Avni and I walk into the near-empty breakfast hall. Avni is quick to leave my side to find her father. I scan the room for my mother, who woke me up at 7:30 this morning without any consideration for my sleep.
I find my mother with the event-planner and quickly make my way over to her. I pull out a chair for myself and sit down opposite her, next to the event-planner.
"That will be it. Thank you, Meghana," my mother says to the event-planner Meghana, with an air of dismissal.
Meghana quickly gathers her laptop and some stray papers. She passes me a professional smile that I return, and then she walks away.
"Good morning," I greet my mother.
She nods in acknowledgement. "Go have your breakfast," she tells me, motioning to the buffet spread.
"Have you had breakfast?" I ask her, making no move to go to eat. I don't feel hungry for some reason. Well, I felt hungry, but I don't feel hungry now.
"No, I am waiting for your dad," she says.
I nod. My father doesn't seem to be around here, so I shrug it off. "What is the plan after breakfast?"
"The Mehendi is this evening, so there's no plan until then," she says. Then why did she wake me up so early in the morning? It is my brother's wedding, I tell myself. I can't be sleeping in, like that.
"Okay, then." I shuffle to my feet, ready to go find someone that will accompany me for breakfast.
My mother holds my hand that rests on the table before I can fully stand. "Sit down," she says, letting go of my hand. She shuffles in her seat a little and straightens up. "I need to talk to you." Going by her posture, I assume the deal is serious and sit down.
"About what?" I ask hesitantly. I'm not sure if I've done anything lately that could possibly spark my mother's interest in me.
She presses her lips into a thin line and takes in a sharp breath. She looks at me, apprehensively. "Lots of people have been asking if I have any intentions of marrying you off," she starts in a low, hesitant tone.
Woah. No way. I know where this is going, and I'm not my mother's property so that she can marry me off whenever she wishes.
"Absolutely not," I cute her off, before she can explain. "I don't want to hear this. Don't talk to me about this."
"Arvi," she starts.
I cut her off again, with an adamant shake of my head. "No, ma. No."
"Listen--"
"No."
"Arvi."
"No, no, no, no," I chant, trying to block out whatever she is saying. What the heck even? Marriage? Isn't Karthik getting married only now?
"Arvi," she says aloud, in a commanding tone that effectively shuts me up.
"What?" I ask dejectedly. I do not want to be having this conversation right now.
"I said no," she discloses, lifting my spirits. I look up to meet her eyes. "But when do you plan on getting married?"
When I plan on getting married? I didn't think my opinion concerning this topic held any weight at all. My parents, well, my mom always told me that she would decide when and to whom I would be married to. I could have rebelled and gone on an expedition to find a groom for myself.
Confession: I did. I didn't try to find a groom for myself, but I did date. I've had boyfriends, and they always ended with no chemistry. The farthest I got with a guy was a kiss. Only kissing. Not because I'm a prude. Which I probably am, but I never even got to the point of making out. At some point, it was so frustrating. There was no passion, no chemistry, no liking.
Two people found each other cute and likeable and decided to go on a date. The first date ended with a kiss, and the second date with an awkward "we're better off being friends." Fun? Not.
With my third boyfriend and the inevitable line, I lost all hope. I asked Tanay what was so off-putting about me. I understood why they thought we were better off being friends, it was agreed on, and I felt the same way, but I did not understand why all three of the men I was involved with thought the same way about me. Two could be chalked to coincidence but three?
Tanay said, "You're beautiful, oh, for fuck's sake, you're so fucking hot that I hate having to do this. But Arvi, you're also... difficult. You're hard to read, and you're guarded. It was so much better when we were just friends, I enjoyed your company so much more, then."
He wasn't even sorry, but that was okay. I'd prefer blunt and straight-forward any day over apologetic and beating around the bush.
After Tanay, I stopped pushing my luck. I stuck to my motto, "Appreciate beauty from afar."
