Monday morning, Aanandita left early to make sure she had all her notes and designs ready to meet with the new client, Arpita Mehta. She was an iconic businesswoman, completely paving a new path. But through the phone conversations they had, she seemed to take stress over a lot of things - a side effect of being a micro-perfectionist. Aanandita wanted to make this meeting as stress-free as possible, since it would be easier on her too. “Thank you so much! I had anticipated being here for several hours, but we wrapped up everything in under an hour. Now I have a few hours to relax before I catch my next flight. And I’m very happy with the design we’ve decided on. I have no doubt that it will be amazing. One professional to another, it was amazing working with you, and I look forward to more collaborations in the future.”

“It is I who should be thanking you Ms. Mehta, for such a great compliment. And I look forward to seeing you again!” Just then, Aanandita received a call from her mother. Gesturing to Ms. Mehta, she picked up the call. “Haan Mumma, bataiye. Acha pandit-ji thodi der hone wale hain, theek hain main jaldi aane ki koshish karungi. Bye.”

(Yes, Mumma? Oh, the priest is running late? Alright, I’ll try to get home quickly. Bye.)

Arpita looked at her, shocked. “Pandit-ji? Don’t tell me aaj aapke shaadi?!”

(Priest? Don’t tell me it’s your wedding today?)

“Nahi nahi, shaadi nahi hain, lekin shaadi ke muhurat nikaal rahe hain.”

(No no, it’s not my wedding. But we’re deciding the date for the wedding.)

“Then what are you doing here? Jaldi chaliye, der na hojaye! Waise bhi, I was just chit-chatting.”

(Then what are you doing here? Go quickly, before it’s late! Anyways, I was just chit-chatting.)

Aanandita smiled gratefully and walked out the door with her. “I’ll communicate the rest with you through email, if that’s alright.” “Of course! Shaadi ke muhurat is way more important than paperwork. Good luck, and congratulations!” “Thank you!”

Aanandita rushed home, and was dropping her keys in her bag while walking to the front door when she bumped into what felt like a wall. Looking up, she realized she had bumped into Vikram. Didn’t he say he couldn’t make it today? Vikram was thinking the same of her. She wasn’t supposed to be here today, was she? Silently, they walked in together to a room full of people sitting quiet in thought. Ranjani noticed them first. “Tum donon aa gaye? Perfect timing, tum donon hi decide karo.”

(You both came? Perfect timing, you both can decide.)

Aanandita raised her eyebrows in question and went to take a seat next to her mom. “Namaste, pandit-ji, aunty, uncle. Hi Deepthi!” Vikram said his namastes and hellos as well. “Pandit-ji keh rahe the ki iss saal do muhurat hain. Pehla wala theen hafte baad, aur doosra che mahine baad. Lekin, theen hafte baad jo muhurat hain, woh bohot accha hain, aur aise muhurat phir theen saal tak nahi aayega.”

(The priest was saying that there’s two dates available this year. The first is three weeks later, and the second is six months later. But the date that’s three weeks later, it’s really good. There isn’t another auspicious date like that for three years.)

“Ji beta,” the pandit interjected.

(Yes, beta. Your pair is like Shiv-Parvathi’s, it’s the first time I’m seeing something like this. The date coming in three weeks would be the best for you both.)

Based on everyone’s carefully blank faces, it was obvious what they wanted. Ranjani looked at the both of them.“Hum sab ki ek hi preference hain, lekin tum donon ki marzi zyada important hain. Tum donon kya chahthe hain?"

(We all have the same preference, but your wishes are the most important. What do you both want?)

Vikram’s voice sounded clear throughout the room.Looking straight at Aanandita, he said, “Theen hafte baad hoga shaadi.”

(The wedding will happen in three weeks.)

Aanandita completely ignored his authoritative tone, turning her head away. Nothing was happening without her agreement. Immediately Ranjani’s face lit up, but she turned to Aanandita and asked, “Aur beta, tum kya sochthi ho?”

(And beta, what do you think?)

“Ji, theen hafte baad theek hain.”

(Yes, in three weeks is fine.)

She couldn’t deny her parents and in-laws excited faces. Hoots, claps, and whistles echoed through the living room as the pandit-ji took his leave, promising to be in contact. Harshita, Pranali, and Deepthi had exchanged contacts the last time, and had become fast friends after the rishta had been confirmed on both ends. They ganged up again to tease their older sister and brother. “Wah Pari, Deepthi, dekho kaise abhi se hi haan mein haan mila rahe hain donon!”

(Wow Pari, see how they’re agreeing with each other already!)

“Haan! Aur bhai, itna bhi jaldi kya hani bhabhi se shaadi karne ki? Aap toh turant hi ‘theen hafte baad’ bol diya!”

