Second Chances | Grooms #2 | Slow Updates #WattyLonglist

【 xxi. in love 】

Parth: Listen, I actually have something else to tell you. After your shower, call me back?

After grabbing her towel, she took a detour to the bed to read the message, having heard it chime a few seconds ago.

Maahi: okay

Fifteen minutes later, dressed in orange track pants and gray tank top, Maahi entered her kitchen area with her phone. First, she retrieved items from the refrigerator she would need to make dinner before dialing Parth's number and putting it on speaker again so she could cook at the same time.

Parth answered the call, "Yellow!"

"No, orange." She said talking about the color of her tack pants.

"What?"

Maahi chuckled at her own lame self, "Nothing. What else did you need to tell me?"

"Yeah, that... promise me you won't freak out?"

Maahi rolled her eyes, slicing a potato, "Parth, seriously. Stop starting every conversation with that as if it's something bad."

He expressed his concerns, "This one might be... depending on how you react."

"Okay, tell me and we'll find out."

Walking back and forth around his bed area, he informed. "This morning, my parents brought up the topic of marriage."

She stopped chopping for a second to grasp the news. "Uh... and?"

Cautiously, he continued. "And, I had to tell them about you to get them to drop it. I mean, they don't know your name or anything about you but I had to tell them there was someone."

"Oh."

He paused his back and forth stroll to question her reaction. "Oh? That's all?"

She resumed her cutting as if it were helping her focus and process what he was telling her. "What do you want me to say?"

He sighed, sitting at the edge of the bed. "I don't know, Maahi. Something..." When she continued to remain quiet, he added. "I know I told you I'd wait as long as you wanted and I will. I didn't expect this... but I didn't want to hide this from you either. And don't worry. I know my parents. They won't press this again for some time."

Maahi placed the knife down on the cutting board, formulating her thoughts. "It's okay, Parth. They're your parents. I'm sure they want you settled. I get it. Thanks... uh, for telling me."

He could tell behind her polite answer. "You're freaking out, aren't you?"

She admitted, honestly. "A little, but it's fine. It's just a little unexpected."

"Yeah, it was for me too. Are you mad I told them about you without asking you? I know we didn't get to discuss anything."

"No." She answered wiping her hands, "No, nothing like that. You had to tell them something and honestly... I guess it's good. It's all still new for us but we're adults. We don't have to hide the relationship from our parents, right?"

He smiled, the tension in his shoulders starting to unclench a little in relief. "Right." He caught on to the sincerity in her tone. She wasn't saying this just to assure him but actually meant it. "Arjun was right. This honest communication thing really works, huh?"

She caught on that he might have sought advice from his friend and might have freaked out more than she. "It's the key for any relationship for sure."

Sensing that the conversation was heading to lighter matter now that he had told her all he wanted to that had happened today, she resumed her cooking, turning on the stove.