Sure, I hoped of finding love, and I absolutely believed in love. I want to love someone and be loved, I have fantasies, too. That doesn't mean I want to get married. I want to marry someone I love. I haven't found someone that I love.
Hoping against hope, I found myself asking my mother. "I get a say in when I'm going to marry?"
"Sure, if your answer matches what I have in mind."
I should've known better than to hope. "What do you have in mind?" I ask her.
"A year," she says, "A year and a half at the most."
Arguing against my mother seems like a lost cause. Sure, she said I was stubborn and strong-headed, and that she couldn't win against me but that doesn't mean I didn't inherit the traits from her. She's the one genetically responsible for those traits. Can you argue with the creator?
But the knowledge doesn't deter me. "Kaushik and Pranav are not married," I argue. Isn't that how it goes, elders first?
"Kaushik and Pranav," she explains, "Are boys." I didn't think they were girls. "According to customs, you must be married off before your brothers, considering you are of marriageable age."
"What about Karthik?" I ask. He's my brother. Unless, of course, she was admitting to have picked him up from the Municipality Garbage Dump.
"Would you rather have gotten married before him?" she quizzes. "If that's a problem, I'll arrange for you to get married tomorrow, before him."
I know my mother could do possibly anything, but even she can't do that. I doubt there's one living soul here, that would want to marry me.
I narrow my eyes at her. "You wouldn't."
She lifts her shoulder slightly, admitting it. "No, I wouldn't. There are only two girls in the family, to begin with. Your wedding is going to be over the top."
I look up at the high-ceiling of the palace that Karthik's wedding is taking place at. Over this top? I don't want it. If my mother was already admitting that it would be over the top, I absolutely do not want a part in this.
"Amma," I say calmly, hoping to convince her. "Karthik Anna is still not married, remember? His wedding is yet to take place. Take some time before you send me away, okay?"
"I'm not sending you anywhere. All I want is that you marry."
I take a deep breath in and gulp, gathering courage. "I have a boyfriend."
My mother doesn't even pretend to look surprised. "Bring him, we'll talk about this over dinner."
Where will I get a boyfriend from? Do they sell boyfriends in the market like they sell shares? "You will scare him off," is my weak defence.
"Hypothetically?" she questions, still unfazed.
I widen my eyes in an attempt to sell my lie. "What do you mean hypothetically? What do you think that I can't have a boyfriend? I absolutely can." Maybe.
She shakes her head. "You lie terribly, Arvi."
Is that also an inherited trait? I don't think so.
"Ma, I'm twenty-three. I don't want to get married!" And I've just returned home after six long years. Can I bask in the drama that is family for a bit before I have more family to add drama to my life?
"Twenty-three is marriageable age, Arvi," my mother says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"There's nothing marriageable about age, it's about the mind and heart. You can't get married because you're old. That doesn't even make sense. You get married when you want to."
"I know," she says. "I'm already married." I'd figure as much. "You can start wanting to marry now because it's going to happen. Very soon."
"You said a year or a year and a half! Don't go back on your words!" I frown, reminding her of what she said a few minutes ago.
She shrugs. "Okay. So a year or a year and a half," she agrees.
But no! What was my whole speech about? You should get married when you're ready!
"I'm not going to marry anytime soon," I tell her finally and start to stand up but her words make me sit right down.
"If you leave from here now, Arvi. It will mean you've given consent," she challenges.
"Amma!"
She pays no heed to me as she waits for my argument. I groan frustratedly, slumping into my palms. I am not ready for this!
"Ah, look, your brother." I look up at the mention of my brother. I hope to see Karthik. Karthik, my mother's openly favourite child, is the only one who can convince her into and out of anything. Instead, I find Pranav. Maybe not as good as Karthik, but Pranav can surely help me.
"Pranav Anna," I yell for him, uncaring of who is in the hall.
He looks over at my mother and me confusedly. "Come here," I beckon him over.
He looks at me for a few more moments as if wondering whether or not to butt in on this conversation. In the end, he decides in my favour and walks over with a charming smile. He looks genuinely cheery and unnaturally happy for 9:00 in the morning.
