Avantika was just stepping into the living room as Adhvay grabbed the plate in Riddhi’s hand to keep it from falling. She smiled secretly to herself. Today was going to be quite a coup if she could pull it off.

“Aaiye tum donon, baith jaiye,” Madhuri called to Riddhi and Adhvay, who were still standing.

(Come both of you, take a seat.)

Riddhi took a seat next to her parents, and Adhvay sat across from her. Just as Avantika was wondering when to make her presence known, Madhuri spoke again.

“Acha, toh aap apne beti ko pyaar se Riddhi bulate hain!”

(Oh, so you call your daughter by the nickname Riddhi!)

“Ji, uski puri naam hain Riddhima.”

(Yes, her actual name is Riddhima.)

Adhvay couldn’t believe his fate, was he lucky enough to be arranged to marry the only woman who had ever touched his heart? Avantika noticed Riddhi’s extra shyness, trying to hide her face behind the fall of her hair, and Adhvay’s eyes shining with disbelief. It was time to shake things up a bit.

“Namaste, aunty, uncle. Maaf kijiye, ek zaroori call tha, toh thodi der hogayi.”

(Namaste, aunty, uncle. Forgive me, I had an important call, so I’m a bit late.)

Ajay, Adhvay’s father, smiled and replied. “Arey nahi, beta, aao baith jao. Humare Adhvay ko bhi Madhuri ne aise hi call ke baad keech ke andar laayi hain.”

(No no, beta, come take a seat. Madhuri dragged our Adhvay in after a call, too.)

“Toh phir introduction karte hain. Adhvay ji, hum hain Avantika Verma. Aap kaise hain?”

(Then let’s have an introduction. Adhvay ji, I am Avantika Verma. How are you?)

Adhvay was pulled out of his silent staring by a low-timbred voice with a rasp, pleasant and controlled. He looked up to see a young woman, perhaps a few years older than his Riddhi.

Whereas Riddhi had her head bent in shyness, this woman held her head high. Though she seemed to be of a serious mien, there was a polite smile on her face, an open look and amused curiosity in her eyes.

“Adhvay Suryavanshi, pleased to meet you.”

Madhuri took a sip of her coffee and smiled. “Toh beta, tumhari ek business hain na?”

(So beta, you run a business, right?)

“Ji aunty, sustainable event planning ki ek small business chalathi hoon.”

(Yes aunty, I run a small business for sustainable event planning.)

At his mother’s question, Adhvay stiffened. Why was his mother questioning Avantika?  Within a few minutes, it became clear that the proposal of marriage was between him and Avantika, not his Riddhima.

It seemed so simple when he had to reject a random girl until he could find out more about his love, but how could he reject the older sister and ask for the hand of the younger one? That complicated the situation so much. Finally, the parents suggested letting Avantika and Adhvay speak in private.

Riddhi berated herself the entire time her didi and Adhvay ji were speaking outside. How could she allow herself to dream about the man who would become her jiju? Granted, she didn’t know about it at the time, but she would need to get over this stupid crush, and soon.

In the backyard, Adhvay was wondering if he would be able to convince Avantika to help him get married to her sister. As they settled into the armchairs and he looked up at her, he paused at the look on her face. Avantika’s face was hard as stone, her eyes cold and closed off compared to her previous openness.

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, letting her unblinking gaze bore into him. Adhvay was a confident businessman, who had experience handling all manner of people and personalities. So why was this woman’s stare scaring the shit out of him? Finally, he decided to break the silence.

“Avantika, main…”

(Avantika, I…)

Avantika lifted her palm. Adhvay fell silent. “Adhvay Suryavanshi, why don’t we start with a little game, hmm? Tell me, what is my favorite color?”

“Excuse me?”

“No? Ok, how about my favorite celebrity?”

“I’m sorry, Avantika, but I don’t understand…”

“Even easier? All right, how about the college I studied at?”

“Avantika, look, mujhe samajh nahi aa raha hain. Lekin agar aap yeh pooch rahe hain ki main aapke baare mein kya jaanta hoon, toh kuch bhi nahi. Kyunki Maa ne mujhe diye hain aapke details, lekin maine padha nahi.”

(Avantika, look, I don’t understand. But if you’re asking what I know about you, then the answer is nothing. Because Maa gave me your details, but I didn’t read them.)

She simply hummed. “Theek hain, mere baare mein kuch nahi jaante aap. Par aap yeh toh bata sakthe hain na, ki mere behen ne kis college mein padhi?”

(Ok, you know nothing about me. But you can at least tell me this- what college did my sister attend?)

This shook Adhvay out of his funk. He went from confused and intimidated to suspicious. He leaned forward, clasping his hands. “Aap ko kyun lag rahe hain ki main aapki behen ke baare mein kuch bhi jaanta hoon?”

(Why do you think I know anything about your sister?)

She mirrored his pose. “Kya aap mujhe yeh yakeen dilane ke koshish kar rahe ki aap mere behen ke baare mein kuch nahi jaante?”

(Are you trying to make me believe that you know nothing about my sister?)

Avantika leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs, draping one arm across the back of the chair. She gestured with her pointer finger for Adhvay to stand up. “Uthiye.”

(Get up.)

Adhvay gave her an ‘are you serious’ look. She simply stared at him. He stood up, not because she had ordered him to, but because his frustration and anger were starting to build. What game was this woman trying to play? And did she really think she could play him, of all people?

Avantika was smiling internally, this was the first time she mustered up the courage to follow through with a stunt like this, and she had to admit, it was fun. But she would need to wrap up this one-woman production soon, because she doubted Adhvay would humor her for much longer.

She stood up and took a step closer to him, never breaking eye contact. “Zaahir si baat hain ki aapko main bewakoof lagti hoon. Aapke chehre se saaf pata chal raha hain. Lekin baat yeh hain ki aapko mein kitni bewakoof lagti hoon.”

(It’s obvious that you think me a fool. Your face says it all. But the point is, how much of a fool you think I am.)

“I may be more than a little naïve and stupid, but not so much so that I wouldn’t notice a private investigator set after my younger sister. After all, I’ve been her pehredaar since the moment she was born. What surprises me is that you still haven’t had a look at the files your PI has sent you. Or no, don’t tell me that he’s so incompetent that he still hasn’t sent it to you?”

(pehredaar- protector/bodyguard)

Adhvay smiled. Finally, she got to the point. From here, it would be a piece of cake. After all, he was Adhvay Suryavanshi, trained by the best at handling any sort of situation.

“I have to hand it to you; I’m impressed that you found out about Bakshi. But since you know about Bakshi, I’m hoping you’ll understand why I’ve had him look into your sister’s background.”

“Oh certainly, but did you think you could have my baby sister investigated and not suffer the consequences, Mr. Adhvay Suryavanshi?” Avantika smirked and grabbed his hand. She dragged him harshly from the garden to the living room.

Thankfully, it was only a few steps, and by the time Adhvay got over the shock of her touch, they were halfway there. She was stronger than she looked. When they stood in front of everyone, with Adhvay’s hand in Avantika’s, the parents looked up with surprised but hopeful expressions.

Adhvay straightened his shoulders internally. She was really throwing up the gauntlet, but he was ready. He was ready to fight anyone and everyone for his Riddhi. Avantika spoke before Adhvay could. “Humari taraf se haan hain.”

(It’s a yes from us.)