(Yeah! And bhai, why are you in such a hurry to marry bhabhi? You said ‘in three weeks’ immediately!)

Ashwin was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and a frown between his brows. But slowly, the frown changed into a smile. He was sad that his Nandu would be leaving so soon, but he knew that she was happy with where her life was taking her. So, he would be happy in her happiness. Meanwhile, Nandu’s wedding would also give him a chance to get to know Deepthi better. He felt it at first sight, the quintessential lightning bolt. Though sometimes he wondered if that was not lightning, but Nandu’s cane prodding him from the heavens. The lively atmosphere in the room was disrupted as Vikram returned after taking a call. “Maa, Papa, ek zaroori baat hain.”

(Maa, Papa. I have something important to say.)

“Kya baat hain, beta?”

(What is it, beta?)

“Hyderabad mein urgent issue hain, mujhe phirse das din jaana hoga.”

(There’s an urgent issue in Hyderabad. I’ll have to leave again for ten days.)

“Yeh kya mazaak hain, Vikram?”

(What kind of joke is this Vikram?)

“Mazaak nahi, Maa, sach hain. But I’ll be back in ten days, in time for the wedding.”

(It’s not a joke, Maa. It’s true…)

“Bakwas mat kar, Vikram. Tum abhi ek mahine baad aaye ho! Koi aur dekh lega problem, tum kahi nahi jaa rahe ho.”

(Don’t speak nonsense, Vikram. You just returned after a month! Someone else will take care of the problem. You’re not going anywhere.)

“Maa, please, aisa mat kahiye. Dekhiye, aap shaadi ki taiyyaari kariye, aur aapko pata hi nahi main kab gaya kab wapas aaya.”

(Maa, please don’t say that. Look, you just prepare for the wedding, and you won’t even notice that I’ve left.)

Ranjani scowled and turned her face away from Vikram, turning towards Aanandita. Seeing her chance, Aanandita smiled and nodded, which didn’t go unnoticed by Deepthi. At her future daughter-in-law’s request, Ranjani sighed and allowed Vikram to go. He picked up his mother’s hands and kissed them. Deepthi huffed in mock irritation, bringing Vikram’s attention to her. “Oy, meri pyaari Deepu, aise bandariya jaise shakal banati hui acchi nahi lagti.”

(Oy, my cute Deepu, you don’t look good making that monkey’s face.)

“Bandariya?”

(Monkey?)

“Accha sorry. Lekin ab main jaa raha hoon na, toh shaadi mein saari marzi teri. Ab khush?”

(Ok sorry. But now that I’m leaving, the wedding decisions are all yours. Happy?)

Deepthi smiled widely and hugged her brother, then pretending to be nonchalant. “Waise, aap yahan rahe ya na rahe, humari taraf se saari marziyaan mere aur Maa ka hi hone wale the. Aur haan, aap poochne se pehle hi bata deti hoon. Meri marzi yeh hain…ki sab bhabhi ke marzi se ho. Aap bhi andar hi andar yeh hi chahthe the na?”

(By the way, whether you’re here or not, and the wedding decisions from our side were going to be according to my and Maa’s wishes anyways. Oh, and let me tell you before you ask. My wish is that…everything happens according to bhabhi’s wishes. That’s what you secretly want, too, right?)

She quirked her brows at him, Harshita and Pranali sent her high fives across the room, giggling. Vikram only hummed in response, looking at Aanandita. She was the first to break their gaze and look away. Although he was addressing the room at large, he still looked at Aanandita as he spoke. “I have to head to the office now, and I’ll leave for Hyderabad directly from there.” As everyone, except one person, bid him goodbye, he took his leave. No, Aanandita didn’t use words to say goodbye, but it was clear in her eyes and the small smile on her face. Once Vikram reached his flat in Hyderabad, he turned on his phone again. Although he had spoken with his parents before boarding the plane, they’d still sent him ‘safe journey’ messages.

Surprisingly, he had also gotten messages from all his in-laws, and messages from his saalis promising to take care of his fiancée until he returned, which brought a smirk to his face. Last, he saw a message from his sister. “Bhai, I thought you should know that it was bhabhi who convinced Maa that you should be allowed to go to Hyderabad. You should thank her personally, so I’m sharing her number.” The next message was a shared contact, with another note. “I saved the contact the way you would, you can thank me later!” It was saved as ‘wife’ with a heart emoji next to it. 

Why did Vikram’s heart feel lighter seeing that? He wanted to blame it on his drowsiness, since it was late night, but he knew it was because destiny had led him here. To the person he had been waiting for. To the person he had been praying for. As ordered by his sister, he saved the contact and called her.

