Family At First Sight

Chapter Three

I was startled awake by my alarm at 6 am.

Saturday morning. The day just started. Aditya and his family visiting my home and all the preparations for their visit, it was all a dream then. Great! I was so worked up with nervousness that I've become delusional and was getting such dreams. I was really going mad since I couldn't remember anything about the dream and why I was shocked in the first place. My nerves were on a tight knot and I never felt such a sense of queasiness in my life before. I went out of my room and was doing my chores as usual when, even my dad's phone decided to make me jump with it's fancy ringtone. Whoever was on the other end of the line seemed important, since my dad shushed me and my mom, so he could listen clearly to what they were saying. After a few minutes, he had cut the call and said, "Aditya's family have changed the meeting plan".

There was a sudden wave of disappointment that washed over me and I was hurting within. I tried making excuses to myself that they might have had some emergency or some important thing might have come up that made them change the plan. I was trying really hard not to show the hurt on my face to my parents. And then my dad spoke again.

"They have suggested that it would be warm and easy if we could meet up at a restaurant than at our home and I said them that we are good with it. We need to reach Tamrin Resort by 5 pm. So get ready."

I just hoped they didn't see the happiness that filled my face with a wide smile. So the plan was just changed, not cancelled. Gods! I was so scared that this was all just a dream, literally. It's not, perhaps. This was really happening and I was going to see the man who've given his glimpses in my dreams for the past two days. This thought alone made me get ready with a joy in my heart.

It was 3 pm when we started to the restaurant in our car. By 4.45 pm, we reached our destination. Since we didn't know how many of them would come, we made ourselves comfortable at a table of five seats temporarily. We were waiting for them to arrive and I still felt nervous.

After some time, a small kid came running inside the restaurant. She was a cute little girl and I was watching her making faces at someone outside the door as she was walking backward. She suddenly got tripped by a table and fell down. I was about to reach and help her when I saw a strong pair of hands lifting her up and holding her in an arm. I could only see his back while he was pacifying the crying kid. He was saying something to the girl and she calmed down at that. I could see him caressing her hair and stroking her cheeks from my view. Then he turned his back, facing at my direction now.

My heart did a double take. All those butterflies and sparks that I expected while seeing his picture for the first time were a tad bit late, for I felt them inside my tummy right then. If heaven had a heart beat, it would look exactly like him. He was like the best cup of coffee that this caffeine- addicted woman ever had. He wore a casual white shirt with a pair of blue jeans and I swear he looked like nothing less than a Calvin Klein model. He folded his sleeves till his arm and all those veins were crystal clear for my view. He was not very fair in color. He had a wheatish complexion going on and I deemed that to be my new favorite color. His hair was a bit out of control, waving around like they were being kissed by the air. His mustache was of perfect shape and his beard was a five o'clock shadow. I slowly took his every feature in and tried memorizing them, so I could play them back later. And then I searched for his eyes and he took the exact moment to look at mine. I froze. I literally froze. How can someone feel a zing of electricity just by looking into someone's eyes? Well, I just found my answer.

I was still mesmerized by the male specimen standing right in front of our table. After a beat or two, a group of people entered the restaurant, who seemed to be his family. Being with only my mom and dad since birth, I was literally shocked when my dad informed me right then that his family was big, with him and his mom, dad and grandmother, his younger sister and brother, his elder brother with his wife along with their son and a daughter. All those ten people lived together in the same house and I was to live with them when I get married to him. "If" I get married to him and it was a big "if".

We all moved to a new table that was big enough to accommodate us all. Our parents started discussing about stuffs that elder people always talk about. Conversation was light and we didn't dive into the topic on hand just yet when I realized that his eyes were watching me curiously. I slowly lifted my gaze to meet his and I swear I saw his eyes give me a warm smile. That was, well, I was not sure what it was, but it felt good. He was talking to his siblings and they were all smiling and giggling about things I couldn't quite figure. I was sitting there, alone by myself, when Aditya's dad asked me about my education and interests. It was my first time meeting up with a guy's parents and it sure felt like an interview, with my nervousness at the notch. I spoke with them all and answered their questions patiently, while I tried to figure them as well.
Aditya's dad was soft spoken, with a hint of authority that made people respect him genuinely. His mom made me feel comfortable with her sweet voice and soothing words. Grandma seemed a bit strict, with all those talks about old times and the rules and rituals created for the "betterment" of the society. Anna was not much talkative, but he seemed kind since he asked me about my dreams and goals and what I wanted to achieve in life. Anni treated me like a friend of hers, revealing all of Aditya's secrets and awkward moments, all the while making him blush. Their son Prem was studying in 5th standard and he was really proud of his growing muscles, similar to his uncle Aditya's. Their daughter Pari was in 2nd standard and she kept saying that I looked cute and I believed here eventually. Aditya's younger sister Kayal was studying law, first year and his younger brother Arun was in the 3rd year of Electrical engineering. I got to know a bit about every one of them except for the person whom I really wanted to know about. I was really wondering what was going inside his head or rather, what he was thinking of me. I wish I could get a peek inside his mind.

I just wish ...

***Stay tuned for the next chapter to know more about our girl from Aditya's point of view and how things went from there***