Aman groggily exited the airplane once it landed in Mumbai.  The flight from New York to India lasted almost twenty hours.  He gathered his luggage and made his way outside.  There, he met one of his father’s employees.  Aman sat in the air conditioned car as the driver placed his luggage in the trunk.  He fought the urge to fall asleep right there in the car.   He knew he had to meet his father first otherwise he wouldn’t be able to sleep in peace.  He felt the car jolt forward.  About half an hour later, he arrived at his father’s house.  Aman exited the car and slowly walked up the sidewalk.  He didn’t even bother knocking on the door. He knew the security guard had seen him on the security cameras and left the door unlocked for him. 

            “Dad!” called Aman.  He cautiously walked through the large corridor.  He knew he should try his father’s office first.  Aman approached a large door near the back of the mansion.  He lifted his hand to knock on the door, but paused.  He took a deep breath before tapping on the door. 

            “Come in,” he heard his father’s voice reply. 

            Aman opened the door and walked inside.  He saw his father immersed in some documents.  He held is hand out with his index finger lifted indicating to wait for a minute while he finished reading over the document. Aman stayed quiet and waited as his father finished with his task. 

            “Okay.” Harshvardhan Verma looked up. His face beamed with excitement as he saw his son standing before him.

            “Dad,” Aman said tiredly.

            “Aman! My son!” his father stood and walked up to Aman. He gave a huge bear hug. Aman was surprised but hugged his father back anyways. 

            “Why am I here?” Aman was too tired to niceties. He just wanted to sleep. 

            “ I have some important news to discuss with you.” Replied his father.

            “Now?” whined Aman like a child.  “Can’t it wait ‘til later?”

            “I have arranged your marriage with the daughter of a good friend of mine.  You will meet her tomorrow night.” Harshvardhan Verma said nonchalantly as if he were simply talking about the weather instead of Aman’s life.

            “That’s great…Wait! What?” The words hit Aman hard.  He was in shock for a while, unable to wrap his mind around what his father just said. 

            “I have arranged you marr-”

            “No! I heard you!” interrupted Aman. “What the hell were you thinking? I am NOT getting married!” screamed Aman. 

            “Yes you are!” his father began to raise his voice. 

            Aman and his father usually shared a cordial relationship.  He was an obedient son for the most part. He dutifully took over his father’s businesses and started quite a few of his own.  In exchange, Aman was given the utmost freedom in both his business life and his personal life.  His father had never intervened until now.

            “I can’t.” Aman said hopelessly. He didn’t want to disobey his father, but he knew he wasn’t marriage material. 

            “And why not?” his father replied sternly.

            Aman hesitated. He knew his father wouldn’t understand. He knew that his father was unaware of his Casanova lifestyle. 

            “She’s a great girl. She is the daughter of a good friend of mine.  You will make her happy. She will be an appropriate wife for you.” His father explained.

            “Why did you arrange my marriage? If you want me to get married, why can’t it be to a girl I choose?” Aman was genuinely curious.  Arranged marriages were so old fashioned. His father was a modern, forward-thinking man. Why was he suddenly being so old fashioned?

            “Sanjeev Malhotra is the owner of Asha Industries.  He and I have known each other since we were young men dreaming of the lives we lead today.  He is launching several international companies, two of which will be in New York.  We thought it would be a great idea if our children would m-”

            “A business deal! You want me to marry his daughter as part of a business deal?” Aman was furious.  He didn’t understand.  His father was a shrewd businessman as was he.  He knew that a good businessman did anything in his power to close a good deal, but this was just too much. 

            “She is right for you.” His father said quietly.

            “Right for me? You know nothing about me! I am not marrying her or anyone else!” Aman stormed out of his father’s office and sauntered up the grand staircase.  He stomped down the hall to the room he occupied when he was in India.  He slammed the door behind him.  He picked up a vase that rested on a dresser inside the room and threw it at the wall.  It shattered loudly as Aman’s rage subsided.  He decided he needed to sit down and calmly think this through.  After all, he was also a businessman. 

            His eyes fell on a file sitting on his bed.  He picked it up and eyed it carefully.  Inside were reports and projections detailing the amount of profit that was expected from different deals and mergers of Asha Industries’ companies and his own companies.  Aman smirked. His father was clever.  He was trying to bribe Aman into this marriage.  He decided he would meet this Malhotra girl.  There’s no harm in simply meeting the girl. 

***********************************************************

            Priya blushed a deep red as her father explained that he was arranging her marriage one of his oldest friend’s son.  Priya looked down.  She felt shy discussing marriage matters with her father.  Priya’s mother beamed behind her.  Her sister, Payal, was trying to suppress a giggle.  Priya suddenly stood up and rushed out of the room.  Once in the hall, she paused.  She smiled at the thought of being a wife.  She heard Payal walking up behind her, and Priya gently scurried up the stairs and into her room. She closed the door behind her, not wanting to answer Payal’s questions.  She sat on her bed and continued to smile.

            Priya loved the idea of marriage.  She always dreamed of being the perfect wife.  She saw herself preparing breakfast for her husband every morning, tying his tie before he left for work, cooking his dinner every night once he came home from a long day’s work.  She dreamed that one day she and her husband would fall in love with each other and have many kids and live happily ever after.  She blushed at the idea of love.  Love was so idealistic, meant only to happen after marriage.  Priya bit her lip. She was ready to fall in love. 

            Priya’s father told her that she was to meet her future husband tomorrow night at a party he was throwing in honor of the launching of his international companies.  Priya started to imagine what her future husband would be like.  Would he be handsome?  It didn’t really matter to Priya.  He would obviously be wealthy, not that that really mattered either.  Priya just wanted a sincere and caring man that valued her. 

            There was knock on Priya’s door.  Priya stood up and walked to the door. She already knew who it was. 

            “Hi Payal!” she said as she swung the door open.

            “Didi! You’re getting married!  I bet Jija-ji will be hot!” Payal blurted out.

            Priya’s eyes grew wide. “Payal!” she screamed.  “You are so inappropriate.”

            “Didi, are you happy…with this marriage?” asked Payal seriously.

            “Of course. Baba knows best.” Said Priya quietly. 

            “I…I’ve never been alone before.” Payal whispered. 

            Priya’s eyes welled up with tears.  She and her little sister were very close.  They were inseparable.  Priya knew that a day would come when she would have to leave Payal, not only Payal but leave her entire family.  Priya knew she would have to leave India and move to America with her husband, who was settled there. Priya looked at Payal, who was now crying almost as much as she was.

            “Payal, I’ll always be there for you. Nothing will ever change that.  We will always be sisters no matter who I marry.”  Said Priya.

            “I know,” was all Payal could manage to say.

            “Promise me one thing,” requested Priya.

            “What?” asked Payal.

            “You will never call your Jija-ji hot ever again.” Laughed Priya.

            “Oh ho possessive already!”  Payal and Priya burst out laughing. 

            Priya knew she would miss these moments. She knew that once she was married, her whole life would change. 

So I felt like writing a longer chapter!  Aman and Priya meet in the next chapter.  Priya is excited and Aman is reluctant! Omg what will happen?? ;)