The Marriage Contract

55 - Weddings and Old Flames

"Okay, why do I feel overdressed?" Akshara asked as they were greeted by the servers at Kairav's Mehndi party offering them welcome drinks.

It had been yesterday when Abhimanyu and Akshara had confessed their love for each other. But truth be told, they did not feel any different. Because they both knew the loved each other, and words were never a requirement for them.

They were happy that these three words, the confession solidified what they always believed about each other, their feelings for each other, but it wasn't an eye opening experience. It was just soft, subtle, truthful acceptance of their feelings. Verbalizing what they'd always felt for each other.

"Oh please. You look beautiful." Abhimanyu responded, glancing towards Akshara's pink embroidered kaftan dress, her sandals, her chunky accessories and her wavy hair. Perfect.

"Sure?" She asked, searching around the private beach which was reserved for the wedding festivities to see other women walking around in bikinis and even shorter dresses than hers wearing a sarong to cover up their naked bits.

"Abhimanyu!" Kairav came running up to Abhimanyu and Akshara wearing shorts and a open buttoned shirt, revealing his naked chest underneath. There was the name Reem tattooed over his chest with a heart in henna.

"What's up man?" Abhimanyu pulled Kairav into a fist bump turned into a embrace —something the boys did and Akshara would never understand. It was like their own secret handshake.

"I've been good. You? Finally made it huh?"

"Told you I would and I did." He chuckled, before turning his attention towards Akshara. "And this is my wife, Akshara."

Kairav nodded his head before extending his hand out for Akshara to shake. "Pleasure to meet you. Kairav, Abhimanyu's best friend."

"And the groom. Finally." Abhimanyu added, teasingly.

"Same here. Nice to meet you." Akshara replied, shaking Kairav's hand.

"I can't believe you got married! And that too, before me! What the hell man?! And you didn't even invite me? How could you?" Kairav accused.

"It happened so quick. Trust me. We ourselves didn't really know how or when it happened." Abhimanyu replied, earning a nod of agreement from Akshara. "But you tell me, Loverboy. How does it feel to finally get married after being rejected by like 50 other girls?"

Abhimanyu turned towards Akshara to explain the inside joke to Akshara. "Kairav has terrible taste in girls. He would wear his heart on his sleeve and would end up rejected every single time. He even tried the arrange marriage route. But nothing."

"Yeah, it's not like that. I'd date with the hopes of getting married but I guess the girls thought I was coming on too strong or just not their type. Heart break everywhere until I met Reem." He pointed towards a beautiful girl wearing colourful clothes and s floral headband sitting getting her henna done.

"We were colleagues turned friends turned lovers. She had been through a bad breakup of a long term relationship and I was going through a phase of bad first dates. And we just clicked." Kairav sighed happily, reminiscing his love life. "So don't listen to Chunky Monkey over here."

"Chunky Monkey?" Akshara inquired looking over at Abhimanyu with widened eyes.

"Oh? He didn't tell you? Before he became a hotshot doctor, surgeon, he used to a bit chunky. And his eating habits would run parallel to exam season."

"I was a stress eater who used to eat and study only during exam season. Hence why they called me, Chunky Monkey." Abhimanyu added.

"And then he went to the gym, started working out and turned into the player you see today. Had all the girls gushing over him to their wits end. Leaving is with the leftovers." Kairav announced shamelessly.