I'll be there for you | MJHT | Chapter 12 Page 47 - Page 21

I'm back again - I'm not quoting you because it would take up quite a bit of space on the page...

too good. god addicted right after reading the first part. please pm me when u right the next part because I am dying to know what will happen next between all the couples.
P.S. I think you should become a writer or a creative head of a show and recreate the same magic you are creating in this ff.

Neelam's mind was numb with fear as she stood on the sidewalk, her eyes fixed on the beast advancing towards her. Never having faced this situation before, she had no idea what the best course of action was. Should she scream, run or stay silently in place? None of the possible options seemed more favorable than the others. Aware that her legs felt like lead, she came to the conclusion that she wouldn't be able to run anyway. Hardly daring to breathe, she stared wide-eyed as the dog approached her, snarling viciously. As it came within three feet of her, it stopped suddenly. Still growling, it crouched down as if preparing to spring at her. Neelam shut her eyes instinctively, anticipating the impact of the dog's enormous front paws on her body.

The sound of a male voice startled her, and she opened her eyes once again. The dog was in front of her, still crouched, though its attention had now been diverted to something on her left where it was now staring. Glancing in that direction, Neelam caught sight of Aditya, who was heading cautiously towards her. As the dog stared at him in a mixture of surprise and irritation, Aditya reached Neelam and placed himself between the two of them, facing the animal. Feeling more frightened than he allowed himself to appear, Aditya stared unflinchingly, hoping that his presence would be intimidating. He felt Neelam's hand on his upper arm as she grabbed on to him anxiously.

"Max, how did you get out there?" A middle-aged man rushed toward them from one of the nearby houses. Before the dog could make a move, he had grabbed it by the collar. "Sorry kids," he said to Neelam and Aditya. "I don't know how he managed to break his leash. Never happened before." The dog who suddenly seemed much tamer now, continued to stare at the two of them, but did not struggle against his master.

Seeing this, Neelam finally released Aditya's arm, and shakily stepped out from behind him.

"Are you okay, miss?" the man asked with concern.

Neelam nodded. "He just scared me."

"I sincerely apologize. It won't happened again." Dragging the dog by the collar, he headed in the direction of his house.

As soon as he had shut the door behind him, Aditya turned to Neelam. "Are you really okay?"

She nodded again, but stayed silent, waiting for her heartbeat to become steady.

"Ajeeb ittefaq hai na?" he continued. "I've never heard of a dog's leash snapping before."

It's just the type of thing that could only happen to me, Neelam thought to herself. But deciding not to dwell on it, she looked up at Aditya and smiled slightly. "Thanks Adi. Agar tum beech mein nahin aate to..."

"Thanks ki koyi zaroorat nahin, Chashmish. It's just very fortunate that I happened to forget my phone at the gym and had to go back and get it. Otherwise I wouldn't be here right now. Chalo, main tumhen ghar chhod deta hoon."

Neelam glanced at her watch. "There are only twenty minutes until our group meeting anyway."

"Oh, you're right," he replied, confirming it by checking the time on his phone. "Then I guess I'll hang out with you until everyone else arrives."

They walked the last two blocks to Neelam's house, and she unlocked the door. When they entered, they were surprised to find Hina sitting on the living room sofa. She appeared confused when she saw Aditya follow Neelam into the house.

"Hi Hina," Neelam greeted her, suddenly remembering that Hina had intended on coming over a little early. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay. Your mom let me in." Hina responded, rising from her seat. "Hi Adi," she added, somewhat impassively.

Aditya sensed that Hina was not happy with him being there, but since she wasn't being openly discourteous, he decided not to question her about it. "Hi," he replied, with equal detachment.

"I'm going to get some snacks and drinks," Neelam informed them. "Hina, can you help me in the kitchen?"

"Sure." Hina began to follow her.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Aditya asked.

"I think the two of us will be enough as far as the snacks are concerned," Hina quickly responded. "Maybe Adi can set up the recording system." She gave Neelam an imploring look.

"Could you please?" Neelam asked Aditya. "It's in the closet by the stairs. Just plug it in and make sure it's working."

Aditya silently headed towards the family room. He couldn't help wondering why the two girls were trying to get rid of him, but thought it best to give them their space.

"You won't believe this," Hina whispered to Neelam, as soon as they were in the kitchen. "Yeh dekho." She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Neelam. "Remember how there was a knock at my door when I was talking to you. Well, this is what I found on the floor when I opened it."

Neelam unfolded the paper and read the contents. It was a photocopy of a court document signed at the bottom by Todd Mitchell and both of Carissa's parents. The terms of the agreement were the very same that Hina had mentioned to Neelam on the phone earlier that morning. Todd would pay a third of the medical bills that were incurred by Carissa's family, and they would in turn drop all charges against him. There was a small post-it note near the bottom with the words, 'Better luck next time.'