"What's up?" he asks, sliding into the seat next to me.
"Amma says she'll get me married!" I complain. I have to stop my feet from shuffling every few seconds to stand up and dash out of here. I tuck them under the chair.
"Okay." He shrugs like it's absolutely normal.
My eyes widen. "Married! She says she'll have me married!" I stress on each word as I speak.
"I heard you the first time."
Then do something about it, you piece of shit! What have I ever done to deserve this family? "You have to be kidding me. Is this a fu-freaking joke?"
My mother narrows her eyes at me, watchfully. "Just get married, Arvi. It'll get Peddamma off your back," is Pranav's incredible suggestion. He looks at my mom, "No offence, Peddamma."
"Of course, it'll get me off your back," my mother assures.
"Mom."
She shrugs. "It's true. If you get married, I'll get off your back."
Because I cannot say anything to my mother, I narrow my eyes distastefully at Pranav. "You can leave now." What good has his presence done to me anyway?
"But I like this conversation," he insists, not budging from the seat.
"Leave, Pranav," I stress. "I don't want to look at you."
"Arvi," my mother reprimands.
"It's okay," Pranav tells my mother and turns to me with a question, "Why don't you want to get married?"
"Because I don't want to!" I tell him frustratedly, using my hands to emphasise. "Why should I get married now?"
"Because why not, Arvi?" he asks. "Why should you not get married now?" he counter-questions.
"I'm twenty-three, Pranav. You're older than me. Are you ready to get married?"
He grins. "Absolutely."
I look at him with surprise. Pranav's ready to get married? Pranav has never been in a serious relationship. He used to say he didn't find the kind of girl that he could be serious about.
"See," my mother points out. "Everyone is ready to get married, Arvi."
I point to myself. "I am not." I shake my head. "Is Nanna aware that you're talking to me about this?" I ask her.
"Of course he is," she says obviously, making my heart dip slightly. I should've known. My parents don't take decisions without talking to each other. Admittedly, talking about their daughter's wedding calls for a discussion?
"And Karthik Anna?" I ask slowly in a low tone.
"He knows too," she tells me. "In fact, your father and brother also have a prospective groom in mind."
Prospective groom?
"Prospective groom, who?" I ask enraged.
"Is that a yes to getting married?" she asks, leaning forward happily.
I narrow my eyes at her. Has she gone crazy? I don't think I should be talking about my mother like that. I reprimand myself for the thought. "How can I say yes to getting married if you don't tell me who I'm getting married to?"
"If you give me the go-ahead to look for a groom, I will tell you who we have in mind," she says.
"No. No. Absolutely not. Stop coming at me with this. I'm not getting married. I don't want to get married!"
"Arvi," Pranav says softly. "This isn't the battle you should fight. Choose your battles wisely."
"What do you mean?" I demand furiously.
"I mean," he whispers, "Peddamma has you outnumbered. Everyone thinks it is a good idea, you can't fight your way out of this one."
"What do you mean everyone?" I look from my mother to Pranav. Why are they discussing my wedding behind my back?
"Everyone," he stresses.
She has everyone in on this? And everyone thinks it's a good idea? My mother has clearly not lost any business acumen that her father accounts for.
She has everything laid out and ready. I can't go to anyone to get them to convince her out of it. Who would be able to? My grandparents? Probably. Karthik? Definitely. But if he already knows and has someone in mind, I doubt anyone could do anything to deter my mother.
"You are not being fair!" I accuse her. "This is rigged. You have an advantage!"
She presses her lips into a thin line. "I gave you the option to talk me out of it."
She knows I can't do that. "You are my mother," I complain, "How can I ever win against you?"
A victorious smile takes over her face. "So that's a yes?" she prods.
"No!"
"Just say yes, Arvi," Pranav encourages.
"But why?" I whine. "I don't want to get married."
