| ANGAD |

"Did she reply?" Violet, who was on the call with me, asked in her Bostonian accent while I tapped my feet and waited for Naina's reply.

"Not yet, Violet Davis. Can't you please wait?" I groaned hard to express my exasperation.

"Yeah. As your friend, all I should do is shut up and wait." She sighed as if she was so tired when I saw Naina's text peek on the home screen.

"She replied!" I exclaimed out of anticipation.

"What was it?" Her tone was equally expectant as mine.

"Wait," I groaned and read her reply.

Naina: Just the two of us?

Me: Only if you are okay with it.

Though I wanted it to be "just the two of us", I am ready to sacrifice that if she's not okay with it.

Naina: Well...

Naina: Okay.

I sat straight and squealed like a madman, unaware that someone on the call was hearing all this.

"I bet she would have said yes," Violet said, with no expression in her tone.

"Yes, bro!" I kept squealing and jumped on my couch.

"So sad." I could imagine her pouting while I scowled at her sarcasm.

"Just shut up. You know that it's going to be my big day." My eyes went wide at the thought of the big day.

"Yeah, I know. But... Are you going to tell her about you and Meeta? Because though I want you to do that, I know you won't tell her."

"I may tell her. That depends on the situation." My eyebrows furrowed, worrying about whether the day would go well.

Naina: Hey, Angad! Are you there or what?

Me: Yeah.

Me: Sorry. I got a call from a friend.

Naina: That's okay.

Naina: When can we meet?

Me: Whenever you are free.

Me: I'll let you play the game.

Naina: Haha, okay!

Naina: Day after tomorrow?

Me: Sure.

Me: Can't wait to meet you!

Naina: Same here.

That "same here" message made me feel nothing but ecstatic from the deep of my heart.

***

TWO DAYS LATER...

"You just look dapper, Angad." My heart thumped as her eyes widened, and her mouth plastered a smile after seeing the guy in a pastel green Polo shirt and chocolate brown cargo pants.

"Thank you." I looked down and smiled so that she wouldn't see me blushing. "Get inside, Naina." I moved out of the way inside my room so my princess could enter her admirer's small palace.

She hunched as she sighed, "You know what? I always have a thing for hotel rooms. Especially those which are neat as fuck." And then, she sat on the bed with a loud thump and looked up, feeling satisfied, while I took my laptop from the bag and sat near her.

"I've downloaded La La Land for us. Shall we start?" I asked as she sat straight.

"Wait a minute." She placed her paper bag between her legs and took out a packet of Pringles, a bottle of Frooti, a box of tomato popcorn, and a box of olive pizza from Pizza Hut.

My eyes widened as I asked, "Do not tell me you will start a food business."

She laughed at my bad joke like a witch, which made me look at her, shocked.

"I thought you were a soft person," I whispered.

"My heart is." She narrowed her right eye and smiled, which made me gush over her.

But I had less time for it. I've to start the movie. So, ignoring her looking at me, I switched off the lights and started the movie.

La La Land was about an actress and a jazz musician who wanted to create a breakthrough in Hollywood and fall in love with each other. But their career and dreams step forward as obstacles as time passes. Though the movie made me cry and laugh with its songs and the chemistry of the leads, a part of me connected it with my love life. It questioned, "Will you leave Naina for your dreams or other reasons? Will she leave you?" I know we can make a perfect pair, but I questioned myself for no reason.

Naina badly wanted tissues as we reached the climax and leaned on my shoulder since she couldn't find one. My heart beat at the speed of light as she did so. I didn't move as I didn't want to disturb her. I wanted her to be comfortable. I felt comfortable with her being comfortable.

Two bittersweet hours later, when the movie ended with the note, "A Film by Damien Chazelle," Naina moved an inch away from me, sniffed her nose and said, "I wish I wasted my money on tissues than those this edible stuff."

