Arohi POV

It was my marriage day. Sid and I were supposed to tie the knot in the presence of family and friends. My friends helped me to get ready for the final event. I was wearing a special dress ordered just for the occasion. My hands and feet were glowing with intricate mehendi designs. My body and hair went through lot of process and twists and turns and I lost count of the number of people who worked very hard to make me look like a princess. I had no clue regarding the cost of ornaments, I was wearing, but I could feel their weight, when I tried to move around.

Finally I was ready for the final event. Just then my mom came inside my dressing room and asked all of my friends to leave. "What's going on ma?" I asked her.

"The groom wants to talk to you in private. I am going to send him in, so be ready" She said.

Wow! He probably got cold feet and is backing off. He just wasted my time and everyone's effort, I thought.

I decided not to look at his face as I didn't want him to see my real feelings, so I sat with my eyes looking at my feet and my hands clasped in my lap.

I heard a soft knock on the door and then it slowly opened. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a pair of feet coming in my direction. He came close to me and stood in front of me. I could see he was fully dressed as a groom and ready to take me as his wife. He slowly moved his hand and lifted my face with his index finger.

As my face slowly moved up to meet his eyes, I was desperately trying to stop the tears and put up a brave front. As soon as his face filled my vision, my heart beat peaked and there was a frightened look in my eyes.

"OMG Yudhi! What are you doing here? You need to leave now and why are you dressed like a groom?" my eyes were searching for a place to hide him before Sid comes in.

Instead he bent down and kissed me on my lips. I threw out caution and ignored the sound of alarm bells ringing in my brain and put my hands around his head and pulled him towards me as I opened my mouth to give his tongue full access for a toe curling kiss.

He didn't disappoint me, as his arms went around me and lifted me by my shoulders. Time came to a standstill, as both of our bodies crushed against each other with hands trying to pull us into each other. For a second he pulled away and then started kissing my face and neck. Then he slowly turned me around, with his hands cupping face. He was kissing my neck and shoulders, when his hands started sliding slowly downwards to hold me by my waist.

As we were standing in front of the mirror, I opened my eyes slowly to fully enjoy the view of Yudhi kissing me from behind with hands around my waist.

"Noo! I screamed" And I woke up to the sound of my own scream. I was sweating heavily, even though I could hear the humming sound of the airconditioner. Abhi woke up and patted me down.

"Di, are you ok? Did you have a bad dream?" I could hear the concern in her voice.

"Sorry Abhi, I woke you up. I am fine." I said and patted her back to make sure she was fine.

I was hoping to see me in Yudhi's arms, but instead when I opened my eyes, I saw Yudhi was actually kissing Kat and had his hands around her waist. Though I lost Yudhi to Kat in reality, I was hoping to make him my own in my dreams, but now I lost him in my dreams too.

When I woke up again, it was morning and mom was sitting by my side.

"Arohi, did you think about the proposal and make a decision." She asked me.

"Ma, please go ahead with your decision. I am happy with it. I know you always do what is best for me. Just make sure to tell them my conditions, they are non-negotiable"

After that Mom and Dad left for their breakfast appointment with Sid's family. I hid under the covers hoping to disappear before the storm hits my shore.

After about 2 hours, I could hear my parents voice and they seem very excited. Soon the door burst open and lot of people along with my parents burst in.

"Arohi Congratulations!!! OMG!! You are marrying Sid." My cousins were hugging and kissing me.

Everyone already started discussing about the marriage and engagement ceremony - where , how and who is going to be there. My parents were trying their best to answer all their queries.

Finally my mom pull me aside and took me to their room to talk in private. The only persons present were my parents and a new person I never met before.

"Arohi, meet Mr Nari , he is going to be the priest from our side for your marriage." I introduced myself in the traditional way. After that they updated me with all the details from their breakfast meeting.

"Arohi, they agreed to your wishes, but want the engagement next Monday in Mumbai. You may need to skip 2 days of your seminar and after engagement you can go back to Bangalore." I was sitting in between my mom and dad.

"Mom, I don't want to skip any days. Why can't they do it after the seminar." May be after 100 years, I said to myself, when I get old and wrinkly.

"Well, there are lot of reasons, one we are leaving back to US on Tuesday and according to the priests it is the most auspicious day for you."

"Maybe we can do it in US. He is so rich, so he should be able to fly everyone to SanFrancisco." I was trying to come up with anything to escape or postpone the ceremony.

Mr Nari coughed slightly "What's the problem ?" . I looked at him as if he was a spy.

Mom patted my leg to calm me down. "She has a medical seminar on Monday and doesn't want to miss it." She said.

"I still didn't get the problem." He said.

"She is saying she cannot be there for her engagement next Monday." Dad clarified.

"Oh! She is not required as per our traditional way of doing things. Unless you also want to follow newer customs like exchanging rings, which we don't do traditionally, she is not required to be present." As soon as he said that, I felt like hugging Mr Nari then and there.

"Ok, let me talk to Sid parents and clarify the situation" Dad went to a corner with his phone and started talking to them.