"Arvi, you won't get married right away," Pranav comforts. "It will take a while before we find the right guy."
I find my resolve wavering. It is true, I have to agree to marry whoever my parents have chosen for me, first. Then, I'm assuming there's going to be some buffer period? Does that happen? A buffer period? How does this work?
I bite the inside of my lower lip, looking at my mother. "And I will have the final say?"
She nods readily. "Of course. You will have the final say," she assures. Something about how my mother readily accepts my condition makes me slightly suspicious, but I don't ponder on it.
I shuffle to my feet, ready to leave. My mother looks up at me, following my movement. "You don't want to know who your father and brother are so excited about?"
I shake my head. After agreeing to see boys with the intention of getting married, there are very few ways in which I can rebel. The first one being, not wanting to know who they are interested in.
I turn around to leave, throwing one last dirty glare at Pranav, who nonchalantly dodges it by keeping his eyes trained on my mother. "Who is it, Peddamma?" he asks curiously.
"It's Arjun," my mother raises her voice deliberately.
My ears perk up at the mention of Arjun. Arjun? I can't... Arjun is so... infuriating? He tramples on my nerves without breaking a sweat. He always gets under my skin; every single time.
"Why do you look like that?" Someone asks, effectively snapping me out of my thoughts and startling me.
Arjun.
"Like what?" I ask, looking ahead as we walk towards the garden.
He's wearing a white shirt and black jeans with white trainers. Arjun is undeniably hot. Is that a valid enough reason to marry him? Of course not. I scold myself for thinking like that. Don't be shallow, Arvi.
"Like you ate something disgusting," he answers my question.
I press my lips into a thin line, wondering if I actually looked like that. Arjun looks at me curiously, waiting for me to retort and I realise that he is serious.
"It's all in your head," I assure him, not knowing how else I would explain it. I can't tell him about the conversation I just had with my mother. Does Arjun know about it?
"If that's what you want me to think," he says mock-patronisingly. "I mean I am that much of an idiot."
A grin spreads onto my face. "So you know how much of an idiot you are?" I ask, without much thought. When I register the way he narrows his eyes at me, I realise I probably shouldn't have said that.
I bite my tongue, sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Oooh," he coos, "she apologises."
I scowl. What sort of a mannerless human does he think I am? "I am very polite, be assured."
"It's considered polite to dig your six-inch heels into someone's foot and walk away without an apology in the UK?" he asks sarcastically. Watch him dash out the sarcasm. "Where I come from, it's considered rude."
I wanted to apologise, and I would have, but Arjun takes extreme pleasure in taking digs at me for staying in the UK. He called me a bloody NRI.
"You deserved it," I say unapologetically. "And I am not from the UK!" I fold my hands over my chest, still walking with him.
"Your accent tends to disagree," he points out with a smirk.
"My accent isn't even noticeable."
"Maybe not in the UK, here it is."
"I don't have an accent!"
"You do, Arvi," he maintains.
I scowl with a pout. "Why don't you have an accent?" I ask him. "Weren't you in the States for a while?"
His smirk widens, and I know I said something that I shouldn't have. "How do you know that I was in the States for a while?" he quotes.
I keep my eyes trained on the floor. "I heard," I say lightly, with a grimace. I need classes on keeping my mouth shut. Someone teach me how to keep my mouth shut, please!
"You talk to people about me?" By now, I can tell there is a smirk on his face without even looking at him. I turn my head slightly, trying to hide the rouge that I know is coating my cheeks.
"I heard," I stress.
"You can ask me about myself if you're that interested in me," he teases, "You don't have to hear from others."
"I'm not interested in you," I scoff.
"Then why are you going around listening to people talk about me?" he challenges, the teasing tone seems to have instilled into his voice.
"I also listen to people talk about pointless things, it doesn't mean I'm interested in that."
"So that's what you do? Listen to people talk?"
"It's not exactly what my job entails," I joke playing along, "But sure, it's a part of it."
