Love word was never in my dictionary but the day I saw you it became the permanent and favourite word of mine. And you became the best thing that have ever happened in my life.

- Yuvraj
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Yuvraj's POV

08:36AM IST
28th December, The Makeover Day
Umaid Bhawan Palace, Circuit House Rd, Cantt Area, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342006

Groaning I rubbed my eyes filling the warmth of the sun over my body. I think I forgot to close the blinds. Sighing I got up and took the duvet off my body.

"Good morning man!" Sid said with hoarseness must be because of the last night's hangover.

"Morning! You want an Advil?" I asked as I remembered I have some extra as the guard brought more than two strips.

"Yeah that'd be great! But where did you get the Advil from?" He asked.

I got up and picked up the strip and walked towards him.

"I bought it yesterday for Mia! And had some extra! So here you go!" I said and gave the strip to Sid.

Nodding he gulped down the tablet and chugged down a glass of water.

"I am going to take a shower! If your head is aching too much, just rest for sometime more okay! We don't have anything to do today! And I will wake you up after I came out showering! How does that sound?" I asked.

"Yeah that'd nice! Thank you yar!" Sid said and laid down.

"No worries bro!" I said and saw V sprawled on his bed with drool coming out of his mouth.

Shaking my head, I walked inside the washroom and closed the door.

09:02AM IST

I came out of the washroom rubbing my hairs dry. I went to the closet and picked up my outfit for today. Walking towards Sid's bed, I shook him a little.

"Sid! Come on wake-up! We need to go down!" I said.

He stirred and got up. Then I went towards V and shook him a little.

"V! Get up bro!" I called but there was no response.

Groaning I picked up the hug of water from his bedside table and poured it on his face.

"W-w-what the hell!" He woke up screeching like a girl.

"Bro! Wake up it's Nine AM already!" I said putting the jug back.

He wiped his face with his hands and glared at me.

"You could've woke me up by some other way you know! You didn't have to pour the water on my face!" He hissed making me smirk.

"Whatever!" I said and turned around whilst wearing my shirt making him groan.

I wore my wrist watch and then grabbed my phone. Picking my laptop up I sat on the bed and opened my mail box.

09:28AM IST

"Let's go Raj!" Sid said wearing his wrist watch.

I nodded and closed my laptop. Then I, Sid and Varun went downstairs. I saw Mia coming upstairs but she stopped when she saw us coming downstairs and gave us a smile.

"Hey guys! Good morning, You came! I was just about to go to call you! Come on Everyone is waiting for us in the dining hall!" Mia said.

Muttering a good morning the guys went away giving her a smile in return. I saw Mia hiding her gazes away from me.

Oh so baby is scared! It's gonna be fun! So much fun!

Tucking my hands inside my pocket, i walked towards her making her shift on her feet. She tucked a strand of her open hair behind her ear showing me how nervous she is. Removing my hand from my pocket, I wrapped an arm around Mia's small waist as I tugged her closer to my chest making her gasp and look up at me with big innocent eyes.

Leaning down, I huskily whispered in her ear.

"Why do you seem so nervous to me babe?"

She shivered and put her hands on my abs. She teared her eyes away from mine as she looked downed to my chest as it was the most interesting thing ever. I stared at her amusingly.

"Mia! Where are you?" I heard Sam's voice.

"You're going to get punished soon baby!" I whispered and removed my hand from her waist as I moved back.

Winking at her I walked away and walked past Sam who was coming from the dining hall. Sam gave me a confused look seeing my amused expression. Walking inside the dining hall, I sat down beside Sid who gave me a questioning look like asking me where I was. I shrugged and greeted everyone good morning.

Mia and Sam came and plopped down beside me. Mia to my right and Sam to Mia's right. The servers brought the breakfast dishes to the table and we served ourselves.

09:50AM IST
The Cosmo World - Premium Salon | Bridal | Hair Treatment and Transplant, E-47, Medical College Road, near Mahaveer Circle, Sector-E, Shastri Nagar, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342003

I stopped the car in front of the salon as the girls (Sam, Shree, Priyanka Bhabhi) got down from the car. Pihu didn't came that's why Shanaya too didn't and Hina was not present in the palace. Mia was about to get down when I held her hand in mine. She turned her head to me and raised her eyebrow at me.

"What! No goodbye kisses?" I asked with a pout.

She glared at me as she pointed towards the girls outside waiting for her to come out. Sighing I rolled down the window of her side as she gave me a confused look. Leaning towards her I gave her a smirk and turned towards the girls who were looking at us amusingly.

"You guys can leave! Mia will be there in five minutes!" I said.

Their smirks widened listening to my words making me roll my eyes. My eyes turned to Mia whose face was so close to me and she was gaping at me with big eyes.

Cute!!

I heard throat clearing voices making me and Mia startle and our staring game was interrupted. Sighing annoyingly, I looked at the satans who were interrupting my romantic time with Mia.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Nothing! But are you sure five minutes will be enough! Because I don't think so after sensing the sexual tension between you two!" Sam said and winked making my eyes widened.
Beside me Mia gasped.

"You!" I was about to get down the car but they ran off towards the salon.

I closed the window and tugged Mia to my lap by her hand. She gasped and her hands instantly went to my shoulders as she looked at me with wide eyes without blinking. My hands caressed her bare waist as her turtle neck sweater rode up because her hands were on my shoulder.

