NEVER IN A FOREVER (Manan)

Part 6

N A N D I N I

I couldn't believe my friends actually pulled a stunt to cancel this marriage in a weird manner. And the most unbelievable thing is him finding me perfectly.

My friends even wore wigs, same kind of lehengas and what not but he found me in a heartbeat as if I was different from everyone.

My heart raced at its highest when he held me in his arms as Mukti pushed me on to him, probably trying to set him and me as she realised I can't get back to Madhyam anyway.

But I'm stuck in the middle route. I can't get over Madhyam nor can I love Manik all over again. I can't let my heart break again.

I heard my friends telling that pandit ji called me as my friends came excitedly towards me as Mukti hugged me tightly and said "you will never regret this" and gang join the group making me smile whole heartedly for the first time in this day.

My brother came along with my uncles as I broke the hug and patted my head once and made me sit on the big sized weaved basket.

It is one of our traditions to carry the bride like this. My two uncles and my brother lifted the basket on their shoulders as they started walking towards the mandap as my friends went to grab Dandiya sticks to play Dandiya in two lines infront of us as if welcoming us.

The sound of drums, music, dandiya sticks, guests chattering, I didn't felt like I heard anything except my heartbeat which was crossing the normal limits, my breaths becoming abnormally slow as I tried to take deep breaths and tried calming my heart that was competiting with horses.

It feels as if everything is happening in the slow motion. As the basket was kept down, my brother extended his hand towards me to grab it and as I did, he pulled me up and Mukti on my other side to manage my lehenga. God bless this devil for helping me all the times.

I left my brother's hand as I held my lehenga in my both hands and started walking towards the mandap complaining to god internally that I have to bear it all day.

Aiyappa kya kardi maine. Itni badi lehenga kaun banaya.

All my friends changed back to the clothes they got ready before that stupid "find Nandini and marry her" program.

And I know guys are having hard time to look away from them. My parents went and stood beside Manik's as I was made to sit beside him by Mukti and Navya while Alia was taking care of the catering and Dhruv, Manik's friend was helping her but I have seen him glancing at Alia as if he is going to eat her almost everywhere whenever we all were together.

Pandit started chanting mantras and started instructing us what to do as I tried to calm my heart that was bursting with different kinds of emotions that I can't decipher.

Hate, anger, hurt, broken, crying, defeated and what not? It feels like there's a hurricane inside me that turns everything upside down making me feel nauseated and my head dizzy.

I can't believe I'm getting married. Everything will change in few minutes. I kept my tears at bay, barely able to control the emotions that are flooding inside me messing up completely. I feel like an ocean, looking calm outside but having many tornadoes and floods inside.

I kept chanting to myself that it will be fine soon but my heart said otherwise.

My eyes turned teary as I blinked away the tears, completely unaware of what's happening around me.

I raised my head up to find Mukti standing beside my brother as she was looking around smiling while my brother tried to latch his hand with hers trying to make it look like it happened by mistake or it is casual. Cute! I can't believe he is falling for her.

He first have known her as my best friend and immediately fell in love with her voice when she was talking to me on mobile and it was on speaker.

I thought he slept off but he was hearing our talks being the shameless brother he is.

I still remember that day when I was about to cut the call, he immediately grabbed my mobile and confessed that he loved her voice the moment he heard it and he felt like all his stress vapourised with her tone.

As cheesy as it was, it was really really cute and he stopped flirting with other girls after hearing her voice.

He doesn't know her past but they have bonded well over my marriage arrangements, Mukti helping him with almost everything being the multitasking person she was.

Mukti who was typing something on her mobile looked aside as she found my brother's hand near hers trying to hold it and she looked at me as I was already looking at her.

Winking at me, she held his hand casually entwining her right hand with his left one and stuffed her mobile in her lehenga pocket and wrapped her left hand around his elbow as he looked at her with wide eyes and his ears turned pink as she winked at him with a playful smile on her face.

Seeing Mukti like this gives me a kind of relief. My brother had a rough past and after a bitch, he built his walls and mom and dad were unaware of that.

He never opened up to anyone even I found it accidentally. I hope they both can become each other's happiness. Whatever Mukti has gone through, she deserves him.

She blew a kiss to me bringing me out of my trance making me smile. My brother told her something as she bobbed her head like a kid making him smirk. 

God bless me not to have DIABETES with this sweetness. My heart clenched as I thought about my position in my life right now.

The rest of the marriage passed in a bluer as I followed everything as said. I closed my eyes as Manik tied mangalsutra around my neck, letting the tears fall and thankfully he kept quiet this time without telling anything.

While filling my partition with sindoor, he kissed my forehead and wiped my tears softly without letting anyone notice making me shiver at his touch.