YOURS TRULY

Part 9

Forty minutes later as Akash stopped the engine parking the car in front of his home, it occurred to Ipshita, someone just pulled her out of a dream. Brutally!

***

The evening spread its duvet over the city and the hustle bustle in the Chatterjee house grew louder. Makeup artists rushed in to brush up the beauties and the beaus started discussing who and when was going to escort the groom. But Akash already knew the decision, hence changing in his suit and Jodhpuri pants he rushed.
When Akash got back with Ipshita at the late afternoon his father's growls welcomed him but making the excuse of an annoyingly long traffic he had saved his neck. Although his father left him, he had seen his sister looking at him and Ipshita, with the intention of scanning their inside. She asked quickly the Roychoudhury girl to go and freshen up, but not her brother had no escape
"What are you exactly doing?" She hissed.
"Whatever you mean!" He shrugged.
"I told you to steer clear off this girl!"
"Di! Relax! We were just..."
"You are just what? Oh! Do you take me for a fool Bhaiyu? I told you-"
"Good god woman! Can't I be friends with a girl now? She was just accompanying me!"
In a low voice, the siblings conversed. After hearing her brother's logic the sister looked at him keenly, reading every expression on his face and then heaved a sigh. "It better be so. Otherwise, God helps you!" She had said and left - leaving Akash looking at the way his sister disappeared inside the house pondering over the things she said.

And as he was putting his navy blue suit on the thousands of thoughts about the ceremonies crowded in his mind but the one thought he could not just shoot off, the one that kept on coming back. So he didn't realise when Amit walked inside the room.
"You took Ipsita out?" Amit's shrieking yet low voice disrupted Akash's screaming crowd of thoughts. He looked up at him with a tired expression that screamed 'not you too!'. But studiously ignoring that Amit chose to blubber on as he put on his ceremonious cloths. "Dude! You realise his father is no lesser that Mogambo. And he will literally gobble you down without any water if you look at her with anything other than a brother's eyes!" He chuckled satisfied at the choices of his own words.
Heaving a sigh Akash replied, "I am not looking at her with anything." Exhaustion dripping in his voice. " Just saw the girl sitting alone so..."
"So asked her out?"
"It's not like that!" Desperately Akash yelped. Oh! Why was everyone busy making everything about a date! "For heaven sake, she is not even my type!" He thought out loud the truth. "Flat ironed perfectly and neatly done hair, manicured nails, overhyped doe eyes, perfect white teeth - dude I would rather buy a minted packed barbie doll." He growled in one breath his defence. The allegations of this romance were starting to throttle him.
Frown lines gathered on Amit's forehead. He came here with the intention of teasing Akash but listening to the words in the tone that can only be just as a mockery annoyance and anger piped inside him. Ipshita was no lesser than his own sister, and right now Akash's words stung him badly. He contemplated his reaction that was coming rather naturally but decided against it for the sake of the circumstances. "Well;" clearing his throat and with a wry chuckle he spoke, "although you two do have a 'Romeo and Juliet' backdrop, she is indeed too good for you!"
Taking a good look of Amit from his head to toe, Akash left chuckling as he replied, "sure!" before he went out.

*

But after everything said and done; prohibition had its charm of sneaking inevitability of attraction with it.
Hence, when across the room his eyes landed on Ipshita, wrapped in a brown and silver Benarasi saree with a sleeveless blouse, dragging his breath forcefully and very soundly he could not but recall upon the Almighty. Standing over the room she was laughing at some unheard jokes. Her long hair was put in a bun leaving her perfect fair neck exposed. Akash wiped his face with his palm but felt irritated finding it already sweaty. His eyes ran through the dangerous territory on her body wondering just how perfectly the train was set upon her bosom, lowly, yet not giving up the mystery while the warm wooden brown tone perfectly played at contrast with her skin - simple, classic and elegant. His wretched eyes suddenly halted as they met with hers and widen, upon being caught off guard, like a deer on a headlight. Pulling a breath in he gulped down the liquid in hand and sprinted outside the under the open air of the yard of the banquet hall.