I moved the left corner of my lip and looked at her. As I smiled at her humour, I noticed the ketchup sticking to the corner of her lips. I slowly reached there with my thumb and rubbed it. Our eyes refused to see anything except each other as I was rubbing. Her eyes twinkled as she chuckled at my gesture. A few seconds later, she broke the sweet reverie by asking, "Are you going to kiss me?" and raised her eyebrows.

I chuckled back at her and said, "Not now." My thumb was no more rubbing the corner of her lips. I checked the time. It was four in the evening. My time has come.

"Naina." I got up from the bed, making her baffled. "Ummm... I have a plan for you. Shall we go out somewhere?"

"Why do you sound like you were going to propose?" She gave her witch-like laugh again and said, "Okay, I will come. When?"

"Now."

"Now?" Her look suddenly became as intense as an iceberg.

"Yeah."

"Well... Okay." And the iceberg melted.

***

"Where are we going, Angad?" She raised her voice as her eyes fell on the board that welcomed us to Mala Khera in Alwar.

"Can't you wait, Naina? Wait for half an hour. Please!" I raised my voice equally.

"This was what you were saying for four hours!" She threw her hands in the air but soon placed them on her lap as her white shawl threatened to fly away in the air.

"Just wait for some more time. Trust me."

***

"Is this where you wanted to take me?" She crossed her arms as we were at the entrance of Sariska Astroport.

"Come on, Naina. Just follow me once. And you won't regret it." I had an intense look to convince her to come with me.

"Fine." She sighed as we went inside the place.

We booked two separate rooms for us, adjacent to each other. Before getting in the room, I called her, "Naina." She raised her eyebrows while I said, "Midnight. Sharp," and entered the room. After leaning on the locked door, I said, "Be strong, Angad. All is well."

***

"How did you know that I love stargazing?" She whispered without looking at me. But I knew what her eyes would tell.

Smiling from the core of my heart, I said, "I know science, Naina. Those stars don't deserve to be in the sky. I love how they twinkle in your black eyes more than those blue skies. That's when the Gods from Heaven become jealous of your eyes. They would feel guilty for creating someone more beautiful than them."

"Did you just flirt?" She looked deep into my void eyes, her hand playing with her hair.

"No. I was telling the truth."

Her once playful look became intense as I took a deep breath and prepared for the biggest face-off of my life.

"Naina, I don't know where to start. I'm not going to lie that your eyes weave magic on me, your smile makes me forget myself, and all that poetic stuff. But what we are going to talk about is the reality. You know some basics about me. But there is more to it. I belong to a family of four. My father works at Microsoft. My mother is an interior designer. My sister Renee is a medical student at Kyiv. We have relatives in most parts of the world, but most of the relatives live in Amritsar.

"I am an occasional drinker, but I never smoked or used drugs. I am a virgin. I support LGBT, so it's not a problem if one of my children belongs to them. It's fine if we have no kids. But I need a dog. I love dogs. Especially puppies... They are cute like you.

"I am okay with moving with you anywhere you wish to. While deciding things, I'm also ready to play according to your rules. I won't beat you while drunk, I won't suspect you with another man, or I won't cheat on you for another woman. There is nothing to be surprised if I say that I cheated on another woman for you. Because you are worth it. I respect elders and don't mind cooking Indian food for you when you return after a long day. I'll support you in every part of your life and point out your mistakes if you cause one.

"Yes, despite everything, we will fight. But I am ready to apologise first and reconcile. It's okay if you want a divorce. It's okay if you fall out of love after our wedding. So, if you feel I'm worth it for your wedding with me, you're free to introduce yourself like I did. If not, I can drop you safely at your house."

Her face became straight as a blank sheet as I was done. Upon realising that I had completed my speech, she broke from her reverie and said, "Angad, before saying my response, I feel like you wanted to tell me something more than this. Do you mind telling me what's that?"

***

Will Angad manage to tell Naina about Meeta? How will Naina react to it after knowing it? What do you think will happen in the future?

Stay tuned for more!

Song Courtesy: Heeriye by Jasleen Royal and Arijit Singh.