Last and longest chapter. There's also an epilogue. 

---***---

"Why didn't you send this picture earlier? Your beautiful cheeks are glowing. Your lustrous hair is shining. Your radiant eyes are twinkling. My heart is full of feelings beyond my control."

"Amar, the phone's on speaker mode" Vennela squealed. She sent him a picture of herself wearing a yellow saree selected by him, taken after her mangala snanam i.e., auspicious bath, two days ago. She didn't know it would bring out the poet in him. He even started complaining how she denied him the chance of admiring her beauty by not sending pictures right after they were taken.

"Oh! Why?" Amar asked her.

"Because I have henna design on my hands" Vennela answered.

"Did anyone hear that?" asked Amar.

"I did" Rishi-Raj said in unison.

"OMG! You two?" Amar gasped.

"Rishi is holding my juice and Raj is holding the phone" said Vennela. "My amazing brothers."

"Boys! Leave your sister alone for a few minutes." Amar requested them.

"Your few minutes are equal to one hour" said Raj.

"Please. I have something to say to her. And it can't wait till the wedding" 

"I want a long drive on your bike" Rishi demanded.

"I want your new sun glasses" Raj asked him.

"Done. Now go and play while I talk to your sister" said Amar. They left.

"What is it?" Vennela asked him.

"Remember the first time we met? Your hair was tied in a messy ponytail, your blue T-shirt was full of stains. Your hands shivered when the nurse took you inside for blood donation. Your arms were sweating. But you still went ahead and helped the boy. That is when I knew that I've just met one of the most beautiful people in the world." Amar paused. Vennela's face broke into a smile.

"I was glad to have met someone like you. You brought a smile to my face with your kindness. But, you are very cruel too."

"What? Me?" Vennela was surprised to hear that.

"I asked you to wait till I get you something to eat. But when I returned the bed was empty. I was so scared and worried for you. It felt like I lost something precious."

"And you wanted to meet me again. Didn't you?" asked Vennela.

"Yes. How do you know?" asked Amar.

"Because that is exactly what I felt when I returned home. I wanted to meet you again. To thank you for what you have done for the boy and to request you to be the same good-natured kind gentleman forever." Vennela explained. 

"When I met you the day before our wedding, visions of our beautiful first meeting came back to me. To be honest, I was going to say 'no'. But I decided to say yes, the moment I recognized you" said Amar.

"I'm glad you did."

"Me too." 

"Guess whose name I have written on my palms with henna."

"I don't know. Who?"

"My own name." Vennela answered.

"Moonlight. I know you love yourself. But aren't you supposed to write my name?" Amar asked her.

"Oh! I have written your name too in such a small font size that you will spend an entire day searching for it." Vennela giggled.

"Send a picture now. I'll start searching from today" said Amar. 

Vennela giggled harder. "Okay. I'm feeling sleepy. Have to wake up early for Gauri Pooja tomorrow."

She ended the call and turned around to find all her cousins waving at her. They were secretly listening to the conversation. They teased her for a long time.

The next morning, she woke up late. Nanditha was furious. "Don't forget. You are the bride. You are getting married tomorrow."

Vennela was alarmed. It's true. She's getting married. The feeling started sinking in. She started feeling nervous. 'I wish Amar was here. His childish jokes would have made me forget my worries.'

The stylists were working on her makeup. She received a message from Amar. 'Stop thinking about me. I am getting a lot of hiccups.' She burst into laughter. The stylists were startled. She regained composure and sat down. 

A few minutes later, the function started. Surprisingly she wasn't nervous anymore. She sincerely prayed for a happy married life. After the function was over, she opened her laptop to watch the videos of functions that happened earlier.

The function in which all the ladies had to apply turmeric paste on her face was her favourite. Shruthi and Ragini lied to all the ladies that according to Dhanunjaya family tradition, the turmeric must be applied to everyone's face. The guests took their words seriously and applied it to each other's faces, taking selfies to post them on Instagram. After that, she was asked to wear a new saree sent by her in-laws as per tradition. The whole process is called Pellikuthuru Cheyadam which translates to making of the bride. She was adorned by flowers and jewels by the ladies of her family. She took blessings of the guests by touching their feet. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to be the bride and surrounded by people who loved her and wished her happiness. 

