ᴇx-ʙᴏʏʀꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ, ɴᴇxᴛ ʜᴜꜱʙᴀɴᴅ

Chapter 24

The two days went as fast as heavy winds.

Nishtha was too upset to talk to Yuvaan, and she had decided not to talk to him anyway. After her sleepover, she got him the next morning and was bombarded by a bunch of ladies, including her Aai, into putting the mehendi.

So, she had sat there a day before her wedding, applying the mehendi, for almost 4 hours. Her hands were adorned till her elbows and her legs were adorned till her ankle. She didn't want a heavy wedding or makeup but no one listened. So, giving up, she just sat there accepting it. One of the ladies asked her to put her husband's name onto her hand, but she said no, which was obviously shocking to the lady - but nonetheless, Rupali Yadav wouldn't listen. She told the lady his name and Nishtha now had Y printed on her hand. After almost 8 hours, she was able to wash her hands and legs off and finally at 11pm, she was sitting on her bed, while everyone outside had gone to sleep. She was told to go to sleep fast since tomorrow was the big day - marriage.

Likewise with Yuvaan, who had no idea how to tell Nishtha that she misunderstood, debated on if he should even bother telling her or let her assume whatever.
'This marriage is fake anyway.' he thought.
The next day, he had gotten up to everyone putting mehendi and decorating the house for the big day tomorrow. Yuvaan has just been sitting and watching everyone go crazy over this wedding which he himself didn't believe in.
Or did he?
Did she believe in it? He used to think.

It was the D-Day. July 14. Wedding day.
The Nanda's and Yadav's had booked a grand area for the wedding to take place. It was a long and elegant hall which had a windowed roof, allowing natural sunlight or the rain drops to fall on it. It was decorated in a way that the mandap was elevated for everyone to see, in the center of the hall, with seating all around it and a food room in the nearby hall. Lights and flowers were adorned everywhere.
Yuvaan sat in his room in the first floor of the hall where he was dressed in a pastel pink and beige sherwani, with the Nanda family crescent on his chest, and a styled look. He played with his finger - where her ring was adorned.
"Yuvaan." Jaya Nanda said, "let's go."

Nishtha sat adorned in a pastel pink and green Marathi style saree. Her hair was tied in an elegant styled bun with a ring of flowers around it. Her face was adorned with a small Marathi traditional nose ring, a bindi and had an elegant yet simple makeup. Her hands were adorned with bangles and her neck had two necklaces. She looked beautiful but she didn't feel good. She played with her hand, her finger.
She kept revisiting how Yuvaan remembered what type of a ring she had wanted, but at the same time she felt like it was a coincidence.

"Are you ready?" Rupali Yadav asked her.
She nodded.
"You really look nice." She said.
"Thanks."
"Are you happy?"
"What do you think? Marrying me off to my ex, that too a guy who can't stand me Aai."
She sighed, "it'll work out. Your kundili's said it too, you will be together always."
"Great, so I'll have to bear his hatred always."
"That's not what I meant. I meant that y—"
"Guys, they're calling you down." Neel said.
"Oh. Okay! Let's go!" Rupali said, "Come!"

Nishtha walked down with her brothers, Neel and her cousin brothers. A lot of family has arrived for the wedding, but a lot couldn't come as well due to time. Nishtha made her way to the mandap where she saw Yuvaan sitting.
She felt tears in her eyes - this is what she had wanted, but not like this.
She walked up and sat next to him.

He looked at her. She looked beautiful.
He had always wanted to see her as his bride, and today he was able to. He was fearing the slow, but constant revival in his heart. After Nishtha, he had shut his heart and made it stone cold, but now... Nishtha had come back. Only Nishtha had the power to revive his stone cold heart, and she was doing it, without knowing it.
He noticed her wearing pastel pink - she loved that color. He also noticed how delicate and cute she looked. As she sat next to him, he saw her play with her fingers. Is she nervous?