Twinj: My Lifeline

Chapter 16

Greetings everyone!! Thank you so much for all the love and appreciation that you guys have been showering my story with. Happy reading!!

The Taneja mansion was decorated beautifully, prepared to bid farewell to the little child that played in the gardens, on the stairs and everywhere else she was specifically asked not to play, who had now grown to a beautiful, strong woman, who was prepared to make the biggest sacrifice of her life for the two people she loved the most: her mother, who was her whole world until the only other person she loved so much, the prince of her dreams stepped into her life. The Sarnas too had made all the necessary preparations to welcome their daughter-in-law, who they had hoped would bring them good fortune and happiness. Digging into the cupboard, Kunj found an old picture of him and Alisha that he had stolen from her collection of their pictures, which was now crumpled up and faded. He looked at the picture guiltily, realising that over the past few days he no longer felt the same way about her. He reminded himself that it was a wrong thing, since she was the one he had promised to marry before things had turned out this way. He sat on his bed, repeatedly reminding himself that Twinkle would only be his friend, not his wife, and that he would make sure it stayed that way. The only problem with that idea though, was that he wasn't really sure his heart would cooperate, since he had begun to like Twinkle more than he had initially intended to, and it was now driving him crazy.

Meanwhile, Leela had finally convinced Twinkle to allow Chinki to apply some makeup on her, she was the bride and needed to look like it, she had insisted. Twinkle, on the other hand, had argued that it wasn't really as big a deal as they were making of it, but nobody would agree with her. So she sat resignedly in front of the dressing table as Chinki hovered around busily, picking out her brushes and cosmetics. "We saw that last night." Chinki informed Twinkle after making sure nobody else was around to listen. "Saw what?" Twinkle asked, pretending to be unaware. Chinki glared at her reflection in the mirror and Twinkle looked away immediately. Chinki then kneeled down in front of her and made her look at her. "Twinkle! Are you sure about this? I'm really worried for you. Do you even realise that it's going to get harder for you every single day? How are you going to deal with it? It's not too late to back off even now, Twinkle! Don't do this to yourself!" Chinki pleaded with teary eyes. Twinkle helped her best friend to her feet and hugged her tight. "I can't back off Chinki!" She whispered, and then continued, without giving her a chance to speak, "I'm really going to miss you though! What would I ever do without you? Who would choose the right dresses for me to wear?" Chinki hugged her tightly at that, knowing that Twinkle wouldn't give in, no matter how hard she tried.

The Sarnas arrived right on time and the rituals began just as planned. Chinki brought Twinkle down the stairs and held her supportively as they headed towards the Mandap. Kunj smiled at her, but she knew it wasn't a whole hearted smile, something had been bothering him too. She saw him cringe as the priest explained the importance of the wedding vows and the nuptial symbols; she knew it was going to be hard for him, but his reluctance held her back from enjoying it all too. She had all the rights to be happy, she was marrying the love of her life, only a dream for so many other people out there, but she couldn't be happy if he would sulk like that. She mustered every ounce of her courage and whispered to him, "We must make it look real, remember?" He nodded at her and looked a lot better almost immediately, but it wouldn't convince her, for she knew it was fake to him. He wouldn't value the nuptial symbols even a thousandth of how much it meant to her. "We don't have to do this if you find it so troublesome" she said finally as the priest asked them to stand up for the rounds about the holy fire. He was jerked back to reality and realised that she had caught him staring at her and probably assumed he was worrying about something. "It's not trouble!" He said as they began to take his first steps around the fire. "I always wanted to have a pretty bride since I was a little boy, you know? That dream is coming true today, I have the most beautiful bride in the world, and I find it so hard to believe that she's my best friend!" He continued, relieving her, a lot more than she thought was possible. It was now easier to smile genuinely and carry out the remaining rituals for both of them.

Kunj watched closely as Leela told Twinkle hundreds of little things that she'll have to do, the two of them getting very emotional, as she finished the last of rituals and led them outside. He gave Leela an assuring smile and promised her to take care of her princess, joining Twinkle in hugging Leela. Leela watched with tears of joy as Kunj tried to convince Twinkle to stop crying with little jokes. She was convinced that there couldn't be a better match for her daughter, and that she could finally stop worrying about her, she would be fine as long as she had Kunj by her side. The ride to the Sarna Mansion was a mostly quiet one, with both Twinkle and Kunj looking out of opposite windows, both lost in their own thoughts.

Twinkle and Kunj were welcomed warmly by Usha, who treated Twinkle very warmly, but Twinkle found it hard to even smile back at her after she had learnt how she had made the wedding happen. Usha noticed her cold attitude towards her too, but decided that it wasn't really the best time to confront her for it. Kunj led Twinkle to his room, which she thought was way more luxurious than anything she had ever seen. He gave her a quick tour of the room, which had a huge bed on a platform in the centre, a big walk-in closet, a large dressing table and a bathroom with a royal looking bath tub. She loved the way he described his seat by the window saying that's where he always called her up from, the wardrobe where he had made space for her on the right side according to her preference, and the way he told her little details about each award he had received that were put on display on a huge shelf. And then they felt the awkwardness creeping in. The realisation began to dawn upon them that they were no longer just best friends now, they were a couple. A married couple.

Kunj decided to break the silence by asking her if she would like to change into more comfortable clothes. She nodded immediately, anything to get over this, she thought. "You looked beautiful today!" He whispered as he led her to the washroom. She turned to him and smiled brightly. "You didn't look very bad either!" She whispered back, glad that they had found something to talk about, even happier that he thought she looked pretty, and it showed in her voice. "Really?" He asked, more of like a dare. She nodded innocently, looking right into his eyes. He pretended to wipe away tears, making her giggle. She then turned around and rushed into the washroom, leaving him smiling brightly to himself.

Twinkle stood in front of the mirror and watched her reflection, smiling back brightly at her. She blushed as she thought of Kunj's compliment. Her hands went to her Mangalsutra and then to the Sindoor that marked her his, even if it was just for the world according to him; what he didn't know was that she, his wife, was hopelessly in love with him, but she would never ever let that trouble him. She did a little happy dance, unable to believe that her dream had finally come true. She sighed dreamily, anxious about the new life that lay ahead of her. As she stepped out slowly a while later, thinking about Leela, wondering if she was alright, she noticed that the bright lights that had been put on when they had entered the room were replaced by dim lights now. "Kunj?" she called out, trying to find her way around, when she heard low guitar sounds coming from across the room.

That's it for now guys. I know this wasn't a very elaborate wedding, but it was intended to be that way to make justice to the plot. Hope that's alright, I'll make up for it later. ;)

Lots of Love!