16 | The One With The Engagement

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Madhav stood on the terrace at Shree's apartment, alone, looking at the sky while somehow managing to ignore the deafening honking of the vehicles that were caught in the traffic. He sighed in peace as the soft cold breeze blew past him. He looked up at the night sky covered with a blanket of clouds and bereft of stars. "I wish you were here today, Ma." He whispered as a star shone from behind the clouds.

The engagement was a simple and elegant affair. Shree's saree was simple too, a red silken saree with a green border. She paired it with a red sleeveless blouse. Her hair was braided and a decorated with fresh jasmines. Madhav couldn't take his eyes off her as he walked into her apartment with RK and Yashoda. He wore a blue kurta and a pair of dark blue silken pants.

Shree blushed throughout the ceremony as she felt his eyes take in every ounce of her beauty. When it was time to exchange the rings, Madhav pulled out a ring from his pocket, it was a gold one with a small diamond encrusted in the middle. It fit perfectly on her slender fingers and he was glad his mother's ring fit her; a sign that she would have wholeheartedly accepted Shree as her daughter in law.

To everyone's dismay Shree refused to offer the shiny gold ring Lakshmi had managed to buy with such short notice. She instead asked Devi to bring her father's ring from the cupboard in their mother's room. Madhav's heart leapt inside his chest as Shree made him wear her father's ring. He smiled and leaned forward as he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

Madhav turns as he hears the someone walk towards him.

"Did I startle you?" Shree asks as she comes to stand beside him.

"No-no, I-I-I was just standing here, uhm-thinking ab-ab-about the meeting we had with Sabyasachi." He mumbles.

"You cancelled that at the last moment, Madhav." she said and held his hand. "There is something else bothering you. I am your wife; you can share it with me."

Madhav let out a shaky breath and held her hand is his. "I was a lone wolf for all these years. I had no one to care for me. I had no one to call family, until now." Shree remembered how he used to tell her about RK who had married Yashoda soon after his mother, Rukmini passed away. Rumors circulated around the city that RK was having an affair with Yashoda prior to Rukmini's untimely demise. Madhav despised RK and Yashoda ever since. He refused to acknowledge Yashoda and RK as his parents, maintaining his distance from them. Devakshi, his sister was the only relative he had, excluding Rukmini's bed ridden mother. Following Devakshi's tragic death, Madhav had no one to call family. Shyaam idolized and admired his elder stepbrother. Madhav loved him, but he hated that Shyaam was the son of RK and Yashoda.

Shree looked into Madhav's eyes.

"But now, I have you, my beautiful wife." He says as he studies her slender fingers. "I swear protect you in such a way that no even one ray of harm touches your shadow. You are the only family I have." He says and presses a kiss to her slender fingers.

"For now." She completed, blushing a deep shade of red as he held his hand.

"Yes, we can have as many babies as you want to have." Madhav whispered as he cradled her face with his hands. "I'll marry you, take you around the world-"

"I want to go to Kerala!" she added as she looked into his eyes, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "A little house, in the middle of a beautiful garden."

"I'll take you to Kerala, build you a beautiful house amidst the most beautiful garden you've ever seen."

"With a swing fixed to a big mango tree!" She added again.

"Anything you want, Shree. We'll have a beautiful room, looking out to the garden. I'll make love to you every night; more passionate than the previous night. I'll cuddle you to sleep and watch our babies grow in this-this little stomach of yours."

Shree blushed furiously.

"I love you so much, Shree." He confessed as his arms wrapped around her delicate frame, bring her closer to his body until he could feel her breasts crushed to his chiseled chest. He pressed a kiss to her cheeks and her hands move into his neatly combed hair, smooth as silk. He pressed another kiss to her nose as he cradled her face in his hands again and started to pepper little kisses on her forehead. She sighed contently as she inhaled that expensive perfume, he wears every day to work. He places a quick kiss to her eyebrows and her nose, before teasingly brushing his lips against hers. Madhav let out a chuckle as he moves his lips away from hers, leaving Shree annoyed. She grabbed a fistful of his neatly iron kurta, pulling him down until there lips were only a millimeter away.

"I must say I am impressed at how much you yearn for me, Ms. Prasad."

"Does that mean you don't yearn for me the same way?"

"I never said that, darling!"

"Then prove me wrong." She whispered softly as her lips brushed his.

"SHREE? SHREE? Where are you?" Devi called out from far.

Madhav stepped away from Shree as Devi walked into the terrace. She wore a yellow lehenga with a cream shaded shawl. Her hair was braided, and she had worn contact lenses instead of her glasses.

"Shree! Come! Amma is calling, you too bhaiya!" she said.

Shree and Madhav followed Devi silently to her apartment.

"By the way where is your brother?" Shree asked Madhav.

