Across town, Arthit sat in his office, buried under stacks of paperwork. The soft glow of his desk lamp cast shadows across the room, illuminating the papers that demanded his attention. As the eldest son , Arthit knew his responsibilities well. Someday, he would have to marry to pave the way for his younger siblings. However, his relentless dedication to his career had left little room for personal relationships. Love, to him, had always been a distant dream—something to be considered once his professional life was firmly established.

When his father had proposed the idea of marriage earlier that day, Arthit hadn't been shocked. He listened calmly as his father spoke fondly about Kongpob. How it was hard to find such cultured youth who knows how to blend cultures and traditions with modern values. Who know how to take a stand for themselves while not disrespecting elders.

"We have a five year age difference" Arthit stated. "Has Kongpob agreed to this proposal?"

His father frowned "Its four and a half years. Arthit, you have turned thirty ...not hundred!"

He does feel like a hundred year old though. Most of his friends are in various stages of relationship- have girlfriend, fiances, wives or husbands - and even kids with or without marriage. And he does not have even a date in sight.

"In these days, it can be a big age difference papa...five years sometimes is a whole generation gap in this era. " Arthit would know, he feels it with his younger brother Arhan who is close to Kongpob's age. "Look at Arhan.."

"Arthit...you are not going to be married right away. I am just proposing you to meet Kong with marriage in mind. Take your time, meet him- get to know him. You can even do what kids these days do- marriage without vows"

"Dad! you are suggesting live in?" Arthit asked scandalized .

His father smirked " I just said, marriage without vows- which is a court marriage, you jumped to live in all on your own"

"Like I don't know you. " Arthit rolled his eyes "You know how I feel about 'bin phere ham tere (without vows I am yours)"

"Yeah" His father nodded "I also know you got to chillax, like Arhan says."

"I just..." Arthit squirmed " It's no commitment..feels wrong to me, papa. It puts omegas at risk. It has recently only come in to purview of law and society still doesn't favour it much. It is no relief that most of those unions only dissolve like they never existed."

"It can be right for some people,Arthit. Gives them a glimpse of life they are getting in to.." 

"If the intention is really honest then what is the problem in tying knot? people say it is to save couples from divorce... but isn't it the same if you are later breaking up? I never got the concept of Live in, papa. It just does not sit right with me."

His father squeezed Arthit's shoulder " Son, its okay to have different opinions than others as long as we respect theirs too. And its okay to be 'love letters man' in this world of 'texts and messages'

Arthit felt bare. He has particular views about many things. Like love for example- he loves those old romance movies and books where love was all about emotions and people read others eyes than their bodies. Where having a relationship was not measured by which base you have got. If the whole goal of relationship is to get to the third base then what is left when it is fulfilled ?  You feel goal less- the passion cools down. Love dries up- like it was a stream rather than being ocean as it should be. For him- love has always been soul deep rather than skin deep. And it had earned him the nickname 'Saint Arthit' in college.

" I will keep in mind papa." Arthit said. "Its just that I will be more comfortable knowing Kongpob has no qualms meeting a thirty one year old with marriage in mind. "

His father frowned at his stubborn eldest. " Your thirty first birthday is still six months away" Since Arthit has turned thirty, he has become more melancholic, more sad and more immersed in to work than he already was.

Arthit sighed " If it goes well, I will be thirty one at the time of marriage."

"Planning marriage already? Atleast see the groom's face first. "His father handed him a photo, but Arthit hesitated. "What's in a face anyway?" he thought to himself. "You wouldn't know the heart of the man by the face. Looks can be deceiving."

"If you have chosen him, he must be extraordinary," Arthit finally said with a faint smile, feeling the color rise in his cheeks.

Arthit's father slipped a photo in Arthit's shirt pocket " He is, to me. He doesn't have to be extraordinary for you too. Meet him, know him and then decide. I would like Kongpob as my son in law but it is not a decree, son. You can always say no. Although, I doubt you will once you see him," he said with a wink. Arthit flushed, colour on his cheek deepened.

His father teased him lightly, causing Arthit to blush deeper. "Blushing only at the thought of him," his father chuckled. " Makes me want to stay here and see your face after you see him".

"I am not blushing" Arthit said, red all over " Its not like I don't know him. We have his picture in our album"

" He is three year old in that..if that's making you blush its creepy bro" his brother Arhan came out of nowhere.

"And snooping on personal conversations isn't creepy?" Arthit retorted.

"When its about your elder brother getting hitched ? not at all..." Arhan grinned, making Arthit want to smack his stupid brother.

" So, when are we meeting him?" Arhan asked.

"There is no we.." Arthit stood up and started to push Arhan out of his room " I am meeting him and you are not going to be in the 100 kilometer radius."

"Bro..you can't keep me away from my brother in law"

"He is not your brother in law"

"Soon to be brother in law.." Arhan shrugged, expertly ducking out of Arthit's grip and running back in to Arthit's room. "same thing" Arhan shrugged , depositing himself on Arthit's bed .

