Iti was trying to get ready quickly because she had to sit in the laksmi pooja which would take place exactly an hour later.

She wasn't going to wear a poshak and she was glad about that because she was tired wearing those heavy poshak and so she opted for an elegant saree this time.

She was almost ready,her makeup was done which she had done herself,her hair was done,the only thing which was remaining was that she had to tie the saree now,which was also done halfway.

She quickly made the pleats of the saree and tucked it inside her petticoat and then wrapped the pallu around herself.

She turned around to check if the saree was properly tied from behind when she saw in the mirror that her blouse dori was open.

Iti sighed.

This could take a while now.

She tried to put her hands back and tie the dori but wasn't getting successful in it.

She huffed when even after a lot of time she wasn't able to tie it.

She needed somebody's help doing this.

She had to call Anu Kakisa now because she is the one who usually helps her with her outfits at times when she needs it.

But how will she call her?

She can't go out like this when her blouse dori is undone.

Even Shiv wasn't here in the chamber,he was getting ready in another room so that she could get her privacy.

She sighed.

Should she call Shiv?

But how can she tell him she needs help with her blouse?

Should she cal...

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door of their chamber opened and Iti immediately turned towards the door to hide her back as her blouse dori was still undone.

She sighed in relief as she saw Shiv.

Of course nobody else would dare to enter their chamber.

"Sorry,hum bhul gaye the ki aap ready ho rahi h"Shiv said as he saw her startled expression and mentally scolded himself for just barging in the room without knocking.

"Nhi,hum ready ho gaye h"Iti said and he nodded but then his gaze stuck behind her and he immediately lowered his gaze.

"Iti....aapka..blouse peeche se khula h"Shiv said hesitantly thinking she is unaware about it.

Iti immediately turned around but regretted it because now her back was in front of him,she again turned and this time took her pallu and wrapped it around herself to hide her back.

Ways to embarrass yourself!

"Wo..woh...hu..humse...bandh...nhi raha tha"Iti said and Shiv just nodded finally looking at her when she had covered herself.

There was an awkward silence in the room.

None of them knew what to say.

"Hum baandh de?"Shiv asked and Iti's eyes widened after hearing that.

Shiv immediately regretted it thinking she got uncomfortable with the offer.

How could he even ask her this?

Why did he ask her this?

"Hum kisi ko bhe...

"Ji"Iti said making him confused.

"Matlab...aa..aap baandh dijiye"Iti said.

Now Shiv hadn't thought that she would agree.He had just impulsively offered to help her without thinking anything.

"Okay"Shiv said as he slowly walked towards her.

Iti turned around and slowly dropped the pallu which was covering her back.Her heart raced as he moved closer.

Even she doesn't know why she agreed to take his help.

Maybe because he would feel bad if she denied his offer?

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and tried to distract herself by staring at the floor.

Shiv stopped and stood exactly behind her.

Her head reached just his chest.

She was short.Very short compared to his tall stature.

"Woh..aapke baal"Shiv whispered to her as her hair was scattered on her back.

Iti timidly nodded and set her hair on her left side with her hand.

Her back was now left bare in front of him without any obstacle in between.

He gulped seeing her almost naked back.

He raised his hand and held the strings of her blouse,his fingers brushing against her bare back in the process which made her shiver but Iti tried to control it.

Well,Shiv didn't know how to tie it so he stared at them for a moment.

"Ab krna kya h?"Shiv asked and Iti stared at him through the mirror in shock.

Shiv's gaze was stuck on hers as she gave him an unbelievable look.

"Aapko yeh bhi baandhna nhi aata?"She couldn't help but ask.

"Humne kabhi kisi ki blouse ki dori nhi baandhi h Iti,yeh hamara pehli baar h!"Shiv stated.

He doesn't go around tying every other girl's blouse strings after all!

Yet he offered to help without knowing what he had to do?

"Baandhiye unn dono ko aapas mein"Iti said softly and Shiv nodded at that.

"Ha pr kese?"Shiv asked making her sigh.

"Ek knot baandhiye pehele"Iti said and Shiv nodded and proceeded to do it.

He tied the first knot too tightly and Iti felt uncomfortable with it's tightness.

