AADHYA REHAN✓

23| The Sacred Chain ✓

TARA

I take my phone and open Instagram to post the Haldi pictures. It was an eventful day and I'm more than ready to jump into bed.

My family and I stay in Delhi but for Rehan Bhai's wedding we have come here. Dad planned for us to stay in his parent's house till the wedding but my siblings and I begged him to let us stay in Raj uncle's house. Mom joined us after seeing her relatives who she hasn't seen for a long time. This house truly is a Shaadi ka Ghar, there are people all around the corner, gossips everywhere, fashion police, etc.

We cousins are sharing rooms and when there were no rooms left, we all moved to sleep in the entertainment room. It is so much fun at night because we sleep only after 12 and after endless talks and games.

I can see shadows running in the hallway. I close my eyes and try to sleep but someone enters the room and turns on the lights. It is Gayatri Mami, my mother's second brother's wife. She is joined by Ved.

"Please..." I tell them as they begin to flip all the mattresses on the floor.

"Tara wake up." Mami tells me as she checks the couch and tables. "What is the state of this room?" She mutters finding days old peanut in the couch among other things.

Ved kneels by my side and whispers. "Bhai has gone mental-"

"Be more specific. Which Bhai?"

"My brother! Rehan! The wedding chain, it is missing!"

"What do you mean by missing?"

"Tara get up and search. We have to find it." Mami tells me and I stand up and look at Ved.

"How did he lose that? That is his wife's Mangalsutra!"

Ved shakes his head. "You know who the accused is? Me! Yeah, also Liya because according to him we were the last ones in his room,"

"Did you take it Ved?" I tease him and he glares at me.

"Yeah put the blame on the poor and innocent. That's what is happening here anyway,"

I shake my head as we search the room. It's obviously not here and people should really check in Rehan Bhai's room, he may have just misplaced it. We walk out of the room and when we reach Bhai's room, it is not the same elegant and mesmerizing room it was yesterday. Couch has been pushed along with bed, dresses still in its bags are laying all over the floor. All the doors of the closet are opened and I see Bhai walking here and there.

Okay, maybe he didn't misplace.

"It is not a thief," Sunita Mami tells Gayatri Mami as she holds the jewelry box. "If it was they would have taken his ring. It is gold! Only the chain is missing." She looks at Rehan. "Maybe it fell when you were coming to keep this here."

"NO!" Bhai tells her. "I have photo of the day I kept it in my safe. It was here. I kept it safely but I was stupid to leave the key in open." He groans walking in the room.

"Don't say anything stupid. He will literally kill who says the wrong word," I whisper to Ved and he mouths me, "I know!"

Ved and I are put on searching duty and when we reach downstairs I realize so is everyone. Time goes fast and it is after midnight when Sanjay Bhai makes an entrance.

"Did you search his room? It must be there," He tells us and we all stop searching for a second to shoot him a glare. "Tough crowd."

"There is a theif. I'm sure," Liya says. "My two shirts and pajamas are missing."

"Hey, my green crop top is missing!" Shreya, my sister, adds.

I think for a second and I realize my things are missing too. "My hair brush, scrunchies, hair clip and—"