Chapter Two

"Aarush, hurry up man." A large group was gathered around a sparkly, obsidian bowl. Inside was water, various pink petals, and gold sparkling here and there.

"Dara, calm down, I'll get it." Aarush was sitting on one side of the bowl, while a girl, wearing a beautiful red and golden wedding dress, sat on the other side of the bowl, with her head lowered. Both of their hands were in the bowl, splashing about as if searching for something. Behind Aarush, was a young man who looked only slightly older than him. He looked tall and had a handsome face, with a pair of glasses sitting on his face.

"You're so bad at this Aarush, it's a single ring, how hard can it be?" Beside Dara sat a young girl, looking at most twenty. She wore a bright green dress, with her hair tied into a gorgeous braid.

Turning his head and glancing at the girl, Aarush smirked. "When you get married, then tell me how easy it is, little sister." He spoke in a teasing manner before looking back at the bowl. Various people cheered as the hands danced in the bowl. Suddenly, as Aarush fiddled around with his hand, he felt a round object. Clearly, it was the ring. Looking up slightly, he saw Aeleya continue to stare at the bowl as her hands moved slowly. Smiling a little, his hand made its way towards hers and he tapped it with the ring gently.

"Huh?" She made a small sound. Glancing up, Aarush saw her breathtaking face adorned by various golden jewelry. She had a large nose ring, covered with gold. The dangling earrings were also made of gold. Really, every jewelry was bright gold, shimmering like the stars.

In a way which only she could perceive, he nodded, gesturing her to take the ring. A smile played on his face the whole time as he looked down and stared at her pale, thin wrists. They were covered with henna, drawn into shapes that made even her hands look even more attractive.

He continued to search for the ring, while Aeleya removed her hand from the bowl and slowly showed the crowd the ring. "Found it." Her voice was soft, yet sweet. Hearing it made Aarush smile brightly. He didn't have a look of defeat, rather he looked somewhat dazed, lost in the girl in front of him.

"Bruh, what the hell! Aarush, you lost three in a row!" This time, a man who looked younger than Aarush spoke. Beside him was another man who looked to be Dara's age. They were glaring knowingly at Aarush, yet a slight smile hanging from their lips.

"Haris is right, you lost three in a row, kind of suspicious." The one who spoke was the older of the two. He had a fair complexion, but his sharp, squarish jaw, couldn't hide his masculinity.

"Adi is right, something is suspicious. What do you think, Dara?" Haris, who was the only one from three with a black snake tattoo, smiled back at Dara.

Shaking his head and just raising his shoulders, Dara didn't say another word. He only smiled, almost laughing. The three knew what he meant, anyone looking at him would.

"You three are really too loud. Who cares if he lost, at most Aeleya will be in control from now on, am I right?" Aarush's mother looked at Aeleya and smiled. Although the game was just for fun, it still had its own meaning. The one who won would basically wear the pants in the marriage.

Aeleya didn't comment and just looked down, while Aarush smirked. He didn't mind the results. It didn't matter to him. When he saw her during the engagement a week prior, he was completely entranced. He knew that no matter what, he was blessed to marry such a beautiful wife. Plus, when he found out she was completing her degree in Chemical Engineering, he felt even more fortunate. An intelligent and beautiful wife. What else could he ask for?

"But aunty, your son is now under someone else's control. This is no good." Haris snickered as he showed a pained expression.

"We all knew it would happen one day." When Aarush's mother spoke, everyone in the room began to laugh. "Alright, fun and games are over, let's all let the two go now." Everyone nodded their heads and got up. Aarush's group of three friends: Dara, Adi, and Haris, winked at him before also getting up.

"Shall we?" Getting up from the ground himself, Aarush walked towards Aeleya and extended his hand with a gentle smile on his face. He ignored the winks and smiles people were giving him and concentrated on the girl in front of him.

She nodded her head and extended her henna covered hand. With the help of Aarush, she was able to get up with her heavy dress. Both of them slowly walked towards the stairs and headed up a single step at a time. As the dress was heavy and plastered with gold, it made a cinkling sound as it slid against the stairs and since it was weighty, Aeleya was moving at a snail's pace.

Eventually, the couple arrived in front of Aarush's room, however in front of the entrance were two girls and a boy. Of the two females, one of them was the girl wearing the green dress, while the other was older than even Aarush. This one wore a light blue dress covered in a stunning design. The boy, on the other hand, wore a glittering black and gold salwar kameez with a golden dupatta hanging around his neck. He looked around the same age as the girl in green, maybe even a few years younger.

"What do you guys want?" Aarush looked at them a little speechless.

"You know the rules. If you want to enter, then a certain fee has to be paid." The one who spoke was the oldest of the three.

"Really? Are we even playing this game?" Aarush became even more speechless. He felt a small headache beginning to appear. All-day he had been busy, with different customs and traditions, and games, and so much more. Yet it was still ongoing. "Alright, how much to get in? Please don't strip me clean, I'm already feeling lighter than usual."

"Sorry, no can do. We have to make sure you have nothing, we are your siblings." The one in green spoke up next.

