Chronicles of Life

#chap26 #chroniclesoflife #Sagas_by_Irvika #sweetlovestory

Nothing and absolutely nothing could keep them from being one now. Although they didn’t get more than a minute of tranquility to ogle at each other, it was like an eternity; as if the two souls had been lifted up to be united in a never ending bond of love, commitment and togetherness.

They came out of their reverie when Minish came near Atharva and whispered softly,

To be continued….

“Bhai.. hope you are glad to have selected this outfit.” And Atharva became aware that he n Shruti were colour coordinated. How come? Was it sheer luck or was it…? It took him a nano second to realise that the two most important people of his life had again ganged up against him, judging by the sheepish smile on Shruti’s face. She could feel him looking at her from head to toe, making her extremely nervous. She was clad in a ravishing blue Anarkali outfit, which did wonders for her. It was adorned with zardosi and thread work in tones of blue, grey and silver. She teamed it up with a lavish traditional white kundan and pearl choker set with big matching earrings. She observed that he was dressed to kill today; looked dashing in a blue raw silk kurta pajama in Pathani style.

Abhinav and family also reached simultaneously, and they were all ushered inside. She took the blessings of the elders present and was introduced to a couple of relatives who had already arrived.
Shruti gushed as she saw the way in which the whole place was adorned with flowers. It looked so very inviting, absolutely in sync with the occasion. The house radiated happiness and the fragrance and beauty of the flowers just added to its charm.

Shruti and Atharva were made to sit on the double seated swing in the living room. It was also attractively decorated with the flowers. The effervescence was addictive and very much visible on Shruti’s face.

Atharva had been observing her all this while and realised that he was falling deeper in love with her, if that was possible.

He said looking at her, “So finally we meet…”
She gave an enchanting smile and nodded, “Ya… finally.”
He commented, “Hope you liked the décor.” She said in a delighted voice, “Oh! It’s spellbinding… simple yet sooo graceful.”
He responded, “Am glad you liked it. I was….”

He was interrupted by Minish. “Atharva… you didn’t comment about your outfit,” he said cheekily.
Shruti said sincerely, “Thank you Minishbhai… you came to my rescue again.”
Atharva said aloud, “I thought you were on my side Minish!”
The latter replied teasingly, “Haa…. Toh ek hi baat hui na… bhabhi ki help karu ya teri…” And he winked at Atharva, who couldn’t help grinning at his brother’s wittiness.

Atharva remarked, “You two were in contact with each other and I was absolutely clueless about it.”
Shruti smartly replied, “Got this idea from you only Mr Atharva Shah. You had asked Minishbhai to fetch Rohan’s number, and I got Minishbhai’s contact from Rohan and well… rest is history.”

Minish was in awe of the new member of his family… literally. He mused that no one had been able to stand up against Atharva till date; but it seems bhabhi is going to be the first one to do so. And lo and behold! Atharva also seemed to be taking it in his stride. He shrugged, looked at his brother and thought, ‘Love can melt the ice around the heart of the toughest of men.’ He had been waiting all along to get a sweet bhabhi, who would not only mould his brother a little, but also help him in future to secure the hand of his one and only, Rhea.

By this time, the house started filling with guests from both the families. Everyone came to congratulate the newly betrothed couple and shower them with blessings.

Gud dhana, the foremost Gujarati function, is all about the acceptance of marriage. Close family members of both the sides had got together to rejoice over this happy occasion. The simple and sweet ceremony was held where Atharva and Shruti fed each other gud dhana( a combination of jaggery and coriander seeds). Shruti did it very consciously, whereas Atharva was excited to get a chance to feed her something for the first time. His fingers touched her chin and lips, not so accidentally, for a brief second and Shruti lowered her eyes feeling bashful. He smirked, knowing the reason and bit his lip to stop himself from grinning over her helplessness. No one noticed; it had happened for a fraction; his first voluntary touch.