Chapter 14 ~ "Haldi "

EDITED.

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Akira's POV

"Aku! Meri kudi agayi!"

A grin spread across across my lips from hearing the familiar voice. "There's my favourite woman! How are you bibi?" I exclaimed, running into her open arms.

"Mein teek yaan. Hai meri puth, kinee pathli yogi!" My dear, you're so skinny!My grandmother hollered, grabbing my face in her palms.

I grinned in reply, "Don't worry, feed me as many gobi parathas as you want."

"Teri maa tho kuch kham nahi kardi." Your mother doesn't do anything.She muttered under her breath, just as my mother came running out the large maroon doors decorated with flowers and lights.

"Beta tu agayi." She smiled, giving me a hug, and the next thing I know, I'm being engulfed into the arms of many. Tall or short, uncles and aunties, or even younger kids, who I assumed were distant cousins. Each time, I managed to get out a 'namaste' or even an 'nice to meet you', before I was pushed to the next.

"Akira!" This time, I was completely thrown of balance, by a big bear hug from my big bear-like brother.

"Oh my god! Kabira, it's been forever." I drawled into his shoulder, "I'm like so happy to see you again." Everyone began rushing back into the house and to the still pending work.

I could practically feel him roll his eyes, and then he whispered, "I need your help."

I pulled away with a raised eyebrow, "With what?"

"Sneaking me into yours and Adhaya's room at midnight."

I blinked. Then blinked again. Then burst into laughter, "Oh my god, they have you on curfew?"

"Technically, they're restricting me from meeting her."

"Man, you gotta love traditions." I guffawed, wiping a pseudo-tear.

Shooting me a glare, he whisper-yelled, "Will you please just help me?"

"Pay for all the street food I eat during the trip?" I challenged with raised brows.

He hesitated for a minute before replying with a "Fine."

I grinned in reply, patting his shoulder, and stepped around him to make my way inside.

"Akira! Thank god you are finally here!" Meera rushed up to me. Meera and Shanaya had left at the same time as my family, and happened to be my only friends that could attend the wedding under the sudden changes. "It's been so hectic around here. Come on, Adhz is waiting."

"And running around the room trying find her earrings." Shanaya piped in.

I rolled my eyes and let them lead me, trying not to bump into the busy bodies scurrying around the house.

We made our way upstairs, walking down a familiar hallway.

"Found it! Finally found the damn earring!" Adhaya's muffled voiced squealed just as Shanaya walked into the last room.

"Oh my god! Yay!" Shanaya shrieked sarcastically. I chuckled making my way inside with Meera following behind.

Adhaya turned to face us, surprise look on her face as she noted my presence. "Akira! You're here!"

"Hey baby!" I drawled seductively, before grinning and engulfing her in a hug. "Seems like you'll be playing Juliet tonight." I whispered in her ear.

Her eyes widened in understanding with a blush creeping up her neck, as she playfully glared at me. "Someone will see!"

"Let's not worry about that right now. I still have to get ready for the haldi."

"Oh yeah!" Meera exclaimed, rushing to the closet in the corner of the room, and pulling out a simple saffron coloured salwar kameez. "Now it's only you who has to get ready."

That's when I noticed all three of them already ready in bright suits, with hair and makeup done. "Ten minutes." Shanaya hollered over her shoulder, as the three walked out.

Rolling my eyes, I walked into the joined bathroom, taking a quick shower. I slipped into the suit that was left behind for me, and combed through my wet strands, decidedly leaving them to air-dry. Applying slight makeup, I rushed out the door before Shanaya had a chance to come banging on the door.

I was too busy fixing the chuni around my neck, that I didn't notice a large weight slam into me. Caught off balance, I clung onto the wide shoulders of the pushing body. My eyes met the too familiar dark brown orbs that were currently glaring down at me. "Sorry." I grumbled, my gaze downwards.

I just then noticed his hands around my waist, holding me steady, as I tried pulling away. I looked up at Ayan again with intentions of yelling at him to take his grubby hands off me, but was caught off guard by his intense look that replaced the previous glare. I saw flashes of uncertainty while he opened and closed his mouth, as if trying to say something.

I was about push away, when he pulled me even closer, "I need to talk to you." He murmured softly. My eyes were wide as saucers, taking in desperation in his voice, while trying to steady my drumming heart.

"Akira! I said ten minutes!" Shanaya's voice carried through the halls.

