Celestial Bond

1

Sita

"You two can only come in if you tell us your names," Gautham, my brother-in-law, said with a teasing grin as his mother finished the aarti at the door.

"They probably got married without even knowing each other's names," Sakshi, their cousin, muttered, sounding bored as she rolled her eyes.

"Sakshi!" Gautham snapped, glaring at her, and she immediately shut up.

"Sita Bhabhi, you go first," Gautham said, still grinning mischievously.

I just shook my head, staring at the ground.

"Stop pestering her, Gautham," his mother, Akshaya Chachi, scolded him, smacking him lightly on the head.

"Ouch! I'm just following tradition here. Didn't you say we have to do all the rituals? Go take care of the other stuff," Gautham said, lightly pushing his mother aside as she left to handle the preparations.

It was clear Gautham wasn't going to stop until we said our names. I glanced at the tall man beside me, standing like an unmovable tower at the door, waiting for him to speak. But he didn't.

"We're here... my husband and I," I finally said, hesitating.

"Oh, but can we know your husband's name, Bhabhiiiiii?" Gautham teased, drawing out the word with a grin.

"Umm... Arjun ji," I replied softly, glancing at my husband. He immediately looked at me.

Gautham clapped his hands, grinning, and turned his attention to Arjun.

"I'm not here to answer your pointless questions. Move." Arjun said flatly, taking the garland from around his neck and thrusting it into Gautham's hands.

"Then why were you standing here, listening to my pointless questions for Sita Bhabhi?" Gautham shot back, making Arjun clench his jaw. He is irritated.

Arjun didn't bother responding. He pushed past Gautham, but after a step, he paused, as if suddenly remembering he was now a married man. He turned back, took my hand, and led me inside with him. Akshaya Chachi soon came and escorted me to another room.

"Situ, whatever you do, don't say no to him tonight, okay? Just follow his lead. Arjun will handle everything else. But listen... don't forget protection, you both are still studying after all," my mom whispered over the phone, her voice getting softer with that last part, making my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Why shouldn't I say no? He's not the kind of man who forces things on anyone. He asked me if I even wanted to marry him or if anyone was pressuring me, remember?" I whispered back, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Oh ho, I see you're already standing up for your husband," my mom teased with a chuckle.

"Mom, I'm hanging up now. Bye," I said quickly, ending the call before she could say another word.

I entered the room with the buttermilk Akshaya Chachi had given me, my heart racing at the thought of what might happen next. Would he really want to go through with it today? I wasn't ready to take things this far.

As I walked toward him, I pushed the glass closer to his face, forcing him to notice me. Confusedly, He frowned, but I raised my eyebrows, silently signaling him to drink. He finally lifted the glass to his lips.

Seizing the moment, I quickly knelt at his feet, touching them for his blessings. He jerked his legs away, startled.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice laced with surprise.

"Ji, blessings?" I mumbled nervously.

And then, out of nowhere, he did something completely unexpected—he bent down, touched my feet, and brought his hand to his forehead in a quiet gesture of respect.