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Amma glanced up, looking stunning as always in a peach organza saree. Her gaze took in her elder daughter’s tight face as she slipped her phone into a bejeweled pouch hanging from her saree skirt.
“Do you want to go back?” she asked Veda now.
A shocked collective gasp echoed from the women gathered around them. Veda smiled, a carefully practiced smile. She wouldn’t come apart in front of the others. That she would save for later.
“Of course,” she said, folding her hands demurely in front of her. “I wouldn’t want to keep my husband waiting.”
“Aww,” one of the ladies cooed. “Or is it that you can’t wait to meet him.”
“If I was her, I wouldn’t want to wait also,” another one snickered. “That Agastya is too good looking only.”
“Harsh is better,” another chimed in.
“Oh please! Harsh looks like an overgrown chimp.” Raashi’s contribution had everyone turning to look at her, mouths agape. There were a lot of things you could say about Harsh Kodela but his good looks were indisputable.
“Let’s go,” Veda’s mother murmured as the chatter amongst the women started again. Veda allowed her to lead her back to the mandap to be seated beside Agastya. She glanced at his stern profile. He didn’t look back, his gaze firmly fixed on the hordes of guests that filled the grounds in front of their stage.
The wedding was being solemnized in the largest venue possible, open grounds spreading out in rolling acres on all sides. It looked like every inch of every acre was occupied; the immense security employed for the day finding it hard to control the mayhem.
The coconut with the thali, the mangalsutra, arrived and Veda bent her head giving Agastya access to tie the three knots on the scared thread around her neck. His fingers rested for a miniscule second on the nape of her neck but before she could react, he straightened, facing forward again.
People started to crowd around them, congratulating them with hugs, showers of rice grains, and little envelopes of money.
Someone approached with a large, shallow bowl filled with milk and rose petals. The games they were expected to play to supposedly break the ice between the newly married couple. Veda’s heart sank. There was no game that could crack the glacier that had sprung up between the two of them. She had no idea what had caused it.
The giggling girl, Veda had no idea who she was, carrying the deep bowl placed it in front of them, right in the middle. As they watched, a ring was dropped into it.
“Whoever finds the ring first will rule this marriage,” an elderly grandmother sitting to the side of Agastya cackled. “Come on,” she said imperiously when neither Veda not Agastya moved. “Put your hands in.”
Veda slipped her hand into the bowl of milk. Agastya didn’t move.
“Is this necessary?” he asked irritably.
“Agastya!” His mother’s voice cracked like a whip.
He sighed, sounding extremely put upon and then dropped his hand into the milk. The impact of his hand had the milk sloshing over the sides, droplets falling on to Veda’s saree.
“Search. Search. Search.” The younger girls around them started chanting.
Veda swirled her hand in the milk halfheartedly, not finding anything other than petals. Agastya’s hand stayed motionless, next to hers. Veda was starting to feel like a fool as she patted the bottom of the bowl. She went to withdraw her hand when Agastya’s hand moved beneath the milk, grasping her fingers and holding it still. Before she could pull away, he slipped the ring into her palm and curled her fingers around it.
She stared up at him and for the briefest second he looked back, his eyes hungrily roving her face. And then he shut down again and turned away, removing his hand from the bowl.
“Veda found it,” he said briefly, pushing to his feet and standing. “We’re down now?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, striding away from them, his retinue falling into step behind him like a perfectly choreographed act.
Veda’s face flamed as she watched her groom leave. A hush fell amongst the crowd closest to them as they watched him bend to touch the feet of both fathers before walking away towards the rooms at the back of the wedding venue.
He didn’t look back. Not once.
“Time for lunch,” Agastya’s mother announced, breaking the silence. “Let’s start getting everyone moving towards the eating area.”
Raashi came to help Veda to her feet. Numbly, she followed her sister back to the changing room.
The minute the door shut behind them, Raashi exploded. “What the fuck was that?”
Veda didn’t answer. She didn’t know. Something had happened. She just didn’t know what.
