By the time, we both went inside the temple, Indra Anna and his family were already there. Eeshwar uncle(Aarna's father) and Shekar uncle(Dhruv's father) were discussing something.

When they saw me, they gestured to me to go near them. Arjun told me to go and involved himself in casual talking with Indra Anna.

I went to them and greeted them. They smiled at me and told me the main issue.

"Daksha, I called you here to ask your opinion on something. Shekhar proposed a marriage alliance between Aarna and Dhruv. I know it is too sudden but I want my daughter to get settled in her life. You know her and her situation very well. So what do you think about this proposal? " he asked me.

I thought for a while and replied to him, "Uncle. I understand your concerns. In the past, if someone had said that I would be very happy after getting married, I would have laughed in their face. But now, I feel it is true. Though it has been only a day since I got married, it is so blissful and I am enjoying every moment of my married life. So, I think she too will find her own happiness after marriage. You are an elder and you know what's good for your daughter. If you feel this marriage will help her to get some happiness, then go ahead with this proposal without any hesitation."

He smiled at me warmly. All the while, Shekhar Uncle was just watching us.

"I am sure of this proposal, dear. It's just that I don't know how to convince her for this marriage," he said with a frown.

"Uncle, don't worry. Your daughter respects and loves you a lot. She will never say a 'No' to any of your decisions. All you have to do is ask her and she will be ready to do anything for you," I said and passed an assuring smile at him.

Meanwhile, Aarna too joined us and greeted us. After talking with Aarna, Sekhar uncle gestured to Eeshwar uncle with his eyes. So, he asked us to take our leave.

We went to my Athayya but she was busy with preparations for the pooja. So, we stood aside and talked for a while.

When Arjun approached us, Aarna teased us for a while and introduced herself. After that, she left from there, leaving us alone.

Soon an awkward yet comfortable silence fell between us. To break the silence, he cleared his throat and started speaking.

"Earlier, for what did they call you?" He asked me but I hesitated to tell him.

After thinking that Dhruv was his friend and there was no harm to tell him the matter beforehand, I spoke up.

"They are thinking of a marriage alliance between Aarna and your friend Dhruv," I told him.

He looked at me for a while and started laughing with a strange glint in his eyes. "Really? Soon my friend is going to face hell. His life will become a roller coaster ride. Aarna will make sure of that. She is a perfect match for him. He sure will be hot on his heels after facing her antics. God! I can imagine his misery." He said all that while laughing carefreely.

I just stood there watching him in amusement. "Have some shame. You are having fun at the expense of your friend. I pity him for having such a friend like you and sympathize with him for going to marry a devil incarnate," I told him while trying to stifle my laugh.

He was still laughing. So, I too joined him.

"By the way, will your friend be okay with this marriage?" I asked him after a while.

"Don't you worry about that? Just like my mom, his mother is also a great drama queen. She will definitely convince him." He grimaced and I laughed again at that.

Soon, Attayya called us for the pooja. We went along with her. After the pooja, I sat with my parents at the temple.

They asked about my well-being and after making sure that I was happy at my in-law's home, they took their leave. My Anna didn't attend the pooja as he was busy with something.

We too started for our house after bidding them goodbye. Before going, my girls hugged me and asked me to take care of myself.

I nodded at them and joined Arjun in his car, with Athayya and Ammu coming in another car.

Unlike earlier, this time the journey was filled with silence. We soon reached the house.

Immediately entering the house, Attayya asked the maids to serve the food to everyone. After having the food, I went to Ammu's room to get some rest.

In the evening, Ammu woke me up from my sleep. She informed me that I needed to get ready for my nuptial night, making me go insane.

"Nuptial night? God! I completely forget about that. What to do now? Damn! I am not ready for this step. Wait, I can explain my views to him and I think Arjun will definitely understand me." After thinking about this, I calmed down to some extent.

Athayya and Ammu made me wear a cream-colored saree and adorned me with some jewelry. After that, they made a simple hair bun at the nape of my neck and pinned some flowers on it.

When I was completely ready, Athayya handed me a glass of milk and ushered me to his room.

After entering the room reluctantly, I saw that Arjun was already in the room and stood uncomfortably at the window of his room.

I cleared my throat to make him aware of my presence. After hearing it, he turned around and saw me. He smiled at me lightly.

I stretched my hand to give him the glass of milk and he looked at it with disgust.

"Do I have to drink this glass full of milk now?" Still looking at the glass, he asked me repulsively.

I stifled my laugh at this. "Not fully. You have to drink half of it and I will drink the other half," I told him.

"Really?" he asked me as if some burden was lifted from his shoulders.

"Yeah," I told him with a laugh.

"Then you have it first. I will drink it after you," he said and looked at me.

I sighed and drank half of the milk. After that, I handed him that glass. He had it in a single gulp while closing his eyes.

I smiled at his antics and took the glass from him.

"God, it was too sweet," he said while licking the remnants of the milk on his lips.

"What? It was not. I too drank the same milk, right? Why didn't I feel it?" I exclaimed.

"You didn't drink the same milk," he retorted.

"I did."

"You didn't."

"Have you gone crazy? We both drank the same milk from the same glass," I told him irritatedly.

