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Writer's pov:

Three years after epilogue-1 (Hari-29, Vikram-27, Harshi-26, Twins-25)

"Please move, move!" A voice shouted over the towering crowd, trying to navigate her way through the people surrounding the soon-to-be official couple, her arms carrying two heavy white rosebud garlands.

"Where are the garlands? Why is it taking so long?"

'Well, idiot, if you guys move your ass away, I can bring it soon.' The young woman rolled her eyes as she stood on her toes, brown eyes scanning across the room to locate her husband, who was also coincidentally searching for her.

His eyes brightened when their eyes met, and his tensed muscle relaxed as he strode toward her while admiring how pretty she was in the pink saree.

Her petite figure was draped in a peachy pink silk saree, bringing out the rosy glow on her skin, her hair parted in the middle and gathered in an elegant bun with a few strands of hair framing her face.

"Where did you go? Are you alright?" He engulfed her softly into his arms, his left hand protectively reaching over to her stomach, concealed by her saree.

"I went to pick up the garlands from the car. I'm fine! Relax, maams!" Vihana assured her husband, placing her free hand that's not carrying the garland on top of his large hand.

Despite her assuring words, Hari frowned, grabbing the garlands off her arms, wrapping the other arm around her shoulder, and guiding her to the waiting couple. "You should have asked one of us to go. I don't know why you should tire yourself by running errands like this."

"Our car was parked literally outside the temple. How is it tiring to walk a 100m?"

"Don't try to reason. See how you are sweating!" He sighed, dabbing her forehead gently with a tissue after passing the garlands to his mother.

"Careful with the kumkum!" Vihana warned when she felt the tissue touching her skin, near her sindoor she applied on her hair parting, causing her husband to pause and stare at her in disbelief.

"You worry about that but don't care about yourself and the b—"

"Shush, Mr. Hariharan. You worry too much!" Rolling her eyes at her husband's overprotective self, she walked away to join her brother, leaving behind a speechless Hari as he stared at her until she reached her brother, then went to help his father welcome guests.

"How's my niece doing?" Vihaan enquired, his eyes twinkling when he saw his twin coming toward them, her right hand on top of her stomach protectively.

"How's my nephew doing?" A voice interrupted, raising a challenging brow at Vihaan. He pouted at his girlfriend's statement, but Dhanya didn't even bat an eye at him as she stared at Vihana with a smile.

The fashion diva looked gorgeous, a golden saree draped on her tall figure, complimenting her dusky complexion as she stood beside her boyfriend, glowing under the sunlight.

"Not you too. Please call the baby just a baby. I'm not in a mood to hear you guys argue about the baby's gender again." Vihana sighed tiredly, already wanting to go back to her husband.

Though he is overprotective and nagging sometimes, he was a lot better than this fashionista pair.

Her mood dampened when she found him at the temple entrance helping her father-in-law, clearly too busy to give her company while the other couple argued in the background.

"Guys, please." Vihaan had enough, so she stood between them, causing them to pause their argument.

"Sorry. Here, lean on me if you are tired." Vihaan offered, patting his chest for her to lean on.

Accepting his generous offer, a breath of relief escaped her lipstick-tinted lips as she leaned against her twin for support while his arms went around her shoulder protectively.

"Thanks, bro. At least you are useful for this." Vihana patted his sturdy chest teasingly as she enjoyed his warm embrace.

Vihaan scoffed, pinching her arms lightly in annoyance, but one could see the smile on his lips as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Not wanting to disturb the rare peace among the siblings, Dhanya stated, "Okay, I'll go accompany my babe over there. You guys rest for a few minutes!"

"Wait, Dhanya! I'll come with you! I can't stand this blabbermouth." Vihana called.

"Hey!" Vihaan grumbled, annoyed that both the ladies ditched him. His eyes widened when he saw Vihana climb the step casually without holding the railing. "Viha, careful!"

"I know!" Vihana rolled her eyes at yet another overprotective male in her family.

She regretted announcing her pregnancy to them last week. She should have waited a few more days before informing them, but her eager ass blurted it out to her husband, who happened to be on call with her overly enthusiastic mother.

