KETHAKI

His hands were on my back. Big, hard and rough. The calluses rubbed against my soft skin, as he gently and slowly trailed his hand down my spine.

I gasped, the sound echoed in the silent room.

"Your back is really sensitive, isn't it?" He asked against my ear, as I lay on top with my eyes closed and he pulled me closer to him. "And your breasts?" He asked.

I couldn't help but nod. The sensations I felt were unlike I have ever felt. His touch set my skin on fire. My heart beat in my chest, loud enough for me to hear, and for him to feel, as he brought his hand to my front and squeezed my breast. He rubbed his fingertip against my nipple, and my body was peppered with goosebumps, and my pussy soaking wet. His hands felt so good against me. I opened my eyes to look at him. His hair was tousled.

"Should I try the same with my mouth?" He asked and pulled me down further until my breast hovered over his mouth and he gently licked the tip.

"Oh god!" I moaned. My pussy tingled with need. I needed him to be inside me. I needed him to fuck me.

But I also needed his games.

His hand then proceeded to make its way to my nape, and he rubbed his finger against my neck, massaging the muscle. My neck relaxed and it lulled to the side. It, somehow, made me wetter.

"Should we check how sensitive your lips are?" He asked and he pulled my face to him, but before they could get the first taste of his lips, the scene dissolved into a dark room.

I looked down, as I felt dirt, and I realised that I was on my fours sitting on twigs and dried leaves. The dirt was real. And so was the chill of the air I felt. I looked up and saw trees. I was dreaming. The insects buzzed around and I could hear the rustle of the leaves. It was so dark here. I looked up, and in the faint moonlight, I saw the pole, and suddenly, the lights turned on.

The forest was familiar. This place was familiar. I wasn't dreaming. I was living my nightmare once again.

I was back in that forest. I got up instantly. My heart was racing, and I was sweating. I was wearing the same purple dress I wore that day. It was tattered in the same places as it did all those years ago.

My eyes welled, and my lips curled. This was not happening to me. This wasn't happening to me, again. I won't be able to survive it this time.

I heard the laughter behind me, and her screams. I turned, and there she was, in his arms, completely naked, a knife slicing her skin. Tears fell on my cheeks, and I stood there frozen, like I did before.

I couldn't move. I wanted to. I wanted to move and run far away, but I couldn't. My limbs were frozen in place, and I screamed at myself to move. To leave. To do something.

Nothing.

And I saw the horror.

She was just a child.

My eyes popped open and I was sitting in our car, my head resting on Shivansh's shoulder. A tear slipped down my nose, and discreetly, I wiped it, as I pretended to rub my eyes.

"Good morning," Shivansh said. "Couldn't sleep properly last night?" He asked. His attention was on his phone, reading an email.

"Nope!"

"Because your wedding festivities start today?" He asked, his eyes still on his screen.

I didn't bother replying.

"Is it?" Maa asked as she sat beside me. The trees flew past us and the sun shone through the windshield.

"Yep!"

"Pre-wedding jitters?" Papa asked who sat in the passenger seat with Papa's head of security driving us to our destination.
There were two more cars in the front, all filled with guards, and behind us, was a car with Chachu, Chachi, Jayveer, Dada Ji and Dadi Ji and, in the car behind them, were Maithili and Rudra. We were all followed by two more cars filled with guards.

I didn't answer.

What was the point? No matter what I said, it wouldn't change what they already believed. That it was pre-wedding jitters as Papa said. Of course, they would think that. They had no reason to believe that I was up all night, not because I was dreading the wedding, but because the nightmares had returned.

I rolled my eyes as Maa nudged me with her elbow. Since we left for Suryagarh Palace, Maa had been playing songs, mostly wedding songs, to 'get us all in the mood'. Two days ago, Guru Ji set the 9th of July, declaring it as the auspicious date of the marriage. Funny, how the day our wedding date was decided, was also the day my past came back to haunt me.

Our union was blessed by Gods and yet, the day we proceeded with this union was the first day of my life going downhill. And now, I sat in the backseat of my car on my way to legitimize it.

"It's okay," Maa said. "It's okay to be a little scared. The days before the wedding, you will go through all sorts of emotions."

"Marriage is a big commitment," said Papa. "And being scared is completely normal."

"I am not scared," I scoffed. "That's literally the last thing I am feeling. I am ang--" I paused. "I am anxious."

"Well, that too. That's okay too," Maa said.

The doors to the Palace's entryway emerged and the car turned left, entering it. Suryagarh Palace was a part of the biggest Palace in the entire world. It didn't just have one main Palace, but three. The biggest of them all was turned into a resort, one was reserved by the royals, and the Rathores were given the third. And apparently, that's where we were supposed to be married.