"This was signed yesterday," Neelam commented in alarm. "I thought he had just proposed the idea of settling out of court this morning."

"The prosecutor only found out this morning. I'm guessing Mitchell and his lawyer decided to work it all out with Carissa's parents before giving anyone a chance to talk to them and change their minds."

"But why would Carissa agree to this settlement without discussing it with you first."

"I don't think it was Carissa's decision," Hina responded. "She's underage. I'm sure the moment her parents found out that my testimony wasn't reliable, they decided to avoid the trial completely."

"You think that Mitchell left this at your door?"

Hina nodded. "I'm sure of it. 'Better luck next time.'" She rolled her eyes. "He obviously couldn't resist mocking me."

"So what should we do now?" Neelam couldn't think of any way out of this mess.

"There's nothing we can do," Hina answered, confirming her fears. "If Carissa's parents want the guy who hit their daughter walking free, we'll have to accept their decision."

Neelam's expression became tense. "I hope we never run into him on campus again. But wait...he knows where you live!" Her eyes widened.

Hina couldn't help but smile at Neelam's irrational fears. "Neelam, don't worry. Mitchell may be a despicable low life who doesn't give a damn about anyone else, but he didn't hit Carissa on purpose. He doesn't want to go to jail or get kicked out of school. The last thing he would do now is get himself into any more trouble."

There was enough logic in this argument to assuage Neelam's apprehensions. "I guess you're right. So should we tell everyone about this today."

"Actually, I'm not even supposed to know yet. Let's wait until the prosecutor confirms the accuracy of this document. When he calls me and verifies that the charges have been dropped, I'll tell everyone. I'm assuming that'll be tomorrow."

Neelam nodded in agreement.

They heard the sound of the front door opening. "That must be Deepali," Neelam said.

"Let's get started on the snacks," Hina suggested. "Zaid, Samira aur Rehaan aate hi honge."


On his way to Neelam and Deepali's house, Rehaan couldn't stop staring at the text message on his phone. He had read it multiple times, enough to know it by heart, yet it seemed more and more unbelievable every time he looked at it. Or maybe, the truth was that he didn't want to believe it.

His phone had received the message while he was trying to convince Karan and Deepali to be the lead performers in his dance, but he didn't get the chance to read it until the audition was over. It was from his best friend, Vincent, and it contained a piece of gossip that had the potential to turn Rehaan's life upside-down.

Reading it for the umpteenth time, he tried to seek out any indication that the information could be false.

'Rehaan, I may have some bad news for you. I just heard from a couple of our high school friends that Zeenat's father's company is opening a new office in Philadelphia. She wants to join him, and thus plans to transfer schools. You might see her at Penn next semester.'

Although Vincent had not yet contacted Zeenat to corroborate this report, Rehaan couldn't imagine why anyone would make up something like this. He had no choice but to believe that it was true. Since Zeenat had not gotten through to him by phone or email, she was now planning to follow him all the way from Miami to Philadelphia!

Rehaan did not believe for one moment that her father's company had anything to do with her making this decision. It was only an excuse. In fact, it was more likely than not that Zeenat herself had convinced her father that Philadelphia would be the prime location for his company's new headquarters.

Incensed and confused, Rehaan finally approached his destination. But before the house came into view, just as Rehaan was passing by the hedge separating it from the house next door, he heard arguing voices coming from the Mehtas' front porch. Wondering what was going on, he stopped behind the hedge and listened. He recognized one of the voices as Zaid's.

"I'm only saying this because I care about you," Zaid was pleading with someone. "Main jaanta hoon yeh tumhaare liye aasaan nahin hai, but you can't give up. Tum jaanti ho na ke mummy tumhen itni door nahin bhejna chahti theen? But I told her that I would take care of you. Agar tumhen kuch ho gaya to main unko kya jawaab doonga?"

Rehaan realized who the other person on the porch was and decided that this was not a conversation that he should be listening to. However, before he could make up his mind on where to go to avoid overhearing the rest of the discussion, the other person brought it to an end.

"Bhaiyya, main aapki har baat sunne ko tayyaar hoon, lekin pehle yeh meeting to poori ho jaaye. Let's talk tomorrow after class." Samira rang the doorbell of the house, and they both fell silent until Deepali answered the door.

For a few moments, Rehaan completely forgot about Zeenat as he pondered over what he had just heard, but then he decided that it was none of his business. As he finally headed toward the porch and rang the doorbell, his mind was once again fixated on Vincent's text.