"wash your feets first" Arthit fumed. Ayan stood up and jumped on the bed everywhere, rubbing his feet all over and then showing soles of his feet to Arthit "all clean"

Arthit smiled " any last wish before you die?"

"Yeah... seeing you married " Arhan retorted.

"Arhan...stop tormenting Arthit " His father chided " And Arthit, you need to start being little less rigid about your living space... soon you will be living with someone else who will have his own preferences. "

Arthit nodded, giving side eye to his brother. " I will keep in mind , papa"

"Don't worry papa..I will train him" Arhan chirped, eyes glued to screen.

"Thank you for your generosity son" Arthit's father deadpanned " But, I like both my sons alive. I need to go now. Arthit, don't kill him."

"Can't promise papa.." Arthit replied back, lunging on his brother and grabbing him in to a head lock. " Do you have any last words, brother"

" Poor Kongpob" Arhan pouted " getting married to a murderer " I should be a good citizen and inform him even if I have to slide in to his instagram ."

"Kongpob has an instagram? How did you know ?" Arthit raised a brow in suspicion.

"You think everyone lives under a rock like you?" Arhan retorted. " It takes just typing the name"

"That's called stalking ."

"Not if he has a public account"

"Stop that right now.."

"Possesive..." Arhan wiggled his eyebrows. " tough luck bro...I have already liked a shirtless pic of him... hot damn with all those abs and that tatoo !...I wouldn't mind being gay for him ."

"Have some respect.." Arthit chided "that's your brother in law."

"I knew it!" Arhan squealed in delight. " Our oldie is in loveeee people."

"Who the hell is old here..and give me his insta handle"

"Ooh....you don't mind stalking now..."Arhan cooed and Arthit tightened his grip making Arhan cough dramatically "Ishq ne 'Ghalib' tumhe nikamma kar diya, Varna tum bhi aadmi kabhi kaam ke the! (here it means - love has rendered you useless and worthless otherwise you were also a man of worth.)"

"Insta handle now..!" Arthit threatened .

"Hitoritabisha_"

Arthit loosened the grip "Get out before I kill you"

Arhan sighed dreamily "Mohabbat mein nahin hai farq jeene aur marne ka

Usi ko dekh kar jeete hain jis kafir pe dam nikle

( In love, there's no difference between living and dying
We live only for the one for whom I die)

Arthit smacked his brother "Stop hitting on Kongpob!"

"Ishq pe koi zor nahi zaalim (Love cannot be forced, o torturer!)- "

Arthit literally kicked his brother out of the room and latched the door.

He has to make an insta handle now. He has one in official capacity- managed by his secretary. Obviously he can't stalk his to be husband on it.

To be husband...hmm Arthit caught thread of his thought. Interesting! He was amused at himself but not surprised- he is not interested in goal less dating. He meets people with long term in mind- its not like- let's see how this goes.

He will be meeting Kong with marriage in mind and from what Arthit's father had told him about Kongpob- the man already ticks half of Arthit's boxes.

Arthit truly does not care about face- nice face will be a plus ofcourse. But all he wants is a good person with good heart with whom he can share his joys and pain and burden. And who in turn will share his joys and burdens with Arthit too.

Arthit dreamed of a marriage like his parents'—full of respect, mutual understanding, and lots of love. Though he wasn't desperate to marry right away, and it would be good if he got one or two more years, he believed he could make it work now too. Many adjustmens will be needed ofcourse. He resolved to make time for his partner, even if it meant cutting into his sleep. His partner deserved it.

Arthit made his personal  insta account , naming it 'anonymous_11' , he searched for hitoritabi...there were at least ten public accounts.. He didn't know which one was his intended. So, Arthit reached for the photo in his shirt pocket .

In the quiet solitude of his bedroom, with racing heart, Arthit retrieved the photo from his pocket. He didn't know why his hands were shaking. The first look at Kongpob stopped his shaking hands—Arthit was struck by the image before him. The photo slipped from his fingers as he kept staring into the eyes of the stranger who would soon be his husband.

Arthit smiled to himself, whispering

 " Muskura ke dekha to kaleje mein chubh gayi

Khanjar se bhi tez lagti hain aakhein janab ki "

(When I saw you smile, it pierced my heart
Your eyes (gaze) feel sharper than a dagger)

There was a depth to Kongpob's eyes that captivated Arthit. like bottomless pool, more he dived- more he found. the more he found, the more he drowned. Arthit remebered a sher he read somewhere , it suited Kongpob's eyes the best.

Uski aankhëin itni gëhri thi ki
Tairna aata tha magar doob jaana accha laga

(His eyes were so deep thatEven though I knew how to swim, drowning felt better.)

Arthit forced his brain shut. If Arhan hears of this, he will never let Arthit hear end of it. But, Arthit can't help it, he loves shayaris and poems. They speak so much in few words. he had liked them since he was little, he got the love for it from his grandfather . Arhan developed interest in them only to tease Arthit. he had by hearted hundreds of them and now many a times they had banters in shayari only.

Forcefully tearing his eyes away from the captivating image, Arthit noticed Kongpob's smile—a smile that lit up his face. He had nice smile, one that automatically brings a smile on people's face. Arthit caught himself smiling.

