|Dangerous Desire|4|AR|Link to Next Thread|P.150|

Chapter 34: The 'D' Day

 About a week had passed since Armaan's and Riddhima's engagement and Sangeet.  In the week, they had done Armaan's tilak and Riddhima's godh bharaayi in a very great manner.  Now, they were were getting ready to do Riddhima's Mehendi and Haldi since their wedding was the following day.  The girls brought Riddhima down, who was wore a maroon lehenga choli.  She sat down in the center of the ladies and spread her hands in front of her for the henna to be applied.  A cute young girl came up and sat down beside her.

"Didi, aapke hone waale pati ka naam kya hain?" Riddhima smiled sweetly at the girl in front of her and replied.

"Armaan." The girl smiled widely hearing the name.

"Arre waay!  Yeh toh kitna achha naam hain!  Waise aapka naam kya hain?"

"Riddhima."

"Wow!  Armaan aur Riddhima.  Yeh sunne mein kitna achha lagta hain!  Aisa lagta hain jaise dono ek doosre ke liye hi bane ho!" Riddhima smiled at this little girl.  She was already fond of her.  She was soo cute!

"Achha?" She nodded.  "Waise tumhara naam kya hain?"

"Mera naam Saakshi hain."

"Wow!  Yeh toh bada pyaara naam hain!"

"Thank you!" Saakshi replied with a big smile.  "Waise Didi.  Aap toh bohat sundar ho, lekin Armaan jeeju dikhne mein kaise hain?"

"Umm... tumhare Armaan jeeju dikhne mein bohat handsome hain.  Unke lambe kaale baal haain, neeli aankhin.." She turned to Saakshi and pinched her nose.  "lambi naak hain... aur bas." Saakshi's face dropped at this.

"Bas?"

"Haan, kyun?"

"Didi!  Detail mein bolo na!"

"Matlab?"

"Didi!  Unke muscles-shuscles, abs-vabs, kuch nahin hain kya?" Riddhima raised her eyebrows at this.  Gosh today's children! *winks*

"Haan... hain."

"Oh my God!  Kya woh Amitabh Bachhan jaise lambe hain?"

"Haan.."

"Kya unki Salman Khan jaisi body hain?"

"Haan."

"Kya unke SRK jaise dimples hain?"

"Haan, hain."

"OH MY GOD!  Didi!  Armaan jeeju toh bilkul hero jaise hain!  You're soo lucky!"

"Oye!  Tum bohat zyaada pictures dekhti ho!"

"Kya karun Didi?  Yeh ladke kitne hot shot hain!"

"Tum na pagal ho!  Ab chalo.  Jaldi se mujhe mehendi lagao."

"Ji Didi." Saakshi smiled and started applying henna on her hand whereas Riddhima thought about Saakshi's words.

Haan, Saakshi ki baat toh sahi hain.  Armaan hain toh bilkul ek hero jaisa.  Amitabh ki tarah lamba, Salman Khan jaisi hot body, Shah Rukh jaise cute dimples.. he is a hero.  RIDDHIMA!  YEH TU KYA SOCH RAHI HAIN!  Armaan koi hero nahin hain!  Woh... woh villian hain!  Woh teri zindagi ka sukh, chain chheene aaya hain!  He is not a hero!  Woh... woh hero ki face mein Ravan hain!  Haan.  Woh Ravan hain!  Aur Ravan ko ignore karna hain.  Haan.  Ravan ko ignore kar Riddhima!

Riddhima mentally scolded herself and then diverted her attention to the dance the ladies were doing.

****

On the other hand, the boys were standing outside Gupta House thinking of ways to get inside. They really wanted to see the girls now that it had been almost a week since they had seen them.  They really hated how they couldn't see the girls just because of those rituals and rules and all that stuff, especially Armaan.  Even though he 'hated her', he was dying on the inside to see Riddhima.  Every single day seemed like a lifetime for him, though he refused to accept that to himself.

