(Alternate Universe)

Beware! It may hit a nostalgic chord! But overall it's different!

Happy Reading!

"Avni! Bacchaa, Why are you taking so long? They'll be arriving anytime now."

She heard her Neela Maa calling from downstairs for the umpteenth time now. Avni slumped her face in her hands and groaned loudly.

"This can't be happening with me!" She repeated the same thing in disbelief, something she is doing for two days now.

She analysed her pretty reflection wrapped in traditionals in the full-length mirror that is supposed to reflect truth but all she can see is a familiar face with a mask of unfamiliarity. This is not her!

Adjusting her flowing dupatta and tucking one of its ends near her waist, she smiled brightly, Like the way Neela Maa had made her practice. Next instant her lips dropped as it was too much of fakeness to bear. She gritted her teeth and grunted loudly, "Urghh!"

Dropping her dolled-up-ready-to-display frame on the stool in front of her closet-mirror, she glanced at her phone with hope, muttering, "Now where is that idiot when I need him the most!"

Avni is never going to understand this old-age concept of 'Arranged Marriage'. It's ridiculous to trust someone with your life whom you hardly know. And how can you know someone in a meeting of a few hours or maybe two or three meetings?

This whole concept is bizarre considering it's technologically sound 21 st century and she is no damsel in distress but an independent matured woman who can survive on herself.

A soft knock at her door put the brakes to the chain of her thoughts. Annoyed, Avni opened the door only to find a restless jittery Neela smiling weirdly as it's she who is going to be displayed to a family for a trial for the bride.

"They are here! Let's go!" NeelaMaa said, giving final touches to Avni's look and primping her hairs for one last time.

Avni rolled her eyes at her Mother's excitement and muttered something related to feminism which Neela very well ignored.

Avni had her escape plan revised thoroughly in her mind. She's not going to be the mannequin and shy-types the other people might be expecting. She's going to voice everything she despises about this arrangement and finally politely reject!

Whenever her marriage is going to happen, it's going to be her way!

She took a long determined breath after affirming her mindset and threw a disappointed look at her unerringly silent phone!

Lost in her thoughts, she reached the living room with Neela accompanying her. In the semicircular seating arrangement of the couch, she can see a middle-aged couple seating with an elderly woman in her trendy classy saree. The other couch occupying a man in a grey suit with his back towards her might be her expected suitor.

"Oh, Lord! This is really happening to me! I can't do this."

Avni started to fret in the last moment until her eyes fell on the handsome face greeting her with a brightly shining smile on his face. She blinked twice and gasped with a slightly parted mouth then composed herself getting conscious of the surroundings.

Neela went on with the initial round of introductions.

"This is my daughter... Avni!"

"And Avni she is Mrs Shweta Khanna, Mr Prakash Khanna and that's Bebe!"

All the while she forwarded her polite greetings to his family she could feel his soft gaze on her. It didn't help her fretting nerves in any way!

Before Neela could introduce him, he himself stood up forwarding his extended hand, saying, "Hi! Neil Khanna here!"

"Avni!" She let the name out of her mouth with an extremely delicate voice and shook her hands with him adorning a tiny smile.

"I'm sorry to ask but have we met earlier?" Avni asked, frowning in confusion.

Neil smiled lightly, twitching his lips, he said, "I might be your senior from college!"

"Ohh! Yes! Now I remember!"

Later, like the typical scenario it was, They were asked to get to know each other. Consequently, Avni took Neil to her room.

Just when Avni was closing the door behind her, Neil held her by her forearm and tugged her so that she landed exactly in his arms.

Not wasting another second, his desperate lips found their ways to her soft ones while his hands kept on pulling her frame closer to him.

After a moment of initial shock faded, Avni responded with the same desire and need. Her lips moved in perfect synchronisation to the firm pressure and rub of his lips. Her hands ran upwards along his chest to rest and intertwine at the nape of his neck as if they are programmed to do so.

Fumbling with their wobbly legs and clouded minds, Neil pushed their entangled frames towards the wall with Avni's back resting against it while his hand supporting them.

After swirling in a heavy moment of passion, they pulled apart, heaving and panting audibly. Neil let his forehead meet her's as her gaze was downcasted, both trying to come down from the high.

"You stole my to-be-husband's first kiss!" Avni complained, her eyes still heavy with desires, her hands still clutching his shoulders for support.

"I have been doing it since 3 years now, you never complained earlier."

"I dunno what you are talking about." She said, biting her lips to stifle her smile. "Care to think what my to-be-husband will think about me?" Her teasing remarks and the mischievousness in her eyes were his undoings.

"Well, He might be thinking that you are looking so ravishing that he's going to have a hard time controlling his urges. But your boyfriend of 3 years is loving this all."

She narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose trying to tease him when they heard a knock on the door and instantly pulled apart.

"Avni didi, Madam has sent Tea for both of you!" The maid's meek voice came from another side of the door. Avni opened it and took the tray.

When she turned back with the tray in her hand, they both looked at it then at each other and split into a hysteric laugh that might resonate beyond the boundaries of this room.

Keeping the tea-tray at the side table, she sat beside him near the edge of her bed when he pulled her in his embrace, unannounced.

Still, in his arms, she smacked over his shoulder, whining, "I had the strongest urge to strangle you when you texted that stupid message of 'Relax and Go with the flow' yesterday. I was anxious thinking n number if possibilities my fate can shape into and you acted all unconcerned."

Neil pulled her out of the hug to look at her face as his cute girlfriend kept on mumbling, "I can't believe this is happening, How? What? When?"

Neil chuckled and kept his finger over her lips to calm her down, "Relax baba! I told you na, I'll manage everything. Now just smile, Kiss me and say Yes for me! Pretty please!"

"Each passing moment is making me fall in love with you more and the desire to call you mine keeps on growing! It's been 3 years Avni still I feel It's just yesterday when we bumped in college!

This was the best way to fulfil everyone's wishes! An arranged Love for us!" He completed winking.

Happy with the justification, Avni launched herself in the arms of the man who had been her everything since the time she begins to decipher the feeling of 'being in love'

He was her first crush, her first boyfriend, her many first's and now he is going to be her husband! He is the one and only for her!

She is never going to let him know how badly scared she was when this alliance and prospective suitor things came up, out of nowhere. She was mad, angered, annoyed, disappointed, feared all at the same time.

Most of all, She was one step behind from telling her mother everything about her relationship. It wasn't like NeelaMaa won't understand but she was more of an arranged marriage kind of woman!

"Now shall we go?" Avni smiled at Neil's cliche dialogue that has been repeated in god know's how many movies and romance novels.

Later, as Avni kept on waving her hand to the disappearing car in their driveway with an extra vibrant smile on her face, Neela leaned closer to her ear and whispered teasingly, "I get that you like him. Now you can tone down your smile a little."

"Maaa!!" Avni whined, instantly being alert of her behaviour around Neela.

"Vaise, I hope your queries are solved! Three years is enough time to know each other, haina?" Neela asked pretending to think.

Avni's jaw dropped in disbelief and embarrassment. She opened and closed her mouth to say something but couldn't form a word.

"Well kept secret but you still need to learn more!" Neela winked and went inside leaving Avni with a racing heart and a beautiful shy smile.

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