Chapter 1

In his black tailored shirt with his tuxedo on and his hair tied in a manly bun, he stood there in his mighty height near the grave. Grave of his mother's. His gaze was blank and nonchalant as he looked at the grave while litting up the cigarette with the lighter and putting it back in his coat. His hands stuffed inside his pocket as he stood there in silence with his men around him standing stiffly with no emotions displayed.

He never planned to be here in India if not for visiting his mother's grave. His only dear ones and secretly cherished ones. If there is a person that he loved anyone then it is only his mother. The infatuations for some girls came and gone but the care, adoration, and love for his mother are deep in his bones. The teachings she taught him he returned the result only to her. He always has the habit of returning what he receives from the person. Thus, he returned his love and teachings to her when he received her love and teachings from her. 

She was Indian and was abducted here and traded to other countries which resulted her falling into the hands of his father. He loved her with his deep loyalty. Yet she took so long to love him back for him being the bad man and her abductor. Her love for him started flowering, just a few years before she died. And he remembered how happy was his father to have her love. He was on cloud nine like a young teenager. But her death broke him to the extent that he welcomed the death with open arms. In the end, his hands were hugging her frame close to his chest which was supposed to be on the nightstand. 

As per her last wish, she was buried in her homeland. And he was here for her. Just for his mother and he would go back. He was feeling so lonely and wanted to feel her mother closely so he came here instantly. He carved for her a lot. And though he is here the sorrow of his late mother is still fresh. He was feeling devastated. He wants to feel at home. He desperately wants her, want someone to be with him. Love him as she does, take care of him, and look into his eyes providing comfort and all. There is this emotional turmoil in him yet he looked so nonchalant outside. No one could know that he have such hopeless desires and feelings in him. No one knows that he is carving for love and attention. 

He continued staring at the grave emotionlessly when suddenly a rustling sound fell in his ear. He looked in the direction of the sound to be alert for his purpose but his eyes were met by a harmless being. A girl. No. A beautiful girl. 

His eyes stuck on her as she was walking ahead with a straight face. She was dressed in a white long length anarkali dress with a dupatta on her shoulders, her sleeves covering her arms and her hair left open. He found himself moving his head in the direction she walked on just by that side of the grave from where he stood. He was astonished by her as he continued looking at her with his surprised eyes. Surprised because he found her beautiful. He found a most beautiful girl. She is shining like an angel in his eyes. He stared at her for a long time as she prayed and was making her way back out of the crematorium, in the same way passing through him. 

Just then the air blew and her scent hit his nostrils as he sucked the air in and he felt divine. He felt amazing and alluring. He felt ...loss of words. He felt addicted and something as if he is near to the person he was carving her. Carving for a home. Did he feel....home? Yes, he felt that. He felt that. Her scent felt addictive and he felt himself getting attracted to her. Actually, just in a mere seconds he felt distracted from the pain and turmoil. He didn't feel vulnerable but a desire. A desire for her. He found his degrading feelings fly away and were replaced with new energetic enthusiastic feelings. There is this strong pull of him towards her. He wanted her. He wanted her at any cost. It was just a few seconds before he encountered her and he doesn't know anything about her but he feels the strongest attraction pull towards her. As if she is destined for him. Bound to him from life's to life's. 

His eyes didn't leave her until she left the place and he is still worshiping the moments of those few seconds which happened just now. He was in a daze of her. He is badly smitten by her. 

His mother always said this famous line from the holy book Bhagwad Geeta which she used to hear him out for. 

"Everything happens for a reason". 

Perhaps her mother's choice of being buried in India has a reason. And he found it out today.

And him feeling so lonely and coming here to see his mother's grave does have a reading maybe. And yes it is. They are destined to meet each other. 

And that day, she was sealed in his fate and he in her fate. 

 *****

Adhira's pov. 

Her eyes glared at him as he sat there nonchalantly while her grandmother is surveying the documents he gave to her. 

Her eyes squinted more as he didn't for one acknowledge her or looked at her. He stepped in like a trained military man and handed the documents to her grandmother like a professional and put his proposal in front of her grandmother like the bridegroom he is. 

Yes. You heard it right. 

This huge hunk came here to ask her hand for marriage. She just politely declined him saying she wasn't interested when he proposed to her. And when she said she would only marry the man that her grandmother agrees he legit came here with..... "With" papers and documents. 

Documents about his everything. His bio-data and his parent's bio-data, his health, his career, his income, his Tax, his insurance, and his freaking property details. The man has even bought his property details. About how much is worth and how much he is gonna earn and the information that how much he even gonna divide among the children. 

And that's where he caught my grandma's interest. The grandchildren's card. 

The audacity of this Russian hunk. 

*****

Her eyes squinted more in his direction as she glared at him while pinching the sofa at her hand. 

The grandma who was still reading the papers spoke to Adhira without tearing her gaze from them. 

"Adira. Chai lao". 

