Please check chapter 25 before reading this (in case you missed it!)

Long chapter ahead! So, please read slowly~

Inline comments are love!💜

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Writer's pov;

The wedding was successfully over, and everyone returned to the wedding hall for the reception after taking some rest.

The newlyweds sat with the cousins, who repeatedly teased them by showing this picture of Siddharth kissing Prathyusha on her forehead near the tree.

They thought no one was looking, but the whole gang worked as dispatch in the wedding, snapping photos of every couple having an intimate moment in some corner.

They didn't even leave the grandparents! In the photo, Ganesh was helping Lakshmi adjust her hair, as she smiled shyly and looked up at him.

"Aww! Prathy, Why are you blushing in this?" A cousin teased, showing a photo of a blushing Prathyuksha glaring at Siddharth, who has the biggest grin on his face as he looked lovingly at her.

"Guys, please stop!" Prathyuksha exclaimed, palming her face while everyone hollered, teasing her even further.

"Okay, stop teasing my wife! We are newlyweds, so we are exceptional! But there are some black sheep in your gang who are hiding. Find them first!" Siddharth countered, leaning back on the sofa and wrapping his arms around his blushing bride, who elbowed him to shut up.

"Hey! Domestic abuse on your hubby on your wedding day itself just because I told the truth?" Siddharth exclaimed, rolling his eye, to which Prathyuksha swatted his hands away when he tried to hold her.

"Anna, please tell who is that black sheep?" Someone asked, and then everyone started echoing his question.

Vikram stilled when Siddharth's gaze flickered towards him teasingly while everyone looked at him eagerly for some new gossip.

But before he could respond, the photographer suggested that they do a small photoshoot with just the cousins' squad before the guests arrive.

"You all want to know?" Siddharth asked, raising on his feet and offering his hand to his sweetheart to stand up, to which everyone nodded eagerly.

"I'll tell in the end!" He smirked, raising an eyebrow at Vikram suggestively, who stood beside him.

"Sir, please move to the left." The cameraman instructed Vikram, looking through the lens as he stood a foot away from the groom.

"Vikram! Inga vaanga, Anna kitta nikka matingala?" Siddharth exclaimed, throwing his arms around the Vikram, who broke into a cold sweat as he wiped his face with a tissue that Prathy offered.

(Vikram! Come here, won't you stand with your brother?)

"Everyone smile!" The cameraman shouted as he clicked picture after picture while the assistant suggested poses for them.

*Click* *flash*

"So, when is the wedding?" Siddharth asked, glancing at Vikram from his corner of the eyes as the latter smiled nervously.

"Haven't decided the date yet!" Vikram responded, giving a tight-lipped smile when the cameraman asked him to move even closer to the policeman who married his sweet cousin.

"Won't accept defeat, will you?" Siddharth chuckled, shaking his head at the lying young man who squared his shoulder at his words as if saying no.

"Heard no one knew about you guys?" As the assistant adjusted the strobes, he closed his eyes at the sudden flash while Vikram looked up at him.

"Not really, Some of them knew." Vikram reasoned, glancing at his darling, who stood at the other side of Prathyuksha. He blinked his eyes assuringly when she looked at them.

"Still lying? You, Harshitha, and Vihana don't count as some." Siddharth countered, chuckling when Vikram clenched his jaw, unable to answer his question.

"What are you guys murmuring?" Prathuksha interrupted, narrowing her eyes at them as the other cousins descended the stage after taking selfies with them.

"About Harshitha's and Vikram's wedding." Siddharth exclaimed casually, wrapping his arms around her gently.

"What? He didn't propose yet! and how do you know that?" Wide-eyed, she looked back and forth between her husband and cousin, who avoided her eye contact.

"Who said he didn't propose yet?" Her husband chuckled, tucking an unruly curl behind her ear.

"Vikram and even he asked us to help them convince their parents!" Prathuksha exclaimed, pointing her finger at Vikram accusingly, to which Siddharth laughed aloud, causing people standing near the stage to look at them weirdly.

"Oh, sweetheart! I'll explain it to you later, but they are already a couple, and according to him, our family already accepted them!" He said, biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing again at his wife's expressions.

"You lied to me, Vikram! You said You were in love, not You and Harshitha were in love!" Prathyuksha hissed, glaring at her cousin, who looked at her guiltily.

"Akka, It's you who assumed that." The culprit mumbled, winching when he felt her pinching his arms.

