Day of Haldi,

"So Haldi is nothing but a facial for the wedding?" asked a twelve year old Kareena looking at her mother Geet who applied the mixture of turmeric oil and rosewater to the bride's face, hands and feet.

The ladies surrounding the bride chuckled at the question and Gayathri replied caressing the little girl's head "The mixture is believed to bless the couple before the wedding beta... the color is auspicious for a new beginning"

"Oh.. but I read on the internet that turmeric leaves the skin fair and glowing" she frowned.

"Children these days..." sighed Gayathri and looked at Geet in reproach "You give cell phones to kids her age? Padhai ka hoga satyanaash (her studies will be doomed) Geet... you should be more careful before handing gadjets to them"

"Sorry daadi ji ... she is a naughty kid... never listens to me or her dad... humesha phone rehta hai haath mein (she always has the phone with her)"

Gayathri just shook her head in disappointment before she turned to her grand daughter "Look Gauri... you should be careful of your kids in future"

"Aree... Gayathri ji... this is her haldi function... you are already lecturing her about kids" laughed Shalini one of the older guests.

"So what Shalini... she is getting married now... in no time she will be a mother... it is good to be prepared... don't you think so?" she said with a smile making the elder woman chuckle.

Gauri simply started at Gayathri with a look of disbelief... before she turned her gaze to Richa who was trying hard to control her laughter.

"Your next job is decided Gauri... 'mission children' it is" she quipped and Gauri sucked in a breath.

"But... I..." started Gauri when she was greeted by the new entrant.

"Gauri... you are looking cute" said Anika coming near her and congratulating her on the occasion, hugging her tight which Gauri returned.

Gayathri gave a formal smile to Anika pointing at the bowl filled with the yellow mixture and she smiled nodding before she applying the haldi on the bride's face.

The group of ladies began to discuss the origins and style of the modernly dressed guest in hushs and whispers.

"Gayathri ji?? Who is this girl? Gauri's friend from Mumbai?" asked one of the elderly women.

"No Hema..... she is Shivaay's fiancé... Gauri's in law family" answered Gayathri and the women looked the girl dressed in weird lehenga with cuts and cloth pieces hanging from sleeves, wearing heavy antique jewelry curiously.

Where did she get her clothes stitched? Probably the tailors there, rob the cloth piece to stitch other clothes scamming their customers.. how else can the choli be too short and the sleeves be cut open at various places.... the lehenga in complete contrast to the choli and not at all in sync with the jewelry... they mused.

"Gauri... go and rest in your room for now.. take your friends with you... I will make arrangements for the dinner" instructed Gayathri before leaving the place with the women lot and the girls nodded a yes.

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Sometime later,

Anika settled beside Gauri and Richa, looking around her room. She reached the place last night on her personal chopper that her father arranged for her. She had attended parties aa well as weddings abroad and in the cities but a village wedding with age old customs is a new experience she wouldn't have missed for anything.. especially when it is her best friend's marriage.

She grew up alone raised by her grandmother Sarala Chaturvedi... who unsuccessfully tried her best to not allow her parents to get divorced but her attempts went into drain. Good that the harshness of her parent's wedded life did not reach her until she was old enough to understand that her parents were different from the one her friends had at school.

Sarala always advised her to live life to the fullest and Anika took her granny's words way too seriously. She was a ball of energy that wherever she went she brought the positive energy into the venue making people around her smile at her enthusiasm.

Of course there were times when she yearned for love... something other than what her grandmother gave her. One part of her craved for the love of her parents... hoping that they will come together to see her and talk to her, know about the happenings of her life only to get disappointed later. Her chirpy and bubbly self are an armor she donned to protect her from her life's solitude.

Rich she was by stature but she considered herself poor when it came to love and relations... After her grandmother's death two years back, her friends were all she had and she considered them her family whether or not they felt the same way about her.

"Anika ji..." started Richa

"Call me Anika...please"

"Ohh.. okay Anika... did Omkara send you here to take a picture of Gauri and send it to him?" Richa asked and Gauri huffed.

"Richa... will you stop it now... three days... since three days you have been teasing me non-stop... when will this end?" Gauri cried out.

"Not in this lifetime" Richa answered her friend cheekily grinning and Anika chuckled at that while Gauri groaned.

"Wait.... I will stop teasing you... if you do something" said Richa after a moment and Gauri narrowed her eyes at her.

"What?? Nothing you can't do Gauri"

"What is it?" Anika asked intrigued.

"You should tell me the details of your wedding night" said Richa making Gauri gasp and once the demand morphed into a vivid image of her with her fiancé in her head, she blushed red .

Anika saw the color of her cheeks and awed "Now I understand why Omkara loves it when you blush... you look beautiful Gauri... too cute" pulling her cheeks.