With one light push, he freed me, hearing Shanaya's footsteps nearing. Walking away, huffing, I spared one last glance over my shoulder before reaching Shanaya, who stood at the top of the stairs with her hands on her waist. "Took you long enough. Why are you panting like you were chased by dogs?"

I shot her a pointed look as I walked ahead, "because they keep catching me off guard," I muttered under my breath.

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"Akira!" I turned to my best friend who was sitting on a small bench with her arms and legs all covered in bright haldi. "Where are you going?"

"I still have to go put haldi on my brother." I said with an eye-roll. Adhaya's haldi ceremony had just finished, while I assumed Kabir's had already started. After a lot of convincing, had my mother let me go to my best friend's first, making me promise not to be late for Kabir's.

"Wait! One picture!" She exclaimed, with Meera, Shanaya and a few of Adhaya's close cousins—who were able to come—running up from behind her.

"My mom will have my head," knowing they knew that I was not exaggerating. I was already ten minutes late.

"Please!" They all pleaded, some with the stupidest puppy dog-faces. My lips quirked up, as I made my way to them.

After another dozen pictures, I was able to escape their clutches, as I sprinted around to the front of the house, where my brother's haldi was being held. Both haldis' at the same place? Not extravagant, but it was the best that could be done in two weeks.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I huffed, grabbing onto one of my older cousin's shoulder as I spotted my mum on the opposite side of the yard, and I could definitely see the deadly glare aimed towards me. My dad was shaking his head in amusement, and of course the ever-present relatives and family, forming a semi-circle around the groom-to-be who sat there staring at me with a stupid grin, and his best friends with the same stupid expression, except for Ayan who seemed indifferent—bipolar as usual.

I made my way to the centre, kneeling in front of Kabir. "You know, you're the last one right?" He whispered, hint of amusement in his voice. My eyes widened at the revelation, explaining as to why my mother had smoke coming out of her ears.

"Sorry Kabira."

He waved it off, "Hurry, and haldi me up!"

I laughed, "Don't ever say that again." He winked in reply.

I placed it slowly on his cheeks, then to his hands, and right after rubbed the rest the haldi all over his face.

He stood up, shaking his head in shock, with everyone else laughing around us. "Akira." He trailed off, and then without any warning, he wrapped his arms around me, smearing all the haldi from his arms over my arms and the salwar kameez.

"Kabir!" I whined. He ruffled my hair before walking over to Abhi and Vivan. I grumbled under my breath trying to get the sticky substance off my skin, when I heard the clearing of a throat. I turned around facing my parents, "Sorry ma, I was held up with pictures and everyone else." I reasoned to her as she stood with arms crossed. There was something different about her today, she seemed rather put off, and slightly disorganized. And if anyone knew my mother, they know she was never disorganized.

She pursed her lips, "Not again, understood?" I nodded vigorously in return, grinning. She shook her head, a sad smile growing on her lips, "Beta, so eager for your turn?"

My brows furrowed in confusion, and then it hit me. Before a could even get a word out of my mouth, my dad jumped in shaking his head wildly, "No, no, no! She is not getting married, at least not for another seven years!" He scowled at my mom. Her smile lifted as did mine.

"Agreed." I stated. "Plus, I want to spend as much time with my lovely parents as I can."

"Spending time doesn't mean visiting us every three years." Though her tone was light, making it sound like she was simply teasing me, but I knew. I knew she was upset, frustrated, and beyond angry at me. As time had grown, the emotion dissipated, but they were still there. And I couldn't do anything about it, and no sorry would make it up.

Her eyes softened, "Beta, I want to see a Kapoor daughter get married, I'm only growing older." She laughed sardonically.

"Swara, baas. Chaalo." My dad said grimly, interrupting mom. He turned to me, "Kira, go eat." I nodded obediently, unable to get words out, as he led mom back into the house.

I turned around, trying to find Kabir, but he was no where in sight. I saw someone approaching me from my peripheral vision. I turned just in time to meet Ayan's gaze, as he shifted around the large group, in my direction.

I could never understand him. Last time I was with him taking a tour of London, I had ended our conversation quiet bitterly. And he had simply sat across from me, holding a blank expression that masked away his feelings. Then he pursed his lips and glanced at his buzzing phone before getting up from the seat, "Seems like I have somewhere more important to be."

Now as he walked towards me, I wasn't sure if I wanted a confrontation in front of my entire family. Spotting Meera and a cousin of mine by the buffet, I scurried over to them before Ayan could reach me.

