An Arranged Date

Chapter - 05

I couldn't help but peek beyond this Lakshman Rekha, you know just curious me. Suddenly to my dismay my mother called me out. I was internally cursing myself for my actions. I inhaled a long-stretched breath and finally walked out.

Out of the blue I was handed over a tray of a vintage set of stylish cups filled with Ma's extraordinary tea by Usha Aunty. It seems Ma had already done the planning. With a wide fake smile, I approached the serial killers, of my life of course.

"This is my daughter Roohi." My mother announced with much pride and Shaan. I on the other hand was least interested. I gave them a slight nod.

They seemed to be wealthy people, as those riches bragged their necks. 'Don't judge a book by its cover was the only quote that rang in my mind after screenshotting and scanning them head to toe.

"Beta Aunty aur Uncle ko namaste karo"

I instead like a sanskari beti waving at them greeted them with a wave of my beautiful soft hand. It is 2022 dude, who does that thing now?

My mother stared at me. Not just any normal one but was shooting visible daggers and bullets aiming a bull's eye on my brain. They were enough to threaten my life.

Unexpectedly they welcomed the little wiggle wiggle of my hand with a huge grin on their faces. It looked genuine, but maybe it could be cemented like mine. Who knows-

I could feel the presence of another person adjacent to them. I turned my sight down, it was not because I was shy or something but rather I wanted to examine this not-so-groom to be properly.

"She's really beautiful." She exclaimed gazing at me.

Aunty, I already know I have scored up the beauty charts that even fair and beauty wants to hire me now. Every guy lays down dying to see my jalwa. But rich me that I only spare my eyes on the ones that smitten me. My sarcastic angel voice sighed.

My angel and devil voices are pretty much the same but differ at great levels of intensity. The angel with fair wings doesn't leave her sarcastic wand behind. You may question about the devil. It is like kumkaran, wakes up in a while to curse someone as such. I have been waiting for the main source but hope so if I get an imaginary boyfriend whom I do not have a milligram of time of shatters this dream and marches forward to accomplish the mission and welcomes that horny waali me with trumpets of food and curiosity.

I felt the heat rising in my cheeks . I wasn't blushing though. Maybe my brain was playing tricks, but I liked it when she told me that, though half of the things conversed by me to my brain were not real and a joke.

"Aww" My not so hone waali saasu maa cooed out.

I couldn't even straighten up my poker face. My cheek cells had just switched on a heater where even an egg doesn't bother to swell up into an omelet even though the frying pan invites it to shove its ass on.

I kept wondering why was ma not pointing out to her not so groom in law to be as I had been interacting with the family. My mother was that typical aunty who couldn't kick that topic out so soon.

Maybe I should just see his face, I reminded myself I could but I felt way too embarrassed to look into anyone's eyes right now after this blushing and all. This sensation was new to me. I had blushed in the past but not for such petty things such as for being called beautiful by an aunty! Unless she was the beauty queen herself, Miss Daisy my idol.

She had won 3 consecutive awards for her charming expressions and career, and many such minor and major awards.

But today was different. I was just not being myself.

Grasping the hold of me I rinsed a soft and strong confidence boost and flipped my head to the adjacent way. What I saw left me checking him out head to toe. Even the last brain cell present in my head had burnt corrupted after this horrific sight. I switched my side to Ma, and she looked at me questioning the reason behind these utterly terrified tensed wrinkles all over my saloon sparkling which seemed to be doing straight up thirty minutes plank.

Mom code, I signaled her. She asked Usha, aunty, to bring on more snacks while being excused for a minute.

"What happened to your face?" Ma asked out of concern.

"Mummy, you can't be serious. I won't marry." I pulled it out as I couldn't do this anymore.

"Why? Saasu Ma issues? She felt like a nice lady to me even though when you waved at her. At least show some respect."

"Ma you can't be serious right now. I froze. You can't" I could feel in her expressions. This little mother's gravitational pull was going to be shadowed to another planet, that was much anonymous to her.

"Baat kya hai?" She interrogated me as if I were her prime suspect.

"Have you seen the groom?" I asked her with a low voice.

"He is younger than me." I finally revealed the mystery box.

"Don't you prefer younger guys?" Mummy fired back.

"But not that young Ma." I was out of words now.

"Did you ask for his age? When did you even get time to interact unless you already know him?" She asked out of curiosity now.

"Nothing as such. Isn't it pretty much visible Ma? At most he must be eighteen or nineteen years. That is the age to have fun and not cling down to this unfamiliar bond of marriage. I know I had those plans of turning into sugar Mumma but after this case, I am dropping that idea. I am just not ready for it. Three or four years don't matter but Ma's eight years do! Very much to me. So please cancel this meeting and let's look forward to your health" I cried out ending it with a soft sympathetic curve formed by lips.

Ma started laughing hysterically. I on the other hand was in disbelief and was trying to figure out whether this was a sign of a tumor or any other health issues or not. But it was just my mum laughing casually. My third sense after my nervous system reacted to this immediate response to stimuli had calmed down. But it plastered a puzzling look on my facial expressions.

After a while, she spoke again. "Beta that's not him. He is his younger brother." Still tearing up from those laughs.

I standing there gasped out of embarrassment again. Amusement struck as this showed the interest of that man. The man I could be married to or not. How irresponsible I called out to myself for his actions. Maybe he has a girlfriend and is against this marriage? I cannot marry where there is no love and rather just an awaited tie that only screams freedom.

'Instead of making such uncanny assumptions I think I must wait patiently for his response' I thought to myself. My mum had started to chat with guests yet again. For almost the whole meet I had kept my mouth shut. My extroverted side was just not ready to glimpse her skills yet. It was unfamiliar now. This feeling could be familiar in passing second.

My train of thought was interrupted as the bell rang.

"Must be him," Aunty called out purposefully for me, I could sense it out.

My heartbeat bolted at a much greater speed than light could have time traveled. I moved forward to open the door. Simple things amounted up to high earnings such as each of my steps, the door, the lock on the door, the key, and whatnot. What if he is the key to my paradise? We will think about that later, as I calmed myself down.

I slid the door depicting the true identity of this amusing personality. Did Romeo elope with his girlfriend or guilt-ridden ride back to his Juliet? A big question mark.

The moment I saw him my heart halted, not because I was enlightened by his eyes, nose, or lips but to scream at my awful state. I fell for a person before I could imagine his looks or personality. Those wise men were right, 'never trust others unless you see it with your own eyes.'

Our eyes were locked. He stared at me, I stared at him. With those confused and horrified looks.

Ma called out whether something had happened or not. I thought to myself as I cupped my face in my palms as such a damsel in distress. I could hear these words over and over being echoed in my head.

As he entered the house, I gave him a last look. A look depicting that 'I was done for.'