"Y-yuvi! What are you doing? Someone will see us!" She said.

"Don't worry the glasses are tinted." I said.

"The front one too?" She asked.

I hummed and she visibly relaxed. I looked down at her exposed bare waist and my eyes darkened with lust. I tightened my arm around her feeling a sudden protectiveness and possessiveness for her.

"Don't you think the sweater is small for you!" I asked tugging the end of her sweater and tried to pull it down.

She swatted my hands away making me look at her questioningly.

"No it's not! And stop being so possessive Yuvi! I am not ditching you for anyone else!" She said coming out of her trance.

"Yeah I saw that yesterday! The way you were dancing with those fucking strippers!" I gritted out making her gulp.

"I-i was d-drunk okay! I didn't know what I was doing!" She stuttered and looked down at her lap.

Tilting her head up with my finger, I made her look at me.

"Why did you get drunk when you knew you wouldn't be able to have control on yourself?" I asked softly seeing her guilty eyes.

"I-i didn't! I was thirsty and didn't saw what I was drinking! I just picked the glass up and chugged the whole down my throat!" She said sincerely.

"Mhm it's okay! But you're not getting drunk ever again! Especially not when I am not with you! And you will be punished later for this!" I said in a grave serious tone making her pout.

I groaned and wrapped my palm behind her neck and tugged her face close to mine making her gasp again.

"You like to tease me don't you?" I asked huskily.

"Why is it working?" She asked innocently.

"Aren't you getting bold?! And to answer your question, I will show you if it's working or not!" I said and crashed my lips on her.

Tugging her more close I kissed her passionately. She was shocked at first but soon kissed me back with equal passion. Wrapping her arms around my neck he pushed me more to her. I sucked and nibbled on her lower lip and a sexy moan left her lips making me groan. I felt her breathless and reluctantly I let go of her lips as she panted. Her lips were blood red and face was flushed. Her lips looked almost bruised.

I caressed her lips with my thumb as she closed her eyes and leaned more into me.

"As much as I want to keep you on my lap and gaze at you the whole day, you have an appointment waiting for you baby!" I whispered.

Her eyes widened as she saw her wrist watch. She was about to get up when I tightened my arms around her.

"Yuvi! What are you doing? Let me go!" She stated.

"Sure baby! But first!" I said and tugged her sweater more down as much as it came.

"Do not raise your hands up or it will again rode up! And I don't want someone to look at what's mine! Do you understand?" I asked seriously.

She rolled her eyes at me and swatted my hands away from her hips.

"Okay okay fine! Possessive jerk!" She muttered the last word under her breath but she was close enough for me to hear.

"I heard that!" I said faking a stern tone.

"You were supposed to!" She again muttered under her breath whilst pouting.

I chuckled and pecked her forehead.

"Go! I will wait here for you guys! Call me if you need anything, okay baby?" I asked.

She nodded and kissed my cheek before getting off my lap. I switched open the door of her side and she got down.

"Bye Yuvi!" She waved.

I waved back and saw her as she entered the shop. Sighing I took out my laptop.

Time for some work, Yuvraj!

11:56AM IST

I sighed putting the laptop back as I craned my neck from left to right. I looked down at my wrist watch. Taking my fingers through my hairs, I wore my sunglasses and got down the car. Making my way towards the cafe by the salon, I ordered a coffee for me.

The barista handed me the coffee as I stood there taking sips from my coffee whilst looking around. The road was crowded and it must be because of the new year coming. Crowds of pedestrians, shoppers and others can be seen walking along the pavements outside the shops or trying to cross the road. The noise of cars and taxis hooting, or of scooters, flying past is deafening. Anyone who stops by to watch the scene is amazed at the number of vehicles zooming past or crawling along when caught at the traffic lights.

The people, mainly lady shoppers with children, line the street as they await an opportunity to cross the road. The main attraction is the variety of textile shops, departmental stores, carpet shops, restaurants, jewellers or electrical goods shops, pavement stalls with small items like costume jewellery, toys and aluminium cooking utensils and vendors attracting customers to buy their wares. In the hustle and bustle, one can savour the delicious aroma of Oriental delicacies floating in the air. Rajasthan is famous for so many delicacies over the world and Jodhpur has it's own identity among them.
Laal Maas, dal bati, Gulab jamun ki sabji, onion kachori and more.

My trance was interrupted by the buzzing sound of my phone. Throwing the empty can in the recycle bin, I took out my mobile from my pocket. I saw there was a message from Adil. Cursing him under my breath, I opened the text to see it was a picture of Mia sitting inside the salon. But the thing made me panic was the laser point on her heart. The picture was took from the ground floor and from outside.

My eyes widened, as I rushed towards the salon. Bursting inside, I looked around but didn't find her or the other girls anywhere.

"Sir! What happened! Are you searching for someone?" The voice came from the receptionist behind me.

Turning to her, I walked close.

"Bookings under Shraddha Kapoor and her friends, where are they?" I asked.

"Oh from the palace! Yes sir they are here! In the room 47 in the first floor!" She said.

Without wasting time I pushed my phone back into my pocket and ran towards the stairs. Reaching in the first floor, I searched for the room as the people there looked at me like I have grown two heads. I finally found the room and burst in making the girls inside yelp in shock. I saw Mia sitting by the window as a beautician was doing something with her finger nails. I saw the laser point still on her heart.

