The Story Of Our Love

3

It was a beautiful early evening, SD and Parvati were seated on a sofa, with their dear families-Narayani and nani, around them. Every time Parvati glanced at Narayani, she couldn't help but feel the comforting warmth of a motherly figure. Prior to this meeting, Parvati had only spoken to Narayani over the phone, but even then, their conversation had been filled with warmth and affection. Now, in person, Parvati could wholeheartedly confirm that Narayani was indeed a kind and affectionate mother.

Parvati couldn't resist stealing a quick glance at SD, causing a gentle blush to appear on her cheeks. She secretly thought to herself, he's not bad looking at all.

In contrast, SD appeared rather unimpressed with everything around him. He felt no attraction towards Parvati, who was dressed in a simple salwar kameez and had her below the shoulder length hair down, just like a typical Indian girl in his eyes. Furthermore, he wasn't fond of the small two-bedroom house they were in, which lacked air conditioning, making it feel hot.

"Parvati, you are such a talented cook, my dear!" Narayani exclaimed, clearly amazed by Parvati's cooking skills. Parvati had prepared plenty of snacks for her and SD like samosas, kachoris etc, leaving Narayani pleasantly surprised.

"But, maa, you shouldn't have gone through all this trouble, we are family, there was no need for all of this," Narayani said to nani.

Nani smiled and said, "of course it was necessary, Narayani. You have come to India after so many years, we should do something special for you. Parvati also wanted to make much more..."

Parvati smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed that her enthusiasm was being revealed by her nani.

"Parvati is not the only one happy, Narayani, but I'm as well," nani said. "Parvati has turned 27, the age to get married is slipping, and I was worried that you had forgotten our promise. But I'm glad you remembered."

"I understand, maa. It took me a while to return to India, but I never forgot my promise," Narayani reassured, and then casted an affectionate glance at Parvati. "Parvati is such a lovely girl, and I'm truly happy that she will be my daughter-in-law."

Parvati responded with a smile, while SD, although annoyed, remained composed.

Narayani suggested, "SD and Parvati should have some alone time to get to know each other." She asked Nani for her opinion, saying, "what do you think, maa?"

Parvati felt a surge of excitement, but she tried to hide it. SD was also happy because this was his chance to talk to Parvati and convince her not to go ahead with the marriage.

Nani replied, "I don't see any issue with it. The kids are going to get married, so it's better for them to have a conversation and understand each other."

Parvati and SD made their way to the terrace, where a gentle summer breeze greeted them. SD appreciated mentally that how tidy and elegant the neighborhood was, with everyone having their own independent houses and charming little gardens with fences.

They both felt a bit unsure about how to begin their conversation. "This neighborhood is just lovely," SD said.

Parvati smiled and said, "yes, most of the people here are lovely too, except for a few nosy bunch."

"I can see what you mean," SD replied, gesturing through his eyes towards a group of neighborhood ladies who seemed quite interested in Parvati's recent marriage news. As soon as they realized they were caught, they felt embarrassed and hurried back to their homes. SD and Parvati couldn't help but break into giggles.

"Isn't it unbelievable? We were living our lives on our own terms, and all of a sudden, we are told that we have to marry each other?" SD said.

Parvati glanced at SD but remained silent. Frankly, she was taken aback when her grandmother mentioned this marriage proposal a few days ago.