"Come on guys!  Think about something!  Hume kissi bhi tarah se aaj andar jaana hain!  Think!" Armaan said impatiently.  Man he was dying to see his bride-to-be, wasn't he?

"Chill bro!  You know you're sounding like a complete despo?" said Abhi.

"Shut up Abhi!"

"Aha.  Hum kahein toh pagal, tum kaho toh shut up!" said Rahul.

"Rahul." Armaan glared at Rahul and he just shrugged his shoulders, saying he just gave up.

"Someone's dying to meet Riddhima." Atul said teasingly, giving Armaan the final blow.  Armaan lost it and became angry.

"Agar tum logo ne kuch aur kaha na, toh main sab ke daant tod dunga!" Armaan said angrily and everyone just placed their fingers on their lips, knowing Armaan meant what he said.

"Ab socho.  Kya karna hain." Armaan looked around, expecting for everyone to come up with an idea, but when he didn't hear a sound from them for the next 5 minutes, he turned and looked at them questioningly.  He was surprised seeing them standing with their fingers on their lips.  "What?  Tum sab aise kyun khade ho?  Kuch toh bolo."

"Bro.  Tumhi ne toh kaha.  Kuch bhi mat kaho." Abhi said cutely, melting Armaan's heart.

"Ab itna bhi drama karne ki zaroorat nahin hain." The boys immediately smiled and removed their fingers off their lips.  Armaan looked around and saw some ladies going into the house with their dupatta's covering their faces.  An idea clicked into his brains and a smirk formed on his lips.

"Mill gaya." He said with his back turned to them, confusing them.

"Kya?"

"Andar jaane ka raasta."

"Matlab?" asked Atul.

"Oye.  Pitvaayega kya?  Hum aise gaye na, toh saari aauratein milke humara raam naam satya kar dengi." said Rahul.

"Rahul.  Mehendi mein ladke nahin jaa sakte.  Ladkiyaan toh jaa sakti hain na." The boys were confused.  What the hell was he saying!  Armaan turned around with a smirk and winked at them.  As realization dawned upon them, a big smile formed on their lips and they high-fived each other.

****

While the ladies were busy applying Mehendi on their hands, about 4 people entered the house wearing colorful dresses and their faces fully covered with the loose ends of their saris. They walked looking around carefully when they were stopped by Anjali and Nikki.

"Suniye!" They stopped and slowly turned around to find the two girls looking at them questioningly and then walked up to them.  "Aap kaun ho?" Anjali inquired and the lady in blue answered.

"Jee... woh... hum Riddhima beti ki Mehendi mein aaye hain."

"Haan, lekin aap sab ho kaun?  Aur... aapne apna chehra kyun dhaka hua hain?" questioned Nikki and the lady in yellow answered a little too aggressively.

"Woh kya hain na jee, hum kabhi kissi ko apni shakal nahin dikhaate." This confused the girls.

"Aisa kyun?" The ladies exchanged glances.

"Kyunki... kyunki... kyunki..." The lady in green stammered but the one in blue spoke up.

"Kyunki hum kissi ko muh dikhaane ke laayak nahin rahe!"  She turned around and said in an extremely sad voice, almsot crying, over exaggeration clear in her voice.

"Kya matlab?" asked Nikki.  Anjali and Nikki eyed them suspiciously and moved closer to her slowly out of curiousity.

"Matlab yeh... ki... log kehte hain jo bhi humara chehra dekhte hain, woh... woh... woh barbaad ho jaate hain!" Nikki and Anjali immediately jumped back as they heard that and looked at the ladies with their eyes wide open.  They surely didn't feel like seeing their faces now!

"T-toh phir... aa-aap... yahaan... kyun... aaye... ha-hain?" Nikki asked worriedly, her voice quivering with fear.

"Hum yahaan Riddhima beti ko aashirvaad dene aaye hain." Nikki and Anjali breathed a sigh of relief, but Anjali was still scared.  She pulled Nikki a little and whispered.

"Nikki.  Kya karein?  Innhe andar aane de ya nahin?"