Rows and rows of Helps stood at the entrance, and so did Dev Uncle, Tara Aunty, his grandparents, Parth and my Groom himself. They looked like they were ready to marry us right then and there.

Tara Aunty and Sharda Dadi Ji wore Lehenga Choli. Dadi Ji was in a yellow and red Bandhani with Gota-patti, and Tara Aunty wore a green Leheriya lehenga. I was sure that the moment I stepped out, I would be made to change into the same, for some wedding ritual. And I was not looking forward to it.

I just wanted to curl up in my bed and go to sleep. I wanted to hide. My phone burned in my hand, and since the moment I saw the email, I haven't opened my phone. The notifications had been turned off, and I only accepted calls from my family. I did not want a reminder of my past, so soon, after the last one.

I wasn't scared.

I just didn't want to acknowledge it.

The car came to a stop in front of them, and Shivansh opened the door and the driver opened the trunk. Everybody got busy with taking out the stuff we brought along. I had no clue as to what it was.

The entire palace was made of three different stones. Red, white and beige. The beige stone Palace called Somarath was used to build the main palace structure, which was now a resort, the white stone, Chandrakot, was used to build the Palace in the west and the red stone palace, called Suryagarh, in the east direction.

Rathore's were given Suryagarh. The entire palace was decorated, with flowers, garlands and lights. It was draped with glitter golden fabric, and the red sandstone shone in the sunlight, and would probably shimmer in the moonlight. The palace was surrounded by trees, so dense, that it could be easily confused with a forest. The driveway led to the main entrance of the Palace and from this driveway, led the path to different parts of the Palace.

This was the location of my dreams. It was true, that since I was a child, I had dreamt of being a princess, marrying a prince in his palace. That one day, that price would find me, and fight for my father's approval to marry me, because that's how much he loved me. That the prince would be handsome and strong who would fight all my demons for me and whisk me off to his kingdom, and his palace would glitter in the sunlight, shimmer in the moonlight and be the witness to our love story.

It was like, my dreams manifested before me, with the only exception of the groom.

My groom wasn't the prince of my dreams. He was just another man of the world. Aryan was no prince. He was an ordinary man.

And yet, all I could do was stare. Stare at the wonder before me. The Palace was magnificent and so was the decoration.

"I see that you approve," Dev Uncle's voice pulled me out of my reverie, and I looked at him. The cars had been unloaded and everybody was out, talking, mingling, while I stood there, gawking at the Palacial beauty, like a fool.

I folded my hands in front of them and greeted them. Tara Aunty pulled me into a hug, and so did Dev uncle and the rest of the family. I ignored their eldest son.

"You didn't answer," Dev uncle said, as I stood there, awkward to say the least. How does one interact or behave in front of their in-laws? What should one do?

I settled for smiling at his question. "It's beautiful," I said and looked at the Palace again. I didn't lie.

Tara Aunty poked Aryan. "It's all your future husband."

My eyes jumped to my alleged future husband who didn't bother to look at me. He organized this. He was the brains behind this. And somehow, he managed to bring my dream wedding out of my mind and presented it before me. He gave me my dream wedding.

And, he wasn't my prince.

I just smiled at that. Again, what do you say? What do you do?

"God, they are so awkward," Jayveer's voice came. That little shit. I looked at my cousin, who was grinning at Parth.

"Honestly, that's better than the constant fighting," Dev Uncle said and draped his hand around Tara Aunty. "Come on, let's head inside," he said, and we proceeded to follow him.

Conversations erupted as we made our way inside the Palace. Maithili, Rudra and Shivansh came to me as we all walked behind Maa and Tara Aunty and followed the hosts.

"Are you done with the Puja?" Maa asked Tara Aunty.

"No, we are just preparing for it. We were supposed to be done with it, but, the vidhi samagri (Ingredients) were not brought on time, but now the hawan is being prepared, and we should start in the next fifteen minutes," she replied.

"Good. We will also prepare for the Roka, and let's do it, right after?" Maa asked.

"That would be for the best. Then, we can give you a short tour of the Palace, rest and then meet up for dinner," Tara Aunty said.

"That should work," Maa replied. "Dev, are the bags, that we had delivered, here?"

Dev Uncle nodded. "The ballroom is decorated for the Roka, where we can head to after the Puja is concluded."

"What if Aryan and Kethaki do the Hawan together?" Vinayak Dada Ji said, suddenly.

Absolutely not! No need to include God in our affairs.

"Don't be absurd," Sharda Dadi Ji said. "The hawan is for the family, and she is not a part of the family yet."

"But the hawan is for them. So, it seems fitting that they seek the blessings themselves," Vinayak Dada Ji replied.

"But that's not the tradition," His wife said.

