Officially Married! (Editting)

Chapter- 21

"I have and I still do." says Klaus.

"Oh that's great!" she smiles brilliantly. 'Poor girl' she thinks but corrects herself regarding his current behavior. But his faded smile makes her read deeper at the issue in hand.

"You guys broke up?" she asks feebly.

He shakes, "Its complicated.", and exhales sharply.

"Cliché" she winks.

He shrugs.

"How long have you been in this relationship?"

"Approx 3 years." He says casually.

"But you came to see me as a potential wife of yours."

"A little correction my lady, my father considered you as a potential wife of mine."

"So you think I'm not eligible to be your wife?"

"That's not it." He winces, "None is eligible to be my wife."

"Are you gay?" she asks monotonically.

"What? No! It's not that I've something against gays, but I'm straight. It's just that, I don't want to see myself getting married and tied down."

"Oh" she nods.

"But father just don't get it. And ever since his last heart attack, he's getting more persistent in his plea to get me married. He thinks I'm going to end up alone once he... once he..."

She nods to show that she understood what he meant.

"And here I'm! Stuck with a stupid commitment I made to my parents that I wish to marry soon to a guy they approve."

"We're trapped." He smiles.

"That", she says, "we are. I wish there was some way to bring an end to this." She gestures around herself, "This whole situation."

"I've wasted a lot of my time in thinking for a solution but there is none. Temporary solutions such as business trips are proving to be less effective."

"And I've no idea how long I'll have to keep meeting these frantic potential grooms."

They sit quietly for few minutes in deep thinking, until Maya and Amit appear with their order. Once the main course is served, they enjoy the juicy flavors of 'Paneer Pasanda', the surprise dish. Caroline thanks Maya for dishes. After they are finished, they move towards the parking lot.

"So, shall I drop you to your place? You may send someone later to pick your car."

"That'll be fine with me." She smiles.

He holds the exit door for her and clicks the unlock key on his key chain of the car keys. Once unlocked, he holds the door for the passenger seat for her. He lets her settle in then shuts the door and gets to the driver side and sets in. He twists the keys and the car gets into life.

"Just let me know, if you think of anything." She says finally.

He smiles, "I'd do that."

She's looking out the window at the running buildings and lights, "I wish I could find someone who could marry me just to convince my parents. You know... a kind of marriage where you don't have to really be a husband and wife."

He looks at her, her face still fixed on something outside. "And you could leave once the motive of getting married is achieved. You know just sign divorce papers and bid a sweet farewell. Just like room-mates."

Her face moves so quickly, she might have tore off a tendon or something. "You know, this is what I mean." Then her gaze drops to her hands folded in her lap.