She picked up after several rings, and answered cautiously, “Hello, kaun hain?” 

(Hello, who is it?)

“Hi.” 

“Aap?” Vikram was amused to hear her voice quiet to almost a whisper. 

(You?)

“Hmm main.” 

(Yes, me.)

After a pause, he added. “I wanted to say thank you, for convincing my mother.” 

“Aapko kaise…?” 

(How did you...?)

“Deepthi ne batayi.” 

(Deepthi told me.)

“Ah…maine kuch nahi kiya. Aunty khud manne wali thi.” 

(Ah...I did nothing. Aunty was going to agree anyways.)

“But you made it happen faster.” Unsettled by the compliment, she changed the subject. “Your journey was fine? You landed safely?” “Yes.” “Umm, it’s late, you should rest. We can talk later.” “One more thing…” “Yes?” Aanandita’s voice sounded breathless even to her own ears. What an embarrassment! 

“Thank you.” She almost looked down at her feet to check that there wasn’t a puddle as she melted into a pile of mush. Taking a fortifying breath, she asked, “For…? No, don’t answer. You can tell me once you’re back.” She suspected this was a conversation they should be having face-to-face. Before Vikram could tell her to wait, she cut the call. Laughing to himself, he set his phone aside and slept.

____

Aanandita walked into Ashwin’s room silently, holding two plates of gulab jamun and ice cream. She lifted the laptop off Ashwin’s lap and set it out of reach, plopping down across from him on the bed. She handed him a plate and gestured for him to eat. After he gobbled down a gulab jamun, he paused, and Aanandita took that as her chance to pounce. “Ashwin Chauhan, spill the beans.” Ashwin raised his brows, trying to intimidate her, but failed as usual. Aanandita was usually very easy going, but when she expected something of you, people did it. With one look, she could intimidate anyone. 

Ashwin had yet to see a person who didn’t break in front of that look. “Fine. See, the thing is…” “Continue.” “I like Deepthi.” “So do I.” That sassy reply earned her a glare. “No Nandu, literally pehli nazar mein kuch jadoo ho gaya. Jitne bhi baar miloon, har baar kuch naya seekhtha hoon uske baare mein, aur har baar woh aur bhi acchi lagne lagti hain. And you know what, ishaara bhi mil gaya. I’m sure that she’s the one.”

(No Nandu, literally magic happened the first time our eyes met. No matter how many times I meet her, I learn something new each time. And each time, I just fall in love more. You know what, I got my sign, too. I’m sure that she’s the one.)

“See, it wasn’t that hard to confess. Don’t worry bhai, sab kuch sahi hoga. Main hoon na, main sab set kardungi.”

(See, it wasn’t that hard to confess. Don’t worry bhai, everything will go well. I’m here right, I’ll set everything.)

“Hey, Nandu, don’t do anything that will risk your wedding. And I haven’t given any hint about my feelings to Deepthi. I want to make sure that she’s ok with this and that she wants me, too. I’m sure about how I feel, but I don’t want things to go too fast.”

Aanandita gave him a sarcastic look. “Seriously, yeh bhi koi batane wali baat hain? Maine kaha na, sab ho jayega. Aap chinta mat kariye. Hmm, and finish your ice cream, it’s already melted.”

(Seriously, is this even something you need to say? I told you, everything will go well. Don’t worry. Hmm, and finish your ice cream, it’s already melted.)

As she was getting up to leave, Ashwin stopped her. “Oy, rukh.”

(Hey, wait.)

Aanandita sat down with a perplexed expression. “Phirse mile bina haan kyun keh diya Vikram ko?”

(Why did you say yes to Vikram without meeting him again?)

Aanandita bit her lip and laughed at herself. “Kyunki takkar ke hain woh mera. Par, aap joh mujhe bataye the uss din, bharose ke baare mein, woh mann mein ghus gaya. Main samajh gayi ki woh jaan se pehle parivaar ko rakhthe hain. Humare jaise. Agar main unke parivaar ki hissa banoon, chahe pyaar ho na ho, commitment aur loyalty toh honge. Aur woh mere liye sabse important hain. Aapko pata hain, main humesha apni mann ki bata sunti hoon.”

(Because he’s my equal. But, whatever you told me that day about trust, it got into my heart. I understood that he puts his family before anything else. Just like us. If I become a part of his family, whether there’s love between us or not, there will be commitment and loyalty. And that’s most important for me. You know, I always listen to my heart.)

As she was stepping through the doorway, she turned around again. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, and ek aur baat (one more thing). Don’t let this get to your head, but I’ve seen the way Deepthi looks at you, I think you’re good on that score. Your only job is to talk to tau-ji and tayi-ji tomorrow.”