Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Meetings and greetings

Anvi

Sunday came unusually fast and I was dreading every second of it. The guy and his family were supposed to arrive at lunchtime. I knew nothing about him. I refused to know anything about him when my family tried to tell me because I wanted to say no to him. Bhabhi was in full-on teasing mode even though she was the one who didn't want me to be married so early in the first place. Suddenly her behaviour changed drastically as if she knew that this one was going to be the guy for me.

Weird! Everyone had been pestering me a lot these days even my brother, I just preferred to ignore my crazy family.

My uncle and his family were invited to the meeting too. In our family, it is considered respectful to invite elders for marriage meetings. My uncle is a bit strict but he is sweet nevertheless. He has two kids, a boy and a girl. His son, Sanchit is pursuing his studies while his daughter, Srishti is already married for two years now. I am not close to any of my cousins but we share a cordial relation.

Everyone is behaving like I am going to be married already. It reminded me of the day my family went to see Akshita bhabhi for the first time. They behaved the same that day. God, what if I get married too? I groaned and went to change my clothes. For my parents, clothes didn't define the character but they believed I looked beautiful in a traditional attire so I had to wear one. If it was on me, I would wear a t-shirt and sweatpants all day. But to make my family happy, I wore a simple off-white palazzo set with peach and green thread prints embroidered on it, pairing it with nude stiletto heels. For my makeup, I simply applied a thin layer of kohl on my eyes and a peach matte lip colour on my lips and added a pair of earrings in my ears as an accessory. To complete my look, I left my hair open because my hair was naturally wavy.

I was a bundle of nerves waiting in my room all alone. Weird thoughts were running in my idle mind. After some time, I heard voices from outside implying that the guests had arrived. I tried to calm my nerves by breathing deeply but it was not helping. Bhabhi came to take me outside and to make me more nervous, she was giggling.

"Bhabhi, I am already very nervous. Can you please stop giggling like a schoolgirl?" I whined childishly.

"No, I won't stop. The guy is so good looking." "Let me tell Ashish bhai that you found the guy good-looking."

"Ugh, Ashish already knows. We both discussed together."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes at her.

"I know you are nervous but chill, okay. Just be yourself. You are better like that. You look beautiful, by the way." She added sweetly. I made a bad face at her.

"You actually do. Just believe it, Khushu. You don't know how to take compliments." I finally nodded with a small smile.

We both went outside and I was just holding her hand in a tight grip, looking down all the way. Suddenly, there was silence in the hall, everyone stopped speaking. Way to make me feel more nervous, people!

After some dreadful minutes of silence, I gathered some courage and looked up. Everyone was looking at me. I smiled shyly. Bhabhi introduced me to a middle-aged beautiful looking couple, who were the parents of the guy. I greeted them by folding my hands in front of them. The woman got up from her seat and smiled at me warmly. She is so beautiful. Wow! After greeting both the parents, my eyes wandered around to spot the guy. He was standing just beside them and when our eyes met, I felt the air whooshed out of my lungs. I gulped taking in his appearance.

He stood there like a gentleman, waiting for me to sit down. He was taller than me, a good few inches taller. I was wearing heels and I still looked short compared to him. He must be 5'11 or maybe 6 feet. He had the most gorgeous face I've ever seen in my life. With his messy chocolate brown hair, strong and chiselled jaw, high cheekbones and perfect nose, he looked picture perfect. To add to his charm, he had a thin but muscular physique, probably had abs to die for too. Wearing a blue shirt - the collar button of which was undone along with checkered grey pants, he looked like he just stepped out of a magazine photoshoot. He had that kind of face that stopped you in your tracks and left you wondering about him for hours. I think he might be used to it - people staring at him for long.

