Shahma's family life was beautiful, inside out.

Her parents were friendly to her and always asked for opinions in matters related to her. They did not force her to marry, neither did they force her sister to stay away from marriage.

Shahma's mother used to work as a teacher when Shahma was born. They were in Bengaluru back then. Two years later Shahana, her sister was born when they were in Saudi Arabia. Her family settled in India when Shahma was ten. Sushi could not help but wonder if their stay ,away from their native place, had any affect on their tight bond.

Then again, she had listened a lot of awesome stories of family bonds from other friends too. She was officially jealous.

But even when Shahma had really good family support, she had felt depressingly inferior due to her skin color in their school days. Sushmitha had tried her best to help her. Sushi even decided to marry until Shahma understood that her skin was not a barrier to a happy family life.

However, in the end it was not Shahma's family or Sushi who could pull her out of the misery. They aided but it was herself who had led.

Sushi made a firm decision before leaving Shahma's house in a taxi. She had to stand up for herself. She might hurt her parents but she could make it up somehow later. Accepting the marriage might ruin their already disturbed relation.

Viswanath and his family had already reached her house by the time she got there. She smiled at them. It was hard to cover up the rage that was building inside her but it wasn't impossible. She did not want Amal uncle and his family to know about the internal battle that was going on in her family.

She wore the best dress she had in a few minutes and went to the kitchen. Unlike the other times when the man's mother would wait at the hall to evaluate her from tip to toe, Saraswathi aunty. was already in the kitchen. They were speaking of their good old times when Sushi entered the kitchen. Saraswathi aunty beamed at her before pulling her into a bone crushing hug.

She patted and kissed Sushi as she kept telling about how she had always wanted a daughter like Sushi and she had suffocated enough in between the two boys.

Sushi was feeling like a corpse at that moment. She did not want to hurt everyone around, neither did she want to hurt herself.  She wondered how life would be as the daughter in law of the always bubbly and cheerful Saraswathi aunty.  Was this going to be the last bride seeing ceremony?

No, it couldn't be.It shouldn't be.

At that moment, Sushi was sure that Shahma was only one of the reasons she did not want to marry. The prominent reason was that she was not ready herself. Or was it because of the way she could not even sleep peacefully when inside the same car as Professor Salahuddin.

Either way she was not ready to change her name.

The tea that she carried to the balcony did not spill , neither did the biscuits drop from her hand. She sat on the chair with a sigh. She could feel the tiredness seeping through her and thanked god for not giving her away.

All those times she made the men reject, it was fun and easy but this time she did not have the courage to use her funny bone. She felt distant and soulless.

" Why are you so sad, Sushmitha, am I that bad?"

Sushi's eyes left the floor to meet his brown ones. His black tuxedo did a great job at making the body builder look even greater but her heart was not beating nervously, like it did when she was with a certain non-muscular baldy spectacled guy.

He sat in-front of her.

"Sushmitha, this does not have to proceed if you have someone else in your mind already" Viswanath's smile was dazzling with that pearly white tooth but not as cute as that of Professor Salahuddin.

Viswanath was definitely more than handsome. He could even be a model. Professor Salahuddin was lanky. His arms looked like hanging vines from his half sleeved shirts. He did look very good in full sleeved shirts though. He definitely wasn't a model material. The only way he could be a model was if he modeled for a wig company. Sushi had to get Professor Salahuddin out of her head.

She shook her head.

"Then what is it?" Viswanath raised the tea cup towards his pink thin lips.

"I have a lot of dreams Viswanath, I do not want any obstacles," The only dream that she had then was trust from her parents. She was not having enough energy to be creative and she knew that Viswanath could not be fooled. He was bright and intellegent. An IIT topper, a genius whose photos had come on news papers many times. He could be hurt but not fooled.

"Now Sushi, if that is really the case, " He kept the cup on the saucer, steepling his fingers and leaning a little forward. " Trust me I could be your best choice,"

His eyes oozed confidence as it dared to never leave Sushi's. His eyes examined Sushi's for a few seconds before he leaned back and continued speaking.

" I too had a dream and that was broken my mother,"

This time it was Sushi who searched his eyes for the verification. Saraswathi aunty could never be a villain or a bad person, that was impossible.

"No, my mother did not harass me mentally or physical, your thoughts are really dark Sushmitha" he chuckled a little.

"I had always wanted to be a dancer...always ... but my mother always thought that I would be a failure if I chose my passion as my profession," He scratched his cleanly shaved chin as Sushi saw a flash of regret in his eyes. "It is funny that she was the one who held my hands when I took baby steps towards my hidden passion, she was a dancer and stopped chasing her dreams when she married and had me within an year, I was a pleasant surprise"

Viswanath licked his lips but he did not dare to sigh, unlike Sushi predicted.

"She cried a lot when I said that I did not want to opt science for plus two and wanted to spend more time with my passion. She cried so much that I felt guilty and I gave up then,"

He took another sip from his cup.

" But I did not give upon it entirely, I am learning dancing now during my free time,"

He took another sip before straightening his back.

"I will always support your dream, I know how it burdened it feels to have one and how fatal it is to have to give it up,"

Shahma opened and closed her mouth a few times. She did not know what to say.

"But if your dream is one in which it's not the usual 'kids and domestic works' that poses a problem but the marriage itself "he air quoted "that is an obstacle but and you may reject me, I can understand,"

"There is another problem Viswanath, I am not brave enough to stay up to my parents,"

"Sushmitha, neither am I interested in going against my mother's wish,"

Sushi pinched her lips, looking at her father's friend's son. She had to do something. She was sure that she did not want to marry.

"Sushi, your will against our marriage and my past will to study dance are two different things.   My parents do not feel it terrible that I have resumed my passion but your parents would be in great grief if you have an unsuccessful married life and decide to divorce,"

Sushi nodded. Sushi knew Viswanath was right. It was a now or never situation.

"My parents already see you as a daughter but I could save you from it with a rejection from my side. However, I can't save you from your parent's" He shook his head very slowly.

"Reject me now so that you do not have to waste your time on another bride seeing ceremony,"

Sushi nodded.

Viswanath stood up and he was followed by Sushi. Just when they were near the balcony's door he decided to make Sushi guilty, intentionally or not.

"Sushmitha, it really is not something about my personality, isn't it?"

Sushi shook her head as immediately as possible.

Just as they left the balcony  Vishwanayh said something that made Sushi smile amusingly. It confirmed the fact that her parents' ultimate selection was not bad and if she said a no that really meant she did not want marriage at that point of her life.

"Will be waiting for the rejection news," He winked. After that totally formal and business like meet at the balcony, a wink was something Sushi never expected.

He walked away with just his thumb outside his pocket in either side. A handsome and confident man walked away from her but she still could not relocate her thoughts from the forbidden fruit, Professor Salahuddin.