Arthit admitted to himself that Kongpob wasn't classically handsome—his features lacked the supposed golden ratio or any such conventional measure. Yet, Kongpob's smile was magnetic, attractive in a way that drew people in. His eyes were enigmatic- new layers were being peeled off every time Arthit looked at them. Like, just now, Arthit had noticed melancholy in them.

If eyes could speak, Kongpob's would be screaming, soundlessly. Arthit wondered if Kongpob was an actor, or perhaps an aspiring one, because this man could convey so much without even moving his lips. Arthit pondered over the emotions that seemed to weigh heavily on Kongpob's gaze. How could he alleviate that burden? Or was he misreading ?

Arthit logged in to his insta again, easily locating Kongpob- his intended. 

The info on his account read

Teacher by profession student by passion.

Foodie. Astrophile. INFJ.

Foodie! Arthit smiled. Good. They will have a blast tasting different cuisines and trying out new restaurants. 

Astrophile. Hmm... Arthit was more fond of watching sunrise than star gazing at night but he can adjust. May be they can go to mount Abu for a star gazing date.

Introvert. Even though Kong had not written in his insta bio, Arthit would have guessed it by looking at his insta account. There were more pictures of nature with beautiful captions than there were of man himself. There were also many events from village - vocal for local campaigns and such.

Arthit kept scrolling , reading, observing, being pulled more in to Kongpob's world . Hours had passed, yet he had not found any shirtless Kongpob with tattoo. There was one picture- Kongpob at beach with his friends- every male in the group was showing their torso in some form. Some were completely bare waist above, some had hawaiin shirts with their button undone- showing part of their chests. Only Kongpob was fully clothed. He was wearing a shirt with coconut trees printed on it and a black tee underneath with black shorts. He looked thinner in the picture than recent ones.

"There are no tattoos" Arthit texted his brother.

Arhan's call came instantly "oh..how you wish there were some! Don't you"

Arthit frowned " I wish no such thing. "

"Liar" Arhan grinned "There could be some underneath all those layers, bro...have some imagination." came the reply.

"He does not seems the type" 

"He totally is ...silent ones are the loudest, brother" 

"Why are we even discussing this?"Arthit frowned" Its his personal choice to have or not have a tattoo. "

"Defending your boo already? You are going to be henpecked like none other"

"Shut up and go to sleep , if you turn up late to office one more day...you will be cleaning cubicles instead of attending meetings."

"Vo naapta hai gardan naap le;

Magar zaalim se dar jaane ka nahi"

(He measures the neck, let him measure it;

But you must not fear the tyrant)

"You just be late and I will show you zaalim (tyrant) tomorrow" Arthit threatened.

"I will tell how cruel you are to my Kongy bro" Arhan made fake sobbing noises to which Arthit wanted to punch Arhan through the screen. 

"Kongy bro! What the-" Arthit barely restrained himself from cursing out loud "You will not shorten his name at any cost"

"He is my brother in law. I have the right"

"More than his husband?" Arthit automatically retorted "I said No. And No means no"

"Husband...bro!" Arhan made sounds which in Arthit's opinion only dog could hear " I can't blame you though. His eyes ...dam..they are to die for. Makes me want to change sides...aankhon ne unki nigahon par dastkhat kya diye ; hamne sanson ki vasiyat unke naam kar di ( the moment my eyes inscribe upon his, I've bequeathed my breaths(life) to him."

"If you don't stop hitting on Kongpob , I will come there and kill you."

Arhan sighed dreamily in to the phone " I can happily die for him bhai. His eyes has chaned my perspective towards life...Kya kashish thi uski aankhon mëin mat poochho

Mujhsë mëra dil lad pada mujhë yëhi chahiyë. (What attraction was there in his eyes, don't ask, My heart started to fight with me, this is all I desire.)

It felt wrong to just sit back and let Arhan hit on Kongpob, even jokingly. "Will you shut up ?" Arthit glared.

"Only to read his eyes more  bhai...." Pat came the reply"Jo unki aankhon se bayan hote hain

Vo lafz shayari me kaha hote hain."

(What their eyes express

Those words are not found in poetry")

Arthit responded automatically " It is time you die... "

"okay...bhai..no more jokes okay" Arhan instantly gave up " Good night bhai(brother). Dream of Kongpob!"

"Arhan!..." Arthit chided but the mink has already cut the call.

Arthit fondly picked up Kongpob's picture in his hand . Although Arhan's flirtiness had rose Arthit's hackles, Arthit agreed with his brother. If Arthit had to put Kongpob's eyes in to words- he would imagine them to be ...

qaid-khane hain bin salakhon ke

kuchh yun charche hain unki aakhin ke"

"Prisons without bars they are,

Such is the mention/talk/rumor about their eyes."

Arthit mused if it would have been better had he not seen Kongpob's picture, because now sleep eluded him. He yearned to uncover the stories hidden behind those intense eyes, to understand the complexities that lay beneath the surface...

There was still a week...

And a matter of Kongpob's express approval.