And that was how the overprotective saga began.

"Aww, look at my bestie!" Dhanya's squeal broke her train of thoughts.

"Wow!" Vihana gasped, stopping in her tracks as she stared at her cousin, her brother's bride.

The only thought that rang through Vihana's mind as she scanned her cousin from head to toe was, 'Breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking.'

"How do I look?" Harshitha questioned; a smile stretched on her red lips as she awaited their answer.

She was decked in a rich maroon Kancheepuram handloom silk saree, the drape accentuating her beautiful curves. As if implying how her life would be filled with love and tenderness, her whole saree had exquisite bloom patterns that glistened when the light reflected with infinite flower vines along the border.

She had opted for a natural look, so they only applied light makeup to enhance her already beautiful features, as red roses and jasmine buds adorned her braided hair to complete the look.

"You look stunning, like super stunning!" Dhanya grinned, hugging her gently, mindful not to mess up the antique set her best friend adorned on her neck.

"You look smoking hot!" Vihana exclaimed, embracing the beautiful bride in her arms, who hugged her back gently.

"Thank you, ladies! You both look so pretty!"

"Harshi!" Vihana drawled.

"What?" Sensing something off, Harshitha tilted her head at Vihana as she stared at her without blinking, a creepy smile on her face as she glanced behind her smugly.

'Is someone behind?'

Seeing Harshitha start to turn around, Vihana quickly stopped her from turning, cupping her face to look at her.

"You know what? Let's ditch our husbands and marry each other." Vihana suggested and winked, causing Harshitha to burst into laughter.

"Viha! If you'd confessed to me before Vikram. I would have totally married you!" Harshitha playfully slapped her arms, eyes curving in crescents as she beamed, her almond eyes lined with kohl and eyeliner twinkling in mischief.

"Who would you have married, baby?"

Harshitha's breath hitched when a strong arm circled her waist from behind, pulling her back against a hard chest; the chest she had leaned against million times. She placed her mehndi-filled hands on the person's forearm, turning around to see her handsome groom already staring at her.

His tall form dressed in half white dhoti and shirt, golden zari running along the length of the dhoti, making him look more elevated in height.

"Y- you." Her already blush-dusted cheeks reddened under his smoldering gaze as his brown eyes scanned her from head to toe, his arms tightening around her waist when he noticed her red-painted parted lips.

He couldn't wait to kiss those lips.

Noticing the bindi was slightly off to the right, he raised his hand to correct her maroon bindi between her arched eyebrows, the gold kaapu snug around his wrist glistening in the sunlight as he caressed her cheeks gently. (Kaapu-men's bracelet/bangle)

"Ready?" Vikram's voice was hoarse with emotion as he stared down at his darling with bright eyes, who returned it with a sweet smile.

"Always," Harshitha replied, nodding as she stared forward at the makeshift altar.

"The registrar is here," Radha announced, waving the to-be-couple over, a sweet smile on her face as she watched them standing under the tree, her son's arms around Harshu tightly as they spoke among themselves.

Swoon.

As Hari and Vihana decided to tie the knot the same year they got engaged, Vikram and Harshu wanted to wait a year for their wedding.

However, when they started the plan after a year, Harshitha got transferred to Hyderabad, so they had to postpone the wedding till her project was over, which nearly took a year to complete.

Now, they were finally getting married after three long years of engagement, and she couldn't be happier.

"We have another five weddings scheduled after this, so please make it quick." The registrar stated, opening the temple register book, in which the couples sign to get their marriage certificate later.

Legally, if a couple wanted to get married in the temple, they had to go through n number of processes to get their legal marriage certificate.

Getting married wasn't as easy as portrayed in films and books! A thali tied around their necks and sindoor smeared on their foreheads is not enough to make them legally married. The documents must be legally registered.

(W/N- I'm just trying to educate you guys, hehe🤧, don't elope, kids. Be wise-says the one who wants to elope just for the thrill😭, just kidding, don't tell my mom💀) okay, back to the story!

