All Strings Attached

Chapter Thirty Four

Sita

"Vadina, can you please help me out?" Sanya requests, brushing her hair behind her with the back of her hands, since her palms were painted in drying mehendi.

"Come here," I stand up from my seat to help her tuck her hair behind her ears. "Is that better?" I ask, pulling back to look at her. It'll probably come undone, but should be good for now.

"So much better," she she sighs through her mouth in relief, making me chuckle. "Are you going to put mehendi as well?'

"I don't think so," I pout, sorrowfully, "Dhushyanth and I need to go to his friend's place after this, for Prashanth's wife's sreemantham." [baby shower]

"I see," she says. "Is it a private affair?"

"Very low-key is what Dhushyanth said," I remember, thinking back to this morning as I tried to assemble an outfit that would work for this very grand mehendi ceremony and a very private baby shower.

"Hello, pellaam," I hear Dhushyanth whisper, his hand slipping into mine within the second. "Veldhaama?" [Hello, wife. Let's go?]

"Anna, Vadina gorintaaku pettinchukoledu, she said you guys have to leave," Sanya complains to her brother, immediately. "Why are all your days so packed, lately?" [Anna, Vadina didn't get her mehendi done.]

"Your brother's a busy, busy man," I tell her, consciously keeping myself from rolling my eyes.

Dhushyanth gives me a soft, amused smile. "Never too busy for you."

"So she can get her mehendi done?" Sanya asks, excitedly, saving me from replying to his blush-worthy comment.

"It's okay, Sanya. I didn't want to get my mehendi done anyway," I try to convince her, making her narrow her eyes at me, "Plus, the event's already small, we shouldn't be too late."

"Liar," she comments, "I saw how that aunty beat you to the artist." She glares at the woman who practically raced me to the seat at the mehendi artist. "But fine, I get it. You guys have to leave."

"Pettinchuko, Sita," Dhushyanth encourages. "We can be a little late."

"No, it's fine, don't worry about it," I assure him, "I'm not the most interested in Mehendi anyway. We should leave now, I don't want to be late to your best friend's do, for mehendi."

Sanya pouts. "You're too nice to even argue with."

I laugh, pinching her cheek. She's all of 21 years old, but feels like such a baby. "I'm glad you think so. We're going to leave now, you should go find your friends." I eye the crowd of boys and girls near the bar. "Stay safe."

"Yes ma'am, yes ma'am," she agrees, loosely wrapping her arms around me to avoid getting her mehendi on me.

I smile, accepting her hug, and remember how much I miss my own little sister; she's off on vacation with her friends after the campaign, but never fails to spam my WhatsApp with photos on the trip.

~.~.~.~.~

"Finally!" Abhi exclaims when he sees me and Dhushyanth enter Prashanth's flat, after getting rid of our footwear at the entrance. "Deeksha wanted to wait for the both of you to get here before starting the event."

The place is decorated in yellow and orange marigolds, looking entirely festive and decked for the event.

True to Dhushyanth's words, it does look like quite the private affair. I'm slightly surprised Deeksha would've wanted to wait for Dhushyanth and I to start the event, since it is a women's event, so Dhushyanth basically has no part of it, and I've never met her before today.