"Bhai! What happened? What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"Yes Yuvraj! Is everything okay? You look tensed!" Priyanka bhabhi asked.

Rushing up to her, I pulled her to me with a jerk making her yelp and wrapped my arms around her tightly. Nuzzling my face in the crook of her neck, I looked down from the window but saw no one there.

Frowning I pulled back and pecked Mia's forehead before walking towards the window. I looked down from the open window to see there was no one other than the pedestrians.

Damn it! Must have ran away!

I punched the wall in anger making everyone gasp in the room. My hand was suddenly grabbed by a pair of soft hands. Which I knew was Mia!

"Oh my god! What the hell Yuvraj? What were you thinking?" She scolded me.

I turned my head to look at her glaring at me. I looked at my knuckles to find a reddish bruise forming but it was nothing to worry about. I sighed.

"I am fine Mia!" I said.

"No you are not Yuvraj! Why did you do it? And why did you come here in a hurry?! What's happening will you tell me?" She asked.

"Not now Mia! I have something important to do!" I said removing my hand from her grasp as I took out my phone from my pocket.

I dialled Sahil's number but it was out of the network coverage area. Dialling Veer's number, I ignored the glares from Mia and the questions from Bhabhi and Sam.

"Hello! Yuvraj!" Veer said picking up the call.

"Hello Veer I need you to send Sahil & some bodyguards to The Cosmo world!" I said.

"Sahil and bodyguards? Is everything okay? Do I need to come?" He asked.

"No! You don't need to! Just send Sahil with some bodyguards!" I said.

"Okay! It will be done! Call me if you need anything else!" He said.

"Sure!" I hung up.

I turned to see the girls were glaring at me.

"Now Yuvraj! Will you tell us what's going on?" Bhabhi asked.

"Not now Bhabhi!" I said eyeing at the beauticians there.

"Continue your work! I will be sitting here and we will leave after you're done!" I said and sat down beside the window.

They grumbled something under their breath but sat down and let the beauticians do their work on them. Sighing I kept an eye on outside and texted Sahil.

"Meet me in 47th room in the first floor of The Cosmo World! Urgent!"

12:12PM IST

I saw Sahil getting out of his car with some bodyguards and they rushed inside the salon. I got up and went to the door ignoring the gazes from the girls. Sahil came running.

"Yuvraj! Is everything fine!" He asked as soon as he stopped.

"I have something to tell you! And you guys take care of the girls inside. Five inside and the rest outside, understood?" I asked to the bodyguards.

"Yes Boss!" They said in unison.

Nodding my head I dragged Sahil a little away from the place from where I could still keep an eye on the room.

"See this!" I said and showed him the photo Adil send me.

"Shit! That fucker!" Sahil's eyes darkened in anger.

"Hm! Someone's is keeping an eye on us! Especially on Mia! And I can't understand what to do! I just want to fly back to Delhi and kill Adil with my bare hands right now!" I gritted out in anger.

"No! Don't Yuvraj! Don't let the anger take control of you! Adil knows you're not good at controlling your anger! That's why he is doing everything to poke you to do something which will affect you! And his ultimate goal is to remove you from the elections! You too know this! Just calm down okay?" Sahil asked.

"How can I Sahil? When I know that she is targeting my girlfriend to get to me! I won't let that happen! I won't let him hurt my Mia!" I said.

"We won't Yuvraj! We won't! We all are here with Mia and you! Trust me nothing will happen to her! And if you still have doubts then okay from now on I will be guarding her personally! Okay!" Sahil said.

"Hmm! Adil has crossed his limit by bringing my girl into this mess! And he is so going to regret it!" I said.

"He will! Now come on, let's see if the girls are done!" Sahil said.

Nodding I followed him to the room to see girl's getting up from their seats.

"You guys done?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Sam said dryly making Sahil frown.

Sahil gave me a questioning gaze and I shrugged it off. We went back to our car and Priyanka bhabhi, Sam and Shree sat with Sahil as they were mad with me. Mia was about to do the same but I pulled her with me to my car ignoring her protests.

"Hey! Leave my hand you jerk!" She said and slapped my hand again and again.

Opening the passenger door, I pushed her down on the seat making her gasp and locked the door. Turning around I went to the driver's seat and sat in.

"Hey! You cannot do that! Let me go! I don't want a ride from you! I will go with Sahil bhaiya!" Mia said.

"You're not going anywhere! Now quite down and buckle up!" I said sternly.

"Ugh noo! I won't! Open the door and let me go!" She said.

"Mia I said quite down and put your seatbelt on!" I said controlling my anger from bursting on her.

"No No No! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" She started to scream and slap my bicep.

"That's it!" I muttered under my breath and jerked her in a swift and placed her on my lap making her gasp. Holding her forearms in a firm grip, I said.

"You're being annoying Mia! Just quite! I don't want to hear a word from those tempting lips of yours! Otherwise I will kiss you till you pass out of breath! Do you understand?" I asked in a low voice whilst she gaped at me with an open mouth making her look more tempting than before.

She nodded her head rapidly making me curse at myself by looking at the fear she had for me in her eyes. Wrapping my arms around her waist I pushed her head to my chest.

"I am sorry baby! I didn't mean to scare you! It's just I am tensed." I said.

"Then tell me what is it making you tense Yuvi! Please! Don't you trust me?" She asked playing with my hairs.