"Yeh Russ ka bandha chai nahi pitha hai maa. Hai na". She directed to him and he rose his eyebrows to her as if he didn't understand anything. Then she spoke. 

"Want coffee"? She asked and he shook his head. 

" Tea". Was his answer and this time the grandma looked up at him but didn't go notice by Adhira. She shortly glanced at her grandmother and then again at him and huffed out. 

He is earning points. 

"American tea"? She asked again and he shook his head lightly. 

"No. Indian tea it is". He said and this time she huffed audibly and sauntered into the kitchen. 

After a while, she came back with a tray of two cups of tea and handed one to Grandma. 

She walked to him and bent a little for him to offer the tea. Her eyes are casted down and her brows furrowed when she didn't see his hand coming into her view she lift her lashes and looked at him. 

Right then he winked at her making her jaw drop as he took the tea from her and leaned back in the chair with a sly smile. 

Her facial expressions got neutral as she was about to stand just when he caught her hand and leaned forward to her and said. 

"This tea is so tasty. I would like to get this dose every day in the morning .... only if you agree to ..... He cocked his head to the side making her turn only to see the documents of his information and she understood what he meant to say. 

Agree to.......marry him. 

She again looked back at him only to have his eyes on her that made those thick curtains look down. 

"But more than tea.... I would like to have you as my sunshine when I wake up beside you". 

 Her eyes snapped at him as she stared into his eyes. Her heart thumped at his words. But this is not the first time though. He did that many times. Almost every time he spoke but speaks very rarely. And when he speaks rarely it ends up making her heart work efficiently more than ever. But every time she chooses to ignore it. As now if she considers his words and sincerity her heart is calling out to give him a chance. A chance for herself too. After what had happened to her. 

Her eyes didn't leave him as she rose without breaking their eye contact. And without saying anything she walked to the kitchen still looking at him. After giving him her final stare she walked away without looking back and he had that sly satisfied smirk on his face. Not a cunning one. But a heartful one. 

"*****

It was early morning when the sun just rose up and oddly where there would silence prevailed every day with the bird chirpings in the morning, today the wedding drums rang out in the temple. 

The temple was so big with yard space and everything required for marriage was prepared.  

There she stood the bride Adhira in all her glory adorned in jewelry from tip to toe with a var mala in her hand ready to put it on him. 

And there he stood the bridegroom Andrey Vassilev in all his glory of fusion Indo style with var mala in his hand ready to imitate her. 

There is a pleasant smile on her as she looked into his eyes and he looked into her eyes with pure passion of love. His hand was itching to caress her skin and smile but couldn't. But the boundaries with distance would break soon. 

They exchanged the var mala to each other and the chantings started.

In the hands of my aunt and uncle (parents of her cousin's brother), my responsibility myself is given away to the hands of my husband to take of me from now on. 

My aunt and uncle placed my hand into his asking him to accept me as his equal partner while giving him their equal consent and accepting him as their son-in-law........ 

Kanyadaan.

Lowering his right hand he took my right hand into his as the priest directed. We United our hands in the presence of Agni (fire) as a sacred husband and wife. The closed fingers of my hand denote my heart as I'm surrendering my heart in the hands of the groom during the marriage while he held my hand as if taking my responsibility into his.......

Panigrahana.

The chants continued and the time came when he have to tie the nuptial chain around my neck. The chain held divine powers protecting it from negativity. The chain represents the purest bond between Lord Shiva and Parvati. A chain that bounds two souls outlining the fact that the bond between wife and husband is truly inseparable.

The cold metal feeling was felt on my neck and I closed my eyes accepting it with my heart. And at this moment the chain made me feel like a divined woman and I oath to take care of our household. 

And then comes the most important ceremony. Taking oaths with each step. 

This ceremony involves the couple walking seven steps in a clockwise direction around the Angi near the Mandap. Each of the steps is called a 'Phere', and each Phere stands for the seven promises and principles made by the couple to each other during the exchange of vows while their dupatta (veil) and shawl (a long cloth material over the groom's shoulder is called shawl) are tied together. 

Saptapadi.

Aiden took the lead and started the first phera....

First phere - 'We will fulfill our duties and responsibilities to each other and our community, and look after each other's (and our children's) health'. 

The second phere -We will improve ourselves spiritually and mentally. 

Third phere -We will get richer and be more comfortable in legal and moral ways.

Fourth phere - We will become wiser, happier, and more united by loving each other and having mutual trust and respect for each other.

The leads are exchanged as now I took the lead and he followed me behind. 

Fifth phere - Our family will be blessed with strong, moral, and heroic children.

The sixth phere - We will be blessed with long life. 

Seventh phere - We will forever remain true to our vows and stay faithful to one another. 

As the couple took their steps to complete the Saptapadi, family members, relatives, and friends that were present in Mandap spread rose petals and rice on them in regards to blessing.  

That day they were married legally. 

In the presence of pancha bhutas (five elements of nature -fire, water, air, earth, and space). 

Tied together for their every recurring life. 

To live in love and misery.