She then opened the video of function in which henna design was applied to her hands. She was last one in the long line of ladies. Everyone had their partner's name written on their palms with henna. When Vennela was asked her future husband's name she blushed the deepest shade of pink. All the girls giggled. She had to close her eyes very tightly to speak his name.

"Vennu, you have to sleep early" said Nanditha.

She lay down on her bed thinking of the coming twenty-four hours that would change her life forever. She will be marrying her husband again. Unlike last time, where she prayed for a miracle to stop the wedding, this time she prayed to all the Gods to make it obstacle free.

---***---

"You are setting very high standards for future weddings of our families" said Anirudh, admiring Amar's wedding clothes.

"By, future weddings do you mean yours?" asked Amar. Anirudh turned around to hide his smile.

"Bro, did I ever tell you that I love you?" asked Anirudh.

"No"

"Good. I won't tell you" 

Amar patted him. "Thank you. Or else I would have thought you have gone mad." He made a video call to Surya. "Bro, is there any chance of seeing my queen?"

"I guess not. You have to see her directly in the wedding hall." Surya answered. Lasya and Shruthi waved at Amar.

"Bava garu, you're looking so good. But the same can't be said about your brother" said Shruthi.

"You are just jealous of my superhuman good looks" said Anirudh. They fought for a while before Surya ended the call. 

"Have you seen Dheeru?" asked Ragini.

"Dheeru?"

"Dheeraj. The wedding planner. I have to discuss a few things with him regarding the schedule" said Ragini.

"Let me take you to your Dheeru" Shruthi left with Ragini.

"So, Vennela is getting married again. It makes me wonder whether you have any similar wish of you know, a grand wedding--"

"Surya, it's not about how grand the wedding is" Lasya interrupted Surya. "It's all about how happy you are when you get married. Vennela and Amar are marrying again because she wasn't happy the first time. I, on the other hand, was extremely happy when I got married to the man of my dreams."

They reached the function hall and started getting ready. Rishi-Raj met Amar and gave him a letter. "Who wrote this? You two?" 

"Definitely not me" Raj answered.

"It will look odd if I write a love letter to my sister's fiance" Rishi added.

As soon as Amar heard the phrase 'love letter', he snatched it and opened it. 

My beloved husband,

I am writing this letter because I don't want any wish to remain unfulfilled. I have always loved the idea of love letters. I know how you are feeling. Take a deep breath and calm down. Think of all the sweet memories we have built together. We are about to add a plenty more to them. I love you.

-Moonlight.

Amar smiled and immediately wrote a reply. 

I don't have to stare at the moon from tomorrow for serenity. My moonlight will be with me. Love you too.

Vennela carefully put it in her bag after reading it. She hid all his previous letters in her diary. Janaki and Shambhavi came to greet her. She took their blessings.

"God bless you, my child. May you live a long and beautiful life." Janaki blessed her.

"Vennela, I know we had a love-hate relationship. But, I bear you no ill-will. I will pray for your happiness." Shambhavi blessed her.

"We are family now" Vennela held her hands. She turned to Janaki "Grandma, thanks for the bangles." She was wearing Radhika's pearl studded bangles.

"Come Shambhavi, let's go and have breakfast before we get busy." Janaki and Shambhavi left.

Vennela took a few pictures with her foster parents Prakash and Nanditha. They were finally relieved from their guilt. Narayana and Gayatri were overjoyed when Vennela pulled them into  a hug and promised them that she would visit them frequently. Praveen and Vidya gifted her tickets for honeymoon. "Give me a chance of babysitting your kids too" Vidya whispered in her ear. Vennela blushed.

Amar was waiting for her in the hall. "When will she come?" He asked Anirudh for the fifth time. 

