Destined To Be

Chapter 48

Ankita's P.O.V. 

I moved slightly away from Dad, confused to the core as I looked at him smiling away. Shanaya and Mrs. Kapoor, I assumed were both in the same state as me, shocked and confused. Ayaan's Dad took out his phone and waited for a while. "Son, guess what?" He said gleefully. "Exactly! So, you are going to come and meet us at Star Hotel, right now," he said. "Ok, come quick," he said after a pause and hung up. "Look, your Ayaan is also coming," he said to me smiling. But my heart was sinking deeper and deeper in fear. Dad went and stood by Mrs. Kapoor and Shanaya with a long face as Ayaan's mother came and hugged me saying, "Welcome to the family, dear." "Thank you aunty," I said softly. She pulled away and frowned at me. "Aunty? No, call me Mom. You are no less than any of my children," she said cupping my face. I always wanted a moment like this. But unfortunately, I could not enjoy it to the fullest since my eyes and brain were only on my family. We waited for a while until Ayaan ran into the room, panting for breath. He looked at everyone and straightened his T-Shirt. His Dad went up to him and held his shoulders. "I'm proud of your choice my son. Well done. I congratulate you on the commitment of your lifetime," he said. He hugged him and he looked at me over his father's shoulder. Dad went to him and shook his hand saying, "Congrats. From today, my daughter is yours." Ayaan hugged him also and came closer to me. His eyes reflected his joy and excitement while I tried to avoid eye contact to hide my tension and worry. He slowly held my hand and stared at me with a pleasant smile. Our small eye lock was over when his Dad cleared his throat and Ayaan turned around shyly. "I think, we should allow these two lovebirds to be together for a while," he said teasingly. Ayaan couldn't help but to blush profusely while I held my head low. 

Just as Ayaan was about to say something, his phone rang and he said, "Oh no! I left the camp without informing anyone. I have to take this. Excuse me." He went to a corner and Mrs. Kapoor came to me. I could see the fake smile on her face and she hugged me, whispering in my ear, "Don't get too happy. This is only the engagement. We have a lot of time before you actually get married." My heart skipped a beat upon hearing this and I nearly panicked when Ayaan came back to me. "Umm...I have to go back to practice. I'm sorry," he said. "That's ok, besides, you already got your news," Mom said. "Yeah," he said and smiled hesitantly. There was a silence of awkwardness created by Ayaan as he looked at our families. After a brief pause, he turned to me and asked whispering, "You're coming too?" Both his parents burst out in laughter and as they looked at my family, they also forcefully giggled. "Ankita, go," his Dad said. I got hugs from them one last time before we left. Walking down the corridor, Ayaan began to explain to me anxiously, "Our engagement and wedding will be epic! Like, completely amazing! We will have the best designers for decoration, clothes, everything! We will order the best wine and have the biggest orchestra. Our wedding will be no less than any celebrity." He continued like this back to the camp and wasn't for a second leaving my hand. While we went into the camp, his chorus singers came and asked him to come with them. "One minute guys," he said and turned to me. Holding my chin, he said softly, "Tonight, meet me at our regular spot." I nodded and looked at him walking away. With every step he took farther away from me, my restlessness increased. Tonight I have to tell him about what could possibly happen, come what may. I will never let anyone break our bond. I went straight to my room and sat on the bed. "Hey," Preeti said behind me, "Where were you? You just disappeared." "I was with Dad, Mrs. Kapoor and Shanaya," I said. 

She immediately came to me and asked in disbelief and fear, "What? They are in Manali?" I nodded. "Why?" She asked. "Initially, to organise Ayaan and Shanaya's engagement," I said. She looked at me dumbfounded. "But in the nick of time, Ayaan's parents came and cleared the confusion that it was not Shanaya they wanted but me," I said. She sighed and said, "Thank God." I frowned. "Then, why are you so sad?" She asked. I explained everything that happened and after, she got up exclaiming, "How dare she? She's so evil! How can she even think something like that? Shanaya and Ayaan? Just this thought is disgusting!" Coming back to me, she said, "Ani, you have to tell Ayaan everything right now. You can't afford to waste time. Every second wasted is one second less. And before those devils do something, you have to tell Ayaan everything." I nodded saying, "I am planning on telling him tonight." "Tonight? No! Right now!" She said. I looked at her nodding and desperate face. I agreed and got up. Going to Ayaan, I saw him rehearsing and had to stop him. Unfortunately, he was so into the song that he had his eyes shut and couldn't see me. If I tried to pull him away, I could get into trouble for this. I had no choice but to wait till tonight. After a long day of waiting, I sat on the log and played with my fingers nervously and scared. Suddenly, Ayaan's came and sat next to me, hitting me with his shoulder, singing, "Hello, is it me you're looking for?" But I couldn't make myself smile. He side hugged me and asked, "Ankita, what's wrong? I have been noticing you for so long. You don't seem happy." I bent my head and continued playing with my fingers. Removing his arms from around me, he held my trembling hands and asked with a frown, staring at me, "Are you unhappy about our engagement?" I looked at him immediately saying no. "Then, what is it?" He asked. "Ayaan, something's wrong," I started, "Mrs. Kapoor and Shanaya, maybe even Dad will do something to stop this engagement." Looking at me with an arched eyebrow, he said, "I didn't get you. What are you trying to say exactly?"