SEAL THE DEAL

chapter 9

Manisha could tell that her father was apprehensive and fully prepared to act according to whatever she had decided. She had already done so much for him by simply entertaining the idea, and he refused to ask her for more. If she rejected the proposal, he would simply hug her and tell her it's okay and would pretend none of it ever happened.

Mani:-"We've decided to go through with it," It had been a nice evening and she hadn't been able to find a single solid reason to decline.

Her mother's eyes widened in surprise and her father looked just as shocked, clearly not prepared to hear what he just had,

M/D:-"manu, kya tum sure ho pkka? Ye ek bahut badaa kadam hai, Mai bas-"

Shw interrupted her father before he could go on, "mai sure hu papa. Sach me, seriously," she
added when she saw the tears shining in both of her parents' eyes, "Oh my god, Maa papa, I'm really okay with it, or mai sach bol rhi hu !" She laughed as they looked at her in part worry and part disbelief. She put her arms around both of their necks as a lump formed in her throat, "I really do mean it, okay?" She hugged them as tightly as she could and her father patted her head affectionately, wondering once again how the time had flown by and when his baby girl had grown up so
much.
M/D:-"Beta, mujhye ni pta mai kya bolu..."

Mani:-"apko kuch bolne ki zarurat ni hai, papa," she mumbled into her father's chest, relishing the warmth and sense of security she currently felt.

After convincing her parents and repeating the same thing about fifteen more times, she wished them both goodnight and reassured them one final time. She walked into her r room and closed the door behind she softly, finally having time to be alone with her thoughts.

Manisha let out a soft sigh, feeling a little emotionally overwhelmed as she sat down on the stool in front of her vanity. She retrieved the make-up remover and the cotton pads from the drawer and started wiping your make-up off, her mind travelling back to a couple of hours before.

Her normally punctual self had ended up being late, and because of it, she hadn't even had the time to feel anxious before she rushed into the restaurant. When her eyes fell on abhishek malhan, she instantly understood what vishal had meant when he'd said that the guy was
seriously good looking. She was glad that she is good at maintaining her expression
regardless of the situation because Abhishek was nothing short of a handsome and it had caught her massively off-guard.
His eyes were dark and captivating, and his gaze was so intense sometimes that she felt like she was about to melt under it any second.  She had noticed that he didn't smile much and was a man of very few words, only saying what was necessary and speaking if it was necessary, but she put that down to a reserved  personality and hoped that he'd be able to open up to her gradually. She knew that first
impressions could be deceiving - she had firsthand experience after all - but abhishek hadn't been rude or mean even for a second and he'd listened to her patiently and intently; she honestly doubted that there was a single bad bone in his body.
But then again, there was no guarantee that she was right. She'd made the mistake of
believing a facade before, and she wasn't confident that she wouldn't make it again.
Manisha didn't exactly know what had compelled her to agree to the arranged marriage. She'd been unsure about it when she'd explained her opinion on the situation to Abhishek and her words had been somewhat empty, but at the end of the evening, she was kind of scared
because she somehow found herself wanting to say yes.

Maybe the fact that she thought he was really attractive had made it easier, or maybe it was the fact that she could see that he was trying his best to make an effort with her. Or maybe it was because she was lonely (even though she'd never admit it) and just wanted someone by her side.

Abhishek had been nothing but polite and he had this natural effortless charm about him, and it freaked her out a little because she'd only met the guy once yet she could easily imagine herself living a life with him.she put the cotton pad down and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Maybe vishal was right and she really were batshit crazy after all.