The Opposite Of Negation | Editing Slowly

18 | ≠ patient

*** okay before we start let me give you some vocab lessons for easier understanding.

- mandap: the place where the wedding takes place. In the religion I'm writing, there's a small fire pit bang in the middle which is considered to be holy.

- kurta: well, the outfit the men wear. Check my Pinterest.

- the Hindi translations I'll put in the comments on the same line. Check those out. the song will put you in the wedding mood. Enjoy :))

There's a pastel pink tint to the world around me. The decorations look royal, evident that this beautiful scenery has so many people's blood and sweat behind it. Sun rays are shining down on us lightly, the November sun providing us with much-needed warmth. As I look around, something catches my eye, and I turn to the most beautiful mandap decoration I've ever seen. Flowers of all colours and forms adorn the edges, a beautiful mixture of yellows and reds. Turning to my right, I watch Nathan, who's as entranced by this as I am. I can't imagine his awe, being so close to my mom's Indian heritage and having attended numerous such weddings.

Suddenly, he grabs my hand, squeezing it hard. I look at him with surprise but what I see brings a small smile to my face. He's not even paying attention, as if holding my hand is second nature to him. When I continue staring at him, he looks at me and cocks his eyebrow at me. I gesture with my eyes to our hands, and a dawn of realisation settles in.

And if I expected him to pull back immediately, I was proven wrong.

He keeps looking at me, a gentle smile on his face. Intertwining our fingers, he squeezes it once again, before finally releasing it, instead shifting his hand to my lower back. I stifle a gasp, my mind conflicted. I don't know which I like better, his hand in mine or on my naked skin between my blouse and lehenga, sending shivers down my spine.

"Lead the way, Grasshopper," he whispers. I turn to look at him, his forest eyes boring into my caramel ones. I nod, not fully confident about my speaking abilities and start walking. My right hand holds my purse, and I make a split-second decision to remove Nathan's hand from my lower back. He looks defeated for a second, moving away ever so slightly. I quickly pull his arm, bending it at the elbow and loop my left arm between his. Finally understanding what I was trying to do, he laughs and shakes his head, getting closer to me again.

"We'll walk together. No one's leading the way," I say.

His smile grows if that's even possible and pecks my forehead really quickly, the height difference proving to be an advantage to him.

"You really wish to give me diabetes, don't you?" Madhura says as she walks into my sight. Apoorva is walking beside her with her own date. He's a tall blonde, looking extremely out of place. Unlike Maverick and Nathan, he isn't wearing a kurta, instead, settling for a simple formal attire. Apoorva's lehenga is of pale pink colour, the embroider on it so subtle that it shines in the sun. The colour does wonders against her dusky skin tone.