"You're calling me after every hour," his voice was stern.

"What kind of demand is that?" I groaned in protest, "I can't call you every hour."

"Nivi," Faizal scolded. "He is getting concerned about you."

"But I am not calling him every hour." I protested back. "I understand you're getting worried," I attempted to frame the word correctly. "Trust me dad, he won't harm me.... He simply can't..." I could feel Faizal's stare but I choose to ignore it.

Dad kept silent for a long time but at last he gave in. "Take care..." he sighed in exhaustion. "Just keep yourself safe and don't trust people easily." He warned before hanging the call. I knew even if I had denied to call him but he surely will. I shook my head, handing the phone back to Faizal.

"Thank you," I mumbled not meeting his orbs.

We had silence surrounding us, I kept staring out of the window while he kept doing something with his cell. My eyes started getting heavy as I shut my orbs leaning on the seat, eventually my head leaned on Faizal's shoulder for support.

"Want to listen to some music?" I heard his voice in background, I was driving deep into slumber to answer to his question. I felt something touch my earbud, a slow romantic tone playing in the background. "Your favorite..." and somewhere the tone overpowered my sleeping urges as I was fully-awake a minute later.

That song was my favorite and it was due to him. Whenever I heard that music or listened to those lyrics, I was reminded of him. I had never in my wildest dream expected to be listening the song with him. I closed my orbs savoring the moment, the music and his presence around me.

I wasn't sure when I felt asleep but I woke up to his voice. The voice, that I loved the most. It was unimaginable, how much I had gone attached to his voice.

"She is sleeping," it was a soft murmur. "If you have doubts..." he paused for a minute, "I can send a picture just to erase your stress." He paused for a long second, "I get you uncle, I also have a sister. I would have been acting the same manner if I had heard her travelling with a stranger in a strange city."

A minute later, I heard a click and maybe he had sent a picture to him. I really felt so blessed to have him at that moment. I was deeply aware of his understanding spirit. He was one of the most understanding and patient human I had ever met in my life. Sometimes I was really concerned with his over-understanding spirit because at times he understood them on cost of his peace. He allowed people to treat him in the manner they pleased and when I argued he would reason-out their action. That surely used to kill my patience.

"Don't you feel offended?" I inquired, slowly peeping at him.

"You were eavesdropping on our conversation?" He faked a glare in my direction. "You didn't even move when I clicked a picture, not even blinked." He surely was surprised with my acting skills.

"I wasn't eavesdropping," he mumbled. "I was curious... you acted so unlike normal ratio of guys out there."

"I am not a girl and please don't get started on it." He groaned in disapproval, I laughed at his annoyance.

"You're always going to be my Gudiya, no matter your gender." I giggled seeing the glare he was showering at me. "My sweet-innocent Gudiya." I attempted to pull his cheek but he jerked my hands away.

"Two-arms distance," he glared at me. I rolled my orbs as I leaned on the seat.

"Can I ask you something?" I inquired, peeping at him. He glanced at me, nodding his head, slightly. I wasn't able to see his face due to the lack of light surrounding us. "You didn't feel offended by his lack of trust on you?"

"According to him, I am a stranger. Why would he ever trust a stranger with his beloved-daughter?" He shook his head, ruffling my hairs. "Stop troubling your mind with foolish thoughts, I am not masking any of my emotions. You need to stop visualizing me as someone great who have a superpower to hide his emotions."

"You do process that superpower," I countered back. "And sometimes, I do envy it."

He shook his head, silence settled around us again. He passed ear-phone towards me, I smiled, a very broad-one. "But no remix is allowed," I pointed out, he chuckled.

"Fine," he groaned. "But no repetition of the same music..." he grumbled.

"No, if its of Arijit there will be an exception," I argued.

"Your entire playlist is filled with his song," he was protesting.

"Don't act like you don't like it," I faked a glare at him. "I have made you remember those lyrics," I giggled at the flashback of our initial chats. "You always possessed the craziness," I shook my head.

"It was you who was the mature one and had judged me as foolish." He recollected making me laugh loud.

"You're foolish, stupid and an idiot. There is no doubt in it!" I giggled; he faked a glare but I pulled his cheek. "Enough of talking, I want to listen to the playlist..." I mumbled plugging the earphone in and we were lost in the world of music.

°°°

I rubbed my orbs as I was trying to brush off the sleep from my exhausted spirit. The sun was peeping from the window further depriving of my urges to get some hour of sleep. We had slept the night on the bus, my neck strained. I opened my orbs to find the seat near me vacant.

As it was already morning, I could get a view of the person parallel of our seat. She seemed of same age; her hair messy as she was trying hard to settle it down. Her hand was filled with red bangles and a hint of sindoor applied on her hairline, she was newly married. "Hi!" she smiled at me, while I passed a nervous smile back.

"Your husband had gone to have tea," she informed suppressing a giggle. "If you're worried about his absence."

"Husband?" I stared at her with a questioning gaze.

"Yes," she mumbled. "He is your husband, right?" She inquired getting doubtful about her conclusion.

"No," I shook my head at that embarrassing thought. What if he had heard it? "He is a friend..." I tried to sound as normal as I could. Why would she have such a thought?

"Oh!" She was in thought for a minute longer, she leaned closer as she glanced at the door. "Don't get me wrong but I really think that..." before she could complete, she heard a voice and she shut her mouth.

"Swara!" A masculine voice called her as he approached in her direction. "There are decent toilets available," he informed. "It will be better if you go, we aren't sure when the bus will have the next stop."

"Okay," she stood from the seat as she glanced in my direction. "Will you want to accompany me?" She asked, I stared at Faizal who was staring back at me.

