( Shivaay )

I sat submerged in my work quickly reviewing the files. The sharp ring of my phone got me onto the surface. 

"Hello." 

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"Yes Mom."

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"Alright."

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"Which restaurant?"

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"Okay."

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"I will be there."

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"Text me the address."

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"Okay. See yaa. Bye." I smiled ending the call. I just hope that this lady is the one. I have already seen ten girls in the past forty days. None of them seemed to be the kind for me to like. The disadvantage of being a little extra rich. It's sort of easy for me to read the person by eating together. 

One- you spend a good amount of time in the company of the person. Two- you know the likes and dislikes by their expressions to everything around. Three- You can see how they react to different things and people around, which gives away the major of their character trait. Four- You know what kind of food they prefer, and whether or not they like cooking. Five- Conversations flow quite easily and un-awkwardly on a restaurant table.

I was to meet the eleventh girl today at dinner. I scrolled through the phone looking at the reviews of the restaurant. Decent enough. Usually, I decided on the restaurant. But this time this girl had. I texted my mother asking for a photo of her and details.

I looked up as I heard the door open. "Hi, Om!" I smiled seeing my brothers- Om and Ru make their way into my office room.

"Hey, Rudra!" I greeted, surprised. What were these two, my cousins doing here? 

"So what's up?" Omkara asked sitting on my desk. 

"Work!" I replied looking at the files still requiring my reviewing eye.

"Your smile says otherwise!" Rudra smiled grabbing an apple from the fruit basket on the side table along the wall. 

"Tell me proposal number eleven is on the news!" Omkara chuckled.

I gave a small smile as he teased. He particularly didn't like the idea of marriage. "It is!"

"I was kidding!" He said looking straight at me with a dumbfounded expression. 

"I am not. It's Bon Appetite. A relatively new restaurant. I haven't been here  before." I said,  once again going through the details of the restaurant. 

"The girl's also new." Rudra giggled in response getting a glare from Omkara.

"Shivaay you're mad. Why are you even marrying? I mean you have your entire youth before you. You are just twenty-six. Get married at forty or something." Omkara spoke toying with the violet colored paperweight. 

"Oh shut up. Who will wait till forty?" I replied keeping aside the file that was open before me.

"Get a life Shivaay. We're in the twenty-first century. You don't have to marry to get laid."

"Let's not get there..." I looked up at him. God knows why Omkara was so against the idea of marriage. Maybe he didn't like the idea of monogamy or perhaps it was his fear of commitment to a single person.

"Shivaay, I am serious. Why on earth would you give up your freedom .."

"One Woman Man. That's what I want to be. I am not a radio channel to be broadcasted for all. I want to be that one special person for that one special person. Simple. " I smiled.

"That's some ancient desire!" Rudra chuckled. I glared at him."There are so many cons. " he argued biting into his apple. I wondered where he found that apple from? 

"Like?"  I questioned him. 

"One boring person for the rest of your life. You won't even know the person properly when you get married. It's kind of suffocating."

"How can you say the person would be boring? Anyway, I am meeting her before right? It's not like I am marrying her at the first meeting. You let it be." I said piling up my files. "You...guys and lunch?"

"Nope. We came for that!" Rudra spoke.

"Okay let's go," I said and they both nodded.

"What if there is no sexual compatibility? I mean you are going to marry her before knowing her that way!" Omkara spoke as we walked out of my office room.

"Omkara, please. That's rare. And besides.... you just get to know if you'd click." I shrugged.

"Says the man whose already rejected ten!" Omkara snickered.

"Very funny." I rolled my eyes. His question sowing doubts in my mind.

"I hope you keep rejecting women and then decide to get laid. One night stands are a thing, bro!" Rudra winked. Omkara laughed and I sighed. Was it so hard for them to digest the fact that I wanted to be committed to one woman? I've always liked the idea of choosing a person and then falling in love. Love marriages could be messy, unorganized, and cause your world to get upside down. Love needed patience, time and a lot more. Marriage before love was a much better option.

* * *

As we sat in the restaurant, we looked at Rudra, whose entire attention was on the group of girls who sat adjacent to our table. "Rudra, stop staring like that!" I scolded whispering.

"Exactly!" Omkara hissed picking up the glass of juice to his lips more amused than irritated at our brother's demeanor.

"They all look so pretty!" Rudra stated.

"Stop being a hormonal teenager who hasn't seen pretty girls!" Omkara reprimanded and Rudra whined. I assumed that was because Omkara's shoe had landed heavily on Rudra's. I chuckled taking a sip of the wine.

The waitress came over smiling at me. I cordially smiled back moving the glasses to accommodate the dishes she had brought. "Thank you," I said formally as she served my plate. Her eyes meeting mine. She blushed and walked away. What even?

I couldn't help but look at her retreating figure. I focused back on my plate. While Rudra narrated something about his recent new girlfriend. Something about how sexy her manner of talking was. I wondered how it would be to have a woman in my own life. How far was that day?

Every night I dreamed of having a woman's company. Her scent driving me crazy. Her body becoming the destination of my desires. Her kisses for me. Her care for me. Then there were nights where the man in me craved to be wild. I shook my head realizing I was going astray. God give me a wife before I become insane. Being twenty-six and celibate has to be a big thing in the twenty-first century!

As I was exiting the restaurant after paying the bill; while the two of them who were already out, waited. A woman dressed as though solely to seduce, passed by me. Despite, not wanting to, I checked her out. Damn those curves! She was undoubtedly hot! I tore my gaze away walking out. Only to see Omkara looking at me with knowing eyes, smirking. I shrugged wearing my sunglasses. The most helpful accessories, I tell you. They let me stare as much as I wanted without the world knowing. 

I began walking across to the car when I was suddenly propelled by someone banging into me. "What the hell!" I exclaimed almost close to hitting the floor.  I turned to see a hurrying lady looking at me apologetically. "I am so sorry. I am in a hurry. Excuse me!" Saying that she ran ahead. I blinked. I looked towards my brothers who were laughing. I picked up the sunglasses which had fallen on the footpath owing to the collision. Why was my luck so bad? All the attitude down the drain. Making a face I sat at the driver's seat. Women need to stop running into me!

"Seems like you're having a women attention filled day. First those groups of girls. Then the waitress. A few minutes back the sexy lady. Now this P.T Usha! "Omkara laughed. While I grimaced.

"Perhaps. It's the universe's way of celebrating Bhaiya's bachelorhood maybe today's proposal works in favor of his lost independence. " Rudra laughed giving Om a high-five. I shook my head wearing sunglasses. My lips curving up. I hope his words were true. It wasn't desperation exactly, just a longing.

* * *

I dressed up in a three-piece suit. It was sort of a ritual for me to wear that. Personally, it made me feel sexy. White had always been the color I loved wearing. You feel sexy, you are the man with the attention. My entire college period was filled with only studies and sports. No girls at all. Girls especially those popularly classified as bimbos always had a lot of attention in store for me, but I kept them at bay. I was also aware of the rumors going around that I was perhaps gay. But, who cared? They weren't worth my reaction.

I set my hair wondering how this girl would turn out to be. Mom's friend Hetal Aunty had suggested the family. My brothers still couldn't believe that I was actually looking forward to an arranged marriage. If only they knew how desperate I was. I hope things go well this time around. I want to be a woman's man. There were so many of my locked away fantasies to be explored. The thought of being the center of one woman's attention excited me. 

There you had a sneak-peek into Shivaay's mind. Waiting to read your thoughts and first impression of him.

What do you think his Anika will be like? (Next Friday we get to see her!)

– Anami!💖