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He remembered the bracelets (kangans) that were given to her by Sashank had been returned by Roshni. She had packed them in his suitcase to the US, and he had brought them back to India. They belonged to her, and he wanted to give them to her. He packed these along with the ring he bought for her.
Kusum arranged for “Kula Devi” pooja that day. The family deity was worshipped, and after the pooja, Deepak and Roshni took Devi’s blessings and prasad and left for Poona. Deepak was very exhilarated, and Roshni noticed this.
In the car Roshni asked Deepak, “Deepak, what’s the matter? You seem to be very thrilled.”
“Nothing, I’m just excited for us to be together for a while!” he replied.
Roshni looked at him in disbelief but did not delve into it any further. On the way, Deepak stopped at a temple, and Roshni was again taken aback at this.
Deepak looked at her puzzled face. “Today is Friday and an auspicious day. This is a good Shirdi Baba temple. Let’s perform a simple pooja here, have darshan, and then go to Sheetal’s house,” he said.
Roshni had no clue what was cooking in Deepak’s brain. Regardless, both performed pooja at the temple, the priest blessed them with long life and prosperity, and they left after spending a few more minutes in the temple.
They arrived at Sheetal’s house in Poona, and Sheetal welcomed them and introduced them to her parents. Deepak and Roshni realized the wedding preparations were in full swing at Sheetal’s house. The whole house was buzzing with relatives, friends and decorations.
Sheetal’s parents were very warm-hearted people, and they made Deepak and Roshni very comfortable. They went through the formalities of giving and receiving the wedding invitation, and Deepak and Roshni joined Sheetal’s family for lunch.
Sheetal had waited eagerly to meet them. While Roshni was busy talking to her parents, she grabbed the opportunity to speak with Deepak regarding their relationship. Deepak updated her that all was well and also hinted to her that, God willing, they would be completing an after-marriage ritual that evening. Sheetal was very happy for them.
After spending a few hours with Sheetal and her parents, Deepak and Roshni left in the afternoon. Roshni was tired, so she rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes. Not realizing it, she dozed off for a small nap. After about half an hour, she opened her eyes to find the car was parked in front of a multistory hotel, and Deepak was not beside her. She was worried and waited eagerly for Deepak to come back; several ideas popped in her brain. Deepak arrived a few minutes later and asked Roshni to get out of the car. She looked at him in complete shock.
“Deepak, what’s going on? Why do you want me to step out? Aren’t we going home?” she enquired.
“Roshni, please come. We’re going to stay here tonight,” he responded.
“Stay here tonight!” she exclaimed loudly but controlled herself. She reduced her tone. “Why? I mean, why are we staying here tonight? Let’s go home. Kusum didi needs my help.”
“Don’t worry, Roshni, you can always help her tomorrow. We will leave in the morning.”
“But…but why stay here tonight?”
“The back and forth journey is tiring for you, so I decided to rest here tonight,” he said.
“I’m okay, Deepak. Let’s go home. I can relax in Mumbai.”
“Roshni, please don’t argue. I want to spend a night with you here. Can you please–”
“But, Deepak, we have not brought a change of clothes. How can we stay here?”
He held her hand and helped her out of the car and came closer to her. “I made all the arrangements; don’t worry.”
With a smirk on his face, enjoying the expressions on Roshni’s face, he pulled a bag from the trunk and led her to the hotel. He was very careful not to take her to the room too early, so he suggested they spend time in the restaurant for dinner. He prompted Roshni to remain at the restaurant while he checked on the status of the room and arrangements. It was a two-room suite, a small room leading to a bigger bedroom. The bed was very simply decorated as indicated by Deepak.
Deepak joined Roshni at the restaurant and enjoyed each other’s company. A live band entranced both of them. After spending time with appetizers, dinner, and live music, Deepak decided to take Roshni to the room.
Roshni was clueless; she could not comprehend why Deepak decided on this overnight stay. As she walked into the room with Deepak, Roshni inhaled the beautiful aroma in the room. She liked the décor of the room and was about to enter the bedroom when Deepak pulled her towards him.
“Roshni, close your eyes first before we go into the room.”
“Close my eyes! Why? Deepak, what have you planned? Please tell me,” she requ
ested.
Deepak smiled. “Nothing special, it is a little surprise for you.”
“A surprise! Bringing me here itself was a surprise. What more do you have?”
“Patience, dear, you’ll find out, but please close your eyes.”
