"Everyone ready to leave?" I hear my mom asking as she fixes her already fixed hair once again trying to look more relaxed but deep inside I know she is nervous. Nervous for me, for my future, for my decision.

"Let's get going otherwise we'll be late." My dad says and we all move forward to our car. Suddenly Cabir screams that he wants to drive, stopping us all and I roll my eyes at him.

"There is no way I'm letting you drive my car. I don't know how many times I have to say it."
"Manik please. I'm not 18 anymore. I have been driving for a long time now. Let me drive."

I glare at him and move to the driver's seat. I watch him staring at me for a few seconds before sighing and getting in the passenger seat. My parents settled in the back.

I'm not a easy passenger and I'm fully aware of that. I don't like being driven by anyone, except for John, of course. Besides I like driving.

Before I could start driving, I see John coming towards me. John is my bodyguard and my most trusted employee and the head of my security team. He's been with me from the moment I decided to start my company. He's an ex-military man who is excellent at his job. John is a tough man who won't budge even with a bullet.

"Mr. Malhotra, would you like me to take extra security with me?"
"No that won't be necessary. Just take Vikas with you."
Vikas is my second bodyguard. He was also in the military. He's a little younger than John.
"As you wish Mr. Malhotra."

I nod my head at him and he goes in the SUV behind my car. Vikas follows him shortly and we leave towards the house of those people that are making my mother so anxious.

We are meeting my mother's childhood best friend's daughter. My parents want me to get married because I'm getting too old according to them and in order to take my mind off work, marriage is the best solution. I roll my eyes when I think about that. Typical Indian parents.

I don't have a problem with arranged marriage since I've seen my parent's successful marriage which also was arranged and besides I don't really have a girlfriend or any girl that I'm interested in so why not give this a chance.

The car journey is short and silent. Cabir was engrossed in his phone and my dad was reading his patient's file and my mother was busy looking out of the window. Someone else would say she is calmly looking outside but I know better. She is nervous. She really wants me to like the girl. I sigh and shake my head at her. She really should stop worrying. I trust her enough to marry that girl without even meeting her and I told her that too but she doesn't seem to understand.

As I enter the Murty mansion, I can't help but wonder if my life would completely change in a few minutes. I don't know if it would be for the better or worse.

I stop my car and John and Vikas run quickly to open the door for my parents. We all stand together in front of the Murtys' entrance and I see Mr. and Mrs. Murty approaching the door to greet us.

I met Mr. Murty at a business party. He is a kind man who knows what he is doing. An excellent businessman and he passed down his skills to his son whom I also have met. We are around the same age. I wonder if his daughter is good at business like him. I heard she is an intern at their company as she recently graduated.

Murtys greet my parents warmly and Mr. Murty turns to me. I offer Mr. Murty my hand. "Mr. Murty, good to see you again."

"Manik, my boy, why so formal? You can call me uncle, we are not at work." He chuckles and shakes hand.

I nod and turn to greet Mrs. Murty who insists I call her aunty as she stops me from bending to touch her feet for blessings and takes me in a hug surprising me with her motherly affection. She pulls away and keeping a hand on my cheek, she smiles warmly at me. I smile at her, instantly relaxed and turn my attention to Abhimanyu who shakes my hand and nods at me while I nod back at him and we all move inside. I sit beside Cabir on the couch and my parents sit on the other couch right beside me while the Murtys sit in front of us. John and Vikas are standing near the entrance, looking around like a hawk.

Their daughter is nowhere to be found. I look around and I suddenly notice movements from the stairs. I turn to look and I see a small white dog running downstairs and behind him, I see a girl. "Beautiful" I murmured in a daze. 

Nandini's short height is prominent. She'll barely reach my shoulders. Her petite figure adds to her cuteness. She will look like a teenager next to me. That thought makes me laugh.

Her long brown hair that nearly reach her lower back are swinging from left to right as she is running down the stairs. Her nose is red from anger and her face has a frown.

"Smurfy you need to take a bath, you can't just run like that." I hear her angelic voice says to the dog as he runs down the stairs quickly.

"Nandini!" The girl, Nandini, suddenly stops and widens her eyes as her mother calls her sternly. Her gaze travels to her mother and then to my parents and finally stops at mine. She stares in my eyes and I feel like she can see right through me. I feel exposed. It's like she is staring at my soul. Before everyone notices our little eye contact, I turn my gaze away from her. Soon after she slowly comes down, her walk is screaming confidence and elegance, she greets my parents after apologizing. What are you apologizing for sweetheart?

She turns to me and I offer her my hand to shake. She slowly takes it.

"Hi. I'm Manik."

"Hi, I'm Nandini.  Nice to meet you." She says in a low voice as she turns her gaze down blushing and stares at the floor feeling shy. Why is she suddenly shy? Where did her confidence go? Nandini, look up in my eyes.

She moves to Cabir without looking at me and I feel slightly disappointed. Cabir greets her warmly and she smiles at him, slightly relaxed and I frown.

She sits down beside Abhimanyu who whispers something to her and she blushes and looks at me briefly before looking down which makes me wonder if he said something about me to her.

Cabir leans towards my ear and I turn to look at him.
"Do you like her? You've been staring at her ever since she came down."

I roll my eyes at him and wonder how he managed to keep his mouth shut for so long.

Before I could say anything to him, Mr. Murty involved me in the conversation he was having with my parents.