"Hm," he hums thoughtfully, slightly cocking his head to the side. "Full time analysing financial data and part-time entertaining aunties?"
I let a laugh slip out of my mouth.
How does he know what I do? I never told him. I stop in my tracks and turn to Arjun with a grin, seeing an opening to get even. He pulls his brows together amusedly. "How do you know what I do?" I ask him. "You never asked me."
A tinge of pink rises to his ears and, his expression falters for a second before he regains his composure. "I hear things about you," he says softly, taking a small step closer to me. "Because I am interested in you."
The proclamation, without a doubt, takes me by surprise. My lips part in a soundless gasp, making Arjun chuckle. He hooks a finger under my chin, dutifully helping me close my mouth. "I'll go now," he says and walks a few steps away from me as I gape at his back. Perhaps sensing my gaze, he turns to look at me. I snap out of my thoughts when I see him wink at me, his black eyes twinkling with mischief.
I stare at his back as he walks away. Fucking Arjun Kona with his mind-numbing charms and jaw-dropping statements.
He winked at me! It's just a wink, I want to tell myself, but God knows it's not. It's not just a wink! That was Arjun, the guy my mother wants me to marry. It is absolutely not just a wink.
I settle at a table in the lawn, alone. Before I can thank God for the few moments of peace, I hear shuffling around me and open my eyes. Pranav is staring at my face curiously while Karthik and Kaushik are both sitting on the chairs.
"What?" I snap, moving back.
"Are you crying?"
I probably should be crying, after all, I am looking at his hideous face. "No, I'm not." I scowl. "Why would you think that?"
He shrugs and sits down beside Karthik. Why are all three of them here? "Never mind that," Karthik dismisses, shuffling in his seat. "What do you think about Arjun?"
I glower at the three of them.
"I think all of you should leave," I tell them.
"Why so angry?" Kaushik asks as if he wasn't here to talk to me about Arjun.
"I'm not angry!" I say aloud. "I don't want to talk about it, so don't talk to me about it."
"Arvi-"
I glare at Karthik to shut him up. "I suggest you shut up before I bury you alive." I eye all three of them threateningly.
Pranav grins, reaching out to side-hug me. "I missed your threats so much," he says, squeezing me into a hug forcefully.
"Pranav!" I try to pull away, but he doesn't let me go.
"Pranav, you fucking Jackarse, let me go!" I yelp, trying to claw his hands off, but he doesn't let me go.
"So violent," he tuts, leaving me. "What sort of a wild animal is she?"
"Wild animal?" I try to slip my feet out of my slippers and throw it at him, but he doesn't give me the time as he runs across the lawn.
"Pranav!" I yell, running after him. Did he call me a wild animal? A wild animal?
Pranav runs off effortlessly while I struggle to keep pace with him. He was a sprinter in college, and I never got past walking. Why I even ran after him, wasting my energy is beyond me.
Pranav turns around to stick his tongue out at me, and I see a girl, her back turned to us, oblivious of the commotion. Oh, no.
I stop running and hunch over, trying to gather my breath before I yell out to Pranav. "Watch out!" I yell to him, making him look back, and he bumps into the girl in front of him.
I wince as he loses balance, his hands wrap around the feminine figure and, he turns, chivalrously, falling backwards with a thud. Ouch. That must hurt. He takes the girl down with him, and she falls on top of him. Ouch, ouch, ouch.
I slow jog over to him. I hadn't heard any bones crack, but I think he broke his skull or something. He lies there, unmovingly.
"Run a little more, why don't you?" I mock, making them aware of the presence of other humans. When I walk closer, I notice that Pranav's the one with his hands around the girl while she seems struggling to get up.
I notice the girl on top of Pranav. Sameeksha. Oh, my God. "Get up." I extend my hand for Sameeksha.
Sameeksha seems to be reddening by the second, at an alarming pace. Pranav lets her go, and she takes my hand, helping herself up.
"Did you break any bones?" I ask Pranav, extending my hand to him.