"It's nothing like that baby! I trust you! And trust mw you do not need to know about these things! This is for me to take care of! So let me! Okay!" I said.

She sighed and nodded her head. Starting the engine I followed Sahil's car.

01:56PM IST

I sighed after explaining everything to Mia, Sam, Priyanka Bhabhi and Shree. Sid, V, Sahil & Veer are also with us in Veer's office. Mia had an expression that I can't even explain. Sighing I got up and crouched down infront of Mia holding her hands in mine. I pecked her knuckles.

"What's in your mind baby?" I asked.

She looked up at me from her lap.

"But why the Adil guy wants to hurt me?" She said something for the first time all after my explanation.

"No baby! He isn't going to hurt you, I won't let him. He is targeting you to get to me! He knows that you're my weakness now! That's why I want you to take care of yourself! Of course we will be there all the time with you, but still I need you to be careful! Will you do that for me?" I asked softly.

She nodded.

"Mhm okay! I will be careful!" She said.

"Yuvraj! Show her a picture of Adil so she can recognise him if she sees him ever around her and be alert!" Veer said.

"Yeah! Okay!" I said and googled Adil Khan in my phone.

Taking out a picture of Adil, I showed it to Mia. She frowned and soon her eyes widened.

"T-that's Adil?!" She asked stuttering.

"Yes! You know him?" I asked frowning.

She shook her making me relief for a second. But the words came out of her mouth after that shoke me to the core.

"But I saw him today! Or you can say met him!" She said.

"WHAT! WHERE?!" My voice boomed in the silent office making the girls jump in fear.

"Yuvraj! Calm down! You're scaring her! And let her talk!" Sahil said putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Tell me Mia! Where? Where did you meet him?" I asked taking her forearms in a firm grip.

"I-i bumped into him in the lobby of the salon today!" She said.

Fuck! He is here!!

"Did he do something Mia? Or did he talk to you?" Sahil asked from behind me.

"A-actually yes!" She stuttered.

"What! What did he do! Are you okay?" I asked panicking.

"No no! That's not what I meant! The yes was for the question if he talked to me or not!" She said.

Flashback

Mridula's POV

The Cosmo World - Premium Salon | Bridal | Hair Treatment and Transplant, E-47, Medical College Road, near Mahaveer Circle, Sector-E, Shastri Nagar, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342003

I entered the salon by pushing the door open and trying to calm my running heart. Yuvraj can be so possessive sometimes! And I won't say that I didn't like it. My trance cut off by someone bumping into me. A groan left my mouth when I felt the harsh push on my shoulder.

I looked up to see a man in his mid twenties looking down at me. He has his hands on my forearms holding me at my place.

"I-i am sorry! I didn't see you!" I stuttered out not liking the gaze he had on my body making me feel uncomfortable. I shrugged his hands off me.

"That's okay Miss! But be careful next time! Maybe there will be more pain you will feel than now in our next meet!" He said making me frown.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Oh nothing! I was just telling you to be careful where you're walking!" He said.

"Um yeah okay! I am sorry again!" I said.

"That's fine!" He said.

I ignored his stares and walked away towards the room number Sam texted me sometime ago. But I still felt his lingering gaze on me making me more uncomfortable than before. Feeling disgusted I walked upstairs.

Flashback End

Yuvraj's POV

To say I was mad would be an understatement. How dare he to threaten my Mia?! He is fucking calling his death and I will be the one to provide him the death he deserves that I promise to myself.

05:45PM IST

I checked the security system before tomorrow's wedding for the sixth time now. I don't want any problem tomorrow in my best friend's wedding. At least not because of me. A hand on my shoulder broke me out of my trance as I glanced away from the laptop to my back. Sid was there along with Veer, V and Sahil.

"Man you need to calm down! Nothing is going to happen! Don't stress yourself so much!" Sid said.

Getting up, I sighed.

"How can I not Sid? Adil is threatening me directly and not to forget he even threatened Mia! So how can I not?" I asked pulling my hairs in frustration.

"We know that Raj! But he won't be able to do anything! Trust me! You're here in my palace and each of your security is my responsibility. And trust me I have it all in control! You just relax and enjoy the wedding function!" Veer said.

"Fine! But you will tell me if there is any kind of problem! Promise me?" I said.

"Fine dude! I will! Now let's go we have so many preparations to do! Tomorrow is the wedding guys! Buckle up!" Veer said.

We nodded and followed him out.

Author's POV

Next Day, 29th December
10:45AM IST, The Wedding Ceremony
Umaid Bhawan Palace, Circuit House Rd, Cantt Area, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342006

When it comes to getting married, what couple genuinely wants their special day to end? There is no doubt that those who participate in a traditional Hindu wedding don't! These elaborate, bright and tradition-packed celebrations tend to go on for a number of days before the actual wedding ceremony even begins. While Indian culture tends to practice several different religions, including Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, and much more, the religion that seems to shine brightest in the wedding scene is Hinduism. It's not hard to see why. The myriad of traditional and elegant ceremonies that make up a Hindu wedding not only brings the families of the bride and groom closer together, but also ensures that no one leaves the festivities without having a good time. Thanks to the fact that many variations of Hindu traditions have been blended into the Indian culture, even those who do not practice Hinduism will take the opportunity to borrow some of the ceremonies and incorporate them into their special day.

