The minute I got the view of him among the crowd, I couldn't help myself from smiling. He was yet to discover that I had arrived, he was grumbling something to Zain. While Zain was having hard time keeping his face straight, he was dying to end into laughter.

Faizal was twining with me, wearing a white shirt along with a white lungi having golden border. He was having hard time managing the lungi as he kept grumbling about it to Zain. I still couldn't believe how did I got so lucky? He had argeed for the proper South Indian wedding for me, for my mother.

And finally something mentioned by Zain grabbed his attention and his orbs averted from lungi towards me. That frown disappearing into thin air as his orbs soften and lips turned into a sweet smile. I blushed under his gaze, lowering my head in shyness. He looked so handsome in the attire, I wish if I had cell in my hand to capture him at the moment. To capture the way his black orbs had soften with just a glimpse of mine. I wanted to preserve the memory forever.

"Wow! You're looking so pretty," Zoya exclaimed as she walked towards me. "You both are twining and that's so adorable," she giggled in excitement.

"You are looking beautiful as well," I compliment on seeing her transformed into a proper South-Indian girl.

She was able to convince her entire family to match the theme of South Indian Wedding. Zoya had opted for a blue saree having a red border, "I am actually looking damn beautiful in it." She confessed sounding surprised, "hadn't anticipated it." She giggled at the end.

She accompanied me along with Shruti and Mom to walk towards the raised platform where Faizal was waiting for me. Dad passed me a smile as he patted my head in affection, I could glimpse in his moist orbs. Why was everyone adamant to end me into tears?

I stood in front of Faizal as dad handed me the garland, it was made of tulsi. Priest was enchanting some mantras, as we exchanged the garland. The Veli (holy fire) was before us as priest asked us to take three rounds around the Veli. That was the moment I realised Faizal's parents absence from the stage. It wasn't a stage but a raised platform arranged for wedding in the temple.

"Where is Ammi Abu?" I inquired getting stressed, he glanced at me. Had something happened last night? Were there some argument which I wasn't aware of?

He pointed his finger at the corner and I got a glimpse of them. Mr Shoaib Qureshi was in his causal attire, kurta and pyjama but Aunt Mumtaz opted to be different. She was wearing a saree, I smiled on realising it was the one mom gifted her during our engagement ceremony. She passed a smile on realising that I was staring in her direction, gesturing to me that I was looking beautiful.

"They didn't wanted to be included," Faizal mumbled softly and nodded in understanding.

I was satisfied that they arrived, that was enough for me. They had certain belief which they valued, I was none to judge them about it. They could have denied to be present yet they were there. I was thankful for their cooperation.

As the three rounds were completed, priest asked Faizal to tie Tali around my neck. Tali was a yellow chain made of gold having a leaf pendant in the middle. I closed my orbs as his hand got around my neck to tie it. My heart was accelerating at the highest speed. Tying of the Tali had the most significane in the wedding, it meant we were offically husband and wife and there wasn't anything that could separate us.

I allowed the drop of tear to descend my cheek. "Hey," I heard his rough yet attempting to be soft voice. "Are you fine?" There was worry hidden in his voice.

I nodded not having the courage to open my orbs and glance at him. "Be seated," priest asked us to be seated on the small stool arranged beside Veli. Faizal grabbed my hand as I slowly opened my orbs glancing at our intervened hands but not at him. I could feel his orbs on me yet I opted to ignore it.

We got seated on our respective place as priest chatted some mantras, and asked us to put our hands in each other. "You're fine, right?" I heard his slight whisper. I answered him with a nod. "Than why you're not glancing at me? Did something happen? You were fine just a minute back..." He sounded so worried, I slowly raised my head to glance at him and I could hear him sigh in relief.

"I was avoiding you because if I would stare at you, I might end into tears." I confessed while his frown deepen. "I am getting married to you, Idiot." A sob escaped from my throat, "I can't believe it!"

"You have whole life to talk to eachother," dad mumbled from behind. "At the moment concentrate on the wedding rituals." With those words he placed his hand on us. A ritual that indicated that dad was handling me over to Faizal. As if I longer will be considered his daughter but Faizal's wife. My life was going to change in just few seconds.

•••

The wedding rituals came to end and the priest declared us as husband and wife. I hugged my parents as I cried in their arms.

"Shh," mom wiped my tears. "Stop crying," she brushed off those tears.

"Haven't you said that you won't shed a single tear because you will love to walk away from me." Mom teased while I glared at her and wrapped my arms around her neck.

"Stop troubling my child," dad came in my support. "No wonder she wanted to get married at such a young age so she could escape from your torture." I withdrew myself from mom as I got wrapped in dad's arm.