"Anika di not you too" said Gauri.

"Di??"

"Haa... you will be Shivaay bhaiyya's wife right?"

That statement transferred the blush from Gauri to Anika making Richa laugh out loud.

"Good combo you too are going to make" she commented making them smile.

"By the way don't change the topic... are you going to fill me with 'the details' or are you going to suffer the teasing?" asked Richa wiggling her eyebrows at her friend.

"Shut up will you"

"Aree... what is there to shut up... you both are going to do it... isn't it?... when there is no problem doing it... why will you have a problem telling us about it?"

"Because I am not a shameless person... God... this is even worse than your teasing"

"Good girl... so suffer" came the response.

"Uhh Anika" Richa said turning to the other woman "How is Omkara coping up with not seeing his bride until 'the day'?"

"He is sulking as usual" said Anika grinning and Richa chuckled.

"Kya jaadu kiya hai Gauri....dulha to samjho lattoo hi ho gaya (What magic did you do that the groom is head over heels for you Gauri)" quipped Richa and this time was rewarded with a nasty pinch on the shoulder by a truly angry Gauri.

"Ooch... jungleee... don't pinch"

"You deserved more... I'm controlling myself not to pour a bucket of ice cold water over you since three days"

"Hawww.... How mean.... You can't resort to violence... poor Omkara.. he..."

"Urgghh... Richa... he is my fiancé and I did not utter his name as many times as you did... tum kyaa..."

"Ohh... possessive much" countered Richa stopping her midway, while Gauri fumed again.

Sensing the upcoming war, Anika controlled her smile and intervened asking "Since how long do you know each other?"

"Ohh that... our family used to live beside this house in my childhood.... I met this wild cat when we were ten... we moved to Mumbai when I was sixteen but we maintained contact" informed Richa.

"Aww cool... I know Om, Daksh and Rudy since three years but we are just as bickering as you two... Om plays the peace maker while Daksh and I try to kick each other" she said.

"And Rudra bhaiyya?" asked Gauri.

"Rudy...he is the instigator" said Anika laughing and the girls joined her.

"How is it like to be the only girl of the group?... we haven't been around boys for the major part of all our lives.. I at least have the liberty to talk to them freely but Gauri is off limits to the male population... credit goes to her ancient daadi"

"Really? Never been in a relationship before?" asked Anika turning her head to the bride who simply smiled nodding a no.

"Your grandmother deserves a special place among those fossils in the museum you know" said Anika

Gauri felt uncomfortable with the comment "Nothing like it di... she is elderly... she did it for my good...even if she did allow me to go out with men, I might not be interested... I take my career seriously"

Anika looked at the girl in confusion "Career? How will it get affected with you being in a relationship Gauri?"

"Don't ask Anika... madam ji has theories and thesis off her own... she thinks love is a distraction" said Richa with a grimace.

"That is a wrong notion... if you are focused and the person you choose is supportive, love boosts your confidence Gauri... I have been in a relationship before and he helped me with my studies a lot"

"What?? Then what happened?" asked Richa as surprised as Gauri.

Anika gave a sad smile "It didn't work out... he... let us just say he found someone saner... or so he said"

"Disgusting... he dumped you?"

"I can get difficult to handle sometimes Richa... I have no regrets though... my grandmother always said mistakes and heart breaks are a part of life" she said with a smile and the girls looked at her with respect.

"You are one hell of a woman Anika... glad that I met you... that guy surely did not deserve you... Shivaay bhaiyya is lucky" said Richa and Gauri agreed.

Anika laughed and shook her head "He doesn't know me Richa.. that day at the guest house I had to put up an act to pave way for Om and Gauri's alliance" she revealed and Gauri nodded understanding.

"I did think it was sudden and unexpected from Shivaay bhaiyya's shocked look and their low five" said Gauri.

"Your future husband is a wicked player Gauri" said Richa astounded "be careful"

Anika looked at her new friend and said "You are lucky Gauri... he is totally in love with you... I have never seen him smiling so much... his mood gets better by just talking and thinking about you"

"That is for sure.. Gauri has won a jackpot... handsome and wicked.. hailaa... what a combo" said Richa in her dreamy tone and Anika frowned.

"Your tone sounds weird .. are you crushing on him or something?"

"Yup" agreed Richa popping the p "But I sacrificed him for my best friend" she said dramatically making Gauri roll her eyes.

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"For the hundredth time... can you stop being a baby and listen to me Omkara? Are you seriously planning to get into my bahu's room tonight?" Kalyani scolded her grandson.

Rudra standing behind his grandmother wiggled his eyebrows at his brother who was dressed in a turtleneck t shirt and baggie pants, his hair done into a sexy man bun fully ready for his mission 'Meet Gauri'.

