Raghav got back to downstairs to the wedding bonanza faster than Pallavi, wanting to make sure everything is ready.
He saw that Rahul was already getting his haldi, and Mansi was waiting patiently for hers. Amma and Keerthi ran up to him, and both of them pulled him to his seat, he was dressed in a traditional Telugu man's white dhoti with a yellow trim, and a pale yellow kurtha, the buttons of which were obviously mostly undone because he was Raghav Rao after all. Amma and Keerthi applied haldi, and Raghav was barely paying attention as Aai, Asha Aunty, and what seemed like dozens of other women started applying haldi on his face, hands, and feet. All he was looking at were the stairs, where was Pallavi.
Then he saw her, her hair was in a loose bun at the nape of her neck, covered with one or two long strands of Indian jasmine. Her neck and arms were bare of any jewelry except for the bracelet he had given her, and that simple diamond necklace. She was wearing the simplest ruby studs in her ears. Her lehenga was long and flowing, pale yellow, almost matching to his kurtha. The dupatta sheer and draped along her left arm. But Raghav barely noticed all this, all he could see was her smile. As Pallavi walked down the stairs, she was immediately elated upon seeing Mansi's excitement at getting smeared with haldi by Amruta and Asha Aunty. How even Sulochana Kaku's mood was good today. How Milind Kaka was basically unable to hold back his happy tears. Then she caught Raghav staring at her, she blushed and looked down, then catching his eye again she looked him up and down and gave him a "not bad" expression. He laughed and returned the look. As she got to the bottom of the stairs, Aai and Nikhil came up to her.
"You took way too long, Pallavi," Aai chastised, "come quickly!" And she pulled her to her seat, directly across from Raghav.
Amma brought over the haldi from Raghav's rasam, and gave it to Aai, "shall we start?"
Pallavi had to hold back tears as Aai placed haldi on her face, her hands, and feet.
"I knew, that one day you would find a new sasural, but even though it's been over a month, I can't imagine the idea of having you leave again." Aai said, choking back tears.
As Amma started to apply haldi, she said, "Pallavi, I never thought I would live to see the day where my son, would do something not for his own benefit, but for someone else, you are the daughter-in-law that I never expected, but I always hoped to to one day be lucky enough to welcome."
Raghav's eyes were filled with tears, as he watched Amma, Keerthi, and Pallavi overcome with happiness. He prayed that nothing would hurt them, nothing could come between them and their happiness, and that nothing would come between him and Pallavi.
