Among many things I don't like few are— men, romance and marriages.

Men— I hate their inflated egos, the fact that in our society they always had it easy and that some of them could really be the male body part they are most obsessed with. You get the point.

Romance— made me sick. Holding hands, exchanging hugs, kisses on the cheek and elsewhere. Yuck way to much transfer of bacteria, viruses, body fluids and what not.

Marriage— well, it was an unnecessary headache that most people signed up for, to populate the world. Might I add, degrading the quality of life with hopes of improving it. A topic I can write volumes on to prove my point.

Now, don't assume I don't like all this marriage romance drama because I am not pretty or I have had my heart broken in the past. Nope, that's a trope for the television series, webseries and sloppy romance books.

I had been asked out twice during college, that had to mean, I was relatively relationship material in the eyes of the world. Of course, I had flatly refused on both instances, giving them a glare so dirty that the two boys would have a hard time asking a girl out again. At least, I hope so.

I picked up the glass of sweet lime soda that I had ordered, keeping down the book I had been pretending to read all this while. It was when I had raised the glass halfway that I realized, I had a scarf around my mouth. Ugh.

I directed my gaze to my one o'clock to glance at Advay. I felt like hurling the glass with it's contents on that man. How could he think of me instead of my sister? Perhaps that would literally and metaphorically knock some sense into him.

I placed the glass down with a deep breath and picked up the book again. Maybe I should drink some of that cold drink to calm my nerves before I ended up acting on my thoughts.

Slowly, I pulled the scarf down, making sure to keep my face behind the book. I picked up the glass again and sipped on the sweet lime soda which now tasted like a sweet lemonade, that you still get for ten bucks in the streets. I paid a hundred for this.

Life decisions done wrong. Should have ordered a Lassi instead!

"Are you nuts? Actually, you are. That's crazy. You're hanging out with this girl and hitting on her sister." Aman exclaimed. His voice louder than normal. Thus making it very easy for me to hear.

Yes, give him a punch on his head too. And the face, the jaw... On second thoughts, Navi finds his smile cute, so a black eye would be okay instead. In fact, make that two. I have heard symmetry makes things looks better.

"I am not hitting on her. She's pretty intense and savage; she'll probably beat me into pulp if I hit on her." Advay spoke.

At least something he got right. And how I wish I could.

"And you like that kind of girl?" Aman remarked incredulously.

"Exactly!" I muttered to myself, this Aman guy was too good. I paused for a bit. Wait, he is expressing his disapproval of me instead of telling this stupid Advay Singh Gulati to get his pea size brain checked.

"She's different and looks nice. In fact both the sisters look nice."

"So you'll marry both of them?" Aman exclaimed.

Forget Advay, I wanted to hit this guy now. No wonder these two are friends. Birds of the same freaking feathers flock together. I wish they could be used as tennis rackets. Would serve these idiots right! Even better if they could be punching bags.

"Are you mad or what! I am just confused."

"Man, there is no room for this unnecessary confusion. You either say yes to Navi or no. This sister...whatever the hell her name is not in the picture at all. She is not an option."

Okay, for a lawyer, he has presented some valid points, better then nothing.

"I know... but what if I like Avni more and not Navi. I am going to be having hots for my sister in law throughout my life. That's messed up, isn't it?"

I pressed my foot against the floor. Imagining that I was crushing that man's stupid brain. Hots for me? How dare he? He's masking me sick. Atop using the word hots. It's infuriating.

"Wait!" Aman paused and leaned back in his seat in shock.

I stilled, instinctively pushing my ear forward like it would help me hear better. What was Aman thinking now? He had ideas? What kind of ideas? The kind to 

"You're attracted to the elder one... physically?"

Okay. This is getting harder for me. To have the urge to beat up two men is pretty intense. And now that urge had doubled up. This is why I hate men. They can talk so easily about women ... just like that. I am sure both of them have imagined something utterly inappropriate in their minds. The fact that I am the topic of that discussion is just boiling up my anger by ten times more.

"I mean... yeah. She's cool, and she's hot. And she's one hell of a sister. And she's funny."

STOP. My blood was boiling, the temperature rising, the pressure building. If fire sensors could sense the temperature of human brains the one fixed on the ceiling above me would have set off a shrill warning alarm.

"And what about the sister... the...Navi?"

"She's sweet, and she laughs at my jokes and I like how she rolls her eyes. And her smile is beautiful."

"Fuck, you're mad! I am out of here." Aman declared.

Good. At least I won't have a criminal lawyer as a witness when I get my hands on this piece of disappointing humanity and erase his presence from the face of earth. Navi is going to be so heartbroken. Sorry, in advance pagli. 

Aman actually meant that because he walked out with brisk strides and Advay followed him, throwing some money notes on the table. I quickly took the cue and put a hundred ruppee note on the table for the awful lemonade and twenty more for the taxes, indicating to the waiter that I had paid. I followed the men out.

"Aman, I need help to understand which ..."

Don't complete that, jerk!  I screamed in my head as I followed them, walking down the sidewalk.

"Don't complete that!" Aman said, turning and pointing a finger at Advay.

Well, Aman, your score is less negative.

"What makes you think the sister is going to entertain your feelings, which by the way are screwed up?"

"Bro, what if she feels that way too. I mean why would she come on dates with her sister."

Aman looked baffled. "I don't know... FOMO," He shrugged before saying, "or may be so that you don't get too forward with her sister. How hard is it to understand that?"

Yes, Aman. Knock some sense into this man. It felt like a cricket match's final innings, where the game was turning in the favor of the team which had been projected as the losing team.

Come on Aman, we need another six, and eventually Chak De Phatte!

I was distracted with the beep of my phone. I quickly fished it out of my pocket to see a message from Navi.

I said yes!

Beda Garkh!

• • • • • • • •

Enjoyed the chapter?

-Anami! ♡