"Aane dete hain.  Anjie.  Maine sunna hain ki yeh jo log hote hain na?  Agar woh kissi se gussa ho jaaye toh woh unhe shraap de dete hain.  Aur woh toh sach bhi ho jaata hain."

"Kya baat kar rahi hain yaar?  Aise toh inhe andar aane hi dena padega.  Warna toh problem ho jaayegi!" Anjali muttered worriedly.

"Haan yaar." Said Nikki.  Regaining her posture and confidence, Anjali stood straight and stammered her words out.

"Th-theek hain.  Aa-aap sab... andar aa sakte hain." Without her knowledge, her words came out a bit too harsh and orderly.  The next moment, the woman in yellow turned around a bit too furiously.  The girls bent backwards as she towered over them.

"Oye!  Hum par ehsaan kar rahi ho kya!" The girls became scared and they quickly shook their heads, meaning they didn't mean to offend them.  "Toh phir humse aise baat kyun ki!  Apne Maa, Baap ne tameez nahin sikhaayi kya!  Apne se badon se kaise baat ki jaati hain yeh pata hain ya nahin!" They nodded as quickly as they could.

"Hum-hume maaf kar dijiye.  Humara woh matlab nahin tha." The women exchanged looks and the lady moved back.

"Toh kya hum andar aa sakte hain?"

"Haan!  Please andar aaye!" The ladies exchanged looks.

"Theek hain.  Tum dono andar jao.  Hum aate hain." They nodded and quickly walked inside to saved themselves from further embarassments.  As soon as they were out of sight, the ladies turned to face each other and lifted the pallu.  If anyone was looking at them at the moment, they would definitely have a heart attack.  Why?  Because the ladies were none other than the boys!  The next second, they started laughing like lunatics and laughed until their stomach's hurt.

"Oh-oh my God!  That was so funny!" Rahul said in between his laughs.

"Un-unn ladkiyon ka... chehra... dekhne laa-laayak tha!"

"Maan gaye Bro.  Tumhara yeh idea na, top class hain!" said Abhi.

"I know.  Idea mera hain.  Toh achha hi hoga na!" Armaan said proudly, flashing his dimples.

"Lekin Atul ne almost sab kuch bigaad diya tha!"

"Oye!  Maine kya kiya!"

"Jab ussne savaal puchha, toh javaab kyun nahin diya?"

"Arre!  Mujhe koi sapna thodi gira tha ki yeh mujhse yeh savaal karegi!"

"Whatever!"

"Lekin jo bih ho guys.  Anjie aur Nikki ki shakal dekhne laayak thi!"

"Haan yaar!  Dekha nahin kaise darr gaye the!"

"Woh toh hain!"

"Ab jaldi chalo guys.  Agar kissi ne hum dekh liya na, toh humari band baja dengi."

"Sahi hain.  Come on, cover your faces!" They quickly covered their faces again and made their ways to the hall.

As they reached the hall, Armaan's feet stopped dead in his tracks as his gaze landed on Riddhima, who looked no less than a goddess.  There was this big, beautiful smile playing on her lips as she watched the girls adorn her milky white hands and feet with beautiful henna designs.  His lips curved up into a faint smile without his knowledge as he heard her melodious laugh.  He saw her suddenly break away from the rest of the world and look around.

Riddhima, who had been enjoying the Mehendi ceremony, felt a strong, intense gaze on her and looked around to see who was staring at her.  Yeah, there were people who were looking at her, but her eyes searched for a specific face.  As she looked around, her eyes landed on the person in blue and blinked softly.  Her eyes scrutinized the person, trying to see the face behind the veil, but failed to do so.  Thinking it was something else, she diverted her attention back to the girls who were putting Mehendi on her hands.

Armaan was pulled out of his trance as he felt someone nudge his shoulder and saw Rahul smiling down on him. Embarassed at being caught, he quickly averted his gaze, knowing what was coming next.

"Kya baat hain Armaan?  Itni pyaari si smile ke saath... kisse dekh rahe ho?" Rahul asked him with a tinge of tease in his tone.

