Tangled Ties

Karamjaali

The wedding celebrations had finally slowed down. The rituals were over, the guests had left, and the house wore that post-wedding glow mixed with exhaustion. But for the family, sleep seemed like a distant possibility. Especially for the gang of cousins—Pari, Kriti, Avyansh, Siya, Veer, Aryaa, Aditi, Arjun Priya with her seven-month belly, and of course Karan—who were nowhere near done with the night.

And that's how, instead of leaving the newlyweds to enjoy their night in peace, they all barged into Abeer and Shruti's decorated room. The room was filled with roses, candles, a beautifully made bed scattered with petals, and a flustered groom who stood with his hands on his hips glaring at his shameless cousins.

"GET OUT!" Abeer's voice cracked slightly, half pleading, half furious. His sherwani jacket was already off, and his face was red with embarrassment. "Nikalo yahan se abhi ke abhi."

But Shruti, sitting prettily on the bed in her bridal lehenga with her dupatta still pinned to her bun, was laughing uncontrollably. "Abeer, relax! It's just your family."

"Family? They're demons!" he shot back. "It's our wedding night! And instead of privacy, I get a circus."

Avyansh dramatically flopped onto the armchair. "Chal be....zyada bolega to abhi nachwaunga. And hamare beech me kaun si privacy?"

"Chhiiiii bhaiya! Thodi to sharam karo, biwi hai meri yahan pe." Abeer mad a face.

"Arre kahe ka chii? Chhadi me nahate huye dekha hai tujhe. " Arjun said.

"Kaunsi chhadi? Spider man wali hin na?" Veer added mischievously, plucking a rose petal from the bed and tossing it at Abeer. "Waise we only came here to bless the couple with our presence."

"Blessing?!" Abeer groaned. "kahe ki blessing? This is pure torture nothing else."

Karan chuckled, munching on the ladoos he had sneaked in. "Stop overreacting. We're not leaving you tonight. Accept it."

"Aur agar humne tumhe torture nahi kiya, toh shaadi ka kya maza?" Pari winked, already settling cross-legged on the carpet.

Kriti stretched, patting Priya's back gently. "Exactly. And Priya bhabhi can't be running around much, toh we need entertainment sitting in one place. What better than annoying our brother?"

Priya laughed softly, resting her hand on her belly. "Don't drag me into this. But yes, we're not leaving."

Aditi clapped happily. "Decision made. Now what shall we do?"

"Truth and Dare!" Aryaa announced like a dictator. "No better game to torture people."

Abeer's eyes widened. "Absolutely not! I'm not playing this kiddish—"

"Yes, you are." Veer cut him off, smirking. "Whatever my biwi says, becomes rules. Rules are rules. Newlyweds can't escape."

"Dekho!" Abeer turned to Shruti, desperate. "Your husband is being bullied on his wedding night. Do something!"

Shruti only tilted her head, her smile mischievous "Honestly, I think I want to play too."

"Traitor." Abeer muttered, defeated, as the gang erupted in laughter.

The game began.

Karan dared Veer to dance to an item song in the middle of the room. Veer, without shame, got up and gave such a dramatic performance that Aryaa almost fell off the bed laughing, while Abeer buried his face in his hands.

Pari got truth and admitted she once had a crush on one of Abeer's friends, which earned her an instant, protective "WHO?!" from Avyansh, Arjun, Karan, Veer and Abeer making everyone howl with laughter.