He still seems to be in a daze. Is he concussed or something? He takes my hand, but his eyes don't leave Sameeksha as he stands up.
I wave in his face. "Pranav!" That seems to snap him out of it. Pranav's cheek and ears tint with a flustered red.
From the corner of my eyes, I notice Sameeksha trying to slip away and hold her hand. "Where to?" I ask her.
She doesn't meet my eye as she looks at Pranav, behind me. "I have to go," she mumbles, making no move to pull her hand away from my grip.
"Come with us," I say, knowing she doesn't have to go anywhere. Her eyes don't drift from the man behind me. There seems to be a silent exchange between them, and then she nods.
We start walking back to where we were running from. I help Pranav brush the grass of the back of his shirt. Thankfully, the patch was dry.
"What was that?" I whisper to Sameeksha. Pranav's ears perk up attentively as he tries to catch what I'm saying.
Sam's face quickly reddens, making me crack up. Stifling my chuckles, I set out to test Pranav's attention. "Pranav is an idiot," I mumble, leaning towards her.
Pranav turns to look at me with narrowed eyes. I suppress my victorious smile and look at him innocently. "What did I do?"
He shakes his head, his eyes still narrowed at me in a warning. I stick my tongue out at him.
At my previous table, are now a whole bunch of people, including my sister-in-law-to-be, her cousins, and friends.
The table seems crowded, and I try to slip away without being noticed. Karthik catches my eye and raises his eyebrows subtly in question. I eye the entrance to go back inside, letting him know I was going back inside.
"Arvi," I hear an excited voice and look at Savitri. An involuntary smile slips onto my face, seeing her face. She barged into my room this morning, wanting to use the washroom.
"Hey," I greet.
"Come sit here," Kalyan, Karthik's friend, offers, shuffling to his feet.
I hold the back of his chair, stopping him from getting up. "No, please sit," I say politely. "I was actually going to have breakfast."
He sits back down on his chair, and I withdraw my hand. "Come with me," Arjun says suddenly. My eyes snap to him, go where with him? "I haven't had breakfast either, come with me," he elaborates.
Oh.
I notice that everyone is looking at us and that rejecting his offer would come off as rude and unpolite. After digging my heels into his foot last night, declining his offer might not be the best idea.
I nod silently and look at Sameeksha. "Have you had breakfast?" I ask her. She nods, her eyes shining with a teasing glint. Oh, for fuck's sake.
I avoid looking at anyone else, but my eyes involuntarily look for Karthik. He is wearing an expression similar to Sameeksha's. I quickly look away from him and then at Arjun.
He tilts his head to the entrance, and I follow him.
"Hey," he greets, over the sound of my heart thudding harshly against my ribcage.
"Hi," I stumble out, nervously. This is so weird.
We pick up our plates and move along the line, serving ourselves with food. I glance at Arjun occasionally. He seems to be thinking about something.
"Fruit?" I ask, serving myself some.
He meets my eyes but shakes his head blankly, refusing the fruit. I find a table to sit down and walk over, with Arjun by my side.
He sits opposite me and pulls his phone out and stares into it. His eyebrows are furrowed in concentration as he peers at his phone. His jaw is set in a firm line. Something about his posture tells me it has to do with business. I've seen this posture before. My dad, I realise. He looks the same way when he's doing something work-related.
My heart thuds in my chest, but for a different reason than before. Is that how Arjun is, too? If he is, I am nothing like my mom. I can't be happily married to a man like my father. My mother loves him, I know she does. But I also know that I can't handle sharing my life with a man like my father as my mother can.
"Did you ask me to come with you so you could ignore me on your phone?" The irritation in my voice takes me by surprise.
Arjun looks up from his phone, he looks surprised too, for a second, but he covers up. "Sorry," he apologises with a sheepish smile, "It's just office stuff." He puts his phone down, facing down.
My father would never apologise for ignoring me while he's working. Why am I comparing Arjun and Nanna? An awkward silence descends on the table. I pick at my food silently, avoiding looking at Arjun.