"M-main?  Main kissi ko nahin dekh raha tha." He said, not looking at Rahul.

"Oye.  Agar jhooth bolna hain na?  Toh unhe bolo jo tumhe nahin jaante.  Now tell me the truth.  Riddhima ko dekh rahe the na?" Armaan didn't say anything just looked around, pretending not to hear him.  "Natak mat karo.  Mujhe pata hain tumne mujhe sunna hain.  Ab chalo.  Javaab do."

"Jab javaab pata hain toh phir puchh kyun rahe ho?"

"Bas aise hi." No one said anything for a while as both stared at Riddhima and Muskaan.

"Bohat pyaar karte ho na Riddhima se?" Armaan was stumped by the sudden question, but kept staring at Riddhima and didn't say anything.  Mostly because he didn't know what to say but he was saved as Rahul answered the question himself.  "Aah.  What a stupid question to ask!  Obviously tum usse pyaar karte ho!  Warna usse shaadi kyun karoge?" In his mind, Armaan answered the question.

Usski zindagi haraam karne ke liye.

"Lekin jo bhi ho Armaan.  I'm very glad ki tum Riddhima se shaadi kar rahe ho.  Armaan, Riddhima ek bohat achhi ladki hain.  Ek baat hain jo humne tum dono ko kabhi nahin bataayi.  Jab Riddhima pehle din apne interview ke liye aayi thi, toh humne toh tabhi Riddhima ko tumhare liye chun liya tha.  Man hi man mein humne tay kar liya tha ki agar humari koi bhabhi banegi, toh woh sirf Riddhima hi hogi.  Tum dono ko kareeb laane ke liye humne pata nahin kya kya kiya.  Aur dekho.  Ab finally woh din aa gaya, jab Riddhima finally humari Bhabhi banegi.  Sach kahun toh humne kabhi nahin socha tha ki hume yeh din bhi dekhne ko milega.  Hume laga tha ki tum kabhi apne past se ubhar nahin paoge, but I'm glad you proved us wrong.  Mujhe bohat khushi hain ki tum apne ateet ko bhul kar apni zindagi mein aage badh rahe ho.  Congrats!" Armaan smiled lightly hearing Rahul as he felt guilt taking over him.  Here everyone was happy because Riddhima was coming as his wife and they thought he was getting over his past, but they didn't even know the real reason.  How hurt will they be if they find out why Armaan was marrying her?  But he didn't want to think about that.  He felt a tug on his arm and heard Abhi say something to him.

"Bro.  Chalo!" He nodded and walked to the girls.

The girls, who were busy getting henna applied to their hands, looked up as they saw 4, weird looking women walking up to them.

"Jee, aap kaun?" asked Padma.  The women laughed and they all sat down.

"Jee woh hum Riddhima bitiya ko aashirvaad dene aaye hain.  Woh kal isski shaadi hain na?  Iss liye." Abhi said in a squeaky, woman-like voice and Riddhima looked at Nikki and Anjali to see what was going on,  but they just shrugged their shoulders.

"Haayo Rabba.  Kinni soni kudi hain.  Kissi ki nazar na lage isse." Atul said and pretended to put a 'kaala tika' behind her ear, confusing Riddhima, but she still smiled, not wanting to hurt the 'woman's feelings.

Then, Armaan moved closer to her and took her hands in his, not realizing the current that passed through her body till he heard her gasp.  He looked up and saw her staring at him with her eyes slightly wide and saw how close they were.  He could feel his heart thumping against his chest as his breathing getting erratic.  There was this feeling of happiness and contentment bubbling inside him as he saw Riddhima so close to him.  He was seeing her after a week, which almost felt like an entire lifetime to him.  He could drown in her eyes without any complaints as he saw her staring into his eyes, as if trying to search something.

"Aap kya dekh rahi hain?" Came Padma's question and he immediately lowered his gaze and looked at her hands.

"Kuch nahin jee.  Woh main innke haathon ki mehendi dekh rahi thi.  Bohat khoobsurat hain." They smiled as they heard him.