"I think it's time for the kids to talk to each other alone, after all, they need to make the final decision."
I hear Mrs. Murty say to my parents and her husband nods at her while my mother looks at me smiling, silently asking me to be nice to Nandini.

"Nandini, my dear, can you take Manik with you to your garden?" My dad's gentle voice distracts me from my mother's gaze. I turn to look at him before fixing my gaze at Nandini who nods her head at my dad and smiles at him innocently. She is so cute.

She gets up and gestures me to follow her with a shy smile on her face. She is blushing again. I wish I knew what is making her blush. Is it me? What is she thinking?

I stand up to follow Miss Murty and gesture John to stand where he is as I see him move from the corner of my eye.

We walk side by side with a little distance between us. Neither of us says anything and I wonder why this woman is making me nervous. I've never been nervous around women. The confident Manik suddenly disappears. Get it together Malhotra.

She guides me to her garden and indicates with her hand to me to sit down in one of the chairs that are kept in the middle of the garden. I sit down in one of the chairs and she sits right in front of me. I look around and take a clear look at the garden. It's beautiful. Full of flowers. Well maintained. My gaze travels to her who is sitting in front of me quietly, staring at her fingers. She is nervous. So am I.

I clear my throat, in an attempt to gain her attention. I want her to look at me and she does. Her eyes are so beautiful and innocent. She looks lost like she is trying to figure out what to say, what to do. Malhotra be a man and start the conversation.

"The garden is beautiful and very well maintained."
She looks around and then turns her gaze back at me. She smiles and nods her head and stares down at her fingers. Oh Nandini, we can do better than that.

"I thought you were a businesswoman yet you are so nervous around men."

She looks up at me surprised.
"I find you intimidating." Her voice is so low that I barely hear it.

I find myself smiling at her. So Miss Murty finds me intimidating. Interesting.

"Tell me about yourself."
She stares at me for a few seconds, probably taken back by the bossy tone in my voice.

"I graduated recently and I'm currently doing an internship in our company. My dad as you know is a businessman along with my brother, Abhimanyu who is now handling our company and my mother is a writer. Now you tell me about yourself."
Her voice gentle. She isn't giving much away. I already knew everything she said. If you want to play that game, Miss Murty, then we'll play that game.

"I own Malhotra Enterprises Holdings, Inc. My parents are both doctors and Cabir is an architect."

She looks at me amused. She probably got the hint that I wasn't very pleased with her answer. Her expressions turn to serious again and she takes a deep breath.

"I want to be successful, Manik. In all aspects of life."

"I guess we have that in common."

"You are already pretty successful in business Mr. Malhotra."

"I want more, Nandini."

"More?" She says the word and tests its meaning.

"More." She smiles at me and I find myself smiling back at her.

This is the most you have smiled, Malhotra. What is happening?

"Your parents are both doctors, how come you are in business?"

"I like the control and the satisfaction I get from running my own company, being my own boss. I can't imagine myself dealing with diseases and besides, I'm not a very patient man Miss Murty."

She stares in my eyes for a few seconds before focusing her gaze on the flowers on her right.

"I need time, Manik. I can't make such an important decision about my life so quickly. I want to know you more. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Nandini, nobody is going to force you to make a decision today and if anybody is expecting you to, I'll deal with them. What are you doing tomorrow? Are you free?"

"I'm free in the evening."

"Would you like to go on a date with me?"

"A date? A date it is then Mr. Malhotra."

She grins at me and I look at her amused.

After that I see her relax and talk more about her life. She tells me about her high school, university, her friends, her dreams and I share details of my life with her.

What seemed to me like minutes, were actually hours. Cabir comes to interrupt us and tells us that we have been talking to each other for two hours. Both of us look at him surprised. We move back to where my parents and her parents were sitting. Cabir is annoying me with his teasing smile. He won't leave me alone after we leave Nandini's house and I roll my eyes at that thought.
You can make an excuse and leave, Malhotra. Maybe I should check on how the Dubai project is coming along.

When we settle down beside our parents, we are instantly looked with an expression that demands an answer. I see Nandini tense up immediately. Oh no, don't you worry while I'm here.

"I'd like to know Nandini more before I make any decision." My tone leaves no room for argument and I hear my mother sigh before shaking her head at me.

"Karan, Anjali, is it okay if we give them a little time to get to know each other before they make any decision?" My mother asks them with a gentle tone in her voice.

I see Mr. and Mrs. Murty share a look with each other before Mr. Murty replies to my mom with a warm smile.

"We don't have a problem Neyonika. They should spend some time together." He turns to Nandini and pats her head with a smile which she returns.

"Well then it is decided. We'll leave now, I have to prepare for a surgery."

We all get up after we hear my dad. After saying our goodbyes, we turn to get in the car when I look at Nandini who is standing besides her parents on the entrance. She gives me her shy smile which makes me chuckle. I give her one last look before turning my attention to John who is waiting for me for further instructions.

"Let's go back home for now, after dropping everyone we'll leave for MEH (Malhotra Enterprises Holdings)." My tone is bossy and from the corner of my eye, I see Nandini's eyes widen. Probably because she thinks I'm rude or in amusement or she's surprised. Not sure.

"As you wish Mr. Malhotra."

With one last glance at John, I get in the car and start to drive. I don't look back at Nandini. Probably because I know I'll keep on staring at her if I do. She has managed to capture my attention within few hours. This has never happened to me before and it is making me feel uneasy.