"Only if you don't take half an hour," he mocked while I glared at him. Swara giggled at his comment making me feel offended. I never felt offended with his teasing but it was a completely different thing if he was making fun of me in front of strangers or people, I wasn't comfortable with.

As if sensing my discomfort he added, "take this with you." He handed the phone, "for safety purpose if the bus leaves." He winked at the end earning a groan from me.

I wasn't in a mood to argue with him so I allowed it to slide away as I walked down of the bus along with my new-companion. Swara Sharma, seemed a girl that loved to talk. Within our way to the washroom, I was aware about her life-story. She was born and brought up in Meerut, UP. She recently had an arranged marriage and was travelling to Manali for Honeymoon. She was her parents only daughter with four brothers. She didn't hesitate to accept that she was spoiled as her each demand were fulfilled by her family.

Suraj Sharma, the man she had married to seem kind though she wasn't much aware about his likes and dislikes, she hardly knew him. He was settled in Delhi and she will be staying with him there. At present, she was enjoying her happily-married life.

"Don't you feel anxious about this entire thing?" I wasn't able to hold-back my curious self. "What if you never fall in love with him?"

"Why won't I?" She was staring at me in confusion. "He doesn't seem a bad guy," she shrugged the thought off as she pushed a cabin and walked inside it.

I was left alone with my thought. I always felt alone with my alien thoughts. I always felt anxious at the concept of marriage and especially marrying a guy whom I had no-feeling attached. I wasn't against arrange-marriage but I was against the concept of marrying a person whom you hardly knew, who didn't make you have butterflies, or who didn't make your heartbeat the loudest. According to the conversation I had with Swara, she didn't share any such feeling for her husband and what if she never feels any in the future? That would be so horrible to spent her rest of life with a person whom she isn't attached at that level.

°°°

"Did you saw a ghost in the washroom?" Faizal inquired on finding me quiet. I was lost in thought after we came back, an hour had crossed by and surely Faizal was getting concerned with my lack of response to his questions.

"I... I just don't know..." I shrugged my shoulder. Looking at the couple opposite to us. They looked good together and Suraj did seem a very nice guy. Even if you met the best guy yet your heart would beat for an entirely different person. I glanced at Faizal; I had experienced it in my life. That was the reason I was so concerned about the couple.

"What is it?" Faizal voice got soft as if he was getting anxious with my silent spirit.

"I am just not in a mood," I knew he didn't buy that excuse. His orbs yelled; he wasn't convinced yet he didn't push me to reveal.

"Hey," Swara jumped in. "Try this!" she pushed the dish towards my direction. "Its really taste nice..."

"So, you work in RTIZ Company," Suraj continued with their professional talks. With conversation turning into the field I had least interest in, I zooned off.

"How you both met each other?" Swara sudden question brought me back to earth.

"We..."

"Online," Faizal answered for me. "Few years back..." he passed me a glance.

"And now, you're planning to marry her?" She was almost jumping in her seat with excitement. The excitement I wished I could see on Siddhi's face at the thought of me and Faizal but all she showed was concern towards me as if she thought it was impossible as I did.

"Marry her?" Faizal laughed. That heart-shattering laugh! My heart always admired his laughing spirit but at that moment, it did break into numerous pieces. "Do you hear her?" He glanced at me, I attempted hard to press a smile. "We are friends," he concluded shaking his head in disbelief. "Best Friends!"

Swara was going to argue but her husband gestured her to stop. "So, that means you have someone in your life." He concluded and my heart started accelerating at the highest speed.

"Not exactly," he shook his head. "My family have different plans for me," he mumbled, his voice seemed different as if he no-longer wanted to continue the topic.

"I get you, man." Suraj shared a meaningful look with him. "But from experience I might add, they always turn out to be blessing." He glanced at Swara with admiration. At that moment, I felt at ease. I wasn't sure if either of them was ever going to fall in love yet they shared a mutual respect towards each other and no regret towards the newly formed relationship, there was a chance that it could flourish in the future.

°°°

"Why were you so off during the breakfast?" Faizal inquired the minute we got on the bus. "Didn't you like them?"

"It wasn't about them. It was something she said," I trailed off. Was it the better option to ask him about it? "They hardly know each other," I sounded so horror-stricken while Faizal smiled at me. That heart-warming, heart-crushing, world most beautiful smile, it was hard to keep my emotions in check and not to blush in front of him.

"That's why it called an arrange marriage," he shook his head at me. "I thought there was something serious behind your such drastic mood change." He chuckled at his thoughts, "you and your foolish brain."

"It is something serious," I whined seeing him taking it casually. I needed to prove myself! I wasn't acting silly! "What if she never falls for him?" My worry was quite visible in my voice, he stared at me for a minute longer, something flashing in those beautiful set of black orbs before he shook his head and glanced at me.

"They have already fallen for each-other." He paused for a second, staring straight. "I don't know about the girl," he glanced back at me. "But the way he stares at her, he has already given his heart to her."

At that statement I glanced back at them. They were giggling over some matter, busy in their own world. Maybe! Faizal was right! They might have already fallen for each other.

"Could be..." I mumbled still lost in thought. "What about Zoya?"

"What about her...?" He was staring at me in confusion.

"Does she love him..." I was staring at him with questioning orbs.

"It's an arranged marriage, Nivi." He stated as if I wasn't getting his words. "In arrange its always love after marriage."

"That's not a compulsion," I argued. "People can know each other before deciding to marry, there could be love before marriage in arrange as well."

He shook his head at my argument, "Zoya don't know him so much to love him but she doesn't dislike him if that what you wanted to inquire, she adores him as a person. He respects her choices that's the reason we are having destination wedding or Abu was highly against the concept."

"Would you also have an arrange marriage?" I wasn't sure why I asked it but I wanted to know.