A few examples of these must-have ceremonies that can be seen before the wedding include: the Haldi - which is a purification of the couple with a paste made of Turmeric powder, the Mehndi - which means the time when the bride is decorated with intricate and beautiful Henna designs, and the Sangeet - which is a celebration that takes place about a day before the wedding. This is when family and friends come together to dance and eat delicious food in an exciting pre-wedding celebration. While each one of the mentioned events is wonderful in their own, together they lead up to the most important day - the wedding day, where a beautiful celebration of the joined couple can commence. On this day, breathtaking moments of culture, religion, and unity make up the perfect event to kick off a bride and groom's new life together.

Finally the wedding day is here. The palace is decorated like a newlywed bride. There are several types of flowers decorated in the palace. From the desi flowers to the exotic ones, the palace has become a garden full of flowers. Rangoli, fairy lights there is not a lack in any kind of decorations.

Yuvraj was seeing the préparions of the mandap along with Sahil, Mia and Sam.

"Here!" Mia said as she placed the puja ingredients down.

"Mia! Leave that and come with me!" Yuvraj said.

"What where?" Mia asked in confusion.

Walking towards her Yuvraj said.

"Baby! You haven't eat anything and you're working constantly. You need to eat! Come with me, right now!" Yuvraj said.

"But-!" Mia was cut off by Sam pushing her to Yuvraj making her squeal like a cat.

Yuvraj saw Sam pushing Mia towards him but he didn't do anything just waited for Mia to see how he reacts. And he looked at Mia amusingly when she squealed like a cat.

Mia looked back and scowled at Sam from Yuvraj's arms.

"What the hell Sam?" Mia asked.

"You're going with Bhai right now! I will see the rest work! You go and feed your stomach!" Sam said winking at her brother, Yuvraj.

Yuvraj smirked and dragged Mia away before she could say something to Sam.

Yuvraj's POV

Dragging Mia to my car I made her sit in the passenger seat as I sat down in the driver's seat and drive off. I texted Veer that I was going out with Mia for thirty minutes.

After sometime I parked my car in front of a cafe and came out of the car. Opening the door for Mia, I gave her my hand. She held my hand as she climbed down the car and we made our way towards the cafe. The bell chimed as we stepped in.

"Welcome sir! Welcome ma'am! Please come inside! I will show you a table!" A waitress said and lead us towards a table placed in the corner.

We sat down and the waitress put two glasses of water on our table. I pushed a menu towards Mia.

"What do you want to eat baby?" I asked as I plopped my elbows on the table snd looked at her.

"Um! A burger will do!" She said.

Shaking my head at her, I took the menu and looked through the menu.

"Are you ready to order sir, ma'am!" The waitress asked.

"Yeah! One veggie burger, a veg quesadilla and a coffee please!" I said.

The waitress noted it down and left the place. After sometime she came back and placed our order infront of us. Pushing the veggie burger and the quesadilla towards Mia, I took a sip of my coffee making her eyes widened in realisation.

"You did not!" She exclaimed.

"I did baby! Now come eat up!" I said.

She huffed and took a bite of her burger whilst i controlled my laughs seeing her all frustrated. Taking out my phone, I clicked her pictures without her knowing. When she glanced at me, I put the phone back and dipped my coffee. She groaned taking a bite of her quesadilla.

"I can't eat anymore!" She whined making me roll my eyes at her.

"You are going to finish all of that baby or I swear I will double your punishment which is still pending!" I said.

She stomped her feet under the table and went back to eating. With a few more groans, curses for me and glares she finally finished her plate.

"Good girl! Do you want some coffee or any other drink?" I asked.

She shook her head wiping her lips with the tissue paper.

Oh how much I wanted to be the tissue paper right now! Really Yuvi?! Tissue paper?! Fucking tissue paper?! Yeah why not anything for my Mia! Ughh i think I have lost it officially!

Shaking my head at my internal voice I called the waiter and asked him for the bill. When he gave us our bill, I paid and we came out of the cafe. Wrapping my arm around Mia's waist I pulled her close to me as we made our way to our car. I opened the door as she sat down and then I went to my seat. Then I drove back to the palace.

Mission feed Mia accomplished!

06:45PM IST

Unlike traditional English weddings where the bride wears white and the groom is decked out in a tuxedo, Hindu couples are usually covered in colorful fabrics and gold jewelry. It is not out of the ordinary for the bride to have multiple dresses for all of the different ceremonies, however for the wedding itself, the traditional color is either red or pink. Dressed in a long skirt with a matching top and scarf, the bride's attire is called a Lehenga and she will typically have a beautiful headpiece to match. The groom will wear a Kafni, a long shirt that extends past the knees and some Pijamo leggings. To tie the look together, some grooms may also wear an elaborate and beautiful turban to complete the outfit.

There is no doubt that weddings are all about the details when it comes to making the bride and groom's day special. Hindu weddings are no exception and the wedding site is typically, decked out from floor to rafters with elaborate decorations. The decor is usually comprised of floral designs, ornate furniture, statues of beloved deities, candles, chandeliers, bright fabrics, and much more! While the idea is to make the entire wedding location elaborate, there is one area in particular where much of the focus and attention will go.

The main centerpiece of the wedding ceremony is known as the mandap (or altar) and it is where the couple will actually perform the wedding nuptials. This location is where much of the decorations will reside as it is the primary setting for everything that will take place during the ceremony. Because there are so many details in a Hindu wedding, many couples will opt to have a photographer duo in order to capture as much of their day as possible; one to focus on the main ceremony itself, and the other to focus on photographing all of the little details that go into the decor and set up. Without this extra help, one photographer would most likely miss a lot of important moments and cherished features of the wedding.