"Nanna, your nephew is suffering from short term memory loss. He is asking the same question again and again." Anirudh complained.

"Amar, what's the hurry? Enjoy bachelorhood for a few more minutes. Life won't be this easy from tomorrow. No matter who you are, your wife will be the boss." Bharat patted Amar.

"Look, she is here" Archana announced. Amar looked at Vennela. She looked stunningly beautiful. He remembered the first time he saw her as a bride. She looked equally beautiful back then too. But the only thing, that seemed different was the smile on her face which was missing the previous time. The smile which made him feel blessed.

She reached the mandapam and sat beside him. He brushed his fingers against her feet without anyone noticing. She gasped and pulled her feet away. "What happened? Are you okay?" Nanditha asked her. She nodded. She looked at Amar whose face looked so innocent that if she had not known how naughty he was, she would have believed it was her hallucination.

The wedding rituals started. The Pandit asked them to stand up and garland each other. They stood up and faced other. Vennela looked at Amar. She gasped. There stood a man who looked as majestic and regal as a king, smiling at her with eyes full of adoration. She wanted to touch him to see if he was not her imagination. She put the garland around his neck. She liked how he bent a bit to make it easier for her. 'You are mine' she thought. He put the garland around her neck. 'And I am yours'  The thought made her heart flutter with happiness.

They entwined their fingers and circled the sacred fire seven times, taking a vow for each circle. They listened with rapt attention as the pandit explained the significance of each vow. Amar looked at wife, who was taking each vow sincerely and wholeheartedly. She looked at him after uttering the words. He nodded in encouragement. 

'Let this moment never end' thought Vennela. 

They sat down. Prakash and Nanditha came forward to perform Kanyadaanam. This time they weren't scared for Vennela's future. They knew her future would be wonderful with Amar. "We give our beloved daughter Vennela in marriage to you. Hope you will keep her happy. May your bond be strong and unbreakable." They uttered the words and placed her hands in his hands. He held her hand very carefully and gently squeezed it. She was overcome with emotion. Her eyes brimmed with tears of happiness.

The pandit asked Amar to tie mangalasutra around her neck. He took it in his hands and tied it around her neck. "Vennela, welcome to eternity with me."

"Thank you Amar" Vennela smiled and shed tears at the same time.

The guests showered flower petals on them to bless them. Then came the toe rings moment. Amar deliberately held her foot for a very long time, gently tickling it, while making her wear the toe rings.

After all the rituals are done, the pandit pronounced them husband and wife. 

---***---

Amar and Vennela were having lunch after their wedding. As per the tradition they broke each other's fast by feeding sweets to each other. "Once more" He requested Vennela. She gladly obliged. 

After the lunch they reached the hall again to cut the wedding cake. 

Surya started speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen, firstly we would like to thank you for gracing the event with your presence. The kind hearted princess of this family got married. So, it is only fair that she receives the best wedding gift. Let's see what her cousins have in store for her."

"Vennu baby, you are my angel" said Lasya.

"I don't believe I am saying this, but you are one of the nicest persons ever" said Ragini.

"Vennu akka is the best" Shruthi yelled.

"We love you" said Rishi-Raj in unison.

They played a video on a big screen covering all the important moments of Vennela's life which included, her moments with her parents in Kerala, her birthday celebrations with entire family, Rishi-Raj lifting her on her shoulders, Ragini smearing cake on her face, her cycling race with Lasya, Shruthi and Prakash, gardening with Nanditha and Meenakshi, story telling sessions with Praveen and Vidya, etc.,

The video stopped with her convocation ceremony. Vennela was elated to see all her childhood moments. "That's not all. There's more." Anirudh announced. He played the next video which had her and Amar talking to each other in the plane, Amar lifting her up in bridal style for reception, her food fight with Amar, their never have I ever game where she yelled 'Wink at me. No one else', her art exhibition, her speech at the award ceremony, their play and their dance in the party.

