Arranged!

The next morning, as you might have guessed, was a ruckus.

No one was ready for what was happening and no one had any idea how to do it.

Shreya wasn’t sure if her father will really follow his plan. Her mother was confused and excited, there were so many preparations to be done and none was completed. Her father was a whole different story. He was in the balcony, jumping up and down then switching to breathing exercises while trying to figure out what to say. He had gone on and said that he’d invite Vansh for his daughter’s hand in marriage, but this was his first daughter. He had no idea how exactly to ask.

Vansh was excited and happy, waiting for his soon to be father-in-law at his doorstep. Vansh’s father, though experienced in finding girls for his son, had no idea how to react when he met the father of his son’s girlfriend who he had never met.

Suffice to say, no one knew how the hell it was going to happen.

But it did happen. And surprisingly it went well: mostly because both fathers understood each other’s confusion and did not comment on any blunders.

As it happens with arrange marriages in India, the girl’s parents’ first visited the prospective groom. They invited the groom and his family in their home, where the groom was allowed to check the girl out rightfully. Checking her out was the whole purpose.

The groom and bride spent some time alone together, to decide if they like each other and give their final answers to their parents (usually a week later).

The same tradition followed.

A week later Vansh and his dad arrived in their house. Even though every person in this room knew that both Vansh and Shreya knew each other, very well, in fact; they still decided the two of them as new prospective and shy bride and groom.

Shreya was standing in her kitchen, staring at the boiling water, when she heard the doorbell ring. She was dressed in a light pink saree and a bindi on her forehead. Finger rings and delicate bracelets decorated her hands, and a made-up natural glow kissed her face.

She stood inside as her parents welcomed the guests inside their living room. She, as the shy maiden she was, was supposed to stay inside until she was called for and even then, she could go out only with a tray filled with teacups.

She smiled bitterly, itching to see Vansh’s handsome face as he spoke with her parents but she wanted to make a good impression on his dad as well. So even when she didn’t want to, she stayed inside, staring at the boiling tea.

Shreya could hear the buzz from the living room, but the words were not comprehensible. All she got was, “Vansh”, “…hard worker”, “… good in studies” and “Shreya!”

“Shreya! Come here”, she heard her mother call again and snapped back to attention. She filled the glasses with tea and carried the tray outside with barely stable hands. She walked with as much grace as she could muster, which wasn’t very much.

Two steps later, she realized, she was a feminist. She was a bold, confident woman and she had nothing to be afraid of. Squaring her shoulders, she raised her chin and walked with the grace of a diva, a dream girl.

She caught Vansh’s eyes the moment she entered the living room. He wore a crisp white button-down shirt and a small smile graced his beautiful lips. He held a glass of water in his powerful hands and she was immediately envious of the glass of water. She wanted to be held like that, she wanted to be held by him, in a hold so powerful, nothing and no one could separate them.

He met her grey eyes with his grey-blue ones and as he sipped on a glass of water, his eyes swooped down her figure. His eyes widened and a half cough, half grunt erupted from his throat. The others stopped their conversation mid-sentence and asked if he was okay or if he wanted some water?

“No, no, I’m alright, thanks”, he said and then pointing in Shreya’s direction said, “She’s here”

“Oh, darling! Come here”, her mother cooed and stood up to welcome her in her own home.

She walked the few steps to where they sat and offered the first cup of tea to her father-in-law-to-be. Strikingly familiar grey-blue eyes met hers and she smiled. His head was covered in grey but his face was clean. Under a slightly crooked nose of his angular face sat a genuine smile.

He was a handsome old man but he looked tired, very tired. Yet, his eyes glinted with genuine affection, happiness and wisdom beyond her age.

He accepted the cup kindly and she moved on to his son. His son's eyes, though strikingly familiar to his father, showed emotions deeper and darker than his. Vansh looked at her with appraising eyes, and without opening his lips conveying all that he wanted to. He wanted to fuck, and he wanted to do it now.

With her own eyes, she shot back a challenge, “Do it, then”

“You look beautiful”, he whispered as he accepted the cup.

“Thanks, so do you”, she hurried off to her parents. They smiled approvingly at her manners and asked her to sit down beside them.

“What do you study?”, her father-in-law asked.

“I’m in my last year of Bachelor in Business administration”

“Do you plan to start a business or are you looking for a job?”

“I want to start a business. I have a B-plan ready, and I’ll start looking for investors once my degree is complete.”

“Good”, Vansh’s father nodded but his son looked confused. With an ‘oops’ she realized that she had never told him of her plans. Well, in her defence, the topic never arrived.

She tried hiding her eyes away from his querying ones when her mother announced, “It’s time we allow the two of you spent some time together. You two can go talk in the room”

Vansh shot out from his seat quicker than the Flash and holding her hands, gently but firmly, let her lead him to the room.

Once inside, the clicked the door shut behind him and asked, “Why did you never tell me you wanted to do business, or you had a plan prepared? I am hurt”

“The topic just never came up”

“I could’ve helped you get investors, hell! I could invest in your plan myself”

“Without knowing what my business plan is about?”, she raised her brow.

“Yeah, I’m sure whatever you plan will be great”, he shrugged.

“I don’t like favours of this kind. I love you, but I want to find investors on my own”, she said as she wrapped her hands around his neck and pressed herself closer to his front.

“That’s an admirable quality of yours”, he said after a moment of silence.

They stared into each other’s eyes as their hearts pumped delicious melodies together. He slowly bent down to peck her lips and with his warm breath washing over her face, he whispered, “I love you and you look dangerously beautiful”

“When I first saw you entering the living room, I swear my heart stopped for a moment. You looked, look, so beautiful and precious, the moment was supposed to be spent on you, only you. Saree on you is a lethal combination, Shreya”, he whispered as he bent down to peck her gently on the lips again.

“Thank you! Now let’s start over, shall we? Pretend like we are just meeting each other for an intended arrange marriage?”, she asked with a wink and sat down on a chair.

“Sure”, he chuckled and offering his hand said, “Hello, I’m Vansh”

She shook his hand and replied, “Hey! I’m Shreya. Please sit down”

As Vansh sat in his seat, she leaned forward and asked, “So what do you do, Mr Mehta? Apart from running your company, I mean”

“Um. I don’t really think I do anything”, he said as he scratched his chin, “But maybe, if you are with me, I’d find something to do”

“So, you write flirty lines in your free time, noted. Anything else?”, she smirked.

“I play some sports, mainly badminton, chess, carom, volleyball and basketball. I read, write - as you already mentioned, swim sometimes and watch marvel”

“Diverse, nice”, she commented and then asked, “Tell me, what do you think of marriage?”

“It feels like an interview, shouldn’t it be two-way?”

“No!”, she replied, bewildered. “Of course not! I am the one who has to leave her house to stay with someone else and I believe that gives me an advantage during interviews. You can ask questions, but only after I finish mine”