"Thik nhi h?"Shiv asked as he saw her expressions in the mirror and she shook her head in denial at that.

"Bht...tight h"Iti said and Shiv nodded and loosened it a bit.

"Ab thik h?"Shiv asked and she nodded.

"Ab ek aur gaant baandhiye,jese Shoelaces baandhte h wese"Iti said and Shiv sighed then.

"Hame shoelaces baandhana nhi aata h Iti"Shiv said and Iti sighed this time.

"Shiv bht simple h,sirf dono strings ko thoda chota kijiye aur ek simple knot bandhiye"Iti said and Shiv stared at her weiredly.

"Chota kese kare?"Shiv asked and Iti sighed loudly this time.

"Chodiye aapse nhi hoga,hum kisi aur se krwa lenge"Iti said as she turned around and he protested.

"Aap aise bahar jayengi?"Shiv asked.

"Hum bahar nhi jayenge,aap jaiye aur Anu Kakisa ya Gauravi ko bhej dijiye"Iti said.

"Anu Kakisa Nanisa Hukum ke saath Pooja ki taiyaariyan krwa rahi h aur Gauravi khud ready ho rahi h"Shiv said.

"Hum kr sakte h,rukiye"Shiv said as he gently turned her around by keeping his hands on her shoulder but Iti shook her head in denial at that.

"Aapko Shoelaces bhi baandhane nhi aate,yeh nhi hoga aapse"Iti said but Shiv yet again turned her and held the strings in his hands.

"Kr sakte h hum,try toh krne dijiye"Shiv said and Iti yet again sighed.

She hopes he ties it in this year!

Shiv tried to tie it but sulked each time he was unsuccessful.

Iti's patience was thinning now.She thought she was ready before time but this stupid string and then her stupid husband are wasting her time and making them both late.

"Shiv muhurat ka samay ho jayega"Iti said and Shiv just nodded as his full focus was on the strings.

"Ek kaam kijiye jese first knot baandha tha wese hi second knot bhi baandh dijiye aur chaliye neeche"Iti said thinking she could ask Gauravi to tie it properly afterwards.

"Haa krte h"Shiv said and gave up and tied the second knot too but he wasn't satisfied with how it looked.

"Aise hi hota h kya?"Shiv asked and Iti nodded even though it's not done that way,she can't teach him how to tie a blouse string now when they had a Pooja to attend.

Iti wrapped the pallu around herself so that nobody sees the poorly done strings.

"Aise nhi hota h na?"Shiv couldn't help but ask and Iti sighed but nodded.

"Aapse nhi hoga Shiv,aur hamare paas abhi waqt bhi nhi h ki hum aapko sikhaye,hum Gauravi se krwa lenge baadmein,abhi chaliye aap"Iti said staring at him.

"Nhi ek baar aur try krne dijiye isbaar pakka acche se baandh denge hum"Shiv said and turned her around but Iti turned back and stopped him.

"Nhi,aapse nhi hoga,chaliye sab hamara hi wait kr rahe honge"Iti said as she wrapped her pallu again around herself and held it with her left hand and held Shiv's wrist with her right hand so that he doesn't insists on trying it again and pulled him outside with her.

"Hum kr sakte the Iti"Shiv said but Iti didn't replied to it and both continued walking.

"Arre waah!Aaj bade haathon mein haath daalke aaye h aap dono"Veer teased the couple as he saw Iti still holding Shiv's wrist.

Iti immediately left his hand and shifted a lil away from him because everyone was present downstairs.

"Not bad bhaisa"Veer continued teasing the couple while Shiv ignored him and Iti kept quiet.

"Gauravi aapki bhabhisa ko aapki kuch madad chahiye"Shiv said as he saw his sister who nodded and moved towards Iti.

"Kamre mein chale?"Iti asked and Gauravi nodded and both went to a room on the ground floor itself and Iti asked her to tie her blouse strings.

"Kya Bhabhisa!yeh toh bhaisa se karwana tha aapko!phir hi toh aap dono ka romantic moment hota!"Gauravi said as she heard her request.

Iti didn't know what to say to that so she kept quiet.

"Laaiye hum kr dete h,pr agli baar bhaisa se hi krwayega"Gauravi said as she tried to untie the tied strings but they were tightly tied.