"Arre woh dekho!  Riddhima ke haathon ki mehendi ka rang kitna gehra aa raha hain!" One of the ladies exclaimed in happiness, confusing Armaan.  What did that have to do with anything?  "Kehte hain ki jab kissi dulhan ki mehendi ka rang gehra hota hain, toh matlab usska hone waala pati usse bohat pyaar karta hain!" Armaan slowly looked at Riddhima and saw her cheeks turn a lighter shade of pink as she her long, thick lashes covered her eyes, making her look so beautiful and serene.

"Armaan kitna lucky hain!  Ussi kitni sundar biwi mill rahi hain!" The lady commented and Armaan just smiled.

Haan.  Woh toh hain.  Riddhima se sundar ladki koi nahin.

His heart said to him and he smiled.  It was so true.  Riddhima was the prettiest woman he could find in the entire universe.  No other woman on Earth could manage to match her simplicity, her beauty, everything was just unmatchable.  Even the most beautiful fairy in the world would look faint in front of her.  He smiled knowing that after tomorrow, this fairy would be his.

The rest of the mehendi ceremony passed by smoothly and after her Mehendi was done, she went up to her room to rest.   She was completely tired because she had been sitting there for a good 4 hours and she was just exhausted.  As much as she loved these traditions and ceremonies, she just hated how long and tiring they were.  She got a good, long nap since her haldi was in the evening.

Her haldi had also gone very smoothly.  The girls had lots of fun teasing Riddhima and applying haldi on her body and they even teased her about her first night with Armaan which made her blush soo much.  On the other hand, even the boys had lots of fun.  Actually, they made a mess more and everything the house was completely colored with yellow.  Thank God they had enough servants to clean the house!

Even before they knew, the important day had arrived. As expected, the Mallik and Gupta family were very excited and both the houses were filled with happiness and excitement. The marriage was held in a hotel and both the families had reached the venue in the morning and both sides were getting ready for the grand event. Over a hundred guests had arrived at the wedding with more than half from Riddhima's side. One of the best beauticians of Mumbai were called to beautify Riddhima and the girls and they were doing a fabulous job in their work.

By the time they were finished, Riddhima was looking no less than a fairy.  She was dressed in a gorgeous red lehenga choli which accentuated her curves and her perfect body.  The embroidery was done in a very neat and beautiful manner along with the red and blue sequins.  Her matching blouse was covered by the dupatta in a very elegant manner which also covered her head slightly.  A gold maang tika was hanging from her parting which had a ruby in the center.  She wore beautiful white gold earrings and necklaces along with the long nose ring and her hands were filled with glass red bangles.

Her face was glowing with happiness and shyness.  Her big, green eyes were outlined with lots of kohl and mascara.  Her cheeks were carrying this pink shade which just made her look beautiful along with a slight smile playing on her pink, glossy lips.  Very soon the time had arrived when she had to go down to fulfill the rituals of getting married to Armaan.

****

Clad in a red and gold sherwani, Armaan came riding on the horse with the baaraati and theshehnai playing.  After the tilak and his welcome, he was taken to the mandap and was seated there with the sehra covering his face, waiting for his bride to come.  

Suddenly, he felt a gush of wind brush past him and he turned around and felt his heart skip a beat seeing her.  He saw the girls around Riddhima as she gracefully descended down the stairs wearing a heavy deep red lehenga with white and blue sequins adorning the gold border.  Her head was covered with the dupatta along with the mang tika coming from the parting.  Her neck and ears were covered with gold and diamond jewelry.  Her hands and feet were covered with mehendi that had the deepest color along with the delicate bangles on her wrists.  She looked breath taking.  He felt his chest swelling in pride knowing she was his bride.  She came and stood in front of him and both were handed the jay malas.

"Var vadhu ko jay maala pehnaaye." Armaan put the garland on her with a smirkish-smile and moved back.  Next, Riddhima was told to put the garland on him and she put on a fake smile and moved forward to put the garland on him, but she was shocked seeing him being picked up by the boys.