As per their family tradition, all the wedding takes place in the temple, so they decided to get married in Coimbatore Eachanari temple. (Lord Ganesha temple)

Within a few minutes, everyone gathered around the beautiful couple, who looked like a match made in heaven as they exchanged the garland, their friends and cousin hollering loudly.

"Anni! Don't let anna put the garland!" Vihana ordered, pulling Harshitha back from Vikram, whose hand was left hanging in the air as his bride was pulled away.

Vihana winked at her brother and embraced her sister-in-law from behind, placing a loud smooch on the bride's cheeks to annoy her brother, which perfectly worked as he narrowed his eyes at her.

'Naa single ah irukum bothu epdi torture panirpa!' Vihana raised a challenging brow at her brother.

"Hari, please mind your wife. She was trying to covet my bride from the morning," Vikram's lips quirked up in a smirk, his shirt straining against his bicep as he reached forward and pulled Harshitha into his arms, who shook her head, hearing everyone burst into laughter.

"Am I not enough for you? You want my sister too, hmm?" Hari murmured against her ear, his lips grazing against her ear slyly as he drew her petite figure into his arms.

Captured between his protective arms, she shrugged and murmured, "Well, what could I do? She is gorgeous." Hari chuckled, tightening his arms around his pregnant wife gently.

Once the garlands were exchanged, they were asked to fill out the form.

Vikram's steady hands filled out detail quickly as if there was no tomorrow, causing everyone to laugh at his speed. "Slow down, Vikram. No one's going to steal your bride!"

"Harshitha, please fill this." Harshitha moved forward at the registrar's call, her bangles clanking like a melody as she took the pen out of Vikram's hand and wrote the detail precisely.

"Does anyone have an objection to this wedding? If, please tell." The man behind the registrar's sharp voice boomed over the crowd, forcing everyone silent.

Everyone stayed silent. The only noise filling the space was the birds chirping and the vehicle running on the road. Suganya even closed Devi's mouth with her hands to prevent the moody teenager from speaking.

"If not, I will proce—

"I *ahem* have *ahem*."

Vikram's head snapped up when he heard a familiar voice followed by a series of coughs, more like mocking and teasing coughs from the side.

"Do you guys need anything?" Vikram gritted the question through his teeth, his hands forming in fists as he glared at their group of friends standing among the crowd, all dressed in color coordination with their partner/spouse.

"No, machan. Everything alright!" Feeling his best friend's seething glare, Gokul coughed, acting like he was choking in the air. In an attempt to sound honest, he leaned against his wife like he was fainting, who facepalmed at his 50-paise acting.

"Then, please keep your f—" He stopped when he saw his mom's warning glare directed towards him at his choice of the word inside the temple and continued, "—freaking mouths shut."

Their friends nodded, struggling to control their laughter as they saw Vikram possessively hold Harshitha's hand.

Whipped

"Any other ob—

Vikram interrupted, "Sir, can we move on to the next step?"

The registrar's gaze swept across the young groom looking at him with impatience as he leaned against the table.

"Hmm, yes." He nodded, pursing his lips and pushing the register towards the couple.

"Sign here."

Before signing, Vikram's bright eyes looked at his darling, who was already smiling at him, her eyes looking at him with unshed tears.

Engulfing her left hand tightly, he leaned down and signed his name under the groom column, feeling his darling lean against his arms while the sound of the camera shutters filled the background with their family and friends' cheers.

"The bride." Harshitha closed her eyes and breathed deeply to calm her palpitating heart. Her heart was heavy with emotions as she stared at the form with moist eyes.

Everything felt unreal but beautifully unreal.

"Relax, baby," Vikram whispered, kissing her knuckles as he caressed her back gently with his left hand. "Here, smile for me!" Harshitha looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile, to which he grinned back and said, "That's my girl!"

Seeing the display of affection, everyone awed, causing Harshitha to hide her blushing cheeks in Vikram's arms, even his ears turned red, but he had an earsplitting smile.