"Aapne kese baandha h inhe bhabhisa"Gauravi said as she struggled opening them.

"Humne nhi Shiv ne kiya h"Iti immediately said and then bit her tongue as she wasn't supposed to say that.

"Ohhooo,kya baat h!"Gauravi said as she finally untied the strings and tied it properly and Iti sighed in relief.

"Jab bhaisa ne baandh di thi toh humse kyu bandhwayi?"Gauravi teased her.

"Unhe bandhani nhi aati"Iti said slowly and Gauravi teased her more.

"Toh aap sikha deti na bhabhisa"Gauravi said and Iti's cheeks turned red hearing that.

"Wese bhaisa ka bhi sahi h,unhe kholne aate honge,baandhane bhala woh kyu sikhe?"Gauravi said and Iti widened her mouth in shock hearing that,her eyes turned wide.

Gauravi laughed seeing her bhabhisa's crimson cheeks.

"Itna bhi mat sharmaiye Bhabhisa"Gauravi teased her more and Iti tried to normalise herself.

"Hame bahar chalna chahiye"Iti said and Gauravi still laughed at her but nodded and both walked outside.

"Kitna waqt lagati h aap ladkiya!muhurat ka samay ho chuka h,Iti aaiye aur Shiv ke saath bethiye Pooja mein, Gauravi aap bhi bethiye yaha"Nanisa Hukum said as she saw them and Gauravi immediately stopped laughing and nodded and Iti tried to hide her blush.

She was early!!! her stupid husband wasted a lot of her time.

She could see a lot many people who were sitting behind Shiv and seemed a lil older.

She wondered who they all were because she had seen them in yesterday's pooja as well.

She went and sat beside Shiv and the panditji started chanting the mantras.

They both sat folding their hands infront of the idol of goddess Lakshmi.

The Panditji tied a red threat around both their wrists as he continued chanting the mantras.

The Panditji put tilak on Shiv's forehead and then Shiv put it on Iti's forehead as well.

Shiv then rotated the diya infront of goddess Lakshmi's idol as Iti held his wrist from the side and the couple did the aarti together.

Once the pooja came to an end they touched the Panditji's feet.

"Ab patakhe phod sakte h na Nanisa Hukum?"Veer asked excitedly and Nanisa Hukum nodded as she stuffed a laddo in his mouth.

"Aap teeno bhi jaiye"Nanisa Hukum said as she gave each one of them a laddo as it was Prasad.

Iti gasped as she saw the how the outer section of the palace was decorated.She was in her room since the evening so she hadn't seen the decorations yet.

The whole Mahal was decorated with flowers and diyas,each corner glowing with their soft light.

It looked too enchanting as they stood in the terrace and saw the whole palace which was lit up with the diyas.











She just kept staring at it without blinking.

It looked ethereal.

Too good to be seen by eyes.

"Iti chaliye pehele Diwali photo khichwate h,phir baadmein patakhe podhne aayenge sab"Shiv said and Iti nodded absentmindedly as she walked beside him.

As her eyes were stuck on the decorations she slipped as her focus wasn't on her foot.

"Dhyan kaha rehta h aapka?abhi girr jaati aap!"Shiv said in a slightly scolding tone because if he wouldn't have wrapped his arms around her she would have fallen down on those diyas and hurt herself.

Iti stared at his black eyes as which stared directly into hers,his arm wrapped around her bare waist sent shivers down her spine.Her arm wrapped around his bicep so that she doesn't fall down.

She tried to pull herself so that she could stand on her own feet,Shiv helped her stand properly and yet again scolded her.

"Yeh sab baadmein bhi toh dekh sakti h na aap?hrr saal aisa hi toh decoration hota h,isse kya dekhna itne gorr se?"Shiv scolded her and she pouted hearing that.

It was her first Diwali here.

Her first time watching all this.

How was she not supposed to get in aww of it?

"Humne toh peheli baar dekha h yeh"Iti said and Shiv too realised then that it was her first Diwali here.

"Ha toh baadmein dekh sakti h,gayab thodi ho jayega yeh sab"Shiv said then and she nodded her head at that.

