Entangled Lives

CHAPTER XLV

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Prachi smiled softly catching eyes with Ranbir from the other corner of the hall. When she had asked Ranbir that she wanted everyone to love him, she didn't expect him to go to the extent that no one seems to manage going one full hour before calling him for help in one thing or another. At the current rate, the number of times his name resonated within the house's walls was almost the same as that of Samarth, the bride's brother.

They had just been there for three days and Ranbir had every single person wrapped around his fingers. Be it any neighbor or relative of Kanak. 

And Kanak, that traitor, even she has been siding with him. Prachi is almost convinced that everyone adored him even more than they love her!

Aryan and Shahana were different story. God knows what had happened to them since two days. It is like someone glued their tongue to the roof of their mouths when they were anyone around each other. One can never look at them and say that they once used to be at each other's throats.

Everything was fine. They had had their usual 'war-till-Pranbir-do-us-part' in the evening. Pranbir had, quite literally, parted them. They dragged them to their respective rooms. Went to sleep. And...

And that was that. From the very next morning, they just passed small-tentative smiles and soft, honey-dipped words. Shahana moved around with a hint of color on her cheeks and Aryan with an idiotic grin. They still fight, but with a hint of teasing underlying their remarks.

Prachi shook her head as she made her way to her friend's room, carrying the jewelry boxes for the bride. The wedding was the day next to tomorrow, and it was as hectic as it could get. With her tiny friend's big- scratch that- Huge tantrums, her mother had dropped her weapons and made Prachi and Shahana the incharge of finalizing her outfits, pieces of jewelry, and all-over looks for the rituals and wedding itself.

"Here," Prachi said, showing the picky bride some more earrings to go with her Mehandi outfit.

"Oooh," Kanak's eyes brightened up as she saw the pretty salmon pink earrings. "I like this one!" she squealed before Shahana whacked her arm.

"Stop moving around, or your nail paint will get smudged." Shahana warned, delicately brushing the clear gel on her nails to prevent them from Mehandi color.

"Which ones?" Prachi asked, gesturing to the six boxes of earrings that lay open in front of them.

"The pink one!" Kanak wobbled to get to the box but Shahana maintained her vice grip on her wrist, keeping her in place.

"Pink one?" Prachi asked confused, "but you are to wear a blue dress today!"

"But like these," Kanak said adamantly.

"They won't match your dress." Pachi tried to reason. 

"Then select any other dress" came the instant reply.

"You spent an entire day just deciding your dresses, and now you want another dress just so they could match your earrings?" Prachi stood akimbo, "We will have to change the whole look."

"So?" Kanak opened her mouth looking offended, "this is only my first marriage, you want me to look back from the future and cuss you for not letting me wear the earrings I wanted to wear on my own personal Mehandi?"

"First of all," Prachi held her posture, "who holds a national Mehandi? And second, 'only first marriage', huh? How many times do you think people get married?"

"My college friend's father is getting married a third time next week," Kanak spoke plainly.

"Wha-?" Before Prachi could utter something, Shalini, Kanak's mother, and Mami barged into the room, followed by her Chachi.