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"You're still awake?"

I sat up on the bed, staring at the silhouette of an idiot climbing through a too small window for his sizeable body. "You know you could've just came from the door," I said pointing towards the door adjacent to him.

"Bibi's room is right across from us, and Mamma wakes up from the tiniest sounds." He said rolling his eyes, before jumping on the bed next to me. He fell back against the mattress, placing his forearms over his forehead and breathing out a sigh. I laid down next to Kabir, staring at the slow spinning fan, even though the AC was on. Its sluggish movement was the only thing I could see in the dark room, as the only source of light was from the full moon outside.

"Is Adhaya asleep now?" I turned my head slightly, catching a slight smile that slipped onto his lips, just from her name.

"Yea, I slipped out after she fell asleep." 

I studied his face for a moment, before asking rhetorically, "You really love her, don't you?"

He removed his arm from his face, and giving me the brightest smile, "Yes Aku, I do." I returned the smile. "Don't know what I would do without her."

"So dependent," I teased. "But, it honestly seems surreal how you both seem so perfect." For a second, I thought I saw his smile falter.

"Yeah..." He trailed off. "She's too perfect for me."

 I threw my brother a frown, "what are you talking about, Kabira? You deserve her."

He sighs, "sometimes I just feel like things are just too right. There hasn't been one hitch in our relationship and quite honestly, that scares me."

I rubbed his shoulder, "that's a good thing. Don't overthink too much, bhai."

He smiled in return and both returned our gaze to the flickering shadow of the fan, engulfed in silence.

With a deep breath, I asked a question that had been lingering in my brain for quite some time, "So I guess I'll be tying the knot?"

As if knowing exactly what I was talking about, he faced me sharply with eyes focused on me. I carefully avoided his gaze, which was quite easier in the dark. "I mean, it will of course be me, but sometimes I just wish it wasn't." I let out a melancholic laugh, "I remember always fighting with her whenever the topic was brought up, and how unfair it was that she would get that right even though she was born literally five minutes before me. And then dad would always side with her while you just scoffed at the idea of marriage. And now that I get the honour to perform this ritual, I just wish it could've been her. I wish I was in her place—"

I was cut off by long arms wrapping around me pulling me into the warmth. "Don't you dare complete that sentence." Kabir demanded as he patted my head softly. The sobs came rushing out of me, muffling the incomprehensible words "It's ok Aku. It's ok." He kept humming, rocking me like a baby.

After a few minutes, I pulled away, wiping the tears with my palms. "It's not fair Kabira. I wish it was Rhea was with us too. Just one more moment with the three of us."

"Akira, Rhea will always be with us. She's here right now, and she will be there during the knot tying. She will be here always," He said point to where his heart was positioned, smiling at me.

I smiled, "Thanks, love you bro."

"Love you too Aku."

"Stop calling me that, dork."

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Author: I'm back, and I am certainly alive! *throws confetti!*

Audience: *throws tomatoes*

Characters: *ready with other fruits & veggies*

Author: Jesus, spare me! I know I disappeared for a while now, and I am tremendously sorry for that! 

Akira: Oh darling, you will be sorry.

Ayan: Yea, you made our lovely readers wait so long to have an appearance of me. 

Akira: Conceited seems to be a lifestyle when it comes to you.

Ayan: Well you seem attracted to this kind of lifestyle, so....

Author: Oooooooh, that was good.

Akira:  Handling too much stupidity at the same time is killing my brain cells *walks away*

Ayan: *points to the direction Akira walked off to* I'm gonna go continue irritating her. Peace guys.

Author: They have their own story going on off-screen. *shouts at them* SAVE SOME OF THE SEXUAL TENSION FOR THE ACTUAL STORY

Anyways I'm feverishly fixing errors in the plotline in AA. Main reason for why I'm doing it at the moment is the have it set up for the .....the spin-off! 

Yes guys, after Akira's story is complete, I will have another 2 spin-offs based on characters from this story. I will not reveal which character it is, but the story will take off right at the end of this one. My writing process has been much slower because I need to make sure of details that are important for the spin-off and flow into this story. 

I really hope you guys are as excited as I am for the spin-offs! And if you have time, please do check out my other two stories: One is a romance/action type, and the other is light-hearted story delving into a brother-sister type of story (similar to Akira-Kabir).

Thank you! Vote, comment, and share!

xoxo

loveYJHD