"Ab dekhkr chaliyega,baar baar nhi bacha sakte aapko"Shiv said and Iti pouted deeper hearing that.

What was the need to scold her so much?

She didn't do it purposely after all.

She walked and this time collapsed with a wall,she rubbed her head as she stared infront and saw Shiv's back.

"Humne kuch nhi kiya,aapne khud hi chalna band kr diya tha, isliye hum takra gaye aapse"Iti said before he could scold her again.

Shiv turned and stared at her and then laughed hearing her excuse.

Iti narrowed her eyes at him.

He was making fun of her.

"Daant nhi rahe the,dekh rahe the ki aap aa rahi h ya phirse decorations dekhne mein reh gayi"Shiv said and Iti narrowed her eyes deeper and moved ahead of him,passing by him as Shiv chuckled staring at her back.

She was cute.

They all walked and stood infront of an open gallery which was perfect for the picture.

Nanisa Hukum sat on a chair placed for her while Iti and Shiv stood on her left while Veer and Gauravi stood on her right.



  (Imagine them to be the Rathod's)

Then they clicked pictures with those old men who were sitting behind them in the Pooja.

Iti still wondered who they all were.

"Yeh sab kaun h Veer?"She couldn't help but ask to Veer as Shiv was talking to his Nanisa Hukum.

"Yeh sab bht time se yaha Mahal mein aate h bhabhisa,jab hum chote the tabse,kuch important log h yeh Rajput Society ke,aur hamari family ke saath kaafi time se h isliye hrr festival,celebration mein yeh aate h"Veer said and Iti then finally understood who they were.

Post that they once again went to burst the firecrackers.

"Yaha nhi Veer,uss wali chatt pr chalte h"Shiv said and Veer nodded.

They all went to the other terrace to burst the firecrackers.

Iti was again awestruck as she saw a whole group of folk singers who sat opposite to them and were singing rajasthani folk songs.

Royal people really know how to celebrate!

"Bhabhisa chaliye aap bhi aaiye"Veer said as he gave a big firecracker to Iti who widened her eyes seeing it.

"Hum patakhe nhi podhte,aap log kijiye"Iti said giving it back to him.

"Arre!pr Diwali h na Bhabhisa,ek patakha phodhna toh banta h"Veer said but Iti shook her head in denial.

"Jalaiye Gauravi"Shiv said and both of them then stared at him.

Iti's mouth widened in shock as she saw him holding the anar/pouch/rainfall(a type of firecracker) in his hand while Gauravi lighted fire to it and he kept holding it as it burst.

Was he mad?

How could he do that?

What if he gets burnt seriously?

She further widened her eyes as she saw him picking up another firecracker and lighting it and then throwing it in the air as it burst loudly mid-air.

Gauravi and Veer laughed seeing that.

These people were surely weired.

"Aap kyu khadi h waha pr?aaiye aap bhi patakhe phodiye"Shiv said but Iti shook her head in denial at that.

"Diwali h!"Shiv said as she held her wrist and pulled her further towards were the firecrackers were kept.

Iti shook her head in denial at that.

"Hame nhi aata yeh sab krna,aap kijiye"Iti said making him realise that she was afraid of firecrackers.

"Aapko darr lagta h?"He asked but she immediately shook her head in denial at that.

"Nhi bht shorr hota h inse,hum toh fang aur Nimbus ka soch rahe the,unhe takleef hoti hogi,aapko nhi jalane chahiye patakhe"Iti said and Shiv chuckled at her excuse.

"Woh dono Mahal ke ander h,sound proof rooms mein,unhe koi takleef nhi ho rahi hogi"Shiv said.

"Ha pr phir bhi"Iti said.

"Yeh lijiye phuljadhi jalaiye,isse aapko darne ki zarurat nhi h"Shiv said

as he lit a phuljadi and gave it to her.

Iti didn't held it in her hand and just held Shiv's hand which was holding the phuljadi.

"Kuch nhi hoga Iti sirf phuljhadi hi h"Shiv said trying to pull his hand but she held it tightly.

"Nhi hame nhi jalana h yeh sab,aap please haath mat hataiye apna!"Iti said as she kept holding his hand making him chuckle at her antics.