"Last minute assignment. You'll meet him soon." Madhav shrugged, as his phone starts to ring. "Go in and I'll catch you in a while."

RK and Yashoda were seated together on the sofa watching an album that had many pictures of Shree as a child.

"And look at this, Krishna!" Yashoda exclaimed, pointing at a picture of Shree dressed in a rabbit costume. "She looks so convincing for a bunny!"

"That's why her friends called her Bunnyshree, back in school! The name suits her better when her face becomes red!" Lakshmi said laughing much to Shree's embarrassment.

"The photographers just called!" Madhav announced as he walked into the living room. "They asked us whether we can start shooting for it the following day."

"There's going to be preshoot?" Lakshmi asked surprised.

"In Goa." Shree completed.

"But can we-"

"Oh no! This one is on me! I am paying for all the photo sessions." Madhav says. "I just need your approval to take Shree with me to Goa for the next three days."

"Send Shree with you for three whole days?" Lakshmi exclaims, taken aback. "That too before the wedding? What will people say?"

"She's right, Madhav! This is India. People talk!" RK said diplomatically. "However, you can take Shree with you, only if there are two chaperons. I am going on this trip as a chaperon, by default!

"I shall go with them!" Lakshmi declared.

"Me too!" Devi exclaimed happily. "I can't stay alone, and I want to see Akka's preshoot!"

"Alright! It's decided then!" Madhav declared. "The five of us shall leave for Goa tomorrow at noon! I'll book the tickets, right now!"



-S H R E E P R A S A D-


We took the flight from Mumbai to Goa, the day after the engagement. Madhav had made arrangements for us to stay at his holiday house in Goa. This man owns a house in Goa, the Vegas of India! He mentioned how he sent his own cook and maid to clean and arrange the house. We reached Goa by evening that day. The house was a Victorian two storied villa that faced the sea. The walls were a dull shade of yellow, black window frames and a maroon roof. The garden had germaniums, orchids and roses sprawling on the moist sand. The massive banyan trees and the ixora bushes in the garden were unkempt and shabby. Birds chirped from within the banyan tree's branches and squirrels chased each other down the cobbly path. The front of the house had an entire faded yellow wall covered with grapevines. The garden was alive with the intense hum of the bumblebees.

The house is splendid. Everything about it, from the rusted wrought-iron gates to the garden and the swimming pool in the backyard. This is the house I'd want to live in.

The preshoot would happen for three consecutive days. The photographer and the other creatives have composed a beautiful story that would be shot over the course of the three days. The photographer and the Head of Creatives, who happened to be his wife, met as that night in the house to explain the plot.

The story was about a girl whose sandals are stolen by a dog who drops the sandal at the feet of his owner, a depressed young man. The two of them start talking and they spend time with the dog. On one sunset, the young man expresses his love for her and asks her to marry him.

I loved the plot, while Madhav was skeptical about it, nevertheless he agreed when I told him how much it had appealed to me.

The photoshoot commenced next morning. I was in the guest room at the holiday house as a few makeup artists applied makeup and braided my hair to a byzantine style. The creatives had selected a light pink shalwar with a white pair of pants. Madhav was having his photos taken with a golden retriever. He was wearing a white shirt and the formal tailored pants he wears to work. His hair was a disheveled mess and it got messier as he walked barefoot on the sandy beaches. He slayed every shot.

Madhav watched intently when it was my turn. I was told to walk down the beach, and then break into a slow run occasionally. I had to wash my feet on the waves and to eat some of the ice popsicles the vendors sold. The photographer gave me a copy of Wuthering Heights and asked me to sit under the cool shade of the biggest coconut tree and pretend to read it. Although I actually read one full random page towards the middle of the book.

The day was hectic, and it was a relief when it ended. It ended with me chasing the golden retriever and subsequentially meeting the young man, Madhav. We were to shoot again for the second phase of the story with him. Tomorrow would be twice as hectic as today, but I looked forward to it so eagerly. This would be my first ever photoshoot with Madhav.


To be continued....

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Announcement

It's Dedication Time! As a way of returning your unwavering love and support to the story, I have decided to dedicate ALL the chapters of this book to each reader.

1: A question will be asked at the end of each chapter, regarding the story and/or the characters.

2: One person will be selected from all those who have provide the correct answer.

3: The lucky winner gets one chapter of this book dedicated to him/her. This process will happen repeatedly until all/most of the readers, active and silent, have chapters dedicated to them.

PREVIOUS WEEK'S QUESTION: In which part of Mumbai does Shree live in?

ANSWER: CHEMBUR

Thank you to all those who submitted the correct answers but we can have only one winner.

WINNER: @sweetbooklover25

Congratulations! Chapter 3 is dedicated to you.

Here is the question, the winner gets the 2nd chapter dedicated to him/her.

What is the name of Shree's sister?

Submit your answers with inline comments.


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