Let's spend a little bit more time on the importance of the altar, or Mandap, of a Hindu wedding. As mentioned before, this location is the centerpiece for the wedding decor and serves as the stage for where the ceremony and all the Indian wedding rituals will take place. In Hindi, the word mandap translates to "a covered structure with pillars" and while it sounds simple, the structure is far from it. Because of the religious offerings and rituals that are performed by the priests on this structure, no shoes are allowed onto the Mandap at any time during the ceremony.

Each of the four pillars holding up the Mandap represents the four parents who worked hard to raise their children into the best people possible. Raised up onto a platform, the Mandap allows every guest a clear view of the couple from the comfort of their seats and almost adds an even more reverent feeling to the ceremony. The couple are elevated and on "Cloud 9" as they join their lives to one another through a number of different traditions that have been cherished for centuries. Beautiful flowers surround the pillars, garlands of mango and banana leaves adding a wild feel to the indoors. Pots of water catch the light and statues of deities (one of which is usually Ganesh, the Elephant god of beginnings, good fortune, and the remover of obstacles) make the ceremony site breathtaking. As well, a sacred fire is located on the Mandap so that the priest and couple can provide religious offerings to the flames throughout the ceremony. Without a doubt, the Mandap is an integral piece to the overall success and beauty of a Hindu wedding.

Although this tradition is seen more often in English weddings, some Indian couples may opt for having a first look meeting. These opportunities allow for a very personal and intimate moment between the bride and groom before the flurry of wedding activities ensues. In a moment of silence and bliss, a couple can take each other in and photographers have a chance to capture tears and sweet kisses away from everything else.

Although some couples may want to save their first time seeing each other for their meeting at the altar, a first look can bring out some of the most emotional moments of the entire day. It also creates the perfect time to fit in a small couple's photo shoot before the ceremony if time allows, providing the bride and groom an opportunity to be fresh and at their very best for these photos. Additionally, capturing these important shots during a first look allows for more time to photograph the family before the reception without them having to feel rushed. Once the first look has taken place, everyone can move into their places in order to get the big day officially started!

To kick the festivities off in a Hindu and Sikh wedding, the groom will be led to the wedding venue with a processional and usually atop a regal steed. Typically, the animal used will be a white horse and is known as a ghodi. A few other options that have been utilized in the past are camels, impressive vehicles, or a rickshaw. Besides the transportation, the Baraat is made up of family members, the groomsmen, and friends (also called baraatis). The entire pace of the wedding day is set up by this activity alone, based on the music used and the upbeat tempo that the party is moving too. As can be imagined, the excitement and anticipation is high during this time while the much-anticipated day finally begins. Perhaps the biggest question that many have in regards to the Baraat has to do with the bride. Where is she during this ceremony? More often than not, she is secretly watching from afar! She cannot participate because traditionally the Baraat is a ceremony specifically designed to welcome the groom and his family to the wedding location.

Currently I was checking myself out for the last time before the Baraat ceremony.

Siddharth, the groom was ready too and so were his groomsmen (Me, Veer, Varun and Sahil). The groomsmen were wearing navy blue and the groom was wearing a ret velvet sherwani with red turban.

"Let's go guys! It's time!" Veer said coming inside the room.

We nodded and walked out of the room beside Sid and made our way downstairs. The palace is big and we are in a wing whilst the bride's side is in another. So we thought to take the Baraat from our wing to theirs and then the wedding will take place in the main hall.

Sid climbed up and sat on the horse making us cheer and hoot. The drums started to play and so did the shehnai.
Alia, Priyanka Bhabhi, Duggu bhaiya, Veer, Pihu, Mum, Dad, Mahira Chachi, Sunil chachu, Hina, Varun and Sahil we all were in the groom's side. Varun started to do his bhangra on the dhol rhythms and we also joined him.

Saanu aunda ni pyaar naap tol ke
Kanda kaddi da speakeran te bol ke (x2)

Lai ke jutti thalle zindagi de bhoj nu
Yaar luttde ne maujan dil khol ke

Ni laake 3 peg balliye
Pehnde bhangre gaddi di diggi khol ke (x2)

We did our best bhangra moves with the music as we moved forward. Then the next song played.

ni lakh tera patla jeha
jdo tur di sitara bal khave
morni ji tor kudiye
hun mundiya to hosh kitho aave
ni naagni di aankh waaliye
ni naagni di aankh waaliye
ni naagni di aankh waaliye
sab kite tu gabru kanware
o daaru badnaam krti
ae ta naina terya de kaare...

07:56PM IST

Finally the songs stopped as we walked towards the entrance of the bride's side's wing. Their stood Devina aunty with a puja plate in her hands. We helped Sid to climb down the horse and made our day towards Devina aunty.

There were Sam, Armaan, Avinash uncle and all behind Devina aunty but my eyes roamed around to find Mia. A head peeked from behind Devina aunty and that was none other than Mia. Smiling she finally came out.

My breath hitched when my eye fell on her full look. She looked gorgeous in her navy blue lehenga. It had one shoulder and the other was off. Her cheeks painted with a slight pink blush made her milky skin look more beautiful than ever. Her smoky blue eyes mesmerised me to a different level. Her pink lips looked so tempting to me and the only thing I wanted was to grab her to me and kiss the living hell out of her. Her long black hair with blue and white stone headpiece cascaded down till her waist. She looked ethereal.