I was checking him out and it was probably giving him the wrong impression but I did not feel ashamed. This is the first time, that I checked out a guy, who is not a celebrity, for this long. Checking out a guy like him is a delight to the eyes, even for a prude like me. He definitely is a fine work of art at which I could stare all day. I heard someone clearing their throat and that was a wake-up call for me. After making a complete idiot of myself by checking him out so openly, I felt mortified. I caught my brother's eye and saw him smirking at me. To say I was embarrassed would be an understatement. I sat silently with the nice-looking people from before who introduced themselves as Mr Avinash Aggarwal and Dr Malini Aggarwal. I couldn't stop myself from trembling, maybe it was the result of my nervousness around people or it was my idiocy of checking out their son that made me feel nervous around them. But they had warm and nice personalities. Maybe something was wrong with me. Malini aunty understood my inner turmoil and kept her hand on mine. "Don't be nervous, Anvi beta. We are not taking your interview." Everyone laughed and I also tried to relax. They started a normal conversation with me, asking me a few questions here and there and telling me about themselves in between. My parents were talking to him but I was not able to concentrate on what he was saying. It wasn't bad for a first meeting, I guess.

"So, Anvi now that your study is over, what are your plans for the future? What are your interests by the way?" I froze at Avinash uncle's question. "I...I." I stuttered out. What to say? I don't know my plans.

"She helps us in the business sometimes but she would like to do something on her own. She is very intelligent," Bhai replied for me, after realising that I was not going to speak any time soon.

"Oh okay. Umm, Mr Sanket, if you don't mind, can we let the kids talk alone for some time?" "Yes, sure. I was about to say it too. It is a necessity after all. Akshita, please take Aditya and Anvi to the garden." Bhabhi stood up and we started walking towards our garden outside. Bhabhi was talking to him but I was in my own zone.

Aditya, the gorgeous name of the gorgeous face. I thought with a dreamy sigh.

Shut up Anvi!!! I scolded myself.

Bhabhi left me alone with him after winking at me. I stood there pouting while looking at her retreating figure. Please come back.

I felt his eyes on me and after contemplating several times in my head whether to turn around or not, I finally turned around and looked at him. It was a blunder because I started staring into his beautiful eyes, again. I cleared my throat and looked away shyly. What is this immediate connection that I feel with him?

"Hi." He initiated our supposed conversation.

"Umm h...hi." I croaked out like a frog.

"I mean, Hi." I laughed nervously.

"So?"

"So?"

"My name is Aditya Aggarwal." He said with a British accent. Why does he have a British accent all of a sudden? Anvi, you are so dead. I have been a total sucker for a British accent for as long as I could remember. How could he have a British accent? Is he from the UK? But I thought he is from Delhi. Stop ranting!

"I am Anvi Bansal?" Are you telling him or asking him? God! Anvi, please behave. We both smiled awkwardly at each other.

"So, how are you?" He asked politely.

"I am good. Really good. Umm, why do you have a British accent?" I asked all of a sudden. He looked shocked, heck, I am shocked at myself too. I desperately need a filter for my mouth.

"Don't answer that. I am just joking. Of course, you have an accent. People have it all the time. I have it too when I want to have it. Hahaha." I laughed nervously after my nonsensical rant.

Shut up, please! My first impression got ruined because of my stupid mouth. I was literally crying from inside. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" He asked smiling. "Ask away." I acted cool in front of him. I was trying to redeem myself and collect the remaining pieces of my wounded ego.

"Why did you freeze when dad asked about your future plans?" I looked at him shocked. How did he notice? Am I that transparent?

"No. You are not." He said. "Sorry?" "You just asked am I that transparent so I was saying, no you are not." He answered.

"Oh! Did I say that loud?" I asked sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck.

"Yeah. You did. So the answer to my question?" He asked again. "Which question?"

"Freezing part?" Oh! I am so dumb.

"Yes. Yes. Of course. I..." What should I do? Should I tell him or not? What if he laughed at me?

"Umm, actually I got a job in a company but my parents refused to let me do it." I finally said.

"Why would they do that?" He asked frowning. "The job was in Delhi. They couldn't send me there all alone. So..." I just shrugged my shoulders. His expression softened. "Are they forcing you for the marriage?" I immediately shook my head.

"No, no. It's nothing like that. They asked me before setting up everything. It was my decision. They never forced me for anything. They just love me too much and are a little overprotective." "What about your dreams then? You are letting them go so easily." He looked so disappointed while asking this.

"Why the fuck I would let go of my dreams deliberately, man?" I gasped at my response and bit my tongue. What have I done? Who speaks like that?