"I think they should do the Hawan together," Dev Uncle said, nodding at his father.

"Yeah," Tara Maa replied. "It would be their first event as a couple, and that would be auspicious."

Why? Just why? Why are they doing this to us? Fuck, why are they doing this to me? Why couldn't they leave things the way it was? Or just continue with traditions without making unnecessary changes.

"What do you say?" Vinayak Dada Ji asked my Dada Ji.

"She is yours now, you do what you see fit."

"I think it's perfect!" Dadi Ji said, overriding whatever Dada Ji had said. "I think Kethaki should sit with Aryan in the Hawan."

I looked at Aryan from the corner of my eyes. He gripped his phone until his fingertips and knuckles turned white. His jaw ticked and a slight pinching of his eyebrows was visible from where I stood.

"Then it's settled." Tara Aunty turned to me. "Can you get ready in the next fifteen minutes?"

I gave her an uncomfortable look. "I don't think I have anything to wear for the Hawan. I just have the saree for the Roka and all my other dresses will be delivered by tonight."

"I have something then," Dev Uncle said. Tara Aunty looked at him confused. Something exchanged between them.

"Oh!" Tara Aunty exclaimed. She turned to me, her expression that of wonder and grabbed my shoulders. "You don't worry about that. I will take you to your room, where you can freshen up. Someone will bring over the saree, for you."

'Well, Yay! All my problems are solved now.'

I nodded, and Tara Aunty dragged me, Maa, Chachi and Maithili to my room. The rest stayed behind. The hallways of the Palace looked like they came straight out of Jodha Akbar, the movie and the TV show. Everything was made of red sandstone. The walls, the pillars and even the railings.

The Palace opened into a courtyard, surrounded by the hallways around it, which had rooms. It had three floors, and on top, was the terrace. What was on top? Could you see the moon from there? Was there a way to lay there and dream? Hide from the world?

"What have you planned to do with this?" Chachi asked.

"Probably give it to Aryan and Kethaki to live in it?" A voice said, and I turned to see Mohini Aunty walk over to us with Vaidehi Aunty, carrying a small bag in her hand.

That's my saree. What I would be wearing at the hawan with Aryan. Like a married couple. We weren't married yet. Why did I have to pretend to be his wife, before I could actually be it?

"Yeah," Tara Aunty said. "Dev was thinking about it."

I winced, internally. I even have to live with that man. I have to live with a man! Most of all, him.

We reached the end of the hallway, and Tara Aunty opened the last door. "This is your room," she said as she walked inside, followed by Maa, Chachi, Mohini Aunty and Vaidehi Aunty. Maithili grabbed my hand and pulled me inside behind her. The room was huge, with a four-poster bed right in the middle, sheer curtains surrounding the bed, a seating area, with a coffee table, big lamps around the room, on the nightstand and everything was rustic and nothing short of beautiful.

My wedding was actually going to be perfect and I hated every moment of it.

"Here is the saree," Vaidehi Aunty said, as she handed it over to Maa. "This is extremely special, not only to Dev bhai but also Aryan."

"Why?" Maithili asked.

Vaidehi Aunty smiled. "Because this Saree was Arya Bhabhi's and she wanted her future daughter-in-law to wear it for this hawan."

My blood ran cold. I felt sick. This was too much. Too much pressure. I was getting married to Aryan, and they planned to parade me in front of him dressed in his late mother's clothes.

There was a knock on the door. Maithili opened it, and at the entrance, stood Shiva, Shivanya and little Myra.

"Mumma," Myra said and ran to Mohini Aunty, hugging her legs.

"Why aren't you picking up your phone?" Shiva asked me, as she walked inside. "Maa, Dev Mama wants your help with the Roka preparations." She addressed Vaidehi Aunty.

"Yeah, we've been calling you," Shivanya told me then turned to Vaidehi Aunty. "Maa, Adhrit Mama also wanted your help with the hawan."

I pulled out my phone from my crossbody bag, to see five missed calls from both.

"Bhabhi, they can't do anything without me," Vaidehi Aunty told Tara Aunty. "I am going to see what they want." Tara Aunty nodded, and Vaidehi Aunty walked out.

"Well, what happened?" I asked Aryan's cousins. "Why were you calling?"

Shiva smiled. There was only one thing you needed to know about Shiva Rathi. There was only one word to describe the woman that she was: terror. Pure and utter terror. She was impulsive, and there was no way you could predict what she would do next, so I was worried.

"What?" I asked carefully. "What did you do?"

"Oh, it wasn't me, this time." She asked Shivanya to give her the phone and gave it to me. "Somehow, the paparazzi got a whiff of this sizzling union, and look what's trending."

I snatched the phone from her hands and saw the tweets.

