AAHANA'S POV

"Wwhhat ?" I shouted grabbing attention.

"I want to marry you" he spoke seriously while I stood aghast looking at the man in front of me.

The only thing he spoke with me these all years is this and I stood there while my brain asked me to run and my heart wanted to hear what all he wanted to say!

"Aahu, sit down, please?" he asked me quietly.

"Let me get this very straight.  You just proposed that I should get married to you?  But why? I mean you don't even know me! I agree we recognize each other's faces and all.  Smile at each other whenever we meet. I happened to work in the organization that you built,  which by the way I didn't know it's yours.  But why me?  All of a sudden?? " I bombarded him with questions.

"Aahana calm down!" he said smiling at me.

"Why are you suddenly interested and so good to me and.. You know and.." I didn't have words to explain as tears formed in my eyes for no reason.

Is this happiness? 

Or

My overacting brain!?

"Shh,  don't cry, please.  If you hate to be with me so much I can understand.  Nothing to get worried. I am not forcing this decision on you.  OK? " he said with a worried face. 

"I don't know you,  we can be married and I can know about you bit by bit.  Will that not be enough? The organization in which you work is my mom's not mine.  She built it with her hard work.  Now that she's not here.  I look after it.  My dad wanted me to get married and have a normal life like others.  I thought why not marry you?  You are everything I dream of in a girl.  I know,  I have been to jail for the reasons you don't know yet.  If it makes you uncomfortable to be with a person like me.  I respect your decision, Aahana.  You don't need to feel scared or shy to talk with me if your answer is no.  I will always respect you and your decision." he said not looking at my face.

Did I offend him? 

"Can I have some time to think?" I asked him.

" Yes" he replied.

"I'm sorry,  I didn't mean to offend you.  It's so unexpected,  that I reacted in that way.  You being in jail will not impact my decision.  I am asking for time to think about things and if I am ok with it,  I need to ask my family's opinion too." I said.

"Like I said,  I respect whatever you decide" he said.

"I didn't expect this" I smiled looking at him.

Five minutes back,  I was surprised,  happy,  scared for no reason,  sad thinking he was joking with me.  But now when I sit beside him,  I feel this calm and peaceful aura around us.  It's like my body and soul have accepted this nature and sweet gesture of him. My mind ran from one thought to other thinking all the possibilities that he might be playing a prank on me.

"Are you hungry?" he asked me.  I nodded my head yes and left to get me something.  As I placed my hand down,  I saw him leaving his car keys with me.  Picking it up,  I looked at the keychain,  it had a small bow-shaped metal attached to it, a small metal plate with writings on it, I didn't dare to read it as it was dark and I was not a werewolf who could see anything in darkness.  Lastly, I saw a small love symbol with A engraved on it.  The hair stood on my end.  Is he secretly stalking me or something?  Or does he have anyone in his life with that letter before?  It's not his mom,  because I clearly remember her name starts with the letter s just like Soham.

"Oh, I left them here?  Was searching all over there " he said handing me over my food.  I placed it back in his hands without asking much about his key chains. 

"That's a customized key chain " I pointed it out.

"It has small pieces from the people I miss and love" he said smiling at me.

"If you don't mind,  can I ask you who are those people?" I questioned him

" This small bow shape is from the person whom I loved most after my mom. This engraving says " Come back safe,  we are waiting for you", it's my mom and that person . Unfortunately both of them are not in this world anymore." he said sadly looking away.

I badly wanted to ask who that other person was but I felt I was being too nosy.

"The love symbol?" I asked him. He smiled and looked at me immediately as if remembering something from the past.

"You forgot?" he asked me.

"What??" I asked him.

"You distributed bracelets to kids on your dad' s birthday. You had this love symbol attached to it.  Forgot? " he asked me. 

" Yeah, but how did you get it? " I asked him.

"One of the kids handed it to me thinking you forgot to give me.  I didn't have the heart to throw it away or place it somewhere else.  So I attached it to my keychain" he said smiling at me.  I was quite 

Did he just say he misses and loves me?  Am I that important to him?

"I will leave now,  it's late." I said getting up from my place.

"Shall I drop you?"he asked me.

"No, I came on my Scooty. Nice meeting you,  I need time to think about it."I said waving at him.

" OK. I won't force you. Take your time. "he said waving back. 

My mind was clogged with his words.  I like him just like how other girls used to swoon over him.  There is no need to think about his proposal as I should consider myself lucky.  But why do I feel he's being protective of me and wants me to just marry him?  Is he worried about something?  Is my mind playing stupid unnecessary games with me?  I have told him I will think about it,  what should I worry about?  He is extremely nice,  his dad is good.  Doesn't have a big family to worry about how will they treat me,  he's calm and calculated.  And has a permanent job.  Even if he doesn't have,  I don't mind as I am earning. 

As I approached the signal point I looked at the colors displayed on the traffic board.  Red blinked continuously as if asking me to stop thinking so much,  as it turned to green I looked at it smiling a bit.  Horns honked behind me deafening my ears and I smiled looking at the green signal.  As if it's asking me to proceed

Go ahead with him dumb Aahana! 

I reached home with the decision I took after much thinking during my drive from the beach to home.  Parents greeted me as usual scolding me for staying out late and not informing them about my whereabouts.

"It's going to rain. Look clouds are so dark." I scolded.

"What's up kiddo?" Dad asked smiling at me.

"I think I have made a good decision "  I said sitting beside him.

"Regarding?" he asked me.

"About me getting married" I winked at him.

"What did you decide?" he asked me.

"I am going to get married" I said smiling at him.

"That will happen anyway." he spoke walking towards us.

"With Soham" I announced making my mom drop her tea cup.

And the drama begins now! 

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