The Imperfect Couple (Complete)

Chapter 1

Aditya frowned at the unusual silence maintained by his elders at the breakfast. He ate as fast as possible to flee before any torturous lecture started.

"Aditya, I want to talk to you."

Aditya gulped in at the sedate tone of his grandmother. She called him Aditya. An obvious sign of an unfavourable conversation ahead.

'Something awful is coming up, dude,' he warned himself silently and looked up with a practiced innocence. "What is it, grandma?"

Sanjay apprehensively looked at Aditya. He knew what was coming up.

Interlinking her fingers, Sarojini said firmly, "Your attitude towards life is too careless. And as you are adamant on turning a deaf ear to all our heeds, I have taken an important decision."

Aditya's impatience grew with every passing moment. How badly he hated these lecturing sessions. His grandma was otherwise cool. But sometimes the ghost of some ancient dictator possessed her. And in such rare and torturing times he resorted to nodding dutifully at her every statement.

In this usual habit, he even nodded in affirmation when his grandmother accused him of turning a deaf ear to her. Sarojini sighed at her impudent grandson and decided to skip the intro and jump directly to the main part.

"I have chosen a girl for you. You need to get married."

That said, the two elders stared anxiously at the stunned lad. They expected an outburst. The boy, however, stilled.

Debating the appropriate answers to his expected denials, Sarojini waited impatiently.

Moments later, which felt like hours to Sarojini, Aditya suddenly roared into a loud laughter. "Good one, grandma," Adi managed to speak in between his chuckles and then added, "For a moment, you scared the hell out of me."

"This is no joke, Adi. Your grandmother is serious about your marriage." Sanjay said seriously.

The smirk faded from his handsome face. "Have you gone insane?" he demanded in disbelief.

"Adi mind your language!" Sanjay chided. He had no other way to reason with his son as he himself wasn't convinced by his mother's decision.

"But dad- Forget it. I have already wasted a lot of time with this nonsense. Goodbye." Aditya stood up and strode out of the dining room.

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Charu looked at her wristwatch and then at the door for the umpteenth time. Dressed in sky blue knee-length skirt and baby pink top with white polka dots, she sighed in dismay. He wasn't coming today... She bent to pick up her bag.

"Karan!"

Charu whirled around with renewed energy. A spark lit in her large kohl-lined eyes. A smile subconsciously adorned her face as she spotted the dashing young boy entering the badminton court.

She stood there under a trance gazing smilingly at her first crush ever. She had made a routine of coming to the badminton court every week to watch him practice. Seating herself on one of the stairs, she sighed in wonderment. Will he ever come to talk to her?

Then, as if in a dream, she saw him walking to her in slow motion. He stood tall in front of her and forwarded a dashing hand to her.

Cinderella's prince offering a hand for the dance...

For an instant, she forgot who she was and where she was... But a loud thud of her heart, provided the details shortly.

"Are you there?" the boy asked, bemused at the weird response from the dreamy girl.

Charu immediately stood up nervously. He bent forward to pick up the shuttle that had fallen down behind her. She mentally smacked herself for her stupidity when the boy left with a 'what's wrong with you look'. After he resumed his match, she recollected the recent event. He had just been asking her to pass the cork.

Charu cursed herself all through the way as she went to meet her friends in the canteen. She had spoiled her first chance to make a good impression on him and swore to not be so sloppy the next time. ************************

Charu stood up from the chair, hardly believing her own ears.

"What? You want me to MARRY? But-but why?" she asked horrified and shocked.

Renuka sighed as the moment she had been dreading since long had finally arrived.

"Listen Charu, they are truly nice people and – ", Renuka started explaining but was cut in by her revolting daughter.

"But I am just EIGHTEEN. Why ma? Why do you want me to get married so early? Are you angry with me? What have I done?" Charu asked baffled.

She had no satisfactory answers for her innocent queries but she had to be firm.

"Dear this is only for your good", Renuka started abruptly having no other words for quieting her.

"No! No! This isn't for my good. You are tired of me now. I'll always hate you for this ma, always." Charu cried out exasperated. Anger, shock, and pain at her inconsiderate mother as she ran to her room.

Renuka ran behind her agonized daughter but halted when she heard the loud bang of the door shut. She felt so helpless and weak. A tear left her right eye as the words echoed in her ears 'I'll always hate you for this ma, always.'

Only if she could tell her the truth...

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"He is coming!" the whistleblower announced. The room opened wide as Aditya dashed inside, throwing his bag to one of the servants. He rushed towards the bed horrified and then looked up at his father and asked softly, "What happened to her, dad?" Sanjay sighed, "She hasn't eaten anything since you left in the morning. The doctor said such stress and starvation isn't safe at her age."

Aditya gazed at his unconscious grandmother with guilt overpowering his senses. He forcefully restricted the clouding moisture in his eyes. He was responsible for his grandmother's pain...

"I am sorry grandma. Please don't punish me like this. Please... Scold your idiot Adi. But please talk to me," he pleaded sincerely.

He hugged her in slight relief when she opened her eyes slowly.

"Then promise me that you'll marry that girl."

Too guilty and scared, he agreed impulsively "I'll do whatever you ask." Tightening his hug, he added, "Even if my girlfriend wants me to marry another girl." Sarojini smiled as she thanked God for giving her such a precious grandson who loved her so dearly. She patted his back lovingly and winked at her son with a winning smile. She knew that this plan was fail-proof.

Sanjay shook his head at the profound tantrums thrown by his old and wrinkled mother. He sighed, still apprehensive of the outcome of such a drastic decision.

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