"Wondering if the pundit will need conflict resolution skills more than Sanskrit for this wedding! 📚🕉️ #KAryanRokafied"

"The only sparks flying between Kethaki and Aryan are from their constant roasting sessions! 🔥 #KAryanRokafied"

"Kethaki: 'I wouldn't marry him if he were the last man on Earth.' Fate: 'Hold my beer.' 😂 #KAryanRokafied"

"Kethaki and Aryan's wedding is the ultimate 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' sequel we didn't know we needed! 🍿🎬 #KAryanRokafied"

"Imagine Kethaki and Aryan trying to find each other's names in the mehendi. Plot twist: they both 'forgot' to include them! 😂🌿 #KAryanRokafied"

"Rumor has it that their wedding cake is half chocolate, half vanilla because compromise is still not an option! 🍰🤣 #KAryanRokafied"

"Their honeymoon destination? Separate locations! Just kidding... or are we? 🌴😉 #KAryanRokafied"

"What the hell?" I said and read through some more. Didn't people have lives? Didn't they have jobs? What were they doing being on Twitter talking about a possible wedding which wasn't confirmed by our families?

"If looks could kill, their wedding album would be a crime scene! But we all know hate is just love in disguise! 😏📖 #KAryanRokafied"

"Betting pool is open: How long before Kethaki and Aryan realize they're perfect for each other? 💕🤑 #KAryanRokafied"

"Their bickering is just code for 'I can't stop thinking about you.' Can't fool us! 🤭💘 #HateToLove #KAryanRokafied"

"Waiting for the moment when Kethaki and Aryan realize that all their fights are just intense flirting! 😅🔥 #LoveDisguisedAsHate #KAryanRokafied"

"Their love language is sarcasm and eye rolls—modern romance at its finest! 🙄💘 #LoveDisguised #KAryanRokafied"

"Their so-called 'hate' story is giving us all the feels—can't wait for the grand romantic gesture! 😍💐 #LoveRevealed #KAryanRokafied"

These tweets were completely insane. Insane!

"What the hell are these people going on about?" I said.

"It's so funny!" Shivanya said as she took the phone back. "How come you didn't see them? Om Bhai sent some screenshots to the group. Didn't you receive the messages?"

I was hesitant. I didn't want to open my phone. I didn't want to risk seeing another email if he sent one. But I did, anyway. There were hundreds of texts from the people we went to school with. People I hadn't talked to in years, and they all texted.

But I opened the group where all the cousins of the Rathore clan were along with Parth. Shivansh, Maithili and I were added, a few years ago. And I saw the texts. The jokes they made at our expense. How funny they found our situation. And how they couldn't believe we said yes. That there was consent.

"You all need to get jobs," I said as I shoved the phone back in my bag.

Shiva and Shivanya laughed.

"Alright, fun's over," Maa said and pushed me towards the washroom. "Go and take a shower. You need to get ready for the hawan as well."

"Oh my god, check the message Parth just sent," Shiva said, staring at her phone's screen.

I did. It was a reply to the last screenshot Om sent.

Parth Rajvanshi: #KAryanRokafied❎ #PrinSantRokafied ✅

"Seriously! Get a job!"

I walked inside the washroom. A big bathtub sat in the middle, a shower at the back of the washroom, a mirror against the wall, with a sink under it. I leaned against it.

"I made this choice!"

"It was my decision!"

I whispered this over and over again while taking deep breaths. I started the breathing exercises my therapist taught me for situations when my phobia was triggered. My racing heart burned in my chest and my lungs crushed. I felt sick.

'Oh my god! I can't have a panic attack here.'

Someone played music outside and from the song choice, it was definitely Maithili and Shivanya. I  ran to the shower and turned it on. The noise wasn't drowning enough. I heaved, as I turned on the bathtub tap.

My legs gave out. Hands shivered. I took deep breaths and closed my eyes, focusing entirely on my breath. Tears gathered in my eyes and I clutched my knees to my chest, rocking back and forth.

I didn't have time to have a panic attack. I needed to be at the hawan. I was needed outside. I continued to breathe and rocked until I was feeling better. I rubbed my hands and once the stars in front of my eyes subsided, I opened them. The yellow light looked brighter than the sun. The washroom felt hotter, because of the steam generated.

My breathing turned normal and so did my heartbeat. The contents of my stomach didn't stir. I was normal.

"Kethaki, we need to hurry." Maa's voice carried through the door.

"Yeah, I will be out in two minutes," I called out and began preparing for the shower.

Standing under the hot stream, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

"Why did I panic?" I whispered. "I didn't see any blood."

"It couldn't be the wedding, could it?" I asked myself. "Or maybe Phantom's threat?"

Lost in the thought, I scrubbed myself clean.

~*~

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