His Knight in High Heels

Keerti's POV:-

The only worry of my mother ever since I've turned twenty five is my marriage. She thinks that I'm missing out all the fun of my life by letting all the eligible bachelors pass away. She just doesn't understand that I have my ambitions to follow and a life I would love to live before settling down in the bond of marriage.

"Do you have anyone in mind for whom you're refusing all the marriage proposals? You can tell me you know. I won't judge..." See this is what I'm talking about. She just doesn't get the picture that I want to grow in my career and not put a full stop to my ambitions by getting married.

"No mom. I'm not seeing anyone and I'm not interested yet, "I plead trying to get her off my back.

"Anu, I'm hungry." Dad says and mom soon runs to kitchen to prepare food. This was my dad's and my tactic to distract mom from giving us lecture and it has always worked.

"Thanks Dad, " I say before concentrating on the project I'm working on.

"Do you have five minutes Bujji?" Dad asks and I look at him confused. Dad wanting to speak to me is rare but very important and unlike mom dad approaches a topic logically instead emotionally making me ponder over both the pros and cons of a topic before asking my decision unlike mom who asks my decision at the spot...

"Yes, Dad." I ask picking up few files from beside making some space for him to sit while he helps me keep the files on the coffee table next to him and sits down beside me comfortably.

"You know we were only twenty seven when we had you, "he starts and I groan out loud.

"Not you too Dad. I've just started my career and I want to fulfill my dreams. I..."

"Who's stopping you Bujji? Do you trust us?" Dad asks and I nod my head without second thought while he smiles lightly.

"Then believe me, he's the best match for you. We like him a lot but the final choice will be yours, " Dad says lifting both his hands up in surrender while I sigh.

"Dad, I've lot to do before getting married. I've to..."

"Enough Keerti. You know what's the problem with your generation? You people get so busy in chasing after your career and money all your life that you forget that money is for leading a luxurious life but not life itself and by the time you set your priorities right, you'll be regretting." He says with disappointment dripping in his voice and I feel guilty for no fault of mine...

"What do you want me to do Dad?"I ask getting straight to the point without beating around the bush.

"I want you to be happy Bujji. I just want you to meet Vinay once and then decide for yourself."

"Only one proposal for this whole year, " I bargain and he sighs.

"Only if you promise to meet him with no bias and judgement. Vinay is my friend Shekhar's son and he's the next hire to his father's business empire..."

"Dad, I don't care about money. All I want is a person who's just like you and mom who understands me and who wouldn't cut my wings for anything in the world." I say my opinion and dad smiles nodding at me.

"And here I thought you were hungry, " mom accuses dad while he smiles and walks towards her with a secret smile on his face making me turn my head. I wouldn't want to scar my eyes looking at their romance now. Would I??

I just hope Vinay is how dad describes him to be. There is nothing wrong in doing something for parent's happiness. Is it?

Blocking all other talks, I start reading files and preparing an apt presentation for my tomorrow's meeting.

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Vinay's POV:-

"You called for me?" I ask entering my father's study also known as The Monster's Cave to see him talking on phone.

He nods and gestures me to sit down while he finishes the call. I sit down in front of him and start drumming my fingers on table making my father irritated with the sound.

"I'll call you back, "he says ending the call and looks at me annoyingly.

"That was an important call, "he snaps.

"I had an important work too when you summoned me, " I snap and he sighs before opening a file and pushes it towards me to see the contents.

There were pictures of a beautiful girl smiling from different angles and in various poses.

"She's Keerti, Chandra's daughter. I want you to meet her and impress her for your marriage." He orders making me want to break his head and see which part of his brain is not proper that he doesn't understand a simple sentence that I don't want to marry.

"I don't want to meet her." I yell at my dad to make my point clear.

"Neither of us are getting any younger and I want you to learn taking up your responsibility serious by marrying her."

"Why do you hate me so much?" I ask him while he sighs and walks off the room without answering my question but warning me of the consequences if I don't meet Keerti. I don't know why I still bother talking or listening to him when I know that my opinion doesn't matters.

He knows that marriage is a very big responsibility and without earning, I can't take care of my family and so he's pestering me to marry so that I'll accept his offer to step into the CEO position while he can retire and travel around the world with Mom. But, what he doesn't know is that my hate for working in his office is bigger than marrying a random stranger.

If meeting her will pull me off the hook then I can always give a try to it. If I cannot reject her than may be I'll make her reject me. Anyways which girl would want to marry a guy who doesn't want to work and earn for his family??

Get ready Keerti Reddy, I'll make you say NO to this proposal by yourself so that I can enjoy my bachelorhood on my terms and conditions...