Smiling devina aunty did the aarti of Sid. He touched her feet as she blessed her. Aunty fed Sid sweet too. Then Prem uncle and Dad (who'll be serving the duties of Sid's father) hugged. After the welcoming ceremony of the baraat, the bride's side welcomed the groom and the people from groom's side inside. Making our way through the wing, we made our way towards the main hall.

Climbing up Sid sat on the mandap. At this point in the timeline the priest prays to Lord Ganesh to bless the occasion and make the ceremony free of obstacles. We also sat down in the couches beside the mandap as the pandit ji started the wedding rituals.

08:32PM IST

"Please call the bride!" The priest said as Mia, Sam and Devina aunty left to bring Shraddha downstairs.

After five minute or so, the anklets sound could be heard and entered the bride. Mia, Sam stood behind Shraddha as Abhimanyu and Prem uncle came to Sharddha and held her hands. Four guys with a stick holding a red dupatta with fairy lights came and stood around them holding the dupatta over Shraddha's head. They made their way towards the mandap. Sid got up and forwarded his hand to Shraddha as she held his hand and they both stood at their places in the mandap.

And then the wedding rituals started. Mia and Armaan brought the garlands and handed them to Shraddha and Sid. We all got up and went towards the couple.

The exchange of garlands plays a vital role in Indian weddings rituals which has its roots in ancient scriptures. Freshly bloomed flowers like roses and jasmine (mostly) which are rich in fragrances are strung together as a jaimala (garland) and are exchanged by the bride and groom on this auspicious day declaring that their wedding is secured. These garlands form a sign of quintessential Hindu weddings and look lovely on the wedded couple!

Veer and i picked up Sid on our shoulder making people hoot in excitement. I smirked at Mia who gave me a glare. Shraddha tried to put the garland on Sid's neck but no chance we let her as we took Sid a little backward whenever she tried. Abhimanyu and Armaan came forward and picked Shraddha up on their shoulders making the crowd go wild. Shraddha smirked at us and tried to put the garland on Sid's neck as he let her by bowing his head down making the crowd awe.

Sighing Veer and i shook our heads as Sid made Shraddha wore the garland and we put him down. Walking back to our places we sat down.

"Man! He is so whipped!" Sahil said making us (me, Veer and Varun) nod our heads.

The couple sat down and Mia and Sam sit down behind Shraddha. Prem uncle sat beside Shraddha whilst mum and dad sat beside Sid watching each ritual take place. The sacred fire is centered between the couple and is used during the ceremony by the Priest while reciting hymns form Vedas.

Prem uncle offered his daughter in marriage in a pious and solemn ritual called kanyadan. He washed the feet of the bride and groom with milk and water, purifying them for their new life together. Shraddha and Sid held their hands open, and Prem uncle held his open palm over their hands. The priest poured water over Prem uncle's hand, which subsequently fell on the hands of the Sid and Shraddha.

Then the priest asked to tie the end of Shraddha and Sid's outfit. Mia and Sam did the ritual together.

"Here you go! Now just like the tie your relationship will be strong and it will keep you both tied together." Sam said.

I looked at my little sister who seemed to be more intelligent than before.

"Yes! This sacred tie will keep trust, happiness and prosperity in your life for forever!" Mia said.

Shraddha and Sid smiled at the girls.

"Phero ka waqt hogaya hai! Aap dono khade ho jaiye!" The priest said.

The Pheras are the seven vows also called Saptapadi is performed by the bride and groom in front of the fire. You cannot find any Hindu wedding without the fire and the pheras wherein the bride and the groom walk around the fire with certain wedding vows for each round. It is said that the number 7 is the only number in the series of 1 to 9, that cannot divide 360 entirely. Hence, denoting the couple to be undivided throughout this new journey, they take the "seven pheras" as part of their rituals. Their garments are tied together as they come around the fire.

Then Sharddha and Sid got up and so did we. I walked towards the couple & stood beside Mia. She glanced at me and gave me a wide smile. I smiled back and leaned down to her ear.

"You're looking gorgeous baby!" I whispered.

She blushed and glanced at me from her eyelashes.

"You're looking handsome too!" She said shyly.

Smiling I played with her earrings. I love it when she wears earrings. It warms my heart to see her earrings dangling from her ears.

"I love it when you wear earrings!" I whispered.

She smiled and gave me some flower petals to shower on the couple. We showered flowers on Sid and Shraddha as they took their pheras and vows for this and the next seven lives.

09:30PM IST

Finally Sid put the sacred thread around Shraddha's neck and put some vermilion on her hair partition.

A Mangal sutra is a chain/necklace stringed with black beads and it also comes with a pendant. In some places, it is called as Thaali, wherein the place of the chain, they use a yellow thread. It is very auspicious and is believed to be divinely blessed to protect the married couple. It denotes the love and commitment the wife has towards her husband for the rest of her life. So after the pheras and the poojas, the groom ties the mangal sutra on the bride's neck. The groom also applies a sindoor, a red/orange colored powder on the bride’s head. The sindoor must be placed by the husband for the first time. This is very auspicious even today and is considered as the energy within women.