A cheerful voice manages to dissipate the tension at the table. "Hey," Harsh greets, setting his plate down beside Arjun.
I smile at him, thankful for his appearance. "Good morning."
He gives me a wide smile. "My morning is bound to be good after seeing your beautiful face," he says, making me laugh.
I look down at my plate, trying not to laugh too hard and embarrass him but look up when he winces. "You bruise my heart with your nonchalance," he says dramatically, with a hand on his heart.
"Shut up, Harsh," Arjun commands rudely. "Where is Varun?"
"Here," Varun answers as if being roll-called and settles into the seat between Harsh and me.
Arjun eyes him for a moment and then points to Harsh. "Take this pig away," he says.
The boys curse at each other, and I look down, trying to blend with the table, feeling terribly out of place.
"Arvi," Arjun calls, snapping me back to earth.
I look up at him with an embarrassed smile. "What?" I asked lowly, trying not to notice the attention I'm receiving.
Despite my attempts, my cheeks warm up under the attention. Arjun smirks. "Tomato," he mouths.
I glower at him before looking down at my plate. "How long are you going to pick at your fruits?" he asks, making me look up again.
I pout, putting my fork down. "I don't want to eat it." Arjun's eyes skim down to my lips. I consciously pull my lips back in.
His eyes snap up to meet mine. Arjun's eyes are black in colour, but unlike all other black eyes I've seen, Arjun's eyes are always twinkling.
"I'll be happy to help," Varun says, bringing us out of the momentary trance.
I smile gratefully at him when he scoops the fruit out of my plate into his. He winks back at me with a smile. This wink isn't anything like Arjun's, this is friendly and simple, but with Arjun...
"Will you eat anything at all?" Arjun asks.
I don't want to eat! Glowering at Arjun, I plop a piece of sausage into my mouth. "Happy?" I ask once I swallow.
He grins. "Very."
I don't understand why he should be happy because I ate my food. Are we talking about the same thing? I wonder for a second.
~.~.~.~.~
I make my way over to my mother, who is in a conversation with my friends' mothers. When they see me, all the ladies smile warmly. I side-hug all of them, careful not to crease their clothes.
"You look beautiful, dear," Sid's mother compliments. Coming from a veteran actress that is a huge compliment.
"Thank you, Aunty." I smile at her.
"Have you seen Siddharth?" she asks. He's probably screwing around somewhere, but I can't tell his mother that. "And his new girlfriend?"
I understand that she probably knows he has a new girlfriend. I hadn't met her; he hadn't introduced her to us.
I smile at her, pretending not to know. Siddharth is a dumbarse and a lot of other things, but I wasn't going to out him to his mother.
"Don't worry about Siddharth," Dhruv's mother comforts her. "He will find the girl best suited to him. He's a charming young man with brains. He knows what he's doing."
Siddharth's mother smiles at her unconvincedly. "You must not have to worry about Dhruv at all, he's such a good kid."
Dhruv's not the good kid, he knows how to be careful about what he does. But he also doesn't have a new girlfriend every few weeks.
Dhruv's mother sighs. "If only he expressed himself," she says morosely. Even hotshot lawyer mothers worry about their kids. "In this generation, no one wants to understand one another and Dhruv is..." Dhruv expresses himself fine, but again, that is to people that are close to him.
"Dhruv is so much better than all of these other kids," Dhriti's mother says. They obviously don't know that their kids are together now.
I doubt Dhriti's mother, one of India's top cardiac surgeons, would want her elder daughter to date the politician's younger son and that too after blatantly expressing her views against Dhruv's family? There's not really much she can do, though.
"You are worried about boys," Dhriti's mother continues. "Here I am, mother to two girls." She's only mother to her doctor daughters. That's what she told Dhriti when she said she didn't want to pursue medicine.
"You have brought them up well," my mother assures Dhriti's mother. My mother is a hypocrite, she knows Dhriti's mother has done very little to bring them up. "Look at this one," she throws me an accusing look. "Never listens."
