App Ne Banayi Jodi

3 (Part I)

A/N: Stay back for the end notes! Happy reading! <3

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"Sorry to interrupt, but may I steal Armaan for a bit?"

Tara had to stop her excited retelling of a kaand that befell the last family wedding she had attended as a young woman barged into her and Armaan's little cocoon—the cocoon they had built at the Malhotra-Sengupta Sangeet celebration.

She smiled up at the lady and uttered a "Later" to Armaan as she hurriedly walked back to the seating area. A wave of guilt washed up on her. What was she doing? Did she just spend god-knows-how-long chatting with Armaan Malhotra about every mundane thing on the planet? She had initially planned to drop a curt "Hi" and walk back, why did she have to settle in and why, oh, why was talking to him so easy?

Was it this easy that day too? Tara got goosebumps just thinking of that dreaded day. The day she made a big deal out of a guy wanting to spend the day (and perhaps the night) with her. Why was the revolutionary, path breaking, family-traditions-crushing Tara Mukherjee afraid of the modern definition of dating? What was she so afraid of?

Sighing, Tara took her seat at the table occupied by her parents and younger brother.

"Who were you talking with?" her mother Gayatri asked. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I had met him at a party once, now I find out it's his brother who is getting married to Nisha didi (term used for older sisters)," Tara partially lied. It was too burdensome to explain dating apps to her parents and she hadn't taken the risk yet.

"Oh, is it? You must have met more than once for you all to chat so long?"

Tara could sense where her mother was going. She hated this side of hers. Ever since she got settled in her career, her mother had been concerned with only one thing—her love life and imminent marriage.

Sensing the need to stop Gayatri from further dissecting this topic right now, Tara ignored her question and looked at her brother, "Dhruv, did you taste the chaat? I had a bite from Chandni's plate & it was delish, wanna go?"

As much animosity he shared with her, Tara and Dhruv were each other's support systems against everyone else. He thankfully sensed urgency in her voice and got up (or he was really bored).

"You really want to have chaat now? We'd have to eat dinner soon. I mean I can obviously have one more round but you will miss the mutton if you go for chaat now," Dhruv let out in a monotone, walking with his eyes at his phone's monitor where a football match was on.

"So, you have had it already. You're right, I won't have space for dinner if I have any more snacks. You get one more plate if you want. I just can't go to mom right now," Tara said, both walking up to the food stalls anyway.

Tara and Dhruv were joined by some of their cousins at the chaat corner gradually and thereafter, Tara managed to get by the night without landing up one-on-one with her mother. She also did not see Armaan the whole evening, which was...weird. Wasn't it his own brother's Sangeet?

The next day was the wedding. Nisha didi's father had arranged for Tara's family to stay in a hotel near the palace along with other relatives. She was sure Armaan or the ladke wale were not stationed there; the immediate family must have been staying at the palace. She did not know why and to achieve what, but she really wanted to see Armaan again. Thankfully, he had to be there at the main event.

Next Day
Evening (Hotel room)

Tara didn't get a proper leave from her office for this wedding. She hadn't really pressed it either. Because, A) She was at a distant relative's function B) She was more than happy with securing a few work-from-home days.