Ayaan's Pov:
It's early in the morning. Just 10 minutes back, I snoozed my alarm, and now I'm hearing my mother's voice from outside. God, why can't she let me sleep? I just slept at 3 a.m. Gosh, I think she's going to break the door, and before that, Ayu, it's better to get up or else get ready to listen to the same dialogue "Ayu, do you know what the time is? Look at your brother... blah blah blah..."
Murmuring my amma's routine dialogue, I woke up and opened the door. My mother just barged into the room and started scolding me. "Ayu, do you know what time it is? Look at your brother. How much work is left? Do you realize it's your sister's marriage after one week? The groom's family will arrive tomorrow..."
She just kept scolding me and folded the bedsheets. I hugged her from behind and said, "Amma, chill. Why are you so stressed? I'm there, na? I'm going to pick them up tomorrow. That's why I'm sleeping today. It's just 8, right?"
She turned back, twisted my ear, and said, "Oh ho, so it's just 8 for sir? Look at the time. It's 11 o'clock and still you're sleeping like a pig. I don't know when you are going to get alright."
"Ahhh, AMMA! It's paining!"
"Shut up, you drama king. I know it's not paining. Go get ready for lunch."
"Amma, you forgot I didn't have breakfast, and here you are talking about lunch. And why didn't you wake me up early at 8 o'clock? I just snoozed the alarm at 8, that's all. Boom it's 11 a.m. I hate whoever invented this snooze option."
"Haa, there is no breakfast left for you now. Go and get ready fast..." She pushed me towards the bathroom. Then I heard her whisper, "Devuda (Oh God), I don't know how his future wife is going to suffer because of his laziness."
"Whoever she is, she's lucky to have me as a husband and you as an athamma," I replied before going to the washroom. I heard her laughing and the sound of the door closing. I started doing my morning business.
After getting ready, I went out to have lunch. Because of this marriage work, I'm not eating on time. Before also, because of laziness, I didn't eat on time, that's another issue
Ohh, I actually forgot to introduce myself, right? Wait, let me do it first.
"Myself Ayaan Varma, the youngest prince of the Varma family and the hero of the book (unfortunately). You have already met my mother, Saroja Varma. Wait and meet my other family members also at the dining table."
Just then I heard a sweet voice.
"Ha, finally we got the darshanam (glimpse) of our young master. How are you, sir? Had enough sleep? Oh, you must have had more than enough sleep. Lazy pig, eat and then go, meet the catering people and ask them to come to the resort tomorrow," said my sweet father in his sweetest tone.
He is none other than the head of the house Prakash Varma, a government employee.
Don't worry, normally he is a cool person. It's just that our dad's little princess is going to get married in a week and he isn't able to control his emotions, so he is showing it in anger on me especially.
Just then arrived my life savior, Vadhina ( sister-in-law ) Priyanka Varma, with her saving words.
"Mavayya (Father-in-law), don't scold him while eating. Look at him, he is already doing so much work. At least let him eat properly. Come on, Ayu, start eating. Don't think about it."
I just acted sadly and started eating my lunch. Just then I heard a counter.
"Yeah, yeah, he is doing a lot of work. Look at him, how thin he has become. Why don't you go and feed him, Priya?" said my brother Ishaan Varma in a not-so-sweet, taunting voice.
I just turned towards my Vadhina and acted sad. She casually hit him on the hand and said, "You first feed your daughter. Don't taunt my brother-in-law. At least he is not indulging in office work like you."
She said that to my brother, and the little devil on his lap started wiggling her tongue at me.
You must be thinking why I didn't introduce the little devil because she ditched me yesterday. She went to one of my cousins just because he gave her chocolate. How could she forget about me?
Just then I heard my father's voice.
"Yeah, how can he involve in work when he doesn't even have any work to do? I don't know what to say. All the people at the marriage will ask me what your younger son is doing. I can't explain about your unsuccessful business idea, right?"
This time my brother came to my rescue.
"Nanna (father), vadhilei. He knows what he wants. ( Dad, Leave it)"
I lost my appetite and got up from there, taking my plate to the sink. Don't worry it's normal in our home. Self-serving, self-cleaning and taunting me because of work.
Then I went out and started my bike to go to the catering people. Tomorrow morning my family is going to the resort, and in the evening the groom's side will come. Sorry, I need to go and pick them up it's a ritual, it seems.
I forgot to inform about one main person, the bride. She went out with her friends to do some urgent shopping which she forgot while everyone else was shopping.
We are doing her marriage in a resort because it's a love marriage, and the couple wants to enjoy all the functions together. So we arranged it in a resort.
I finally reached the catering house and completed my work. While returning, my amma called and gave me some other work. It was already 6 when I came back after completing everything. I just wanted to take a nap, and my back was hurting like hell because of bike riding but no, my brother had other plans.
Some of his in-laws were coming from another place, so I had to pick them up from the railway station. Apparently, he should have done that, but he had some other busy work related to Vadhina.
Having no option, I did that and other works. It was 11 at night when I came back after finishing everything.
My Vadhina was in the kitchen, so I went there, took food, and sat on the kitchen slab. We started gossiping while she was doing her work. This is basically our routine we share all the worries at this time, and sometimes a few family members also join. Mostly she complains about her workaholic husband while the poor guy is putting their daughter to sleep in the room. And I complain about everything to her.
She is like a mother, sister, best friend to me and especially the person who supports me the most.
Just when I was washing my plate, my sister came from nowhere.
"Arey Ayu, let's go for a drive. After a week I will miss it a lot."
I sighed at her and said, "Akka, you are enjoying your marriage, but I am working like a donkey. I can't. Please leave me and go to your brother," I said, joining both hands together.
She just made a sad face, took an ice cream tub from the fridge, and dragged me to the terrace. Just after 15 minutes, Ishaan Anna also joined us.
We just sat there and spoke about a lot of childhood memories, and our monkey Kavya even cried.
I think it's true, when we are with our loved ones, time changes quickly.
We came so far, and my sister is going to be a married woman. I always used to lookup to my Anna and akka. I know no matter what they will support me, infact they are the who supported me when i reject my job offer and came even vadina also joined them. I don't want to be emotional but I really don't know how I am going to be okay without my akka. Even though she is 30km away from me and I can go and see her anytime I want but still that feeling in my heart, it's troubling me alot. Even though Anna is close but he isolates himself more because responsibilities and all. But akka is different she can handle responsibilities and fun together. But seriously I am not going to cry in her appaginthalu (vidai) orelse i know she is going to make fun of me till i die. I pray that everything works out for her. I know my bava( brother-in-law) very well but what can we say about people they will change with time. If he hurts her then he is going to see worse I won't say this out but I know I will do it.
It feels just like yesterday we were fighting for remote, chocolates and who is going to accompany our father when he goes to market. Fighting for window seat in the car. Godd ok ayu now you are being too emotional now. Every middle class family with a daughter goes through this. So first take care of the works, if anything goes wrong your akka is going to hang you.
It was 2 a.m. when I came back to my room, and tomorrow at 10 I need to pick up the groom.
With that thought, I drifted into my la-la land.