chapter 30


    Daksha''s POV:


    The next morning, I freshened up and went downstairs. As the wedding day is getting closer, everyone


    is busy with their chores.


    My mom is busily applying the turmeric paste to the wedding invitations. Dad is talking to the caterers


    over the phone.


    Even Aaru, Yuktha, and Rishu are busy discussing something. Yuktha and Rishu are sitting on either


    side of Aarna on the couch while Aarna has a notepad on herp and a pen in her hand.


    I noticed that she was doing only one thing i.e., writing something and striking it off again and again.


    Just like me, both Yuktha and Rishu must have been fed up with her behavior. That was why both of


    them smacked the back of her head together.


    After that, they looked at each other and startedughing like idiots because of their mirrored actions.


    At least Rishu had the decency to snigger by covering her mouth but Yuktha wasughing directly at


    Aarna''s face.


    When I saw that Aarna was ready to retort back at them, I interrupted them, not wanting for World War


    III to start in the morning itself.


    When they saw me, both stoppedughing. Aarna bit back her retort and sat there while sulking.


    "What are guys busy with?" I asked them.


    After hearing my question, Aarna scoffed and turned her face to another side with a pout on her face.


    It was her indirect way of letting me know that she did not want to talk to me. I smiled at her childish


    behavior.


    "We are not," Yukthaughed, "Only Aaru is busy with an important thing. She is having a hard time


    making a list of the delicacies that she wants to eat at your wedding." After saying this, Yuktha involved


    herself in anotherughing fit.


    "Really?" I took the notepad from Aarna''sp.


    I startedughing after seeing the contents in that book too. She prepared a schedule for her eating


    session for every half an hour.


    When I reached the dessert section, I saw that she first wrote ice cream, then she removed it by


    striking it off and wrote Gb Jamun instead and again struck it off. Finally, she wrote the names of the


    pastries there and received a smack from Yuktha and Rishu before she could get a chance to strike


    them off too.


    "Looks like you are really having a hard time, Aaru baby," I teased her whileughing.


    She stood up from the couch and snatched the notepad from me. After ring at me, she went towards


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    my Mom and rested her head on her shoulders while puffing her cheeks.


    Mom was smiling at our banter. I took Aarna''s ce and settled myself between Yuktha and Rishu.


    Meanwhile, Dad finished his call and motioned us to exin what happened there.


    "Uncle, I will tell you. What will they do except for teasing me? They are teasing me because I am


    preparing a schedule regarding what to eat at her wedding. It''s not like Daksha is going to get married


    every day, right? That''s why I prepared it. Now they areughing at me," sheined to my Dad


    and he listened to everything with a small smile ying on his lips.


    "Especially that Yuktha Akka. Instead ofughing at others’ expense, she should think about her own


    marriage. She is getting older. I lost my hope for her marriage as no one will be willing to marry an old


    asked him and waited for his response.


    "Yeah, I agree with you,” heughed. “Youngdies, why are you teasing her?" he asked us and


    pretended to re at us. After that, he again turned his face to look at Aarna.


    "What you have said is right. Yuktha is bing too old and she is not getting any matches. So, why


    don''t you get married after your Daksha Akka''s marriage? You can also get a chance to eat the


    wedding delicacies again," he asked her.


    When he was saying the first part, she kept on nodding her head, agreeing with him. But when she


    heard thest sentence which was directed at her, she stopped nodding at him and looked at my Dad


    wide-eyed.


    "That..Uncle.I think I heard my phone ring. I am going to my room." After saying this, she sprinted


    upstairs like some mad dogs were chasing her.


    We all startedughing at her behavior. God! How much I was going to miss this fun! I sighed sadly in


    my mind. I got distracted by my Mom.


    "Daksha, your dad and I are going to the temple to ce the first wedding card at the feet of the deity.


    From the temple, we will go to your inw''s house to give them the card. We have to distribute the


    cards to our family friends and close rtives too. So, you guys have your food on time, and Daksha,


    don''t forget to have your breakfast. We will get going then. Take care." She left after listing so many


    dos and don''ts.


    Yuktha and Rishu went to their rooms. After having my breakfast, I went to thewn and sat on the


    swing for a while.


    Remembering something, I hurriedly reached the room which was prohibited for outsiders. I opened the


    door with my shaky hands.


    Once I entered that room, so many memories yed in front of my eyes. My heart constricted at the


    sudden surge of emotions. I slowly reached the closet and took a carton box that had my name on it.


    I opened it after cutting the tape that was stered on it. I took out the dresses and sarees that were


    ced in them.


    I held a saree with my hands and caressed it lightly as I drifted back into memoryne.


    ?shback?


    "Teju, why are you staying up sote when you don''t even have any orders in your hands currently?" I


    asked her.


    "I am designing a saree for a client. She is important to me. So, I want to put in some extra effort into


    the design of her saree," she replied to me.