When everyone was settled in the family room, Aditya took out his binder to read the prompt for today's group assignment to everyone. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he noticed how subdued everyone seemed and closed it again. It was quite bizarre. It wasn't surprising that Neelam and Rehaan were silent and reflective, but since when was Deepali so quiet? Zaid and Samira had chosen to sit as far away from each other as possible, which was virtually unheard of, and even Hina, who usually kept any vulnerabilities concealed, seemed distressed about something.

Aditya finally decided to speak up. "I'm not sure what's up with you guys today, but I'm going to give you two options. Either come out and say what's bothering you, and we can discuss it, or put all your feelings aside for a while, so we can talk about the very interesting topic assigned to us."

"I have something to share before we start," Deepali replied.

"I thought you might," Aditya said with a grin.

"I know you're all aware that Rehaan held auditions for the Fusion Dance today," Deepali said, speaking to everyone in the room. "Well, I just want to make it known to you all that his primary intention in directing this dance is to make my life as miserable as possible."

Rehaan, who happened to be sitting next to Deepali, gaped at her in surprise and everyone else began exchanging confused glances.

"I thought you were over it by now," Rehaan responded.

Deepali crossed her arms in front of her and replied dramatically. "How can I get over such injustice in just a matter of hours?"

"Kya hua, Rehaan?" Zaid asked. "Did you not select her for the dance?"

"Of course I did. I gave her a lead position," Rehaan replied.

"Ab is se yeh poocho ke doosri lead position kis ko mili hai," Deepali urged them.

They all turned to Rehaan for an answer. He unsuccessfully tried to suppress his laughter by covering his mouth.

"And he thinks it's funny," Deepali said with a sigh. "The one person I can't stand to be around. How could you, Rehaan?"

"Are you talking about Karan?" Samira asked, looking up from her planner. Taking Rehaan's stifled chuckle as a 'yes', she shook her head. "I don't believe it."

"Rehearsals are going to be a nightmare," Hina added.

Rehaan sighed. "Look, you guys weren't there. Agar tum sab in dono ki chemistry dekhte to tumhaara bhi yehi faisla hota. And anyway, Deepali, you agreed already. There's no turning back now."

"I'm not planning to go back on my word. I just thought that I should let everyone know what kind of friend you turned out to be." It was clear that Deepali was trying to put on a serious act, but she couldn't help the slight smile that was spreading across her lips.

"You'll thank me later," Rehaan responded, grinning.

Deepali punched his arm playfully, and they all laughed. The atmosphere of the room had lightened up considerably.

"Okay, if you're all ready to begin, I'll read the prompt now," said Aditya. Hearing no objections, he continued. "It says: 'Discuss your views on arranged marriage. Do you think it's a practical option for desis who have grown up in America?'"

"I wonder where Leah gets these topics," Deepali pondered aloud.

"I have a lot to say about this," Hina stated, " so I'll start if you guys don't mind."

"Go for it," Aditya replied, hitting the record button on the stereo.

Hina began her eloquent dialogue. "I understand that there may have been a time when arranged marriages were not only appropriate, but also necessary. Girls didn't get out as much, interaction between the genders was frowned upon, and the approval of the entire family was a lot more important due to the prevalence of extended families. But times have changed now, not only in the U.S. but even in India. We all have the opportunity to search for ourselves and find the person that we're most compatible with. Why would anyone give up the opportunity to make this decision?"

"I'll have to agree with Hina," Aditya asserted, causing half the group to raise their eyebrows. "I know. I was surprised too. Yet her argument is precisely what came to my mind when I read the prompt. I understand myself better than anyone else does, so obviously I am the best judge of who I should or should not spend the rest of my life with."

"Any rebuttals?" Zaid asked everyone.

"Actually, I have another perspective," Neelam spoke up, giving everyone the second surprise of the evening. "I agree that each individual person has the greatest capability to select the proper life partner for him or herself, but unfortunately, this is not what usually happens. Young people don't always think through their decisions as rationally as they should. They get swayed by emotions, easily influenced by friends, or just forget to look far enough ahead. Is it really so bad to allow our wiser, more experienced parents to guide us in the most important decision of our life?"

Hina was not convinced. "But who's to say that the parents will make the right decision?"

"I think you're making a flawed assumption, Hina," Rehaan contended. "The arranged marriages you're describing are a thing of the past. In most societies in this day and age, almost no one is compelled into a marriage. I don't think Neelam is implying that we should blindly accept what our parents tell us. But since they are undoubtedly more experienced in these matters and want the best for us, there's no harm in seeking their advice."

"But is that really what an arranged marriage is?" Zaid asked. "I have no qualms about finding out if my parents approve of the girl I choose to marry. In fact, I'm not sure if I could allow myself to marry someone against their wishes. But, I was under the impression that an arranged marriage involved more than just that. What about all the pictures and biodatas that are exchanged? What about the awkward meetings in which the potential bride and groom are encouraged to get to know each other?"