When have I not listened to her? Mothers, I tell you; they need something to complain about. "Ma, Pranathi Vadina is not here, yet," I distract her.
Siddharth's mother catches my eye, she suppresses her smile and nods at me, silently telling me she knows what I'm up to. I wink at her.
My mother is successfully distracted. "The henna artists aren't here yet," she complains.
"I'll look into it," I tell her, excusing myself from the group. She seems to have caught onto my escaping mechanism, she throws me a glare which I dodge with a sheepish grin.
I call Meghana, the event-planner about the henna artists and she assures me she will look into it.
I stare at the doors in the hallway, wondering which suite Pranathi Vadina is in. 412 or 410? I know it's an even number, but I can't remember the number exactly. Her room should be noisy, considering that she's the bride but damn soundproof rooms.
Meghana calls to tell me that the henna artists are here and I go back to contemplating my options. What if I ring the bell to both the rooms? One of those isn't Pranathi Vadina's, that will be awkward.
"What are you doing?" I hear a husky voice ask, making goosebumps rise on my skin. I look to the source to see a sleepy-looking Arjun.
His hair is tousled and ruffled up like he just woke up. He's in sweatpants and tee, still looking like a freaking Greek God.
"Pranathi Vadina," I blurt out, noticing his smirk widen. His smirk always gets to me.
He raises his eyebrows, his eyes travel down my body, quite obviously. I can't bring myself to say something about him openly checking me out. I hold the end of my dupatta, fiddling with it anxiously.
Without a comment, Arjun opens his door wider, picks out his key from the socket and walks over to me. He wraps his long fingers around my wrist. "Not bad," he comments, pulling me with him.
Not bad? I stop walking along with him and pull my wrist out of his grasp. "Where are you taking me?" I ask him, holding my hand close to my chest.
"You wanted to see your Pranathi Vadina, no?" he asks, looking me right in the eye. "Or did you come for me?" He tilts his head slightly, his eyes are twinkling with mischief.
Despite myself, I can't help the warmth that rises to my cheeks. "Why would I want anything to do with you?" I take a step away from him.
He looks down at my feet. "Where are your six-inch heels?"
I shuffle on my feet, wanting to hide my feet away from him. I had switched my three-inch heels for half an inch sandals. "Why do you care?" I throw at him confidently. Be a snob, Arvi. That's the way to go.
He shrugs, turning his lips down thoughtfully. He takes a step towards me. "Exactly. Why do I care? Good for me you aren't wearing them."
I take a step back, hitting the wall with a grimace. "W-What do you mean?" I stutter.
He takes another step closer to me, causing my breath to hitch. "Where are you going?" he asks in a low, intimidating tone.
I shake my head hurriedly. I am not going anywhere. "Good. Now come with me," he says, pulling me by my wrist once again.
He stops outside 415 and motions towards it. I look at him confusedly. "This is not Pranathi Vadina's room."
"This is your Pranathi Vadina's room," he says and rings the bell.
Savitri opens the door with a smile. Her eyes dart between Arjun and me multiple times before she stops at me. "Come in," she says politely, opening the door wider for me.
I walk into the room after her and realise that I hadn't thanked Arjun after she closes the door.
By the time we walk in, Pranathi Vadina seems ready to come out. "The henna artists are here," I inform them.
Pranathi Vadina smiles brightly at me and looks at herself in the mirror once again. Keerthi, Pranathi Vadina's elder sister, helps her adjust her half-saree.
The ladies all start to move out, and I follow behind them with Savitri. I walk out of the room and look for Arjun but can't find him. He must've gone back to his room.
There are too many ladies, resulting in them having to use the lift twice. I stay back for the second ride.
"Arvi," I hear his voice and turn, my lips turning up on their own accord.
He leans onto the wall with a smirk. "You look beautiful," he mouths slowly, making warmth rise to my cheeks. I look away from him, hiding a wide smile.