Soon, loud cheers and congratulations filled the temple as Harshitha signed her name, sealing their future together.

A beautiful future they dreamed of together for more than thirteen years.

The moment she dropped the pen on the table, she was embraced by her husband —the word husband felt so beautiful— his strong arms squeezing her gently into his arms. She breathed deeply, his intoxicating scent engulfing her, causing her to melt into his arms.

Keeping the place and people in their minds, they didn't dare hug for more than a few seconds before retracting.

"Ponnu, maapilai, inge vaango! Thali kata venamona?" The priest beckoned the couple over to the makeshift altar, where the sacred fire was lit as he chanted the mantras.

(Bride and groom, come here! Don't you want to tie the mangalsutra?)

The glowing couple strode over while their family's power couple Prathyuksha and Siddharth signed the witness and completed the remaining procedure. (Wink wink)

"I wanna get married too." Dhanya clutched her boyfriend's shirt, seeing her best friend and Vikram sit down in front of the sacred homa.

Vihaan raised an eyebrow, looking at her shiny eyes in amusement, and replied, "Sure, but only if the groom was me."

"Then who would I marry, idiot?" Vihaan laughed, and his head was thrown back in laughter as his sassy girlfriend strode away to join everyone.

Seeing the Harshitha break out in sweat, Vihana crouched down to offer the tissue, who took it out of her hands with a grateful smile.

"Maa, could you ask the others to move back?" Vikram requested his mother see all the ladies pushing to stand near them. If he didn't speak now, they would surely spoil the moment when he ties the thali.

"Okay." Radha requested everyone to move back, beckoning Dhanya and Viha to stand behind the bride and groom. Sakthi and herself stood at the sides with their husband.

The grandparents, who were in their 80s' sat on the chair that was brought by Hari for the elders. As if defying the time, they still looked the same as they were in their 70s.

Eating healthy and breathing pure oxygen was one of the main reasons they still looked good and moved freely. That's why they want Vihana to stay at their native place during her pregnancy, but Vihana was not okay with staying without Hari.

And Hari was not okay with leaving his wife out of his sight. That would be discussed after the wedding and other rituals.

"Hari, go stand beside Viha." Lakshmi patted his hands, which were placed on the back of her chair when she saw Vihana looking around in the crowd. Surely searching for her husband.

"Hmm, do you need anything?" Hari leaned down and asked her, his eyes glancing at his wife as she spoke to Dhanya over the loud chanting.

"Hari, we're here with them! You go enjoy your sister's wedding." Prathyuksha's warm voice said, urging him towards the altar as she turned around in search of her husband.

Where did that clingy giant go?

A gentle smile broke onto her face when she saw him carrying their child in his arms as he coaxed the child to stay awake, who kept snuggling closer into his neck, hiding those beautiful eyes behind those long lashes.

.

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"Ketumelam ketumelam!"

Vikram reached out his hands to their grandparents, who passed the sacred thali to him after praying. His fingers tightened around the yellow threat as he tilted his head at his darling, who nodded at him.

Her face was illuminated by the sacred fire lit before them, her kohl-lined eyes shining as she gazed at him with love, causing his heart to skip a beat.

She makes him fall for her every second.

Every damn second.

The rhythm of nadaswaram and thavil filled the temple as he tied the thali around his darling's neck, his gaze fixed on his darling's face as she looked back at him, a smile playing on their lips.

"I'll do it." He stopped Vihana when she reached to tie the third knot as per tradition. Vihana rolled her eyes at her brother playfully and stepped back as everyone around them laughed.

Vikram would never change.

In the middle of the flower shower and cheering, Vikram leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on top of her head, his hands tightening around her small hands as a lone tear rolled down his cheeks.

"I love you." Harshitha mouthed, reaching forward to wipe his tears, her situation was not different from him either as she blinked back her tears, blushing when he leaned down, his lips dangerously close to her ear causing goosebumps to erupt on her skin from his hot breath as he whispered, "I love you more, pondatti!"

"Vikram." Harshitha smiled and pressed her palms against his chest, pushing him away from her slightly to create distance between them.