I peeked at him to see his reaction to my very 'healthy language'. I dropped the 'f-bomb' too soon. He was looking at me with an unreadable expression on his face. Did he get traumatised by my language? Why can't you shut your mouth, Anvi?

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Aditya

She is beautiful. Like so so beautiful. Her photo didn't do any justice to her. She is a hundred times more beautiful than her picture. Her dark chocolate hair was long and flowy, her skin seemed so flawless, her lips were plump and kissable and her eyes were a pool of emotions. She tried to hide her emotions but she was like an open book for me. Probably, others wouldn't be able to look at her and tell what she was thinking but I could and that too easily. I didn't know why.

I felt like I was seeing the girl of my dreams in front of me. When she came into the room with her head hung down, I just waited patiently for her to look up so that I could catch a glimpse of the face I saw only in a picture. And when she looked up with so much confidence, my world stopped right there. She is worth the wait. I felt like the two meetings I had before, disappeared right in front of me.

I was completely distracted while talking to her family. All I wanted was to hear her voice; I wanted her to talk to me, not to my parents. I felt desperate to talk to her. I was acting strange.

When we finally got to talk alone, she looked so nervous. She didn't want her bhabhi to leave her alone with me. I could see an adorable pout forming on her lips when her bhabhi left. I couldn't stop staring at her lips at that moment. She looked so sweet and innocent.

She didn't look at me and went crazy, she didn't fawn over me like other people normally did. She just looked at me with her innocent gaze as if she has never seen someone like me. She checked me out like a normal person and it did something to my heart. I have never felt comfortable under anyone's gaze before but today, it felt different. For the first time in my life, I wanted someone to keep staring at me and I wanted it to be her. She became special to me the moment she looked at me. I didn't know what the hell was happening to me? I have never had this kind of reaction to a girl before. Maybe this is what people call a spark.

I started a normal conversation with her but her expressions were breaking every barrier of my heart. I was drowning, drowning in her eyes and her beauty. I was lost, to be never found again. She asked me about my accent and then answered the question herself. She is so cute that I wanted to laugh out loud but I controlled it because it would embarrass her further. She felt so embarrassed that she asked me about my accent but still tried to play it cool. But after using the 'F' word, I could see that she totally lost it. She is so adorable. She was probably scolding herself in her head, her expressions were amusing to me.

"It's okay. I use the 'F' word quite often. Stop scolding yourself in your head." I saw her eyes going wide again. She must be so confused that how could I read her so easily, I was too. But she is so easily readable for me. "You are so beautiful." The words came out of my mouth before I could stop myself. It was all of a sudden. "Huh?" She looked bewildered but then in a moment, she turned crimson in shyness. She didn't even know how to accept compliments. God, she is so innocent. I want to marry her. Why is she so adorable? I am dying to get to know more about her. And now I was talking to myself, which was highly unusual. We both took our time to adjust our thoughts before starting the conversation again.

"Would you like your wife to work or be a homemaker?" She asked me this bizarre question.

"Is it my decision? Why would I decide that? It's her life, who am I to interfere. I would never throw my decisions at my wife. That is just unreasonable. Do I need permission to work? No, right? So why would she need my permission to work? That is just absurd." "You have such good thoughts. Five points to you for that." She said happily, then bit her tongue again.

"I am so childish. Hehe. I just get carried away sometimes." She said chuckling nervously.

"No, It's okay. Really. I am way more childish than you are. Mom treats me like a kid because of my behaviour. You should see me when I want something, I am a total lost cause." She laughed, making me laugh too. Her laughter is contagious and cute.

"Ok, I feel better hearing that." She smiled warmly.

"So, what did you study in college and what do you do?" She asked curiously looking at me. I was totally confused. Why was she asking me that? Doesn't everyone already know it?

"You don't know?" I asked frowning.

"No. I was kind of angry at everyone for the job thing so I didn't let anyone tell me anything. Is it weird to not know?" She murmured, rubbing the back of her neck nervously again. It looked like her nervous habit. I guess she really didn't know anything related to me. I had imagined that she might have already googled me but here until now, she hadn't even shown any signs of recognition towards me. Wow! this was like actually getting to know each other thing. The other girls I met, already knew everything about me and my family so it was kind of a boring meeting with them.