"Okay, Prathu. Calm down." Siddharth gently rubbed her back as she breathed hard, hearing her cousin's comment.

"Where is she?" Prathyuksha asked, her eyes looking around the corners of the large hall to locate Harshitha.

"Ah! There she is!" Siddharth exclaimed, signaling her to come up to the stage while Vikram shook his head, signaling her to walk away, but his darling gave him a grin and came towards them.

"Yes, Akka?" Harshitha asked once she stood beside them. While Vikram stared at her with horror, she tried her best to keep a black expression.

'Why the heck does she come up even when he asked her not to!' Vikram thought.

Harshitha ignored his gaze and answered prathyuksha's question calmly while Vikram stood shell shocked at her sudden braveness.

The reason for her sudden braveness?

Siddharth confronted her when he found her crying near the bride's room. She told him the truth. How they lied to him that day for escaping and how no one knows about them except for Vihana.

And he assured her that he would help them only if they stay within their limit, and she must promise him that she wouldn't tell this Vikram.

She promised him.

A second promise that day. She felt guilty hiding these from Vikram, but for the betterment of their future, she must.

Vikram came out of his shock when Prathyuksha warned him. "Vikram, just because we acknowledge your relationship doesn't mean I won't tell our family. I'll surely tell them if I found you guys crossing the limits."

Vikram nodded, thanking God for saving them again while Harshitha snickered, looking down.

'If only they knew that the mothers are also in their side now. Four wickets out! three balance.' Harshitha thought, fist-bumping inwardly.

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"Did you do something?" Harshitha asked, nudging Vihana as they sat near the stage.

"Um no, why?" Vihana cleared her throat nervously.

"Then why is your mom marching towards us, looking like she is going to swallow us?" Harshitha breathed, clutching her hands nervously.

Everyone stopped talking once Radha reached them, her eyes narrowed towards her daughter, who still didn't look up from her phone.

"Vihana, come with me!" Radha ordered, placing her hands on her hip as she waited impatiently for her daughter to follow her, but the stubborn mule sat in the same place, totally ignoring her.

"Are you coming or not?"

"Maa, I'm in the middle of the game!"

Vihana gasped when her mom twisted her ear in front of her cousins, who giggled as Radha dragged her away without minding their surroundings.

"Maa! I'm 17, not a child. Everyone is looking! Leave me!" Vihana whined, turning back to see everyone looking at her.

Mainly Hari stared at her worriedly! What would he think? She was missing him the whole morning, just now she got the chance to sit beside him, but her mother spoiled their moment!

"Shut up!" Radha snapped, bringing her to the secluded corner where her twin was also present for whatever reason.

Vihana narrowed her eyes at him when he smirked at her mockingly while her mom glared at her.

"Drop it, Vihana! What did you do to the kids?" Radha questioned, crossing her arms across her chest.

Vihana gulped, avoiding her mom's eyes as her mom waited for her to answer.

"Answer me! or else no food for you!" Radha threatened her, passing a smile to a lady who walked past them.

"What did I do? I didn't do anything!" Vihana lied, winching when her mom pinched her palm slyly while Vihaan snickered, showing his tongue at her.

"Vihana!" Radha warned, raising her eyebrow.

"I lied to them that there is a treasure in the restroom," Vihana whispered.

"And?"

"And left them there without any supervision," Vihana confessed, closing her eyes, waiting for the slap but opened her eyes when she didn't feel the pain to see her twin holding back her fuming mom.

"You think I'm going to beat you? A slap will not suffice!" Radha whisper-yelled, shaking her head disappointingly at her.

'What she has done is wrong, but Are they really kids? They are devils disguised as angels!' Vihana frowned.

At their age, she was still sucking her thumb and hiding behind her mom's pallu. But these kids, plotting how to trip her from the stairs just because she said she would not give her mobile to play games!

By God's grace, she caught the railing on time. If she missed it, she would have made a joke out of herself by falling head down from the stairs!

How embarrassing would that be? So she lied, telling them 'there is a treasure in the restroom' and those kids believed her and started searching for that 'treasure' until Vihaan found Devi standing near the restroom, crying. 'someone stole their treasure!'

That's how her mom found it, and here they are!

"Sorry, mom." Vihana apologized, letting her mom drag her without any struggle as she knew even if she explained, her mom would not believe it.