I was holding my breath as I didn't want to think about this whole process and enjoy my six months without any interruptions.

"Ok, they are fine with it as they want to go the traditional way. Arohi, since you are not going to be with us for the engagement, Sid wants to take to you out today to discuss a few things. You have one hour to get ready." And just like that he threw in a grenade at me.

I could feel the heat and pain of the grenade, but that was a small price to pay for my six months freedom party. The priest left immediately saying he had a ton of things to do for the engagement ceremony, now that I was out of his way.

"Aru, are you really happy with this? You are officially now a bride and soon will be a member of their family. I want you to be very respectful and love them the same way you love and respect us. I am sorry for the additional responsibility, but someday it has to happen and Sid's family is really great. They treated us very well and they cannot wait to have you with them. Please be aware of your responsibility and make sure no one gets hurt." I knew she was just being mom, but some of those sentences did hit me in the right spot and I was not sure of the answers yet.

"I will be the best daughter-in-law and make you proud Ma." I said as I knew that would make them happy and proud to be my parents. In the absence of Yudhi, for my life, it didn't matter to me, if it was Sid or any 'X' and my answer would be the same.

I was ready and waiting for Sid to come, when my mom thrust a phone into my hand for the hundredth time, asking me talk to someone, which was all I was doing, since the news broke out.

"Congratulations Arohi! I knew someone was waiting for you to come to India. Great news! Can't wait to see you tomorrow in Tirupati. We are waiting at the airport for Yudhi's flight to arrive, seems to be delayed." Yudhi's mom Archi was saying. I thanked her, but lost track of the conversation, hearing Yudhi was arriving and soon will know about the news.

Will he be happy for me or angry at me? He has no right to be angry with me after what he did to me. But I know he still has feelings for me. Will be get jealous and act rashly. I cannot escape him forever. Actullay I will be meeting him in Tirupati tomorrow night, so I better be prepared mentally to face him.

However my immediate problem was Sid and I need to handle him with kid gloves to make sure he does not get hurt in any way because of me.

"Hi Arohi, you ready to go?" I looked up at the source of the voice and was surprised to see Sid dressed up in a casual jeans and tshirt. I thought he would show up in a suit . He looked so cool and adorable.

I just followed him like a robot. Soon I was sitting in a posh new model Mercedes with a chauffer and a private glass separating us.

"Arohi, I don't know your likes or dislikes, so practically we are going to a restaurant where you get all kinds of cuisine. Hope you don't mind me picking up the place." He gave me quick glance, making sure his eyes don't linger on me. His manners, politeness and the way he was respecting my space, impressed me a lot and made me comfortable to give him a quick glance.

Wow! I couldn't believe, I was soon going to be the owner of the 6.2 feet cute hunk with billion plus dollars to his name. I tried to register as much as possible in the quick glance I took. He looked extremely confident but polite. I could feel his masculine scent invading my space, but can it invade my heart and kick out the current occupier? Only future will tell.

I looked around and could feel his money and power. We were surrounded by couple of black vans, which I assumed are his security and staff. Not sure if he travels with them all the time. I looked at him once again, he was busy looking at his smart phone. I couldn't believe, I was with him in the same car as his finacee, as he could have anyone he wants. There are lot of beautiful models and movie stars who are willing to die to be in my place, yet I am here.

Suddenly, I wanted to poke him and see if he was real, but then the car stopped and we reached our destination. We were led to a secluded VIP area and seated by a beautiful hostess.

"Sorry Arohi, I promised mom to get rid of the phone while I am with you today, but few things cropped up which needed my attention."

"It's ok Sid..Oh! can I call you Sid or do you prefer Sidharth?"

"Ah! As long as you look at me like that you can call me anything. When you speak or laugh, I can feel it in your eyes." He said bending forward and looking into my eyes.

"Wow! You don't have to use those pick up lines on me, I am all yours now - well almost." And then he gave me the billion dollar smile, deep genuine smile right from his heart. I could see he was happy.

We waited for the hostess to serve us drinks and leave.

"I just wanted to ask you myself before we start on this journey, that you were under no pressure to accept this proposal. " He was all serious now.

"I have faith in my parents decision. I believe in family and traditional things. To be frank I didn't know you existed twenty four hours before. For all I know, you could be a dangerous person, although you look very innocent, I should say." I felt at ease talking to him.

"Actually I am very dangerous, not to you though, only in boardrooms. The moment I looked at you and the way you rejected my dance invitation, I was sure you were the one. Your natural beauty, politeness, down to earth behavior and love for family are the qualities I was looking for and I am glad you agreed to my proposal."

I didn't say anything but listened to him as he described about himself and his business empire. After lunch he took me to his home and introduced me to rest of the family. I already met his parents, but he introduced me to his sister and brother who were very eager to meet me. They were very affectionate and treated me with utmost respect. I understood why my parents were so impressed with them. They didn't look or behave like billionaires, but just like any other ordinary family.

After tea time with their family, he talked about a surprise and took me to the terrace. There a chopper was waiting for us. He took me to their family estate which was about 300 kilometers away from Hyderabad. It was a beautiful place with gardens, mountains and a waterfall. We talked about lot of things, well I told him almost everything about me other than Yudhi.