    "Can I know who is this so-called important client?" I asked her while scoffing.


    "If you want to know about my client, I can give you some clues, " sheughed. "She is my very first


    client. She is the one who offered me a good life and even a family too. She looks so beautiful. You can


    say it like this, she is my life and I can even sacrifice it for her," she said these words while looking into


    my eyes. I immediately engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug.


    "Never say that, okay? How can I live without you? You are my life too. I am so lucky that I got to meet


    you on that day," I said to her with tears in my eyes and she agreed to it after saying a ''Sorry''.


    "By the way, what''s the need for designing it now when we don''t even have any asion shortly?" I


    asked her after a while.


    "Silly girl, " she chortled. " It is for a future asion only. I am designing a saree for your wedding. Who


    knows what the future holds for us! So, I want you to wear a saree that I made with my own hands,"


    she said to me.


    "Girl, you are talking like you won''t be there for my wedding." After saying this, I gave a light smack on


    her arm.


    "It''s not like that. How can I leave you? I am preparing the saree because currently I am pretty free and


    I want to utilize this time by investing it fully in your wedding saree because for your wedding, I will be


    busy with all the preparations and I won’t be able to concentrate on it fully. I even made some designs


    for Aaru, Yuktha, and Rishu. Yours is thest one as I want to concentrate more on it." After saying this,


    she again immersed herself in the work. I shook my head at her worries for the future.


    ?End of the shback?


    Back then, the naive me didn''t take her words to heart but who knew that her words would be


    true. Who knew she wouldn''t be with me on the most important day of my life?


    She left us. She broke her promise and left me alone. All I was left with were her memories. I could


    give anything to get her back. s! Not everything happens ording to our wishes


    I hugged that saree tightly to my chest with the continuous flow of tears from my eyes. I was suddenly


    engulfed in a group hug.


    I looked up, to see the three of them hugging me. I didn’t realize when they came to the room, but they


    were what I needed the most at the moment. I hugged them back and cried my heart out.


    "Guys, she left us. How I wished that I didn''t meet her that day! How I wished she hadn’t been a part of


    our lives! If only I didn''t meet her that day and if only I didn''t bring her into my life, she might be alive


    somewhere, living her life happily. I am the culprit behind her death. Who will punish me? Do I deserve


    this life? See, here I am, getting married as if nothing has happened. I don''t have a right to be happy


    after snatching it from others." After saying this, I started sobbing uncontrobly.


    "Calm down, Daksha. Her death was nowhere your fault. Just imagine to what extent she must have


    loved you that she even ignored her own life while saving yours. Do you think she will be happy after


    seeing you living like this? She always wanted you to be happy. I am sure you would have done the


    same had you been in her ce," Yuktha consoled me and they again hugged me.


    "Akka, until now, you have punished yourself for the crime that you didn''tmit. You even punished


    Aunty and Uncle in the process of punishing yourself. You felt that living away from them might make


    you feel less guilty. But have you ever thought of their side? Have you ever thought about how they


    would live without you in their life?" Rishu asked me by cing a hand over my shoulder and


    continued.


    "I don''t know whether you noticed it or not. Your marriage brought so much happiness to them and we


    got to see the smiles on their faces after a long time. You returned to your cheery self and this house


    got its previous glory back. If this marriage brought so many positive changes in you and your


    surroundings, how can you say that you don''t deserve this marriage and this life?" She asked me. This


    was the first time I saw her like that but what she said made so much sense.


    "Yeah, Akka. I agree with them. This marriage is a blessing in our lives. I have positive feelings about


    this marriage from the start. Akka, you should try to move on from your past. I am not asking you to


    forget it but don''t let it influence your present. You got an understanding person as your partner. Trust


    him and trust yourself. He won''t leave you in your struggles. He won''t even let theme in your way.


    So, please never think like that. You deserve this whole world. This marriage is just a beginning," Aarna


    said after releasing herself from the hug.


    "You know, I am so lucky that I got you guys as my friends. I will never talk like that again. I am sure


    Arjun will understand my past and support me in facing it. I love you all. Even though we miss her a lot,


    we should remember her with a smile on our faces. I will give my best to make this marriage work," I


    told them with a smile after wiping off my tears and hugged each other.


    "By the way, Teju even prepared the dresses for you guys. They are in that closet. Try them out when


    you are free. At my wedding, I am going to wear the sarees and dresses that she had designed. I want


    to feel her presence by wearing them. Hope you guys won''t have a problem with wearing them too?" I


    asked them and they agreed to it instantly.


    "Oh, shit! In a hurry to see what happened to you, I left the ice cream that I was eating in my room


    itself. It must be molten by now," she said and pped her forehead while making a sad pouted.


    "This girl and her worries are out of this world," Yuktha said and we all shared a heartyugh.