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“Respect is earned,” she quipped, raising a brow. “Patience is rewarded.”

Shaurya chuckled, leaning closer, brushing his nose against hers.

“Let’s not pretend you don’t know exactly how patient I’ve been all these months, limiting myself to just kisses and innocent touches.”

His voice then dropped to a huskier tone. “Tonight, Mrs. Ahuja... Tonight it is. The wait finally ends.”

Nandini’s breath caught, her eyes widening with that mix of thrill and desire only he could stir in her. She tried to look away, her cheeks blazing, but he gently tilted her chin back to him.

“Blushing already?” he murmured. “We haven’t even left the mandap yet.”

“Stop,” she whispered, biting back a shy smile. “People are watching.”

He grinned. “Let them see what loving you looks like.”

And with that, hand in hand, the newlyweds turned to seek the blessings of their elders, their hearts full, their bond sealed with a love meant to last a lifetime.

*****************

Wedding Night

Slowly, the night had settled over Serene Meadows. There was no over-the-top, tear-soaked bidaai, no band, no dramatic farewells. There was no need for it as the bride wasn’t truly leaving. She was just stepping across an invisible boundary between the two homes, from one heartbeat to another. It was both Nandini and Shaurya’s wish to keep it simple. They didn’t want their first moments as husband and wife to be swallowed up by overwhelming rituals or drowned in the noise of tradition.

What they wanted was peace. An evening to breathe, to be near the people who mattered, to soak in what had just happened. They wanted to sit beside Grandpa, laugh with Nandini’s parents, and simply exist as a newly formed family without being tugged in ten different directions by bound formalities.

With the last guests gone, only Nandini’s parents and Grandpa remained, the night winding down into a calm hush. Nandini and Shaurya had stayed back, enjoying those last few moments of family time—sharing food, laughter, and stories that made their bond even stronger.

But Grandpa, as always, noticed everything.

He sat back in his armchair, a half-smile tugging at his lips as he watched Shaurya. For all his polite patience, the young man was beginning to fidget and shift in his seat. His eyes constantly flicked between the clock and Nandini with a growing restlessness he was trying, and clearly failing, to hide.

Grandpa cleared his throat dramatically. “Alright, alright… how much longer are we planning to sit around chatting?” he said, rising slowly from the chair. “It’s almost midnight, and the newlyweds do need to rest, don’t they?”

Nandini immediately looked down, blushing.

The old man chuckled softly and added, “Let them go now.”

Shaurya glanced up and found Grandpa watching him with a knowing glint in his eye. And that one look said it all. Shaurya’seyes softened with gratitude, and he nodded subtly, a silent‘thank you’for understanding and winding this up.

Grandpa nodded in return, then stretched a little and called over his shoulder, “Well then, I’m off to my room to rest these old bones now. This is when my body reminds me that I’m no longer as young as I once was.”

Everyone laughed, and Nandini looked between Shaurya and Grandpa as the latter winked at him. Within minutes, Grandpa disappeared up the stairs, happy to be back in own room.

Her parents, still emotional from the day, offered to walk her over to Shaurya’s villa for the formal griha pravesh. But Nandini politely refused, flashing a playful grin. “Let Shaurya’s wildly romantic imagination take charge tonight. If you both drop me off, it’ll just be like another ceremony. And that’s not how I want to begin this chapter.”

Her parents chuckled, touched by her sentiment. Reluctantly, they agreed. With warm hugs, they bid the couple goodnight at the French doors of the Raichand Villa. Then they quietly disappeared into their rooms, leaving Nandini and Shaurya alone under the quiet, starlit sky.

Shaurya stepped forward to walk Nandini into their new world, but she paused.

She pulled him and gestured towards the old mango tree.

“Wait… I need to thank Daadi,” she murmured as she approached the trunk. She leaned in and brushed her cheek against the rough bark.

“Thank you, Daadi. For everything. From blessing me with the best New Year’s kiss from the man I adored, to guiding me and getting me married to him today.” Her voice radiated her happiness. “I hope I made you proud. Thank you for letting me dream, for blessing us.”

She hugged the tree, then pressed a sweet kiss to its knotted roots as if her grandmother was right there listening. Shauryawatched, his heart full, mesmerised by her undying devotion to her Daadi.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket, pulling him from the moment. The screen lit up with yet another notification, one amongst the many celebratory messages he’d received and promised to reply to in the morning. But this recent one surprised him, though.