"Itni aasaani se nahin Riddhima Bhabhi.  Ab pehnaake dikhao."

"Oye!  Yeh toh cheating hain!" Nikki yelled at the boys.  Riddhima looked at Armaan and saw him wink slightly at her and a smirk formed on her lips as she thought of something.

"Toh tum log Armaan ko neeche nahin utaaroge?"

"Nope!" Riddhima gave them a challenging look and then spoke up.

"Theek hain.  Nahin utaarna toh matt utaaro.  Main wapas ghar chali jaati hoon." She said with lots of air and Armaan immediately got down and pulled her back and made her put the garland on him.  Everyone clapped as they saw Armaan's boldness while Riddhima was just shocked.

"Not so easily Riddhima.  Itni aasaani se nahin." He said in a low voice, knowing no one will be able to hear him and Riddhima just rolled her eyes.

They were told to sit down in front of the fire which they did.  As the pandit said the chanted, Armaan and Riddhima prayed to God to remove all the obstacles in front of them and bless them.  The next was the Kanya Daan.  The bride's father, Shashank, was asked to come and place Riddhima's hand in Armaan.  As the wedding rituals continued, the panditadded ghee and other sacred ingredients to the fire as they continued holding hands as a symbol of their union.

Then they were told to exchange seats and Riddhima now sat on his left side as a corner of Armaan's stole was tied to the other end of Riddhima's sari.  Next, Armaan placed offerings of ghee into the sacred fire, asking for protection of Riddhima.  Then, Riddhima placed her right foot on a stone and placed puffed rice in the fire, asking for protection of Armaan and to be strong and fixed like the Earth.

Then, they walked around the holy fire 4 times, with Riddhima leading him in the first 3 and Armaan leading her in the last and took their seven vows as everyone showered them with flowers.  After the vows, Armaan was given the sindoor and he took a little between his finger and thumb and placed it in the parting of her hair and she closed her eyes.   She frowned when she heard her friends giggling and looked at them, questioning them through her eyes.

"Ridz.  Teri naak pe sindoor laga hain." said Anjali.  Riddhima was confused again.

"Toh?" The girls laughed at Riddhima's stupidity and Muskaan spoke up.

"Arre duffer.  Jab sindoor naak pe girta hain na, toh matlab pati apni patni se bohat pyaar karta hain!" Riddhima looked at Armaan and saw him gazing at her intently, but she just looked away.

Next, Armaan was given the mangalsutra and tied it around her neck.  They made an oath to each other that they'll always love each and will always remain devoted to each other.  They sat down and as the pandit chanted some ancient hymns, they placed offerings into the fire, seeking blessings from God to help them.

"Vivaha sampan hua.  Ab aap apne badon ka aashirvaad lijiye." Everyone clapped in the honor of the newly wed couple.  Now they were finally husband and wife in the eyes of everyone and this was their truth.  They took the blessings of all the elders and they happily blessed them.

****

-Complete-

Sigh... so I've FINALLY put up the 4th installment! 😃  I'm very sorry for the late update.  Was going to update on Sunday, but then the power went off and everything that I wrote got deleted so I had to write again. 😡  But anyways.  Armaan and Riddhima are married now so hope you all liked it!  And about the rituals and stuff, I got EVERYTHING off the net!  The only things I knew were the mangalsutra, sindoor, saath phere and kanya daan.  I knew nothing else and I wanted everything to be perfect so I got it off some websites. :)  I don't know how everything is, so if I made any mistake, I'm very sorry.  

Also, some asked me about the 'Godh Bharaayi' thing.  Yes, it happens during pregnancy too, but this rasam also happens before marriage. :)  The last installlment will hopefully come by Sunday, so stay tuned! :)

****

Finally completed this!  I know everyone's gonna hate me for the last part but there couldn't be a 'sweet, romantic' moment there.  From now on, it's mostly gonna be nokh-jhokhs of Armaan and Riddhima with a little bit of the gang and all that. :)  Hope you all liked the part and do comment! 😃

-Medzi-