After two weeks:

"Mom, I have a meeting to attend yet. I'll be late, " I tell mom and hear her sigh on other side. I don't hear her nag or voice for next forty five seconds making me wonder if she cut the call in anger. But, my father's voice on the other side proves me wrong.

"Fine Bujji, All the best for your meeting. But, don't forget to clear all your schedule tomorrow because no reason of yours will work tomorrow." Dad warns and I nod my head in understanding but then realize that he can't see me. So, I clear my throat once and say a small okay! After which I cut the call and rush towards the meeting room.

The meeting goes as planned and an extension of deadline is given to make the project theme better as all the ideas were either routine or boring...

"Nisha, clear my schedule for tomorrow and don't call on my private number until and unless it's life-death situation, " I order and she looks at me quizzically. Never in my career so far have I given her that order but if I'm meeting him then let's do it the right way...

"Why? If I may ask Mam, " my secretary Nisha asks and I sigh.

"I'm meeting a guy, " I tell her and she squeals.

"Oh my god! Is it tinder love or Hypster love or..."

Hearing her recall all dating apps, I laugh off cutting her in middle. It's an arrange marriage proposal Nisha. I clear her confusion and now she looks at me as if I'm an alien from a different planet.

"What?" I ask suddenly self conscious at her stare.

An arrange marriage proposal? She questions and I nod my head not understanding what the fuss was all about.

Fuck Keerti! This is 21st century and you still want to go for a traditional approach? When you have men falling at your feet?? She asks really confused and I sigh at how her professionalism went out of window.

Nisha has been my best friend from grade 3 and when we joined this work together with me as her boss and she my PA, she insisted that we follow professionalism and now I just had to tell her one happening thing of my life and she's thrown all her inhibitions out...

My parents marriage was an arranged too and I want a bond just like theirs and I don't mind going for arranged marriage as long as my spouse and I share a bond like my parents. You also know that I don't believe in finding your match in dating apps only thing you can find in them is horny strangers ready for sex.

That's so not true she contradicts and I lift my hands in surrender as she's an active participant in these apps wanting to meet the Mr.Right through one of them...

"All the best on your first meeting!" She wishes hugging me while I hug her back hoping this meeting goes well.

Vinay's POV:

It seems I'm not the only one who doesn't want to marry because she has been postponing the meeting for as long as now.

Unlike everytime, I didn't waste time. Instead I've gathered all her information from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and what not. I must say she's very active on all her social accounts.

Though she has privacy on downloading her pictures, I've taken screenshots of many and then cropped it using snapseed. I don't know why I'm stalking her accounts without even meeting her.

My intuition tells me that I can try things out with this girl but she's a very outgoing extrovert and I'm her opposite lonely introvert. I don't think our compatibility can ever match because I don't know anything except family, gym, kitchen and my two buddies from grade 1 who have struck to me until now while she seems to have a big circle of friends...

Even if we can work out other stuff what about her reaction when she comes to know that I don't want to work? I'm not the stereotypical robot of this world and without her understanding this simple logic, we can never work out.

I just hope that either she accepts me with all of my flaws or directly reject me instead of laughing at me like my family does...

"What will you do?" I ask looking at her cropped picture on my phone...

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"Hey! I'm Keerti." She greets sitting in front of me while I give her a broad smile finally seeing her in front of me.

"Hello! I'm Vinay" I wish starting the conversation but she just rolls her eyes making me look at her quizzically.

Of course, I know that. My dad has been telling your name from past two weeks non-stop, she says making me wonder if it's a positive or negative remark. I settle with the former to boost my male ego.

We start talking about our childhood, likes and dislikes in food, sports, entertainment, movies, technology and what not. Keerti seems to be an easy person to speak with and I wonder when was the last time I spoke to someone this comfortably.

"What do you do?" She asks me the only question that I've been dreading all evening. No, not because I'm ashamed of myself but because even at twenty eight, I don't know what to make out of my education. I'm a merit student and a gold medalist but these ranks and marks doesn't give me satisfaction that I'm looking for. Neither does dad's company give me happiness...

Honesty, is the best policy and so I tell her the truth that I live off my father's money and I don't do anything.

Her reaction isn't what I expected it to be. I thought that my intuition was correct and that she was the one, but seems like I've judged her quickly because she laughs and mocks me for my laziness in front of the whole restaurant making me feel low for the first time in life with no defence to protect myself...

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"Noooo, " I scream waking up with sweat covering my forehead. It was just a dream, I tell myself but it felt so damn real. Is this some indication about today's happening??