"It's okay. No trouble. We can know each other better by talking personally. Umm, so I studied business and now I work in my father's business."

"Oh! Did you always want to be a businessman and join your father's work? I mean your mother is a doctor. Did your parents have anything to do with your career choice?" In my head, I was like 'Hmm, good question.'

"Yeah, actually I have always been fond of my dad's work more and I used to go to dad's workplace as a teenager. He even let me do some jobs, kind of training thingy so I got attached to it. I mean I respect mum's profession too but I was always more inclined towards dad's business sense. I wanted to be a mix of my parents in terms of intellectual and moral attitude. They both are best in their respective fields. I wanted to be like them. Growing up, my parents never really inflicted any of their choices on me. I was given a choice and I chose to be a businessman." I finished shrugging my shoulders. "That is incredible. Getting to choose everything in life must be an amazing feeling. I guess it makes us responsible too." She said smiling. "Yeah, it does. Tell me more about yourself. Which company did you get the job in and what was your post?" I diverted the question to her before she could ask me more about my work. "It was in Rayson's Ltd. And I got the junior CFO position. Although I wanted something more executive where I could learn more but it was still a step in the right direction." "Impressive. Rayson's is a really good company with great growth prospects. I..." I stopped myself from blurting out the truth that our company acquired Rayson's ltd. last year. She didn't need to know that for now.

"So do you like travelling?" I asked immediately changing the topic. "Duh! Doesn't everyone? I know I do. I haven't travelled much though. But I do have a bucket list for it." "Really? Mind sharing with me?" I asked eager to hear her thoughts.

"Yeah sure, if you wish to know but let me warn you beforehand, it is kind of childish and I go overboard with my travel plans." Her eyes had a teasing glint in them.

"I don't mind. So which place is on the top of your bucket list?" "London. My dream city." She said sighing dreamily.

"Really?" I asked surprised. "Yeah. It's so beautiful. I wish to go there someday. I keep looking at the pictures online. I want to see the London eye. I have read the view is amazing there."

"Hopefully we will go soon," I muttered under my breath.

"Sorry?" She asked perplexed. I changed the topic in an instant.

"Nothing. Then afterwards?"

"Afterwards, I want to visit the whole of India. I have so many places in my mind. I want to see every single place on Earth. And I am being too ambitious." She giggled. I stared at her in longing. She is completely my kind of person.

"It is good to be ambitious," I told her with a smile. She smiled back.

"Bhai has travelled a lot, he went to culinary school in Mumbai and they took him to different places in Europe. I always tell him that he is super lucky."

"Your parents differentiate between you two. He gets to travel around the world but you don't even get to go to Delhi for your job."

"No, it's nothing like that. My case is a bit different. I am different. My family wanted to take me to London but I refused. I wasn't in the right frame of mind at that time. And honestly, I didn't fight enough for the job. Maybe I didn't deserve it. Leave it..." She smiled sadly. What did she mean by the right frame of mind? Why was she blaming herself? She had so little pride in herself.

I didn't probe her further because it seemed like a heavy topic for her.

"Enough about me. Tell me about yourself too. Do you like to travel?" She asked smiling genuinely. I was about to answer but her sister-in-law came to take us back.

I couldn't believe my ears when she said we have been talking for about two hours. That long conversation and I still didn't want to leave. I looked at Anvi and she was also looking at me with the same expressions. We both smiled at each other as if telling one another that we had a great time. Finally, we went inside to join the elders. Anvi went back to her room. I kept staring at her retreating figure. Why so early? I pouted slightly. Mom- dad looked at me with raised eyebrows and I instantly straightened up.

"Your looks of longing are telling me how smitten you are by her," Mom whispered to me with a giggle.

"I know your answer but still, let's just go through the procedure. Do you like her?" I frowned at her words but smiled afterwards.

"Yes, I like her. She is the girl I would like to share my life with. A girl who is strong, witty and determined. Just the right type, my type." I spoke without hesitation. "I want to say 'I told you so' so badly," Dad said trying to control his laughter. I rolled my eyes at him. "But finally, you like someone. We're so happy for you, Adi." Mom-dad gleamed with happiness.

At that moment, I wished for only one thing - Anvi's yes for marriage.