Chapter One Hundred Thirty: The Double Wedding - Part Three (Akshi's Ceremony)
The sun had set.
The east lawn, where Shreya and Mithun had exchanged vows that morning, was now quiet and peaceful, decorated with memories of their beautiful ceremony.
But the west lawn?
The west lawn was TRANSFORMED.
Pink and gold EVERYWHERE. Fairy lights in every color. Flowers in vibrant shades. The whole space looked like a celebration exploded and then was carefully arranged into perfection.
Perfect for Akshi.
Perfect for chaos.
Perfect for love.
---
Guests moved from the indoor reception for Shreya's wedding to the outdoor setup for Akshi's evening ceremony.
Tita Gemma directed traffic. "EVERYONE TO THE WEST LAWN! AKSHI'S CEREMONY STARTS IN THIRTY MINUTES!"
Tito Rachel followed with coffee. "She's been like this all day."
Kuya Angelo nodded. "She's in her element."
Ion smiled. "It's beautiful."
---
The chairs filled quickly.
Same faces. Same family. Different energy.
Percy was already crying. "ANOTHER WEDDING! ON THE SAME DAY! I CAN'T HANDLE IT!"
Honey handed him a fresh tissue. "Babe, you've gone through three boxes."
"WORTH IT!"
C.N. had his notebook out. "Second wedding of the day. Statistical probability of chaos: Higher than first."
Rakii nodded. "I'm ready."
David grabbed Freya's arm. "I'M GONNA CRY AGAIN!"
Freya patted him. "You always cry."
"BUT THIS IS AKSHI!"
"Akshi is chaos. You'll survive."
---
Felix and Bridget sat together, still glowing from Shreya's ceremony. Felix smiled. "Two weddings in one day. This family is amazing."
Bridget nodded. "The best kind of amazing."
Mica was practically vibrating. "PINK! GOLD! SPARKLY! EVERYTHING!"
Calix held her down. "Mica, breathe."
"I CAN'T! WEDDING NUMBER TWO!"
---
Shreya and Mithun arrived, still in their wedding attire.
Shreya glowed. Mithun was calm and happy beside her.
They sat in the front row, ready to watch their sister.
Shreya squeezed Mithun's hand. "Our turn to watch."
Mithun kissed her forehead. "The best seat in the house."
---
Keiran was losing his mind.
"TWO WEDDINGS! AUNTIE AKSHI IS NEXT! REX IS SO EXCITED!"
Rex seemed genuinely thrilled.
Ganesha nodded solemnly.
Jay laughed. "Baby, calm down."
"CAN'T! WEDDING!"
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "He gets that from you."
"From ME? He gets it from EVERYONE."
"Fair point."
---
The music shifted.
Bollywood beats.
Because of course.
Percy was on his feet. "BOLLYWOOD! I'VE BEEN PRACTICING!"
He demonstrated his moves.
They were... something.
Everyone clapped anyway.
---
The bridal party processed.
Shreya walked first—now as Akshi's matron of honor, still in her wedding dress, glowing with happiness.
Then Jay. Then Ella. Then the others.
Each one stunning.
Then—
The music changed again.
Something dramatic.
Something perfect.
---
Akshi appeared.
---
She was a vision.
Pink and gold. Vibrant. Sparkly. Absolutely Akshi.
Her dress was covered in intricate embroidery. Her jewelry sparkled in the fairy lights. Her smile could have lit up the entire mansion.
She walked down the aisle alone.
But not really alone.
Everyone she loved was watching.
Everyone she loved was cheering.
---
Chethan waited at the altar.
He was crying.
Openly. Unashamedly. Beautifully.
She reached him.
Took his hands.
"You're crying," she whispered.
"You're beautiful."
"Obviously."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
---
The officiant smiled. "These two. Shall we begin?"
They nodded.
Chethan went first with his vows.
"Akshi. You are chaos. You are loud. You are absolutely insane." He paused. "And you are the best thing that ever happened to me."
She laughed through tears.
"Before you, my life was calm. Boring. Predictable. Then you came along and set everything on fire. In the best way possible."
He squeezed her hands.
"I love your loudness. I love your chaos. I love the way you burn everything you cook and still insist on trying. I love the way you laugh. I love the way you fight with me. I love all of it."
Tears streamed down her face.
"I promise to always let you be you. To always match your energy. To always—" He laughed. "To always try to keep up."
---
Akshi wiped her eyes.
Took a breath.
"Chethan. Before you, I didn't know what love was supposed to feel like. I thought it was supposed to be calm. Quiet. Easy."
She squeezed his hands.
"Then I met you. And you showed me that love can be loud. Chaotic. Messy. And still absolutely perfect."
He cried harder.
"You never try to calm me down. You never tell me to be quieter. You just... match me. Step for step. Chaos for chaos."
She smiled through tears.
"I promise to always be loud for you. To always bring the chaos. To always—" She laughed. "To always burn dinner and make you eat it anyway."
---
The crowd laughed.
The officiant smiled. "The rings, please."
Keiran ran up with the pillow.
Rex and Ganesha supervised.
Chethan took the ring. Slipped it onto Akshi's finger.
Akshi took the other. Slipped it onto his.
---
The officiant beamed. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
Chethan grabbed her.
Dipped her.
Kissed her like the world was ending.
She kissed him back the same way.
---
The crowd ERUPTED.
Percy was on the floor. "ANOTHER KISS! ANOTHER WEDDING! I CAN'T!"
Honey helped him up. "Babe, you're going to dehydrate."
"WORTH IT!"
Shreya was crying happy tears. Mithun held her.
Jay leaned against Keifer. "Another one."
"Another one."
"Our family."
"The best family."
---
Akshi and Chethan walked back down the aisle together.
Husband and wife.
Laughing. Crying. Holding each other.
Perfection.
---
The reception was CHAOS.
Bollywood music. Dancing. Food. Laughter.
Percy led the dance floor. Honey tried to keep up.
C.N. actually danced. Once. It was documented.
Rakii photographed everything.
David started a dance-off. Freya joined.
Felix and Bridget swayed together.
Mica and Calix were everywhere.
Keiran ran in circles with Rex and Ganesha.
---
Akshi grabbed Shreya. "SISTER WEDDINGS!"
Shreya hugged her. "SISTER WEDDINGS!"
"On the same day!"
"The same day!"
"We did it!"
"We did it!"
They hugged. Cried. Laughed.
The sisters.
Forever.
---
Chethan found Mithun. "Brother."
Mithun nodded. "Brother."
"We're married."
"We're married."
"To sisters."
"To sisters."
"Our life is going to be chaos."
"Always has been."
---
Jay watched it all.
Her family.
Her chaos.
Her heart.
Keifer wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Happy?"
"Ridiculously."
"Me too."
She touched her stomach.
Still a secret.
But soon.
Soon.
---
Percy grabbed the mic. "EVERYONE! A TOAST! TO AKSHI AND CHETHAN! TO SHREYA AND MITHUN! TO DOUBLE WEDDINGS!"
"TO DOUBLE WEDDINGS!" everyone echoed.
Honey took the mic. "And to sleep. Because we're all exhausted."
"TO SLEEP!"
---
The night continued.
Dancing. Laughter. Love.
Two weddings.
One family.
Forever.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Thirty