Yazhini was sitting in the dressing room with a tensed face. In spite of the pretty makeup and dress up, the worry was clearly evident on her face. It was her engagement evening!

All her friends and relatives had started arriving to the venue, but her eyes were longing to see only two people. Her aunt and her only brother.

Eventhough she knew that the chances of them attending the engagement is very less, her heart was still expecting their presence.

Her mother entered inside the room to call Yazhini to the hall. Seeing her upset, her mom was able to understand the reason.

"Yazhini, everyone are waiting for you da." Her mom told her calmly.

"I'm coming maa" Yazhini replied as she gulped her tears.

"Please don't cry da... Appa can't see you like this.." her mom pleaded Yazhini.

"Why maa? Why should I bear the punishment for what Appa did? And even now you are talking on behalf of Appa. Can't you see how hurt I am?" Yazhini asked her mom furiously, as she couldn't hold back her anger anymore.

"I understand you da. You are not responsible for this. But what can we do now? Everything is done and dusted. "

"It's easy for you to tell that everything is done right? "

"Do you know how much I am missing Athai and Anna beside me now?" Yazhini's voice broke down as tears started falling down from her eyes.

"Hey darling!!" Raghav walked inside the room, as he called her name.

Yazhini and her mom looked towards the door and found Raghav standing there with a smile.

"Hey Kalyana ponne! Still not out of shock?" Raghav teased her as he entered inside.

"Thank God you came now Raghav! Else she would have started crying and made a scene here." Yazhini's mom informed him.

"Maa" Yazhini tried to stop her mom, as she did not wanted Raghav to know that she was upset.

"Got stuck in traffic Athai, that's why I came late." Raghav explained his reason.

"Okay pa, I'll go and check the arrangements there. You bring her to the stage soon." She informed them and left the room.

"Did you cry?" Raghav asked Yazhini as her mom went out.

Yazhini did not reply to his question and put her head down. He understood and moved closer to her.

"Didn't you trust me? Did you think that I wouldn't come here?" Raghav asked her broken.

"Anna!!! How can I not trust you?" She asked him, shocked by his question.

"Then why are you upset?"

"I'm missing Athai..."

"If Amma was fine, I would have somehow convinced her and brought her here. Recently she has undergone a surgery, I don't want her to strain now. When Amma comes here, mama will definitely get emotional and I cannot handle both of them at the same time." Raghav told her helplessly.

"I understand Anna.. I'll be fine don't worry." Yazhini told him smiling.

Raghav moved towards her and wiped her tears. She smiled and hugged him. She heard Raghav sighing loudly. She looked up to his face in confusion.

"What happened?" She asked him.

"I pity Aravind! He has got no other way to escape from you now." Raghav told her controlling his laugh.

"Your sister is getting engaged and you are saying as if you are very happy with it?" She asked him furiously.

"More than happy, I am feeling relieved now!"

Yazhini was about to beat him, but he held her hands and stopped her.

"Come, Aravind must be waiting for you!" Raghav smiled and led her to the stage.

Aravind and Yazhini went to the stage and greeted everyone present in the hall. The ring tray was brought to them for exchanging the rings. Yazhini was first asked to give the ring to Aravind. When Aravind took the ring and inserted in Yazhini's finger,  she found that it was different from what they had selected that day. As everyone were watching them, she did not ask anything to Aravind.
The photographer wanted to take some pics of the couple, so they went to the balcony for photo session.

"Thanks for coming here Raghav." Yazhini's dad, Raja told Raghav.

"What is this mama? Am I a guest here?" He questioned back.

"No pa..." Raja was about to say something but Raghav held his hand and gently squeezed it, sensing that he was getting emotional.

"How is Sharadha doing?" He asked him after a pause.

"Fine mama. I video called her and showed the engagement fully." Raghav told him.

"She is happy with this wedding right?"

"Very happy mama! We were planning to come for shopping, but other things happened before that."

"Yazhini told me pa. If you both had come there, things could have been better now."

"Things could have been the same too mama..." Raghav told and looked away. Raja felt hurt by his reply but deep inside he knew that he deserved it.

Yazhini and Aravind came back after the photo session and went towards Raghav and Raja.

"Appa, this is not the ring which we bought that day." Yazhini informed her dad about the change of rings.

Raja was also surprised to hear it. He had no idea how it had happened.

"Madam, you should not be asking your dad about it!" Raghav told Yazhini.

"Then whom should I ask?" Yazhini replied confused.

"Your one and only brother." Said Aravind with a bright smile.

"What? But how it happened?"

"How can you just blame me Aravind, you also have an equal part in it!" Raghav dragged Aravind into it.

"What are you both taking about?" Raja asked them.

"I'll tell you mama. But before that, do you like this new ring Yazhini?" Raghav asked her.

"Yess Anna, it's nice." she was still confused.

"That's my choice! Please tell that you like this ring when Amma calls you." Raghav said building more confusion to Yazhini.

"Let's tell everything Raghav, else her small brain would burst" Aravind told him laughing.

"This ring is none other than your Sharadha athai's ring. Amma knows that you'd be missing her, and that's why she gifted you her own ring."

Yazhini was so touched by her aunt's gesture. The same lies with Raja too. But he was worried about how would Aravind's family take it, once they come to know about this.

"But... Aravind your family?" He started with a worry.

"Don't worry mama, yesterday Raghav came home and spoke to everyone. They don't have any issues with this. And even Sharadha ma spoke to us yesterday over phone." Aravind told him smiling.

"Thanks a lot Anna. I'll immediately call athai and talk to her." Yazhini told him getting emotional.

"And please don't cry over phone okay?" Raghav warned her.

Yazhini nodded her head and walked towards the room. Raghav didn't trust her as he knew she was also very emotional like him. So he quickly followed her to the room.

"Now I'm feeling relaxed as Sharadha's blessings is also with you both." Raja told Aravind.

"She loves Yazhini very much." Aravind replied.

"Yazhini is very lucky to have a brother like Raghav." Raja looked at Aravind.

"Indeed. And yesterday Raghav told me everything. He did not purposefully tell anything, but when I asked him why his mother couldn't come today, he had no other option than telling me what had happened." Aravind informed Raja.

Raja's face went pale. Aravind did not wait for his reply and walked away from the place.

To be continued

Ring sentiment idea from sisterofscribbler🤪