He wasn't the least bit guilty for having given the details of his brother's plan to their Hitler daadi and letting him get caught red handed when he was about to climb down their room's window using a climbing rope which he himself supplied him. His O very much deserved it, for crashing his date with Bhavya... Rudra's current crush.

Omkara glared at his younger one planning of ways to slowly kill him when his daadi's voice boomed again "I am asking you something...Omie"

"What else do you think he is doing Daadi... practicing gymnastics in the wake of the night?" sniggered Rudra and got a glare in return making him shut up.

"Omkara... this is not done.. you will be married in two days and your behavior is like that of a petulant child... you are not supposed to see her until she comes to the mandap... how difficult is it to understand that simple rule?"

"But daadi... I haven't seen her since a week... why are you so orthodox... I will go just see her, talk to her and will come back in no time... no one will know"

"No... you are not going anywhere... Rudra.. sleep here tonight... keep a check on him"

"Ohh no... daadi... I don't think it is a good idea... what if he molests me imagining Gauri in his sleep"

"Shut up Rudra" chorused his elders and Rudra laughed aloud.

"Daadi... I am serious... I really doubt O is going there to show her a trailer for the main show after two days" he said shamelessly while Daadi closed her ears with her hands.

"Hey bhagwan... do you not have a filter Rudra? You are cheapness personified ... get out now"

"Daadi.. you don't understand... let me..."

"I understood enough... you two are the most blatant idiots... your wickedness has no end ... just like your father. Tej was too difficult to handle... only my billu is the innocent one... he took over Jhanvi" she said reminiscing their parents.

Silence spread in the room as the elderly woman shook her head with a despondent look and the brothers looked at each other before rushing to their favorite person.

Kalyani sat on the bed in the room given to Omkara in Sharma house with him and Rudra sitting on either side of her, delicately holding her hand, one each. As a tear dropped from her eyes crushing their hearts, they squeezed her hand in support...letting her know that when she is in pain... it pained them too.

"You are missing them" said Rudra keeping his head on her shoulder and she nodded sadly.

"Tej would have been so happy for you Om... and Jhanvi... she would have bonded so well with Gauri" she said chuckling "both are of the same kind... the shy ones" bringing out a smile in the brothers' faces.

"I know beautiful... one of the reasons I am hooked to your bahu" said Omkara with a fond smile "Such a blush baby she is... just like mom"

The topic of their parents was a trigger to their elder brother who was their wall of support since childhood... no one really discussed it. They calmly reminisced their happy moments with their parents without talking out except in situations like now where it was inevitable.

Omkara and Rudra were mere children but Shivaay who was a teenager well aware of the seriousness of the tragedy took the brunt of it sinking himself deliberately in the sea of responsibilities. The three brothers were left all alone in the midst of a world of business which needed to be looked after and protected from deceit and downfall. It was Kalyani that lead them to what they are now. The reason her word was a rule in their lives.

Kalyani missed her only son and daughter in law while the brothers missed their parents on the occasion of the first marriage in the house after the tragedy. None of them voiced out their longing, fearing of hurting the other and mellowing down the festive mood.

"Tera shaadi hai aur tumhare maa baap tere saath nahi... (It is your wedding and your parents are not by your side) You must be feeling a void... aren't you feeling it Om?"

"True that we miss them but we love you more daadi... you and Shivaay have been everything to us" voiced Omkara "You both are here for me and nothing makes us more complete" he completed and Rudra simply nodded his head.

"O at least remembers mom's smile and dad teasing her daadi... all I remember is you feeding me and my brothers taking me to school" said Rudra fondly smiling.

As Kalyani caressed her grandsons' cheeks and kissed each of them, they hugged her tight feeling the warmth of love from her frail body.

"Am I missing something? You won't invite me?" came a voice from the door and the trio looked at Shivaay who unsurprisingly had tears in his eyes.

In no time Shivaay joined them in hugging his support system... the woman he looked up to all his life while Kalyani could only lovingly caress her children thanking God and feeling grateful for what they had... a bond that only strengthened with time. She closed her eyes and prayed that her son and her daughter in law blessed their sons with happiness, fame and prosperity.

After the emotional moment, Kalyani caressed Omkara's head trying to cajole him again.

"Don't worry... day after is the Mehendi ceremony I will convince Gayathri ji and we can go there for some time. You can ogle at your bride then.. but don't play tricks till then Omkara... if you get caught it won't look good... your in laws are very orthodox" she said.

Omkara looked at his brothers for support but when they too nodded their heads and asked him to comply, he rolled his eyes and muttered an okay.

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I realized it has been four days since i updated... so i typed this to fill in something... 

The next shot will have the wedding and ...umm... you know what... so keep voting and commenting if you want the update early.

See you till then... yours Soujanya.