of all, why could she not get that man out of her mind especially now that she was going to marry Raja Suryabhan?

"Moti," she called out to the maid, who had made herself busy with arranging her hair into a simple braid.

For a moment, Moti paused, making eye contact with her through the mirror. Jodha knew that her friend could read every sign of her being unsure of everything that had taken place within the past few days.

"Jodha, is this still about the man at the Gangaur lake? He is Raja Suryabhan, no?"

He wasn't. And she hated herself for lying to everyone, especially her Maa Sa, yet it had seemed her only option then and there.

"Is it possible for the goddess to send mixed signals, Moti?"

Time ceased as a mask of confusion fell on her face, Moti dropped the braid against Jodha's back and stared down at her.

"Nahi, that is impossible," she answered carefully, gears running in her mind as she attempted to put two and two together. "Does this have something to do with you floating your diya at the lakeside?"

"I-," Jodha stopped herself before attempting another lie. It was unlike her to lie to anyone, especially her best friend. "I think there is an error somewhere. The man-."

"Is not Raja Suryabhan," Moti completed her statement before picking up her braid. "I saw the conflicted look on your face when you saw him for the first time, Jodha. Do you think the Gauri Maa is trying to tell you something different?"

She had no idea how to answer that question. She had gotten dressed in hopes that she would meet her Shiva only to find someone different. Who could that man possibly be and was it possible he was somewhere around here? Could he still be in Amer?

"I think you should forget about that man. You are engaged to Raja Suryabhan now, he will make you a happy woman," Moti continued, arranging her hair to her satisfaction, securing with pins and jewelry.

Jodha exhaled, her friend's advice was easier said than done. How could she forget those hazel eyes when they stared back at her each time she closed her eyes? How could she forget that smile each time she looked down on a surface of water? How could she forget the intensity at which his eyes stared at her when she felt the room heat up even without him there?