*

The ritual starter getting over gradually. Anindya Chatterjee put the hand of his daughter on the hand of Rivu, the Paromita's would be husband. His jaw set in a stern face not giving away what was going inside his mind but his eyes kept looking at Rivu with an invisible scanner in his eyes. 'Must be a decent chap!' His mind kept assuring him but then his eyes fall on his daughter sitting beside him and his throat started paining. His voice broke as he chanted and repeated what the price asked him to. Pulu sat behind him and her eyes kept shuttling on her husband and their daughter knowing both the humen were at the  verge of crying.
Akash kept shuffling between the food area, kitchen and the place where the rituals were happening. The only perk he could think about his current situation was that he could continuously staff his mouth. Although Amit and Nilesh were right there with him at their posts of subordinates - but then they all of them were subordinated under Aninday Chatterjee as Akash, his son put it and caused the other two laugh.
When the groom's relative sat to dine at Poulee and another aunt of them ushered Anindya to go and look after them and with a huge scowl he went on to take the flag of responsibility off his son's shoulder. By this sudden chance of freedom his son was a bit shaken more than happy for he asked in a worried voice "why?"
Anindya looked at him and growled, "because apparently, I am supposed to as the father of the bride!"
"What!"
"Ask your mother!'
It's worthless to say that Akash didn't ask his mother but moved away with a low chuckle. He knew how very much his father have loathed this situation. He hated the rituals and if he could he would have finished the wedding as a court marriage but his mother was the one to fond of rituals and doing it right.
And indeed Anindya had howled "who the fuck are they! Just because I am marking my daughter does not mean..."
"Will you hush! And for heaven sake, it is just how it is!" Poulee tried to reason.
"No! I am marrying my daughter, not being freed off some burden or weight so I will go and ask them to eat on my food - the food I am paying for - like an eternally grateful beggar! No way in hell!"
"Oh good god! One does so with anyone who comes to have a meal in the house too, Rivu's father will do too, you will see. Now just go planting a smile and simply chat...!"
"I don't even know them...!"
"I won't allow you in the bedroom for one year, I swear!"
And there was it! The decision was made. Making a face, as if Anindya had tasted a raw lemon, he had walked towards the dining area...

*

"Here! You are at last a free man!" Jhimli slurred put up the half drank bottle of vodka as Akash walked towards couch at some distance, where at present the two ladies were sitting with Nilesh.
"Are you drunk?" Frowning Akash asked her. A light giggle from Ipshita affirmatively answered him. Damn! How hard he was trying to keep his mind diverted from that particular person and that one ringer of laughter just swept all the pretence in one go. He took one glance of her before he forcefully detached his glance off her. Heaving a sigh he grabbed the bottle of the alcohol from Jhimli and sat down in one single couch.
"Enjoying the freedom! Are you?" Jhimli slurred again, her chiffon saree carelessly stayed over her body as she leaned onto Ipshita sitting on the long couch of three. Nilesh on the other side sat looking yet intoxicated in a singular couch and laughing with Jhimli. Looking around Akash made face.
"You are drunk at my sister's wedding! Are you serious!" He hissed looking around. The alcohol ran down his throat burning in the process.
"Hey, I am not! I never get drunk. I know my limi-" Ipshita blabbered in protest but got interrupted to much her irritation infuriating an amount of rage in her drunk mind.
"Where is your brother?" Ignoring Ipshita completely Akash asked Jhimli in reply she just rolled out her lower lip to confirm her unawareness. "Have you people are something? Or just being drunk in an empty stomach?"
"Have you eaten the pill your father takes or what Mr Buzzkill?" Nilesh growled but with laughter being accompanied by Jhimli.
"It's my sister's wedding!"
"So what? I am not marrying her!"
Before Akash could reply to this brilliant logic, Amit approached them and quickly dragged his sister up to take her to dine.
"Don't you feel she should eat here though?" Asked Ipshita helping Jhimli to stand steadily.
"Why? This is not the dining area!" Loudly Jhimli protested and marched with her brother after saying "I am not ashamed. Yes, I am drunk! So what!" Loudly making some people jolt their faces at their direction.
"Bravo!" Only Nilesh clapped cheering her. And if glares could burn a hole, Akash would have successfully produced two holes at that moment - one on his best friend's face and another behind Jhimli's head...

So here's the part. Hope you like it. Now please VOTE! and comment too...