Falling In Love With My Brother-In-Law ( M×M )

Chapter 7 : The Winner Is....

The Winner Is....

Anjali immediately went to the bathroom to freshenup. Removing her jewellery and Lehenga, she came out of the bathroom wearing a simple saree. Her whole body was aching in pain and she was exhausted. Feeling like she had no energy at all, she immediately jumped on the bed and fell asleep in a minute. Varun, on the other hand, sighed as he sat on the bed. Lines of worries were evident on his forehead as he was lost in deep thoughts. He turned his head and saw his reflection in the mirror. Looking at his own reflection, Varun thought very hard about how he became this person. Even though he never wanted to admit it, he knew deep down what he was and for that reason he never wanted to get married. He always maintained the facade of being the best son and being the best brother, so no one in the family could unreveal his secrets. But marrying a girl was never a part of his plan. He always assumed that he would reason with his parents about not marrying and living his life according to his own terms. But seeing that didn't happen, he had no choice but to agree to his parents' choices. Now that he was married, he didn't know how to proceed with it from now on. Even though he respects and cares for Anjali as a person, that's not enough to sustain and survive in a marriage. He was afraid of whether or not he could really love her and be the husband she wanted him to be. As all these thoughts crowded his mind, he felt more anxious and worried than ever. With a big sigh, he laid on his back on the bed and stared at the ceiling as he kept thinking and worrying about all this.

As both Anjali and Varun went to take a rest, the remaining members of the family started preparing all the rituals that would be performed later. After having lunch, all of them went to their family temple and offered their prayers. The family donated cash and rice to the poor through Anjali and asked them to bless both Anjali and Varun and to have a wonderful martial life. After coming back from the temple, they went to visit a few other temples and repeated the same thing. Once they returned home, they started sorting out the gifts to give their family members. The time escalated quickly as the adults got busy with various chores and the younger ones helped Anjali get ready for the next ritual.

" Sarita di, come here ", Mrs. Malhotra's younger sister said loudly as she needed her elder sister to finalize which ring they would use for the next rituals.

Both of them discussed over a few minutes before finalizing the ring and putting it in the container which was filled with milk and petals of roses.

" Everyone come to the hall ", Sarita said loudly, and one by one all of the members came into the hall.

Both Anjali and Varun looked at each other before Anjali shyly lowered her eyes and walked towards her in-law. Both of them were told to sit in front of each other.

" As you know, this ritual will predict who among you will be the one to take control of your marriage ", Sarita said laughingly and a few others chuckled.

" Just so you know, Anjali beta, I won mine and that's why your Papaji / father-in-law is always in my control ", Sarita said with a chuckle which made everyone laugh out loud.

" Don't be so smart Sarita ji, it was my choice not to put up so much fight and give you the ring instead ", Varun's father, Raj Malhotra said, and everyone laughed even harder than before, eyeing him suspiciously, especially his own kids. Even though to the outside world Raj Malhotra was nothing but a fierce businessman, inside the Malhotra house, he was the bigger scaredy cat.

" That's a nice one Dad ", Arun, his youngest son, said as he laughed and wheezed.

" Indeed ", Varun said, chuckling, which made Anjali chuckle too. She was afraid of the environment and circumstances of a new family but seeing all of them like this laughing at silly things and joking about it made her feel a bit at ease.

" Now, now, that's enough. Anjali and Varun both of you put your hands into the container and the first one to find the ring will be the winner ", Sarita said.

" Varun, don't embarrass me ", Mr. Malhotra said.

" Don't lose, bro, our reputation is literally in your hands ", Arun said.

Varun ignored his father and younger brother and put his hand inside the big container. The rose petals and the milk completely covered everything so one couldn't take a look to see where the ring actually was. When he felt some solid matter, he immediately grabbed it and later realized it was only a small stone. Everyone groaned at seeing the stone at the same time, so Varun sighed and put his hand inside the container again.

Anjali, on the other hand, was having difficulty moving her hands due to her sets of bangles, but she still tried. As others whistled and encouraged both of them to win, she chuckled silently. While moving her hand, she felt another finger and instantly looked at Varun. The fact that their fingers touched shocked Varun a bit, so he also looked at her at the same time. As their eyes met, their hands stopped moving and so did everyone else. Both of them looked at each other more like they stared at each other and their fifteen-second staring competition abruptly came to an end when Arun coughed awkwardly as if he was giving his big brother a sign to remind him that everyone was watching them. Thankfully, Varun got the hint and looked down while everyone tried not so hard to stifle their laugh. Both of them looked for the ring and Varun's hand stopped when he found the ring. He thought of taking his hand out of the container but looked at Anjali who was still searching for the ring. Deciding to put a smile on his wife's face, Varun released the ring and pretended to search for it again.

" Come on bro ", Arun exclaimed and right at the moment Anjali took out her hand and in her hand was the ring everyone was waiting for. The women of the family cheered while Arun and Mr. Sharma groaned.

" I knew it, my daughter-in-law is a star ", Sarita said, applauding Anjali.

After that, all of the ladies were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner while the gents hangout and helped out with asserting gifts for others. Anjali, despite her request, was not allowed to enter the kitchen, since they didn't want the newlywed to feel any pressure. With nothing to do, Anjali went to her room and, at the same time, her mother called. She didn't realise how time passed as she talked with her family and had tried her very best not to shed any drops of tears. By the time she finished her conversation, she was called out to have dinner. After having an amazing dinner, Anjali was again dressed up and escorted to their own room. With a glass of turmeric milk in her hand, Anjali slowly entered the room and sighed in relief as she saw Varun wasn't in the room. Her heart beat faster as she thought about this special night and what she would do afterwards.