My arranged wedding

Romeo

"Wow, Vedant such an opportunity to call off the wedding like you've always wanted to and puff....its all gone in the wind." Shagird says as he throws some almonds into his mouth.

"I'm ready to get married Shagird and Shalini is the best choice for me, she's all I could have ever wanted in a woman. She's beautiful, sweet, loving, kind..."

"Cut it out, you didn't like her before we came here and even the first few weeks we were here and now you know her already? You like her, you even..."

"I like her but I don't love her. There's a huge difference there."

"Who said anything about love?" Shagird forces himself to laugh.

"She doesn't deserve all she's gotten from the past three years and I will give her back all that and many more." Vedant stops and continues "Just like I restored her self confidence and happiness, I'll do same again and this I promise."

"Look at Romeo." Shagird teases and Vedant turns away.

Surjeet sighs as he sits and spares a glance at his phone, he looks up to see Vedant and starts "Son, I thought you left with the others."

"No uncle, I didn't feel like." Vedant replies.

Everyone had gone to see a movie that Ria suggested.

"Ria has been talking about it all week long since the trailer came out. I have no time for her drama so I sent Shekhar along with her."

"Did Shalini go with them?"

"No, she went out earlier before they did, is anything wrong?"

"Not at all, I'll be out for a while is that okay by you?"

"Do as you wish." Surjeet responds and returns to his phone.

Vedant leaves the house and ponders on the places Shalini could be at that time then he remembers the part of the temple Asha had told him about. He curses himself for not asking Asha it's location before deciding that he has to look for her himself.

He alights the car and looks around the place crowded with many worshippers as he wonders what festival they are celebrating.

He wasn't going to find Suhasini or Akhil in this kind of crowd and makes his way through the mass of people. Just when he thinks he isn't going to find her, he hears a crowd chanting Shalini's name. He turns back and is relieved to see her.

After some minutes her performance ends and she walks to her place of solace, Vedant follows quietly and tries to avoid being caught.

They soon reach the isolated area which appears to be the back of the temple, the wind is cool and she pushes her hair away from her face, the river there moves with the tide as she sits on the sand facing a tree which seems to be carved like a hollow seat.

Vedant sits beside her "You've been avoiding me for too long Shalini."

"What are you doing here?" She sputters with slight fear.

"There's no need to be scared, no one is here it's just me. I came alone."

"Okay." She breaths "If I had seen you a long time ago, what would I have said?" Shalini gets up from the sand.

Vedant also stands up and makes her look at him "You have much to tell me, that I know."

"But..." She tries to protests

"But what? It's about last night, right?" Vedant pauses and continues "That man made a lifelong mistake by breaking your heart. You're a good person and only a fool like him would dare to do something like that to someone like you, like my mum said you are a gem, I need to believe." tears trickle down Shalini's eyes as Vedant consoles her and wipes away her tears.

"Now promise me, you won't ever  cry for that fool ever again." Vedant speaks again and Shalini makes him a promise to never cry for Raj again.

*

RK retreives a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lights it. The woman only sits on her bed going through a magazine when she speaks up.

"What do you think I should get for Vedant's Sangeet. There are so many beautiful designs here .."

"I have no time for such stupid things." RK  bursts out. The woman keeps quiet immediately and he continues "You have not much time left in this hotel so stick to our plan. Try not to forget that."

"I'm not a child man, I know what to do."

"Then act like you do."

She grunts and flips the page to her magazine.

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