Shikha looked at her mehendi, but she didn't notice the 'V', which made Sarangi breathe a sigh of relief.
Along with Shikha, the other girls also got their mehendi done and went to their respective rooms since they had to get ready for the sangeet function in the evening. They needed to rest and gather some energy for dancing as well.
When Shikha entered her room, Ajit was already there waiting for her.
"Jijaji, you're here...?" Shikha said with a smile.
"Yes, I thought my dear sister-in-law must be hungry, so I brought food for her..." Ajit said shamelessly with a grin.
"Your soon-to-be wife must also be hungry..." Shikha said as she sat next to him.
"Don't spoil my mood by taking her name again and again... Look, I brought food for you, and I'll feed you with my own hands..." he said, breaking a bite and offering it to her. Shikha ate it without hesitation.
Sarangi collapsed on the sofa the moment she entered. She was extremely hungry, but her hands were covered in mehendi, and there was no one in sight to feed her.
After a while, when she couldn't bear the hunger anymore, she walked out and went to the hotel café.
There, she ordered something simple so it would be served quickly.
In a little while, her food arrived, and she began eating with a spoon. But because of the mehendi on her hands, she struggled to eat properly. Her hair kept falling onto her cheeks and disturbing her. Frustrated, she slammed the spoon down and lowered her head.
Vairagya had been sitting right across from her, watching her silently. Her actions seemed cute to him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore her—or hold back his smile.
The businessman sitting across from him said, "Are you alright, Mr. Rajvansh?"
Snapping out of it, Vairagya replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Now that the meeting is over, please go ahead and enjoy your lunch. I would stay, but I have something important to do..."
"It's okay, Mr. Rajvansh..." And honestly, even he wasn't going to leave without eating now—the smell from kitchen had been driving him crazy.
"My pleasure..." Vairagya said, getting up and walking straight to Sarangi's table.
"Need any help?" he asked as he sat down.
Sarangi looked up slightly and replied angrily, "Absolutely not."
"Shall I feed you?" Vairagya asked, and Sarangi's heart skipped a beat. She stared at him in disbelief.
Vairagya got nervous and added, "It's just... you've been struggling to eat for a while now, maybe because of the mehendi. If you'd like... I can feed you."
"You were watching me?" Sarangi asked suspiciously.
"No, no... I just happened to see you..." Vairagya said, avoiding eye contact.
After a moment of silence, Sarangi said, "Fine, feed me... Only because I don't have a choice. It's not like my taste is that terrible otherwise."
Vairagya thought for a moment, then remembered how Sarangi teased him in the morning. A smile crept onto his face, which he tried to hide by biting his lip.
He started feeding Sarangi with his hands. Once again, her hair fell over her cheeks, so Vairagya leaned forward and tucked it behind her ear. Sarangi looked at him in surprise, and he stammered, "I'm sorry... I just..."
"Thank you..." Sarangi said softly, her eyes now fixed on his hand still holding a bite of food.
Vairagya followed her gaze and lowered his head as he continued feeding her.
A few moments later, the businessman returned and said, "Oh, Mr. Rajvansh, so this is your 'important work'?"
Vairagya quickly stood up. "No, Mr. Mehra, it's not like that—"
"That's okay, Mr. Rajvansh. You're feeding your wife, not committing a crime. Prioritizing your wife is a great thing. I do it myself," he said with a smile before leaving, not giving Vairagya a chance to explain.
"S-Sorry, Miss Sarangi..."
"No problem, Mr. Rajvansh... and thanks for feeding me. I'm full now, so I'll leave..."
Vairagya said nothing. As Sarangi walked away, she paused and turned back.
"Do you have any chocolate...? The food was too spicy..."
Vairagya looked at her in surprise, then pulled a chocolate from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Thank you... I'll return it soon," Sarangi said with a smile and walked away. And that smile nearly knocked the wind out of Vairagya. His heart started racing uncontrollably.
He kept that chocolate with him for emergencies, as he had a low sugar condition and sometimes felt dizzy. Apart from his sister, he had never given it to anyone. But when Sarangi asked, he handed it over without hesitation.
A little while later, a waiter approached and asked, "Sir, anything else...?"
"Yeah... no..." Vairagya said, sitting back down and began eating from the same plate he had used to feed Sarangi.
"Oh God, I forgot to pay the bill! Poor Mr. Rajvansh must be getting scolded... I should go give it to him..." Sarangi rushed back to the restaurant. But her steps froze when she saw Vairagya eating from her used plate. Her heart started pounding again. She walked quickly and snatched the plate away.
Vairagya looked at her in surprise. Sarangi said, "That was my used plate..."
"Yes, but there was still a lot of food left... and how could I let food from my own hotel go to waste?" Vairagya replied and took the plate back to eat from it again.
"So you're only eating it to avoid food waste...?" Sarangi asked.