"I don't think it has to be so awkward," suggested Deepali. "A friend of mine first met her fiance at a restaurant. Their parents set them up, and it was just the two of them."

"That's a lot like a blind date, isn't it?" Samira commented. "Arranged marriages may have been different in the past, but I think today they're just another means to expand the pool of prospective candidates. For example, my mother's ex-roommate's brother's son from England might be highly compatible with me. But how will I ever know that unless we're introduced to one another?"

"See, that doesn't sound so bad," replied Aditya. "But I wouldn't want to deal with everything that Zaid was talking about. Maybe the first thing we need to do is define what arranged marriage is."

This didn't prove to be an easy task, and the seven of them spent the rest of the session debating what constituted an arranged marriage without ever coming to a consensus. Ultimately, they gave up and stopped the recording.

In much better spirits then they had been before the session started, Zaid, Samira, Aditya, Hina and Rehaan headed home. The five of them walked together until they reached Rehaan's dorm building where he left the group, bidding them a good night. The next stop on the way would have been Aditya and Zaid's apartment, but they wouldn't hear of Samira and Hina walking alone so late at night, so the four of them continued down the road towards Hina's building.

"Hey Samira," said Hina, "I meant to ask you about this before. You said you have a cousin at Harvard, right?"

"Oh yeah," Samira responded. "Aisha Apa. She's a law student."

"Really." Hina appeared to be impressed by this new information. "Is she single, engaged or married?"

Samira just stared at Hina curiously and the two guys turned to look as well.

"Sorry," Hina said with a giggle. "That must have seemed like a strange question. Actually, my parents are looking for a girl for my brother. They'd prefer someone from Harvard if possible."

"Aren't you opposed to arranged marriage?" Aditya asked.

"Yes, vehemently, which is precisely why I'm getting involved. My parents are typical desi parents, and I'm sure the moment they become serious about getting him married, they'll make the situation really awkward. Main aisa bilkul nahin chaahti. Unfortunately, I can't expect Yusuf bhai to take matters into his own hands. Aaj kal, unko to itni bhi fursat nahin ke naye logon se mil saken. His whole life seems to revolve around his studies, and he only interacts with the 100 or so other medical students in his class."

"So, you want to set him up to prevent your parents from setting him up?" Aditya inquired skeptically.

"I won't set him up," she replied. "Main unse is baare main kuch kahoongi bhi nahin. I'll just make sure he meets a couple girls he hasn't met before. After that, it's all up to him. It's his last chance to avoid the embarrassment that awaits him when my parents get involved."

"Khayaal to bura nahin hai," Samira stated, pensively. "As far as I know, Aisha Apa is not seeing anyone, but even if she is, it wouldn't matter. Hum to bas unko ek doosre se milvayenge."

"Exactly!" Hina responded. "I'm going to Boston over Thanksgiving Break. Tum bhi chalo na, Samira."

Samira turned to Zaid. "What do you think, Bhaiyya? Hum kayi saal se Aisha Apa se mile bhi nahin hain."

"It would be a nice trip," he replied, "but I'm not so sure about your plan."

"You don't need to worry about it," said Samira. "Hina and I will take care of everything."

They came to a stop in front of Hina's dorm building.

"Thanks for walking with me," she said to them.

"Will you be okay going to your room?" Zaid asked, taking a step forward so he was directly in front of her. "I can come with you."

"The building is pretty safe," she reassured him.

He peered inside the glass door. "Yahaan kaafi andhera lag raha hai. Maybe I can walk you to the elevator."

Hina just smiled, her eyes fixed on his.

"I really don't mind," Zaid tried once again.

Leaning toward him, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'll be fine," she told him. Then she walked into the building, turning for the last time as she stepped inside to flash her dimpled smile at him once again.

Zaid stared after her, seemingly frozen in time and space. It wasn't until a few moments later when Aditya loudly cleared his throat that he was pulled out of his daze.

He turned toward Aditya and Samira with a broad smile, barely able to contain his happiness.

"Look Samira," Aditya said, putting one arm around her shoulders. "The redness of his cheeks matches his shirt perfectly."

Samira nodded, laughing.

"Shut up, Adi," Zaid said, flushing even redder.

Aditya and Samira continued to tease Zaid as the three of them proceeded down the street. But Zaid was certain that they were both truly happy for him, which made that night even more special.

Questions:

1. What did you think about the conversation about arranged marriages?welll it ws a pretty gud one!!

2. Who's your favorite couple so far (just out of curiousity)?i love aditya neelam te most....i love samira n rehaan tooo

3. General comments about the chapter? love love love it !!

Wohoo, chapter 8!

1. Hmmm....Those were pretty good perspectives on Arranged Marriages...!

Questions:

1. What did you think about the conversation about arranged marriages?