"We might have drunk from the same glass but not the same liquid," he said.

"Stop irritating me. How can it be possible?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"It is possible and the fault is yours. The touch of your lips added the extra sweetness to it. God, I couldn't take it," he said dramatically with a teasing glint playing in his eyes.

"Damn! Too cheesy." I rolled my eyes at him.

"What cheesy? I just tried to lighten up the situation, okay? It is damn awkward." He told me with a smile.

After hearing him, again the same nervousness hit me. So I sat on the stool in front of the mirror, fiddling with the end of my saree.

When I said those words, she went and sat on the stool while nervously fiddling with her saree.

Knowing very well about what was going on in her mind, I sighed and sat beside her while my legs were on either of the seats.

"Girl, you will tear this with your fiddling." Saying this, I removed her hold on her saree and held her hand with mine.

"What's your problem?" I asked her calmly as her nervousness was pretty obvious.

"That... you know, it is our nuptial night. I am not comfortable... I mean... I am not ready for... you understand it, right? I am new to all these things." She said and I laughed at her words

"God..you are so cute." After saying this, I pinched her cheeks and leaned towards her a little, joining my head with the side of her head

"Silly girl, I didn't get married to anyone before. This is my first marriage and I'm also new to everything."I told her in a teasing tone to which she looked at me indignantly. I smiled at that and continued.

"I understand your feelings. Don't worry about anything. We will take things slowly. I am okay with everything and I promise, I won't deny any of your wishes. So try to behave comfortably with me" I told her and encircled my arms around her waist. I closed my eyes to inhale the enchanting scent of jasmines mixed with the natural fragrance emitting from her body.

(Not an exact picture of their positions though.)

"Really? You won't deny any of my wishes and will be okay with everything?" She asked me and I nodded in a daze, still inhaling the enticing fragrance.

"Then I don't wake up early and won't prepare a morning coffee for you?" she asked me.

"No problem. I will prepare it for both of us." I told her.

"I won't work anymore and will stay at home itself."

"No problem. I am glad to take care of you for a lifetime."

"I won't cook for you and won't do any household chores."

"Maids are in the house for a purpose. I liked your handmade food though. So, try to cook for me occasionally."

"I won't drive my car anymore. So you always have to drive me if I want to go anywhere."

"I am glad to be your driver."

"I won't wear sarees as I ain't comfortable in wearing them."

"Then I am glad to wear-" I stopped in the middle realizing what I was going to say and came out of my trance after hearing her hearty laugh.

"Did you just tease me?" I asked her and she came out of my hold and stood up from the stool while laughing wholeheartedly.

"What? Do only you have the right to tease me? Can't I do it? It is a payback for the morning's car incident," she told me smugly and started running around when she saw me chasing her.

After running for a while, she stopped and laid down on the bed horizontally with her legs dangling on the floor.

"I can't run anymore," she said while panting.

"Really? You are too weak." I too laid beside her and told her. After that, I turned towards her while keeping a hand under my head.

"Do you think I am done with you?" I asked her with a gleam in my eyes. Seeing that, she revealed a horrified expression.

"Arjun, you better stop thinking about it." She exclaimed while pointing her finger at me and in return, I smiled smugly at her.

"No. It is my turn to pay back." Saying this, I started tickling her. Soon, the room reverberated with her laughs.

"Hahaha.Arjun..hahah...stop it..please..hahah..I am sorry...hahaha.." She pleaded with me in between her laughs. I stopped tickling her and slumped beside her.

"Arjun, you are so petty." She accused me of calming herself down.

"Don't blame me. You asked for it again." After saying this, I pretended to tickle her again to which she retracted from the bed with a startle. I smiled at her.

"Go change into something that you feel comfortable in," I told her and showed her the way to the washroom.

"Such a meanie," she grumbled under her breath but I heard it.

I stifled my laugh at her antics.

After grabbing her nightwear, she went to the washroom while mumbling colorful profanities at me all the way.

I laughed after hearing them and changed myself into a comfy t-shirt and track pants. I removed all the decorations from the bed and dumped them in the dust bin.

Meanwhile, she too came out wearing her nightwear while leaving her hair to flow down. She stood there silently looking at the bed.

"You can sleep on the bed and I will take the couch," I told her, thinking that she wouldn't like to share the bed with me, not yet.

"No need. We both can sleep on the bed. I am okay with it," she said while looking down.

"Are you sure?" I asked her to which she lifted her head and smiled at me in assurance.

We both took our sides and she soon drifted to sleep as she might have been too exhausted with all the day's events.

I looked at that ceiling, reminiscing all the small moments that we shared until now. With a sweet smile playing on my lips, I closed my eyes.

In the middle of the night, I woke up with a startle when I felt her crawling into my arms in her half-asleep state.

She fell asleep again while resting her head on my chest. I held her tightly and placed a feathery kiss on her hair.

I didn't sleep for a while, listening to her peaceful breathing. I didn't want to miss a single moment that I got to hold her. I felt content with her in my arms.

"Girl, what are you doing to me? What are these weird feelings? I don't know when it happened and I know it is too early to admit it but you became my home and my purpose to live." I said this in a low voice and kissed her head again. After that, I fell asleep while still holding her securely in my arms.