From Vows to Forever

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔: 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬

"As we embark on this journey, hand in hand,
May our love forever bloom and expand,
In each other's arms, may we always find solace,
Wishing us a lifetime of joy and a love that never grows callous."

I'm so tired; at this point, I just want to fall into bed and sleep. Yes, I want to sleep on our wedding night. Of course, I'm not going to let him touch me; I barely know him. I didn't stay a virgin so that I could have it with the person I got married to. Initially, I did decide to have it with the person I married, but only if it was a love marriage. I am a hopeless romantic. I want my first time to be with the person I love, cherish, and feel safe with.

I see my dad keep my left hand on Ayaan's right hand as he promises me to him while uttering a few words told to him by the priest. Ayaan accepts my hand, and he looks at me as if I am everything to him. As I look away, he kisses my hand, and I immediately want to pull my hand away as I blush.

The priest puts tikka on both our foreheads and on our parents' foreheads as well. We feed offerings of ghee to the fire as we pray to God for children, long and healthy lives, and wealth and prosperity, as told by the priest. Both our hands are joined again as the priest puts rice in our hands and we throw it in the fire. Then it was time for the pheras.

Both ends of our garments are tied together in knots as we are made to stand as we walk around the fire in the middle of the mandap as we pronounce each other to be eternal partners and match each other in life's journey. As our families smile at us while throwing rose petals on us, I join my hands behind me with his, not because of the ritual but because I feel like I'm going to faint with all the overwhelming emotions.

As soon as we finish the last round, we are made to sit, and Ayaan is given the sindoor to put in the middle of my scalp to signify that I am married. He kisses my forehead like we are star-cross lovers, and I immediately get annoyed but don't show it. I think about positive things. I am made to get up as we walk down the mandap together. As soon as I start to walk down, Ayaan picks me up in his arms, and I want to scream at him in frustration, but I don't. I see him trying to woo me. I'm not blind, but I don't want to be wooed.

As soon as we walk down the last steps, our elders, meaning my grandparents from both my mom's and dad's sides and his grandparents from both his mom's and dad's sides, shower us with blessings. I had already seen my sister hiding his shoes when we sat on the mandap. After our parents blessed us, we were crowded by my sisters with a smirk on their faces.

"I see you have already hidden my shoes, but both your sister and I are very tired. Just tell me the price." He asks with his charming smile, which could easily charm me into doing anything. I am still in his arms, and I sigh tiredly, but I am intrigued by this trade. My sisters look up with a smirk and say, "Ok, for one shoe, you have to pay 1 lakh." "Okay, and for the second shoe?" He asks, and my sisters stand there stunned as I look up at him, stunned and speechless.

I look in front and glare at my sisters. "Are you guys mad or what?" I couldn't finish as he cut me off. "Baby, do you want me to make you stand while I search for the shoes?" He says this, looking me in the eyes. And I immediately bury my head in his neck and wrap my arms around him, shaking my head no. As much as I don't want to be in his arms, I am so tired that if I have to walk some more, I might faint this time.

My sisters again look up with another smirk and say, "Okay, then since you're so desperate to leave, we will give you the shoes for 3 lakhs. Take it or leave it?" And I don't even register it before I try to jump from his arms, letting him find his shoe instead of paying 4 lakhs to my stupid sisters for his shoes. "Ok then, done deal. You will get Rs. 4 lakh in our bank account tomorrow morning. Please give me my shoes now," he says, holding me firmly so I don't move.

"No, you aren't paying Rs. 4 lakh to get your shoes back; that's preposterous." He cuts me off again. "Shh," and my sisters came back within 5 minutes, throwing his shoes on the ground so he could wear them. He puts his feet inside the shoes, and I stare at him in awe, suddenly feeling how beautiful he is. Our sisters also scatter, leaving us with all the family members as they swoon over us, and my brothers tease me for being in his arms as I blush and hide my face in his neck.

After a lot of photos and blessings from all the adults, we finally walk across the banquet hall to our hotel. He takes out the keys from his pants pocket and opens the door to the room. It's beautifully lit by candles; the walls are made out of stones; the bed is hidden by translucent curtains; and the steps leading to the bed have rose petals laid out. I am in absolute shock at seeing the room. "Wow, I didn't know there were rooms like this." He smiles as he walks around.

The room we were both staying in before was like a normal room, but this was a surprise from his parents. As we walked further into the room, I saw it had such a palace vibe with modern features; the bathroom was completely out of actual stone. With a marble bathtub and jacuzzi. He made me sit on a vanity table. As soon as he made a move to set me on the chair, I wrapped my arms around his neck tighter. And mumbled a no in his neck.