"Shaadi sampan hua! Ab aap dono pati patni hue! Ab aap log apne bado ki aashirvaad lekar apne naye zindagi ki shubh shuruaat ki jiye!" The priest said.

Sid and Shraddha got up from their seats and took blessings from the elderly people including Rani ma, Prem uncle, mum & dad, Avinash uncle & Devina aunty, Rajveer uncle & Twinkle aunty, chachi & chachu, duggu bhaiya & Priyanka bhabhi.

After taking their blessings, they came to us. Sid hugged Sahil, Veer, Varun and Armaan whilst Shree too hugged them along with Mia, Sam, Shanaya & Pihu. Sid and Shraddha came infront of me. I embraced Sid first whilst patting his back.

"Congratulations Bro! I wish you a happy and prosperous married life!" I wished.

"Thanks man!" Sid said as we pulled back.

Embracing shraddha, I wished her too.

"Happy married life Shraddha! You're just like Sam to me! So never hesitate to share something you want to share with me. Okay?" I asked as i pulled back.

She nodded with teary eyes. Smiling I wiped her tears away.

"Um guys! Where are my shoes?" Sid asked Varun who was on duty to guard Sid's shoes from getting stolen by the bride's side.

"Yahin toh h-!" Varun stopped as he saw there was nothing near his feet. He cursed under his breath as he remembered something. Looking around he finally stopped moving his eyes and glared at someone. We followed his gaze and saw He was glaring at Shanaya.

Two figures appeared from behind Shanaya and they were none other than Mia and Sam. Smirking Mia and Sam showed their hands and we found Sid's one shoe in Mia's and another in Sam's hand. I chuckled shaking my head.

"This is so unfair! She distracted me!" Varun complained pointing at Shanaya.

"Don't blame my sister if you can't even concentrate on a single job you moron!" Veer hissed.

"Well! Now Jiju! Don't you want your shoes?" Mia asked as Sam and she came forward towards Sid and Sharddha.

"Actually how about a no! V go and bring my another pair of shoe. It's in the car!" Sid said smirking.

Mia and Sam gaped at Sid with wide eyes. Everyone in the hall chuckled.
Mia and Sam huffed in annoyance.

"You can't do that Jiju! It's a ritual to pay your salis to get your footwear back! Come on now, give us our payments! Don't be so kanjoos!" Sam taunted.

"Well then saaliyon! Let's change the ritual a bit! What's say? I will not pay you instead I will wear my another pair of shoes!" Sid said.

"You cannot do that! Mummm!"

"You cannot do that! Auntyyy!" Sam and Mia whined in unison and called Mahira chachi.

"Come on Sid! It's a ritual! Don't tease my daughters now!" Mahira chachi said.

Sid pouted and put his hand on his heart.

"You wound me chachi! Am I not your son?! *Sighs* fine girls! What do you want?" Sid asked.

"Nothing just promise us that you will take care of Shraddha! You'll put her before anything else! You'll never let a single tear drop from her eyes! You'll keep her happy!" Mia said forwarding the shoe with Sam.

Sid smiled and nodded before wearing the shoes. Shraddha hugged her bestfriends.

"I promise girls! Now Sahil!" Sid signalled Sahil who nodded and left. After sometime Sahil came with a tray full of velvet boxes. Sid brought out two boxes and opened one.

There was a rose gold diamond bracelet in there.

"These are for the beautiful saalis of mine!" Sid said and gave the boxes to Sam and Mia and the other bridesmaids.

"This is beautiful! Thank you Jiju!" Sam thanked Sid.

Then Armaan, Mia and Sam led Sid and Shraddha to the stage and made them sit on the couch.

Then they did their photoshoot and after their couple bridal photoshoot we also took photos with them. Then we all went to eat dinner and so did they.

After dinner, the girls took Shraddha to Sid and Shraddha's room whilst Sid sat with us. After sometime he also left. Feeling tired we also went to our rooms.

Ah! Finally the wedding was over without any problems!!

From food to entertainment, from clothing to flowers, these Hindu pre-wedding rituals revolve around personal beliefs and preferences which are considered to be auspicious for the couple's married life.

I changed my clothes in my room and so did Varun. After changing his dress he sprawled down on the bed with drool coming out of his mouth. Scrunching my nose at him, I came out of the room and went to the terrace. Tucking my hands inside my pocket, I gazed at the starry night and the bright moon. I was about to go forward when I heard a soothing humming voice. My eyes wandered around and stopped at a figure near the railing of the balcony. Smirking I walked forward towards her. Maybe she heard my footsteps so she stopped humming and turned around to face me.

"Time for your punishment baby!" I said.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Author's Note

Uh oh! It's punishment time!

Hey guys! Thank you for all the love! And to the silent readers, do not read my story just to get some ideas for yours. Do the hardwork by yourself like I'm doing.

And them who just read the story for fun, a vote wouldn't hurt. Neither you have to pay to vote nor it will take something from you! Then why are you doing this? Even j read stories on Wattpad and I can proudly say that yes I vote for the stories I like.

If you don't like my story then don't read it unnecessarily. I don't need your reads, I have enough fans to read my story and wait for them to appreciate me and vote my story. Sorry to say, but SILENT READEES YOU ALL ARE CHEAP! FUCKING MORONS!!

Now about this chapter, finally the wedding is over and the chapter contains more than 8960+ words.

So enjoy and tell me how did you like it!

Vote | Comment | Share