Rajvansh Haveli – After Muh Dikhai & Dinner
Yukti tried her best to stay graceful through the muh dikhai and dinner, accepting jewelry, blessings, and compliments with a strained smile. But beneath her embroidered dupatta and perfect posture, her body was screaming for help.
She hadn’t eaten more than two bites. Her stomach churned. Her back ached. And the dull tug in her lower belly had evolved into sharp cramps that came in waves, tightening her core every few minutes.
As she reached their room with Yuvraj, she tried to keep it together — until the door closed behind them and the mask dropped.
Inside Their Room
She stumbled slightly while removing her bangles.
Yuvraj was at her side in a flash. “Kitten? You okay?”
Yukti closed her eyes, clutching her abdomen. “I think my periods have started. I… I don’t feel well.”
Yuvraj’s face immediately shifted into doctor-mode. “How bad?”
She shook her head weakly. “Just… give me a second.”
But a stronger cramp hit, and her body bent slightly forward in pain. Her throat tightened — not just from discomfort, but from humiliation. Not tonight. Not like this.
“I need the washroom,” she muttered and hurried inside, locking the door.
Inside the Washroom
She threw up. Again. And again.
Her hands trembled as she held the basin, her knees shaking, her forehead covered in sweat. She sank to the cold tiled floor, her dupatta twisted around her arms, gasping through the pain.
Every movement made her body ache — her lower back throbbed, her head pounded, and the cramps hit like clenched fists from inside. A flush of heat came over her, then cold. She was burning up.
Why now? Why tonight of all nights?
A knock. “Yukti?” Yuvraj’s voice was gentle. “Open the door, please.”
She didn’t have the strength to reply. Tears slid down her cheek.
“Yukti, I’m coming in.”
Moments Later
Yuvraj pushed open the door and froze.
Yukti sat slumped against the bathroom wall, pale, sweaty, and trembling. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up at him. “I tried to act normal… I really did.”
Without a word, he crossed the room, knelt beside her, and carefully lifted her in his arms.
“You don’t have to pretend. Not with me.”
Back in the Room
He laid her down gently on the bed, removed the remaining pins from her dupatta and hair, and draped a soft shawl around her. Her hands instinctively wrapped around her abdomen again.
“I feel like my insides are being wrung out,” she whispered.
“I know, sweetheart. I know.”
He quickly prepared a hot water bag, placed a cool cloth on her forehead, and brought her a small, doctor-approved painkiller and anti-nausea syrup. “Take this. You’ll feel better soon.”
She took the meds hesitantly, gagging slightly at the taste. A fresh cramp left her breathless.
Yukti turned away from him. “This is so embarrassing... my first night and I’m a mess.”
Yuvraj sat behind her on the bed, gently massaging her lower back. “This isn’t embarrassing. This is real. You’re in pain, and I’m here — exactly where I should be.”
Later That Night***
Her fever hovered around 100°F. Her body was sore. The vomiting stopped, but the cramps returned stronger around midnight. She let out a soft cry, twisting slightly in the sheets.
Yuvraj held her hand, then climbed into bed beside her. He pulled her into him, tucking her into his chest as he pressed the hot water bag against her stomach and placed his other hand firmly but gently where the pain flared.
Yukti broke down.
“I hate this, Yuvraj. I feel helpless. I can’t even sit up without pain. I wanted today to be special.”
He didn’t say anything right away. He let her cry. Then, slowly, he whispered, “It is special — because today, we became a team. This is what real life looks like, Yukti. And I’m proud of you for letting me in — even now.”
She sniffled, then nestled her head into the crook of his neck.
“I don’t deserve you,” she whispered.
He smiled, kissing the top of her head. “You deserve better than me. But you’re stuck now, Mrs. Yukti Yuvraj Rajvansh.”
Just Before Dawn****
She finally drifted off to sleep in his arms, the pain dulled but not gone. Her fingers still curled around his, even in sleep.
Yuvraj didn’t move, didn’t sleep — he just stayed beside her, quietly protecting the woman who had unknowingly taught him what love actually looked like.
To be continued.
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