Vennela clapped her hands while Amar thanked everyone for the wonderful gift. It was time for Anirudh's speech. "Hello I'm Anirudh. Proud brother-in-law of the gorgeous bride Vennela vadina and significantly less proud brother of average looking groom Amar anna." Everyone laughed while Amar punched him playfully.

"Okay. I can feel death glares pointed at me for calling him average" He looked at Shruthi in particular. "I want to say that these two people sitting here- I have known them for who they are. Their public image is of these great business intellectuals but there's more to it. They are kind hearted people who have set an example by being ideal couple. By ideal couple, I don't mean perfect couple because there are no perfect couples in the world. But, they are perfect for each other. That is the best thing about them. May God bless them."

Anirudh's speech received the loudest applause. Shruthi winked at him and gave him a flying kiss when no one was looking.

When it was time for Vennela to be sent to her new home, she didn't weep. She embraced everyone. She knew it was not goodbye after all.

---***---

"Amar, you are not allowed to enter her room until the Satyanarayana Vratam tomorrow." Shambhavi told him.

"But we already performed it earlier" said Amar.

"No. Shambhavi is right. You two can share the room only after the Vratam tomorrow." Janaki supported Shambhavi.

Amar pouted like a child making them laugh. He agreed. Bharat and Anirudh lay awake and teased him for a long time that night until Amar splashed water on them which turned into a small sized war. 

Many miracles happened during the Satyanarayana Vratam the following day like Shambhavi smiling at Lasya and Prakash wishing Anirudh good morning. Anirudh and Shruthi were lucky enough to get a few minutes of free time in the storeroom. "I wish someone would lock the door from outside" said Anirudh. 

"Just two years more and we will have all the time in the world to spend with each other" Shruthi smiled.

"Two years? I can't wait for two years. Let's get married today."

"Whoa! I thought you didn't believe in the concept of marriage" said Shruthi.

"That's before I met you"

They heard someone whistle. They turned around to see Rishi-Raj waving at them.

"That was some good conversation" Rishi remarked.

"But I am afraid you guys need to maintain some distance" said Raj standing between Anirudh and Shruthi.

"Don't worry. We will lock you up in the storeroom once you get married" said Rishi. The young couple walked away, blushing. 

It was very late when the prayer was over. The Dhanunjayas left for home. 

"Let's have dinner" said Amar.

"It's 6.30. Wait for an hour" said Janaki.

"I'm feeling hungry" Amar lied. He persuaded everyone to have dinner by 7 pm. "Now that we are well fed, we need to disperse to our respective rooms."

Bharat and Anirudh grinned. "Don't be so desperate. What's the hurry?" Anirudh whispered in his ear.

"It has been seven months. Do you think it's hurried?" Amar made Anirudh chuckle. 

But he had to wait for one more hour. He was apprehensive. He did some breathing exercises to reduce the nervousness. After all, it has been a month since he shared the room with his moonlight.

Shambhavi and Janaki led Vennela into his room and left. Amar held her hand. "You looked beautiful as bride yesterday."

"Thank you Amar" 

"Everything would have been fine. But I received a complaint against you" said Amar.

"Complaint?" Vennela frowned.

"Yes. It seems you stole something."

"What!" Vennela's eyes widened with shock. "I would never do that. You know I wouldn't." 

"I wish I could say that. But I know you did steal something."

"What is it?"

"My heart" Amar answered. "You stole it seven months ago."

Vennela smiled. "I missed you." She hugged him.

"I missed you too." He wrapped his hands around her.

"Okay. I am tired. Let's sleep" said Vennela.

Amar's smile vanished. "Oh! Okay. Fine. Sleep."

Vennela burst into laughter. "My innocent Amar. I was just kidding."

Amar lifted her up in bridal style and made her sit on the bed. He kissed her. "Oh no! I forgot. I've got something to say."

"What is it?" Vennela asked him.

"I love you. You will be my moonlight forever" Amar kissed her forehead.

"I love you too, my amazing husband" Vennela wrapped her hands around him in an embrace.

---***---

Please please do comment what you all felt about this book. Expecting you all to comment and express your feelings.

Thank you dear readers.