"You little-" His mouth twitched, but he still pulled out his wallet and tossed it to them. He didn't even get a set amount out, just tossing them everything. "Take it. You know my information, use it however you like."

"You may enter." Tucking the wallet in a pocket inside her dress, the eldest made way for the two. Aeleya entered the room and so did Aarush, but before he closed the door, he looked at his three siblings with a glare. "If there is anything else, then please do say it now."

Touching her chin, the oldest thought for a moment before a cheeky smile appeared on her face. "Everything is done, but don't forget to share the glass of milk inside. Alright guys, let's go now." Aarush watched as his siblings finally left. A relieved sigh escaped his mouth and he finally shut the door.

Turning around, he saw a beautifully decorated room. It was dim, with beige and red flowers hanging from the ceiling. Some connected to the bed, forming a cone of sorts. There were petals on the bed, while candles laid out everywhere. Aeleya was already sitting on the edge of the bed, her head still faced down. Rather than walking towards her, Aarush made his way towards a newly added dressing table. It was made out of carved wood, with a square mirror in the middle. There were many drawers and cabinets. Aarush reached for the top left drawing and pulled it open. "Aeleya, I know that it's weird and everything, since we haven't really talked much at all. Quite honestly, I'm finding everything very surreal as you and I met a week ago and now we're married." As he continued to speak, he pulled out a mid-sized, blue box. Turning around he walked towards her and got on both of his knees, bringing the blue box forward. "One thing I'm sure about though is that, when I first saw your picture, and then met you and everything after, I felt and feel extremely happy and glad that the person I'm marrying is you. I don't know why, but I just felt like you might have been the person I was looking for." He spoke in a heartfelt way, yet couldn't help but smile slightly. "I know that all of this sounds very cheesy, so that should be enough. Anyways, I wanted you to have this." A few clicks later, the flat blue box opened up ad what appeared was an ankle bracelet, completely silver, with three small diamonds attached to a single end. It looked elegant, yet simple. "This ankle bracelet is something my Dada gave to my Dadi. It was passed down for many years, where my Dada got it from his dad, and he got it from his, and so on. It was always given to the eldest sons wife, as tradition. It was with my mom previously, now, it goes to you." He pulled it out and raised it into the air. He changed his focus from the ankle bracelet to Aeleya, and shockingly he found that her makeup was becoming messy as tears fell from her face. "Hey, what happened?" He became a little surprised and accidentally dropped the bracelet, but ignored that and moved closer to Aeleya, however, the latter got up from the bed and walked towards the dressing table. "Aeleya?" He couldn't help but call out her name.

"Aarush, I'm sorry." She spoke by looking at the mirror. She didn't turn around, but Aarush could see that her tears were still falling. He got up from the ground and looked at her in confusion.

"Why? What happened?" He was still a little out of it. Not sure why things became so weird all of a sudden.

"You see, I wasn't going to mention this before, but seeing that you are genuine about your feelings, I feel it would be unfair for you if I didn't say it." She took a deep breath and then turned around. "This will most likely hurt you, but I wish for you to know the truth. Me agreeing to marry you… is a lie. This whole event, I didn't even want to be a part of."

"W-wait, w-what?" Aarush was shocked, to say the least. He moved backward and stared at Aeleya with wide eyes. "W-what do you mean?"

"I'm telling the truth. I couldn't say anything about this before as my parents forced me into it. They blackmailed me, mentally tortured me, and did everything they could to get me married to you. In all honesty, I never liked anyone else or anything, nor have I ever dated. I just wanted to live a free life and maybe one day find someone. Which was why I worked hard long and day to get myself a degree and a job which would allow me to reach my goals." She spoke in an almost mouse tone. Her eyes darted around the room but still glanced at Aarush at times. She felt her heart become filled with even more guilt seeing his pale expression. "I don't expect to keep anything you and your family have given me. I can use my own things. I will use my own money to shop, I will even buy my own food if necce-"

"Stop." Suddenly, Aarush got up from the bed. His face remained pale, but he looked a lot calmer. His eyes became a little sharper. "Does that mean you want to get a divorce? If so, we can, I will not prevent it."

"We can't. I know it's unfair to you, but I can't get a divorce. If I do, my parents will know that it was done on purpose, I will probably be kicked out of my house. Things will just get worse. You know what kinds of things are said about girls in our community who get divorced, especially if it is so quick."

"Why should that matter? As someone who is soon to be an engineer and one who can get a pretty good job, should it matter if you're kicked out of your house? Plus, isn't it better that way? If your parents can force you into a marriage, then that just means they aren't great parents." He spoke seriously, but his voice cracked at points.

"It's not that simple. I technically can do what you said, but at the same time, I can't. I wasn't raised to do something like that, I just can't. Plus, if I ever do that, my parents will probably do even worse things. So, please. I know this is unfair, but I don't have another choice. I can't sleep with you, so you can just sleep with any girl, I won't say a word. I won't take your money, I won't take anything. All I ask is for you to let me be married to you." She spoke with a red face. She felt ashamed. It was a very big thing to ask for.