I know that I should tell him about Yudhi, but I couldn't do that. Well technically I didn't declare my love for Yudhi to Yudhi or anyone else, so even though it is as big as a mountain, it is inside me and sitting in my heart. I need to first learn to love Sid as a person and then maybe the mountain will dissolve on its own. Till then I will have to be patient, but I will tell him someday before marriage to keep my conscience clean.

After dinner, we were planning to return back when the pilot informed us that there was some disturbance in weather and it was not safe to travel that night. So we sat on the terrace looking at the garden below.

"Arohi, I am really sorry, looks like we have to spend the night here. Actually I have to apologize to you and your parents as I promised to get you back before 10 and I am breaking my word on our very first date. I promise we will fly out early morning as soon as the weather clears." He had a sad face on.

"Sid, don't worry. I know you control a lot of things around here, but you cannot control the weather. Don't worry I will talk to my parents and explain everything."

"Arohi, if you don't mind can I ask you a personal question?" I didn't like where this was going.

"Sure Sid, you can ask anything?" Hoping he will stay away from my heart and its occupant.

"How did you manage to keep the boys away? I don't think boys in US are so dumb to not see your beauty." He asked rolling his eyes.

"Well, it was easy, I always had a fake boyfriend to scare away everyone."

"Wow! That's a nice trick, but not fair to them."

"So you are saying that I should have had some real boyfriends?" I asked him faking an angry face.

"Oh God no! .. I just would hate to be them."

"Don't worry, you got a fair deal." I said winking at him. His face glowed immediately once the words sinked in. Well technically I am a virgin, physically only, but not mentally and emotionally, as I spent many passion filled nights with Yudhi in my dreams and my secret would be out if only pillows can talk.

"I asked the maid to take care of sleeping arrangements for you, and also my sister keeps a wardrobe here, so hopefully you should find everything you need." He said showing me the direction of the bedrooms.

"I don't have a phone with me, so can I borrow your phone? " I asked.

"What! You really don't have a phone?"

"Well, it broke the day before we were travelling to here, so I didn't bother to get a new phone, as I don't know anyone here anyway. Once I go back I will get a new one."

"How did it break?"

"Hmm.. it slipped and fell." My first official lie to my future husband as I cannot tell him I threw the phone against the wall in rage, when I saw a picture of my love, Yudhi, with another naked woman.

He gave me his phone and stepped away to take care of the sleeping arrangements.

I called mom and told her about the weather situation and how I was stuck here for the night. She enquired about sleeping arrangement and if I was ok with everything. She also asked about Sid and how he was treating me. I replied positively about everything and was about to hang up, when my sister took the phone.

"Di, How are you? So you are already enjoying billionaire perks, I heard about the chopper ride. Here everyone is talking about you only, you are a celebrity now." I know she gets excited about these things.

"Cool down, you will also get your chance. Everything's ok. Small glitch I will be back tomorrow morning."

"Wait, Yudhi has been calling me. He wanted to talk to you." There goes my heartbeat rate. Just the name was enough to evoke a tingling response all through my body. Shame on me, I thought, as I was in the future in-laws place.

"What does he want?" I tried to sound very casual to make sure she doesn't catch the tension within me.

"He wanted to talk to you. Very weird, he sounded very desperate and was muttering the s word under his breath. Never saw him like that. Do you know what is going on with him?"

"What did you tell him?" Of course I know what is going on, but he did that to himself, which I cannot tell to my little sister.

"I told him you went on a date with your fiancée. Can you talk to him? I will give his number." She was worried about Yudhi.

"No, I cannot. Tell him that I am spending the night at my fiancée's place, if he calls again. I will talk to him tomorrow when we meet at Tirupati. Bye now. Goodnight!" and I hung up on her and my love.

I probably could have talked to him and explain about the whole situation, but I wanted him to suffer a little bit as he had no clue, what I went through, when he spent the night with Kat.

Next day morning we flew into Hyderabad again and were in front of our hotel in his car.

"Arohi, I need to ask you something. Can you please reduce my punishment?" He sounded desperate.

"What punishment Sid?" I knew what he was talking about.

"Six months radio silence! I cannot survive that long. You will be marrying a dead man." He made a pouty face.

"Hmm..you will be having me for the rest of your life." I scolded him.

"Please ... he took my hand .. I won't bother you much, just video chat and maybe lunch date here and there ." I wasn't anticipating any physical contact and was happy he treated me with respect.

"Ok, only after three months." I said to close the subject and get my hand back.

Suddenly he moved closer and his face color changed. I got the feeling he was going to kiss me.

OMG! What do I do? I can't slap him. He is my fiancée, probably he has the right to kiss or does he? Oh God! I am not ready for that kind of intimacy yet. Please don't ...I need to stop myself from slapping him or pushing him away.

He raised my hand slowly and kissed it, looking into my eyes.

He probably realized my fear and let me go. I got down and walked towards my room. I was happy to walk away as my brain was already thinking about my upcoming encounter with Yudhi today night.