1 | Say You Love Me

43 - Radha Krishna

The statue of Radha and Krishna adorned with flowers stood proudly before Raj Khanna.

He was lost in the silence of his thoughts as his parents chatted merrily with one another. He wondered if this is how Krishna felt when Radha married someone else? Was he truly happy for his beloved? Was Radha happy for Krishna, for his marriage to Rukmani - did she happily elude their love so that both she and Krishna could be content with others? 

Raj felt it in his heart that he wasn't ready to let his love for Rhea go, but how could he tell her now when just last night, he aided in drowning whatever feeling they had left? 

From the temple entrance, Mrs. Sahani proudly escorted her daughter in while Mr. Sahani waited outside for Sonia. To others, her daughter seemed shy about her union with Rohan as her eyes cast down to the white tiles below her; to the mother, she knew her daughter was preparing got give her love up for good. Despite the circumstances, she prayed that her daughter would find happiness. 

"Rhea wants to decorate the platter for Raj and Sonia's wedding ceremony," Mrs. Sahani told the priest. When he asked about the other bride, she said: "the other bride takes a long time to get ready."

Raj looked at Rhea, who closed her eyes and held her palms together, praying before looking at Raj. He looked handsome in his white and gold wedding attire, but the painful love in his eyes is what caught Rhea's attention. She gave him a small nod and took the plate from the priest. 

Behind them, Rohan's smile fell as he looked between Rhea and Raj - or rather, how they stood a few feet away from each other without so much as a smile. As Rhea walked up to the altar to prepare the platter, Rohan walked up to Raj.

"What are we doing, Raj?" 

Looking straight ahead, Raj spoke in a small voice, "We fulfilling a wish for someone we both love." His eyes, slightly clouded, looked at Rohan. 

Rohan's eyes fell to the ground, unsure of how to feel now that Raj admitted his love for Rhea to him - something he'd known since he first laid eyes on Rhea. "Are we doing the right thing?" He recalled the conversation he and Raj had the other night. 

Raj chuckled lightly, "what's right and wrong," he looked ahead, his hand gesturing towards Radha and Krishna, "is up to them." 

Rohan followed his gaze towards the two beings and sighed. His silent promise came to light; if he and Rhea got married, then he would do anything to make her happy, but even he knows that her happiness would be unfulfilled. With one last look at his two friends, he turned around and greeted his future father-in-law.

When the platter was complete, Rhea handed it to the priest so that he could bless it. Behind him, she followed; kneeling, she pressed her forehead against the cold tile as the priest began a hymn to honor the godly pair. When he finished, the priest turned to Raj while Rhea sat up and looked at the statue with honor, her palms pressed against one another. 

She wondered how Radha felt when Krishna married Rukmani, or when Radha married Ayan. She glanced over at Raj, recounting their story; they loved each other but were marrying others just like them - how strange.

A sudden wind passed through the temple, giving every one the chills. As if Krishna stood behind him, a dazed Raj accidentally burned his finger and caused the sindoor to fall over the edge of the platter. Radha chuckled as the red powder landed on Rhea's bindiya, binding the pair without rings. Raj was unaware of what had happened until Rhea stood up and held out her hand; her fingers were red.

The world around them began to spin, and their loved ones were unsure of what to do while Raj and Rhea just stared at each other; their fear hid within their breaths. Rhea made a move to remove the sindoor when a hand grabbed her wrist.