"Let me get this straight, as my wife, I can't sleep with you, nor touch you. I don't have to give you anything except for the status of a wife, and I can even go and get together with other girls? Is that what you're saying?" He asked with a low voice. His eyes didn't stray away from her face for a second.

"Yes." In a soft voice, her answer entered his ear.

"Oh my." Suddenly, she heard him say something very unexpected. She looked up and saw him gently smiling at her. She was a little dumbstruck at him looking at her like that, but she waited. Wanting to know why he said that. "Aeleya, I'm not sure if you listened to a single word I said a little while ago on my knees. I don't know if it hurts me more that you didn't listen or that you were forced to marry me." Aeleya raised an eyebrow and looked at him questionably. "Let me jog your memory. I said that I'm happy you became my wife. I said that for some unknown reason, I felt that you were the person who was meant to come into my life. I still mean it all."

"W-what?" It was her turn to be shocked. "B-but we can't--"

"I know, we can't do what a normal couple can do. It sucks, but I don't mind. There have been various times in history where a woman falls in love with the person she hated or barely knew. For us, it's not that situation. You neither hate me, plus you probably know a little bit about me." He walked closer and grabbed her hand all of a sudden. Lifting it up he spoke with a bright smile. "This henna on your hand is a sign of our marriage. Since divorce isn't an option, then I will try my best to make you fall for me as I have for you. I won't touch you inappropriately, I won't make you feel uncomfortable, and I will treat you like a wife since you are my wife." He dragged her over to the bed and sat her down. Lifting her thin legs, he placed her right foot on his own leg and began to tie the bracelet. It was a light bracelet, so sounds would be very quiet if any came out at all as she walked. "Since you're my wife, you will wear this. Whether you accept it or not, religiously and lawfully, we are not a married couple. So no, I will not go sleep with other women. The only person I will ever do that with is you. No, I won't hit on other girls. I will hit on you. No, you will not pay for your own things, everything will be provided by me. Consider your own pay as pocket money, but I will still give you pocket money myself. If you don't accept it, then I can only say we get a divorce. As your husband, it is my responsibility to provide and care for you. I will pamper you all I want, make others jealous all I want. I've made my choice." He got up, with a smile still plastered on his face, after putting the anklet on.

"Why are you acting like this? I don't need anything from you, I don't want to be more of a burden." She spoke silently while reaching towards the bracelet on her ankle.

"Aeleya, if you take it off, I'm going to assume you want a divorce, and then I will file one." He spoke in a cold tone, yet his voice was ever so sweet. The contrast was weird, yet a little intimidating. She stopped her hands and didn't do anything else. "Anyways, you can sleep on the bed, I'll sleep in there." He pointed to a small room. "It's where I usually get some work done, so I'm used to sleeping there. You don't need to feel weird or uncomfortable about it. From now on, this is your room and house, so just do as you please. I'll be there if you need me." Before walking into the room, he walked towards his closet and pulled out a pair of sweats and a white t-shirt.

He silently entered the room and then the bedroom went completely silent. Aeleya sighed deeply and shook her head. Her heart was filled with guilt, shame, and anger. "Seems like this will be my life from now on. I should change out of these clothes before sleeping. He probably won't touch me because if he wanted to, he could have already done it." She got up and looked around before hesitantly walking towards the same closet Aarush pulled his clothes from. She was able to see that there were lots of female clothes there as well. Pulling the door open, she found herself dumbstruck. A small corner had clothes for Aarush, maybe four or five suits, and a few t-shirts and pants. Nothing else. Her side, however, occupied most of the closet. There were dresses in the dozens, wrapped neatly in one corner and some were hung up. She found three pairs of pajamas, many shirts and lots of pants. The number of clothes had already become more than what she had previously. She looked through them slowly and picked out one of the pajamas which were meant for her. They were very soft, yet light. Extremely comfortable to the touch. "They had so much hope, but the reality is just not desirable." She quickly closed the closet door and looked for the washroom. She found it rather easily. It was connected to their room and other than the exit and the office door, there one more.

Walking in, she was shocked once again. Other then the rose petals on the ground, she found that the marble slab with the sink had dozens of various makeup items and other lotions and creams. She looked at them one by one and felt her mouth widen. 'These guys…' She knew they all wanted to welcome her home and all, but she knew this was clearly spoiling. The number of items she had far exceeded what most would have. Although a little happy about their feelings towards her, she felt even more guilty. Her heart shuddered even more.

She quickly began to wash the makeup from her face, however, she only wore light makeup so it didn't take too long. After that, she turned the shower on and allowed it to wash away everything bugging.

An hour passed and she finally got out of the washroom. She was wearing the blue pajamas, with all the jewelry and clothes neatly placed in her hands. The ankle bracelet sat on the top. Walking over to the closet, she put the clothes and jewelry away, including the ankle bracelet.

Glancing at the round bed, she hesitated a little, but still climbed on. Her eyes shut and she quickly fell asleep.