"I am going to miss you," and I surely was going to miss him. I was going away from them. Going to Meerut in just few hours. I would have to travel for hours to come and visit them. How was they going to manage it alone? That had being my source of concern from past few months.

"We will miss you as well," dad patted on my head.

•••

"Take care of yourself," Shruti mumbled as she helped me with the luggage. They had decided to drop me off the station.

"You could have stayed here for the night," Jiju was complaining to Faizal. "We would be offered with some few hours with our princess," he passed a smile in my direction. "Now, it's going to be more difficult to meet her."

He was correct, I could feel the distance between us. Though I was walking towards Faizal but I was walking away from my family, from Kochi. My life was going to change, my home was going to change as well as my family.

"But we will always find our way," I attempted to assure my anxious heart. "I am going to miss you both," I was attempting hard to hold back my tears.

"We will miss you as well," Shruti mumbled wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a hug.

"Thank you," I mumbled in her ears. "Thank you for every single thing that you have done for my happiness and thank you for trusting Faizal," I pulled from the hug. "If it wasn't for your support, I would've been standing here."

"All thank you for your lovely sister, what about my efforts?" Jiju jumped in, "I also deserves some credit."

"Surely, you do..." I mumbled hugging him. "You're the best Jiju to ever exist!" He laughed at my title.

"Please never do allow her childish, silliness to disappear, that's make her Nivi." Those words were directed at Faizal for which he answered with a nod.

•••

"You should go and sleep," Faizal whispered softly in my ears on seeing that I was attempting hard to keep my orbs open.

"I am fine," I provided a fake smile at Faizal. Zain and the rest were playing games and I didn't wanted to spoil their mood by announcing that I was tired and was in need of sleep.

We had woken up early in the morning to perform various wedding rituals and I had hard time sleeping last night. The anxiety of whether the wedding would take place or not, didn't allow me to rest. I still had hard time believing that I was married to Faizal.

"Zain, it's enough." Ahmed stood from the seat, "we should get back to our respective seat and sleep." He mumbled, gesturing Farya to accompany him.

Farya nodded walking towards me to grab sleeping Azia from my arms. "She have grown up yet behaves like a kid," she shook her head at the kid.

"But she still is a kid," I attempted to defend Azia while Farya shake her head in disbelief.

"You are going to spoil her more," Farya commented.

"Kids need to be spoiled a little," Faizal came in support as he wrapped his arms around my shoulder.

"You are supposed to keep your hands off her," Farya gave him a pointed look. "It just due to Ahmed I am allowing this but know your limits."

"Di!" Zain groaned in the background, "you shouldn't be having such mature conversation in front of innocent children." He was offering a innocent look while I lowered my head in shyness. Why were they having such a conversation?

"We are aware about your innocence, Zain." Zoya grumbled, "you were just waiting for the wedding to finish so you can start with yours."

"But you're yet to introduce her to us," Ahmed was the only one interested in Zain's love story, like me.

"You will meet him in Faizal bhai's Nikaah," he smiled as he walked out of the compartment while others laughed at his shyness.

"Only the topic of Sarah can shut him up," Zoya mumbled as she walked out and Farya and Ahmed followed behind her.

Silence prevailed around us as only two of us was left in the compartment. "Why did you asked Farya to change her compartment?"

"Why do you have any problem with it?" His lips were almost brushing with my earlobe, my heart beating loudly in anxiouness.

"Faiz..."

"Hmm..." His warm breath was fanning my sensitive skin. What the hell!

Faizal placed a kiss on my cheek as my breath started turning heavy. "Faiz..." I was pleading with him. "What are you doing?"

"Just kissing my wife," he mumbled. "Just few more rituals and than you will be offically mine," he whispered in my ears as his lips moved towards my neck.

"Please," I was dying in anxiouness. I wasn't yet prepared for such intimacy. "Farya di have asked you to keep distance."

"Stop shivering," Faizal chuckled as he pulled me into a hug. "I wasn't going to eat you," he laughed at his joke while I groaned in exhaustion, nuzzling my face into his chest.

"Those things make me nervous," I expressed. "I can't..." I mumbled, "that thing make me uncomfortable."

"I know," he sighed. "You don't need to explain yourself, I get you." He placed a kiss on my forehead. "I am going to wait for it until you're ready for it." He promised, "don't worry ... Your Idiot won't ever force his Gudiya."

°°°

I have no knowledge about the rituals, I have just googled it. If I had offended or had written wrong information, I apologise.

Thanks for reading!