"Anything would have happened, Vihana. They could have injured because of your one lie! Is your ego that big that you play with a child's life?"

"And don't ask sorry! I have informed the catering head that you will help them in serving tonight! It's your punishment! Till that, reflect on what you did." Radha stated and walked away while Vihana pouted, narrowing her eyes at her twin, who skipped towards her happily.

"Are you happy now?" Vihana gritted her teeth as she walked towards the catering team while Vihaan fell in step behind her.

"Of course~"

"Then why are the heck are you following me? You finished your job right, go away!"

"I'm bored~" Vihaan sang, swaying side to side.

"Oh then, I shall ask Dhanya to call you. What say?" A smirk slipped across Vihana's face as his face paled and his ears turned red with shyness.

Without another word, Vihaan shouted and ran away embarrassed.

"Bye!"

'Coward!' Vihana scoffed.

Entering the dining hall, she searched for the catering head who will assign her the work. A kind-looking man waved at her when their eyes met.

"Vihana, right? Your mom said you'll help us with catering. Are you okay with that, dear?" The old man asked, his kind eyes looking at her with a smile as the team surrounded them to look at the infamous Vihana.

"Umm, can you please give me small work, uncle?" Vihana requested, her eyes blinking up at him innocently as everyone awwed internally at her puppy eyes.

Just like that, everyone was melted by her smile and gave her the easiest job!

The work was simple. Bring the bowl of those sweets from their Catering van that's in the parking lot to the dining hall.

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"Move, please!" Vihana hollered, weaving through the crowd, balancing two big bowls of Gulabjamun to which some of her relatives moved away amused, watching her try to carry them at the same time. But no one offered help.

And she knew why!

As if God isn't happy with her punishment, the devil, the reason for her misery, sauntered towards her, smirking.

"Want some help?" Vihaan snickered, bumping his shoulder with her's almost causing her to spill the content on the floor.

"No thanks! Nee senja udhaviye podhum!" Vihana taunted and turned around, walked towards the dining hall with her head held high.

(The help you have already given is enough!)

"Even If you said yes, I wouldn't have helped you because you deserved it, sister!" Vihaan laughed, joining his group of cousins, talking about the new video game launching next week while Vihana stopped on her track and glared at him for snitching her to their mother.

"Idiot idiot!" Vihana huffed, continuing her journey towards the dining hall with uttermost focus.

"Thank you, Vihana! Only one bowl is remaining. Can you please bring that too?" The kind man smiled at the young girl as she kept the bowls on the table and nodded her head cutely.

"Of course!"

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Vihana fixed her gaze on the person in charge as he turned on all the lights. The whole room glowed golden by the chandelier that was hung high up in the ceiling elegantly.

She heard from her mother that both Prathyuksha and Siddharth want a simple temple wedding, but their parents want them to have a grand wedding.

So, after a week of argument, they decided to have a temple wedding as the bride and groom asked for, and have the reception grandly as the parents requested.

"Daydreaming?"

Vihana yelped while dropping the last bowl on the lobby ground as someone whispered behind her.

Vihana looked at the person and looked back at the ground to see the golden Gulab Jamun rolling down on the lobby floor while the person looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry, Viha!" Hari apologized, squeezing her palms softly.

"Mom is going to kill me." Vihana stared at him teary-eyed, and her lips wobbled as she fought to keep herself from crying, causing his heart to clench in pain.

"Hey, come here!" Vihana began to cry, no longer able to control when he opened his arms for her.

Hari pulled her into his arms when the first pearl of tear escaped her eyes while she wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed against his chest.

"It's okay! We'll arrange something for that. Don't cry." Hari whispered against her ear softly and buried her against his body in a bear hug, bringing her out of everyone's eyesight.

"Imisyou!." Vihana mumbled, biting her lips and hiding her back on his chest.

"Huh?" He leaned down when he heard her murmur something as she blushed and looked down shyly.

"What did you say?" He repeated, his forefinger raising her chin to meet his eye while Vihana raised her eyelids, her curly lashes wet with tears as she stared at him shyly.

"I missed you." A whisper left her lips as he stared down at her intensely.

"I missed you more!"

"Will you kiss me?" Vihana whispered almost inaudibly, glancing up at him while Hari's heart skipped a beat when she raised on her toe.

Without a word, Hari dipped down, taking her lips in a soft kiss while Vihana's eyes lashes fluttered close as she moved her lips against his warm lips.

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