Arranged To Be Married (Editing)

Chapter 8

Today is my marriage. I'm sitting in parlour getting ready . I'll be going to wedding venue 2 hours later. Thinking all that is giving me jitters. I am feeling really nervous just then I heard the voice of incoming msg. There was a new message from Ruhan. I opened to find myself smiling loudly earning stares from people. He has written, "You still has time wifey, once you take 7 feras you won't be able to get out before our 7 lives." (in India during marriage we take 7 feras :- seven round around fire and once we do that our life is entwined for next seven life. This is what all our elderly believes).
'Wifey', wow di! this is such a cute endearment",I heard my sister's voice and I turned to her saying why is she looking in my phone and she showed me her tongue, like a little girl and I thought inside how I'm going to miss all of this and feel tears coming to my eyes. Looking at that my sister hugged me and said sorry for showing her tongue at me and start to say sorry for every wrong behaviour she has done to me and also about her plan to take my room after my marriage  and I smiled at her innocence. "I love you baby sis" I said.

"I love you too Di.", she said and we both hugged each other. Just then our driver came to take us and I sat down in our car thinking about everything while moving towards my new life. After reaching there re touch of my makeup was done. Just like that came the call for var mala and I was taken towards the stage. There I found the man who I am going to marry in few minutes smiling at me and  I was made to sit beside him, everyone was preparing for varmala just then I heard him whisper worry"You didn't ran away?"and I whispered back, "Like I had a choice" and all  I heard is his little laughter at my response. After that varmala was done and we both were called in mandap for further rituals and 7 feras that will seal our fates together forever and few minutes later began the puja and we were asked to get up for feras after kanyadaan(In this ritual The left hand of the bride is placed on the groom's right hand and the bride’s parents utter the following words while giving her away ‘Today, the bride is Laxmi and the groom is Vishnu. By joining their hands in marriage, we will repay the debt to our forefathers by continuing the next life cycle.’Kanyadaan is considered to be the noblest act of offering that a person can perform and by doing it the parents of the bride are absolved of all their bad karmas).
In indian culture we have 7 feras, each one has a promise we made in front of fire to each other.
First step: To respect and honor each other
Second step: To share each other’s joy and sorrow.
Third step: To trust and be loyal to each other
Fourth step: To cultivate appreciation for knowledge, values, sacrifice and service
Fifth step: To appreciate purity of emotions, love, family duties and spiritual growth
Sixth step: To follow principles of Dharma
  Seventh step: To nurture an eternal  bond of friendship and love.
On completion of this ritual, sindoor is applied on my forehead by ruhan, considered a sign of wife's never dying love and devotion towards her better half and The marriage is concluded. And we both went to take blessing from our elders. After that came the most difficult time in a girl's life the vidaai part. Where she has to bid bye to all her family members and enter into new life. I cried like crazy hugging everyone in my family and then left in car towards Ruhan's house. I was crying the whole time and like a gentleman ruhan gave me his handkerchief and I thanked him. After reaching his house I've controlled my tears and entered towards his house main gate. There my mother-in-law was standing with a thali in her hands to welcome both of us inside with a aarti . After that i entered the house by displacing a container filled with rice signifying that I am the bringer of abundance to my new family. I then dipped my feet in a mixture of red vermillion and enters the house, leaving foot prints on the floor. This ritual is practiced as the bride is considered as a form of Goddess Laxmi in India.
After this, a number of wedding games are played to make me feel comfortable in my new home. And those helped me to move my mind from missing my family. After them we both entered our room tired as hell.My luggage has thankfully arrived so I changed into comfortable clothes and so did ruhan. When I entered in my room I felt ruhan reading something and when I looked closely it was my freaking journal and went towards him to grab it but he pulled it away. Failing my attempt."Who gave you this?",I asked.

"Who else wifey other than your my beloved sali"(wife's sister is called as sali in indian culture).

" So how much you have read?",I asked him. Earning his laughter in process.

" Not much, don't worry",he replied.

"But there should be equal equal between husband and wife na then give me your journal", I said.

"I don't write journals", he replied.

"Then bucket list or something?",I asked again.

And he said yes and moved towards his almirah to get me that and gave me his bucket list, which I opened eagerly and read. "Dude we are so much same, half of the things are in my list also.", I told him and he smiled. Then came the time to sleep and he began to move and I asked him where is he going and he told me that he wants me to feel comfortable when he sleep beside me and gave me time to get to know him better. I told him it's fine I'm not uncomfortable in sharing bed with him. I know we are not ready to do 'that thing' but there is no harm in sharing bed. We can share like friends. And we both slept beside each other discussing random topics and we both didn't realised when the sleep arrived. And this is how my first night went.