Doosra Chance

Chapter 10

My favorite chapter so far! Let me know what you guys think about how the story is shaping up!

Aarohi set the necklace and earrings back in their jewelry and stepped back from the dresser. "Yeh tune kya kiya? Aj tak, the only impulsiveness you've shown is in checking out more books from the library than you could possibly read in the few weeks before their due." Her reflection in the mirror raised her brow sarcastically. "Ok maybe that's not the most impulsive thing I've ever done, but you get the point. What tropical island sans cell service did your brain disappear to? Don't you remember that your favorite quote is 'follow your heart, but take your brain with you'? You seriously just let your heart grab the steering wheel and hightail it off the map into 'no-sense land', and your brain was left biting the dust." 

Aarohi spun around. Insulting her sassy reflection was doing no good. "Hai bhagwan, Aryan ka hi naam lena tha kya mujhe? How will I ever tell him about this, much less convince him to go along with my charade?" She paced across her room for an indefinite length of time, which turned out to be very dizzying because the distance of her room was covered in her four tall strides. Within half an hour, her cuticles were picked clean and Aarohi had prepared her grand plan.

Aarohi rang the bell to Aryan's family home. Their longtime family servant and butler, who was known to her as Nanu-ji, opened the door. "Aarohi sahiba, aapko dekh kar bohot accha lag raha hain. Kitne din hogaye aap humse milke, aapke saath chai peena ab baaki hain." "I've missed you, too, Nanu-ji. Lekin, maaf kariye, I didn't come to have chai with you this time." "I will hold you to it next time." He ushered her into the foyer and was leading her towards the sitting room. "You've come to meet chhote babu? Let me call him." Aarohi put a hand on his arm and stopped his hurrying steps. "Actually, I'm not here to meet chhote babu this time. Main bade babu, Aryan, se milne aayi hoon." "Aryan babu? Thik hain, woh study mein hain; I will bring him to you." "No nanu-ji, I will go to him. I know where the room is." "Phir chai nachta bhejunga aap donon ke liye." 

Aarohi clasped both his hands. "Iss baar nahi nanu-ji." He looked confused, but simply nodded and walked away. Aarohi knocked on Aryan's study door. "Come in." Remember Aarohi, calm and controlled. With precise movements, Aarohi opened the door, stepped inside, and shut it behind her with nary a whisper. Though that was likely due to the well-oiled door hinges and not her actions. "What is it?" From the fire into the frying pan. Ready, steady, go. "I've come to speak regarding an important matter." Aryan's face showed no change from the stoic expression as he raised his head and gestured for her to sit, but his fingers had stopped typing for a fraction of a second before he looked up at her.

In the time that it took Aarohi to take a seat in the chair across from Aryan and adjust the train of her saree in her lap, she could feel his eyes leisurely scanning her head-to-toe and back. Twice. "I would have said 'I hope I'm not disturbing you', but quite frankly, right now I couldn't care less if I was disturbing you." The left corner of his lip twitched. "I had assumed another purpose for your visit when I saw you, dressed as you are, but now I'm intrigued." "Enjoy it while you can. You'll be going from intrigued to irritated soon enough." "I didn't quite catch that." "It was nothing. I came to you with a request today. I'm sure either Kalpana aunty or Raj told you about the custom of astrology reading in Rhea's family." 

"Yes, Mom did mention it this morning." "Well, Rishi and Rhea were kind enough to inform me that the announcement made to the rest of the guests was a lie, and that there was something important in the astrology reading which also pertained to me. Apparently, Rishi and Rhea will have an obstacle-laden marital life unless they stay separate and wait to commence said life until I have found my life partner. In a series of exchanged dialogues and emotions which I cannot fathom to explain or even completely understand as of now, I was incited to save face by claiming that you were my fiancée." 

Aarohi's rigid posture tightened further, and she swallowed. "So, I am here to plead with you to agree to be my fake fiancée." "Done." "Please, take the time to consider..." Aarohi lifted a finger and blinked. "Did you just say yes?" Aryan's lips curved in a hint of a smile. "Yes." "I am utterly grateful and indebted to you for agreeing, but why?" "Because I have a condition, one which is non-negotiable."

"And what would that condition be?" Aryan leaned forward, his eyes just inches away from hers. "Marry me."

It seemed as if an entire eternity passed by while Aarohi's gaze was locked with Aryan's. Slowly, it registered that there was nothing but an intentness in his eyes. No curiosity, no anticipation, no wariness in preparation for her rejection. Finally, Arohi laughed. "Your sense of humor is worse than Raj bhai's." The intent look transformed into an unhindered smug smile. "You are mistaken. My sense of humor is impeccable. But that was no joke. I meant it seriously." That intentness flashed before her eyes and Aarohi almost felt a physical blow as the realization hit her. Holy cow dung, what had she gotten herself into now? 

There was only one plan of action- brazen it out until some semblance of a strategy formed in her mind. "I knew it wasn't a joke, but that was a chance for you to take back what you said. To close the door on a path that shouldn't have opened." "Why would I want to do that when I very intentionally opened that path?" "Why are you trying to open such a preposterous path?" "What makes you say that this is preposterous?" "You've known me for all of a few hours and now you want to marry me? How can that even make sense?"

Aryan leaned back in chair and clasped his hands over his stomach. From his look, it was clear he thought her ignorant. "When two families meet to discuss a rishta, the prospective bride and groom barely spend a few hours before deciding if they want to marry. If you have the luxury, you might meet a few more times before making a final decision. But there isn't much difference between spending five hours or fifteen hours with someone before deciding if they can be your life partner. What's preposterous is love at first sight. Or those movies and romance novels that fit an entire love story into 24 hours. If you ask me, even a whole week is preposterous, much less one day." 

"I don't know enough to say anything about the workings of love, but you're making a completely uneven comparison between us meeting and a wedding rishta. In a rishta, the bride and groom want to get married, are prepared, and are aware that they will be meeting rishtas. They will make a point to discuss the things that are most important to them when choosing a life partner. While it seems like you had planned this whole thing ahead of time, I was by no means aware that you were a prospective rishta, nor did I discuss any of things I would've wanted to. I will never disparage so-called arranged matches. I chose to go down that route the first time, and many people I know had successful arranged matches. But you and me, this is way different."

"Then ask me. Ask me whatever you would've asked had I come to your home as an official rishta." Aarohi shook her head in exasperation. "I can't just come up with questions on the spot. That takes time and natural conversation. Besides, I know nothing about you except that you're Raj bhai's older brother and you're a businessman. I would need to know more about you to ask the right questions." "You can read through my profile on the company page if that would help." She raised her right brow and glared at him. Aryan shrugged. "I'm giving you an opportunity and you're willingly letting it go." 

That stoked the frustration building inside Aarohi. "Fine, let's say I question you to my heart's content. What makes you think that you will give the right answers? The right answers for me." "Tell me what answers you want and that's what I'll give you." "That would be cheating, and utterly beside the point." Aryan slowly rose and stood in front of her, leaning down to clasp the arms of her chair and caging her in. "Then I guess I would just have to convince you until the answers I give become the answers you want." Aarohi felt the arrogance of her statement like a splinter of ice right in her soul. And she had no doubt that he would be able to manipulate her into doing exactly that.