"What do you want to hear? That I'm in love with you, and that's why I'm eating from your plate?" Vairagya said, making her heart skip another beat. She hadn't expected him to say something like that.
"You're mistaken... Vairagya Rajvansh doesn't love anyone but himself..." he said and got up to wash his hands, pulling out his wallet.
Sarangi said, "I ordered it, so I'll pay."
He looked at her for a moment and said, "As you wish..." and walked out.
Sarangi stood there, surprised again. Anyone else would have at least argued about paying the bill, but he simply left it to her.
After paying the bill, Sarangi returned to her room where Savita Ji came in with food.
"Sarangi, where were you? You haven't eaten all day. Look, I brought you food myself, and you're wandering somewhere..." Savita Ji said worriedly.
"Mom, I already ate..." Sarangi said.
"But your hands...?"
"Um... my brother... yeah, my brother fed me..." Sarangi felt bad for lying, but she couldn't mention Vairagya right now.
"Well, at least your brother is good for something," Savita Ji said with relief.
"Mom, please don't say that... It's because of Raj that my wedding is happening in such a grand hotel..." Sarangi defended her brother.
"Yes, yes, always defending him... You two fight all the time, but the moment someone else says anything, you both act like shields for each other," Savita Ji said with a laugh.
"Mom..." Sarangi said, resting her head in her lap.
"Alright, now rest... the sangeet is in the evening..." Savita Ji said lovingly.
"Mom, please stay with me for a bit..." Sarangi hugged her.
"I'm right here, dear..." Savita Ji said, running her fingers through Sarangi's hair, lulling her to sleep.
Later, Shikha woke her up.
"Sarangi, how long do you sleep! Your sangeet is about to start and you're still sleeping... Come on, get ready!" Shikha shook her.
"What...?!" Sarangi jumped up and looked at the time. "Oh no, how did I sleep so long...?"
Just then Savita Ji entered and said, "Dear, Raj sent these for the function tonight..." and handed her some bags.
Sarangi took the bags and said, "Okay Mom, I'll get ready quickly..."
"What's the rush, Sarangi? There are still three hours left for the function. Take your time," Savita Ji said.
"But Shikha said..." Sarangi looked confused.
"I just meant start getting ready early... everyone knows how long girls take to get ready," Shikha laughed.
"Yes dear, go get ready now," Savita Ji said with a smile, and Sarangi went to the washroom.
Shikha, gritting her teeth, muttered, "I tried to fill your clothes with chili powder to turn you into a clown, but somehow you escaped. But I will steal the spotlight in this red saree—you'll just be a side character..." She took out Rajveer's red saree and replaced it with a simple dress, then left for her room smiling.
A while later, Sarangi came out and opened the bags. Seeing a simple suit inside, she said, "If Bhai sent this, he must have chosen it thoughtfully..." and wore it quietly.
Shikha, pleased with her plan, admired herself in the mirror wearing the red saree and messaged Ajit: "Let's meet backstage tonight..."
Ajit saw the message and called her.
"What are you saying...? I have to perform with Sarangi on stage tonight... If I don't show up, everyone will get suspicious..."
"Fine..." Shikha hung up, and Ajit rubbed his forehead in frustration.
A few minutes later, Ajit paced in his room and called a staff member.
"Hello?"
"Hey, listen... I'm Ajit, the groom... yeah, Sarangi's fiancé... I'm feeling a little unwell. Maybe I ate something bad. Can you cancel my performance? Please announce that I won't be able to perform because of health reasons. Thanks, man. You'd be doing me a big favor." He sighed in relief. "One problem solved."
Meanwhile, Shikha sat in her room with a wicked smile, admiring her nails. She took some money out of her purse and called a hotel staff boy into her room.
"Listen, there's a small job for you. Here..." she handed him the cash.
The boy looked surprised. "What's the job, ma'am?"
"Soon there will be a performance by Ajit and Sarangi. No matter what, the announcement must happen. You'll go on stage and announce their performance. Understood?" Shikha said with a glint in her eyes.
"But... if the groom is unwell?"
She handed him another note. "What do you care? Just make the announcement. I'll handle the rest. Do it right, and there's more money for you."
The boy's eyes lit up with greed. He nodded and said, "Okay, ma'am. As you say."
Shikha smiled. Her plan was falling into place.
The sangeet function began. When Savita Ji came to get Sarangi, she saw her in a simple outfit and said, "Sarangi, what is this...? Today's your sangeet, and you're wearing such a dull color?"
"But Mom, this is what was in the bag..." Sarangi replied innocently.
"What...? Raj picked this for you...?" Savita Ji was shocked.
"Di!" Rajveer entered and stopped in surprise. "Di, what are you wearing...?"
"You sent this..." Sarangi said, confused.
"Di, how could you even think I'd choose this for your sangeet? I sent a red saree. Where is it...?" Rajveer asked.
Sarangi shrugged, clearly clueless.
"Change your outfit. I'll find another saree for you..." Savita Ji said in a panic.
To be continued...