An Unexpected Marriage

Chapter 15

Sanaya's P.O.V :-
By the time they reached Ajay's house it was almost five in the evening and the welcoming of the bride would have to be done quickly as Sanaya and Jay wouldn't be allowed to see each other after dusk until next morning as it was considered inauspicious. Sanaya felt slightly disappointed because she was after all in his house and the closest to him in this new place she would have to call home from now. To Sanaya, it would never be her home because she could never forget the memories that she had in her own house and she would never be as comfortable as she was in her own house with everything. Her own room in her house was her safe haven and she loved it. Plus, nowhere would be home for Sanaya without her parents and her brother. There was also the matter of freedom that she had in her own house to sleep till as she wanted on her weekly off days and to roam around in whatever she was comfortable in. Coming back to the matter of being unable to see Jay in this new place, she naturally felt nervous because he would be the first person she would turn to for help if she was in a problem. Being unable to meet him would certainly not allow her to do that. She only felt comforted by the fact that she had Ishani and her cousin with her till late evening at least. After they left, she could certainly call Jay for help if she needed it and she was sure he would find a way to help her out without risking meeting her. She didn't know why she felt like she needed him. She had to dislike him. She couldn't afford to get attached to him only to have him leave her again. She still remembered the pain, the betrayal she'd felt. The reason why she had been unable to love or trust another. She refused to be vulnerable again. Deep inside, she knew she was being unreasonable by turning away from Jay and that he was a changed man now. A man, she knew she had always wanted for herself. Her ideal man. All the more reason for her to not fall for him. It would hurt more. She refused to be distracted by her emotions. She had worked hard to reach the position she had and she couldn't afford to neglect her work because of a man. A man who had no regard for feelings and only cared about himself. Now, as she stood beside him, tied to him, she felt stronger. The past few days had left her emotions weak and more susceptible. The welcoming ceremony of the bride started with milk having to boil over as she entered. If it boiled over, it was considered to be extremely auspicious. If the milk did not boil over it was not a good sign. Sanaya herself did not believe in these rituals but she still felt relieved once the milk boiled over as soon as her mother in law finished welcoming her and Jay into the house. Sanaya had to tip over a pot filled with rice with her right foot and then step into a vessel filled with a mixture of alta- a red coloured liquid- and milk. She then had to step onto a white saree with a red border which was laid at her feet. As her now red footprints were marked on the saree it signified the welcome of Maa Lakshmi- goddess of wealth, peace and prosperity- into the house. Sanaya was then led into a room where she and Jay had to sit opposite each other with a large bowl between them. They had already been untied so sitting opposite each other was not a problem. The bowl contained milk with rose petals in it and a ring which had been dropped into the bowl. It was a competition where both the bride and the groom would have to dip their hands in the mixture together and search for the ring. The finder of the ring would emerge victorious and it was said that the finder would be the more dominant one in the marriage. Ajay and Sanaya dipped their hands in and searched for the ring. Sanaya's fingers touched the ring underneath the milk but soon both her fingers and the ring were engulfed by Jay's hand. Sanaya looked at Jay and Jay's gaze was boring into her eyes. Inside the bowl, Jay pressed the ring into her palm and released her fingers from his grasp and nonchalantly continued to search for the ring. Sanaya was touched by the gesture. She felt as though he didn't want her to feel demeaned in front of his relatives but he was willing to undergo the relentless teasing that would follow if she emerged the winner. He nudged her hand inside the bowl and she took it as the signal to withdraw her hand with the ring. She did so and everyone clapped. Ajay made a great show of being disappointed and his relatives teased him about having to submit to his wife for the rest of his life. Jay didn't say a word but just smiled and shook his head. As Sanaya was the owner of the ring now, Jay was asked to slip it on her finger. On whichever he liked. He asked for her left hand when she offered her right because Sanaya's left hand already contained her engagement ring. Sanaya gave him her left hand, nevertheless and to her surprise, he slipped it onto her ring finger; right on top of her engagement ring. He said, "Your wedding ring." Sanaya inspected the ring and saw that it was a platinum band and only now noticed that the band was too thin to be a man's and it was exactly the size of her ring finger. Only then did she understand that Jay had planned this from before. He had never wanted to win. He had planned for her to be the winner and bought the ring accordingly. Sanaya again felt touched by the gesture and could only manage a "thank you", before she was whisked away from him for the rest of the evening and night. Sanaya's mind was filled with questions but she willed herself to not dwell on them now and concentrate on getting changed and ready for the evening ahead. She wore a maroon colour benarasi saree and a gold jewellery set along with her wedding bracelets. Sanaya was taken to the living area where she was seated on the sofa while the relatives of Jay's family blessed her and gave her gifts in the form of jewellery. Ishani was silent throughout the ceremony and Sanaya knew she was thinking about something. Sanaya didn't ask her as she knew Ishani would tell her when she felt like it. Jay was nowhere to be seen as he had not been allowed to enter the living room till his bride was seated there. That night, after they all had dinner, for which again Jay had not been allowed to come down from his room and his food had been sent up to his room, Ishani pulled Sanaya aside before she and her cousin left. Ishani said, "Jay had planned to lose the game. The ring is too thin and small to be a man's."Sanaya said, "I know. I noticed. I wonder why he's being so nice to me?" Ishani said, "Maybe he's not being nice. Maybe he has changed and is genuinely a nice person. " Sanaya just nodded but she still didn't trust Jay. She didn't want to dwell on this now and Ishani too dropped the topic, no doubt sensing her friend's reluctance in wanting to discuss the topic. After Ishani and Sanaya's cousin left that night, Sanaya was given a room of her own where she was given strict instructions not to try and meet Jay. Sanaya assured her mother in law and her sister in law that she would do no such thing and locked the door after they left. Sanaya suddenly felt extremely tired. It had indeed been a long day. She quickly changed into shorts and a tee, removed all her make up, brushed her teeth and went to sleep. She really must have been exhausted because she fell asleep almost as soon as she got comfortable in the bed.
***