"Ok we should go back to sleep," Pallavi started to move away and making her way back to the stairs.
"Wait just a minute, I think you're forgetting that tomorrow is our second wedding, we're already married, so technically you shouldn't be going anywhere," Raghav pulled her back close to him, taking her wrist behind her as her other hand kept her balance by grabbing onto his shirt collar.
"Raghav, mazak band karo."
"Main koi mazak nahin kar raha."
"All you men just have one thing on your minds, tsk tsk," Pallavi pulled away from Raghav and darted back into the house.
"All men don't have such a beautiful woman in their house this late at night." Raghav yelled after her.
"Raghav keep quiet or someone will hear us." Pallavi laughed quietly and went to the stairs, but Raghav was right behind her.
"Not so fast, Palls baby, mujhe aur interzaar nahin karna." Raghav grabbed her wrist.
Pallavi turned and checked the watch on his wrist, "you just have to wait 18 more hours, I think you can make it." She pulled her hand away and ran up the stairs, back into Keerthi's room.
The next morning Pallavi woke to Keerthi's voice, "Amma, Pallavi and I will get to Deshmukh house quickly, you, Farhad, Raghav and our guests can arrive later."
"Yes, that's best." Amma replied.
"Why, isn't the wedding happening here?" Pallavi yawned and sat up.
"No, beta, yours and Mansi's vidaii has to happen from your house, even if this is your home now." Amma smiled at her.
Pallavi thought about how much Aai and Baba would cry tonight, but unlike last time, they knew this time that Pallavi was leaving into a wonderful marriage, with a wonderful, if at times angry, man. She smiled to herself thinking about Raghav trying to get Baba to dance.
She quickly showered and decided to change into her wedding sari later at the house.
They left quickly, texting Farhad to get Raghav ready.
Raghav woke to Farhad's frantic knocking, "Anna we only have two hours, you need to get up."
"Farhad, I'm coming I'm coming, let me shower."
He rubbed his eyes and looked for Pallavi, and then remembered that she didn't sleep here last night. He smiled thinking about last night. So what if Mrs. Rao got away from him last night, tonight, he'd give her such a night to remember that she'd never think about leaving him.
He showered and put on a white kurtha with a dark red border, Pallavi was too proud of her Marathi background to wear anything but a red lehnga or sari.
His phone rang as he was leaving his room, "Amma, what's going on, everything is set there right?"
"Raghav, everything here is fine, but how am I supposed to explain to your wife that she can't wear such a simple set of jewelry on her wedding day—"
"Amma, it is not simple, come on, it's so heavy, everyone is going to be looking at Mansi anyway, it's not like it's ours and Raghav's first wedding." Pallavi said in the background, "now tell your son to get here quickly because I'm not the type of girl that will wait all night for her baraat."
Raghav smiled, and then thought, no, there was no way this wedding would be all about Mansi, and he decided to make a stop at Jayathi Jewels before he got to Deshmukh house.
An hour later, Raghav decided the best way to avoid Saanki Baba and that Bindi Waali Kaku was to get into the house through the back balcony. He snuck around the back of the house, parking his car down the street so no one noticed. He told Farhad to go in normally, and just let everyone know that he was on his way.
At the back of the house he saw Pallavi's silhouette in through one of the windows, even through the curtains he could see that she had her hair up and it was covered in flowers. His heart did a jump into his throat.
He made it onto the second floor balcony, and then made his way into Pallavi's room.
"AAAH—Raghav, what the hell are you doing?" Pallavi was shocked.
"I came to catch a glimpse of a bride before she became someone else's forever," Raghav grinned, coming closer but hiding the gift bag he brought with him behind his back.
Pallavi turned back to the mirror, adjusting her hair and the simple diamond necklace she was still wearing, "I don't know what to tell you Gamandi Rao, not every woman is cut out for the "no-commitment" lifestyle. She smiled at him as he stood behind her.
"I also came to remind you that this isn't just a second wedding, I want it to be your dream wedding...so simple won't be enough today."
"Raghav, you're worse than Amma and Aai. Just let it go, it's Mansi's special day."
Raghav had spent this whole time looking at Pallavi's face that he only just noticed the sari she was wearing. It wasn't red, it was...pink and white. A memory of his laughing father and smiling mother came to him, he had taken this sari from his mother ages ago and insisted it was for his future wife.
"This sari..." Raghav began.
"Do you like it, Amma thought you would." Pallavi grinned, looking over her pleats one more time.
"It's perfect, and now you will have to listen to me, like you're going to have to listen to me for the rest of your life." Raghav said, taking out the gift bag and placing it on the vanity.
"Oh Baby, Shona, Jaanu, you have no idea how this marriage is going to work," Pallavi responded, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Accha Baba, kal se tum mere ghar ki rajkumari, but at least today just show the world your beauty with a little more jewelry." Raghav begged, holding his ears.
"Fine. But only because you begged." Pallavi smiled, sitting down on the bed, enjoying riling up her husband.
