*Note: sorry this part is short, but a lot of you were eager for an update & I didn't want to give too much away in one chapter
Chapter 9:
It was one day before the much anticipated engagement of Dev-Pari & Maan-Geet. Savitri Devi had invited most of Delhi to the ceremony, & had booked herself & her two grandsons into a hotel just outside of Hoshiarpur before the big day, as she insisted on the two couples not seeing each other until the ceremony. Savitri Devi had one room, with Maan & Dev sharing the other. After their dinner had been delivered to their rooms, the brothers were in discussion about tomorrow.
"I don't know how I really feel," said Dev admittedly.
"But there's something about that girl which has changed me.""I know," said Maan.
"You haven't even looked at another girl since we went back to Delhi a month ago. It's a miracle.""That's what love does to you."A silence lingered in the air.
"So you love her?"Dev thought about it for a while, then smiled.
"Yeah, I think I do."
"Have you told her?""Bro, I haven't talked to her in a month, of course I haven't. I want to tell her soon though, to let her know how I feel. I don't want Pari to hear all these rumours of me being a playboy, because I'm not like that anymore."Maan went off into his own thoughts about Geet. He wasn't sure if he loved her yet, but he definetly knew he was attracted to her. And it wasn't just her beauty, it was her charisma & personality which had won him over too. In the month's separation that he had from her, he had tried to come up with many ways to win her heart, but he just didn't know how to. He had always been too engrossed in his business to think about how to impress a girl. And now, that he had to, he didn't have a clue.
He hesitated asking because he didn't want anyone to know that he was trying to win Geet over. They had gave everyone the impression that both of them mutually agreed to the marraige because they liked each other, & he wanted it to stay that way.
"Bro?" Dev snapped his fingers in front of Maan.
"Are you thinking about Geet?"Maan smiled.
"So you can think about Pari, but I can't think about Geet."Dev sighed.
"Just one more night to go, then we can see our wives-to-be tomorrow," he said, adding a wink.
Maan threw a pillow at him jokingly.
~Back in the Handa household, Pari & Geet were also in their bedroom that night after dinner. Pari had moved back into her own room after the Handas had left, but Rano had requested for her to move in with her sister so that the make up artist could get them ready together on the morning of her engagement. They were discussing the big day.
"Geet, I have butterflies in my stomach," said Pari, sat on her sister's bed clutching a pillow.
"What if something goes wrong?"Geet, who was flicking through an economics newspaper, sighed.
"You worry too easily. Everything will be fine."
"How are you so relaxed about this?" asked Pari, and Geet stopped reading.
She wasn't worried because she wasn't viewing tomorrow as an engagement for her wedding. For Geet, tomorrow was the second step to her dream - fulfilling her true passion of business. The first step had already been accomplished when she had agreed to Maan's proposition.
"I just am," Geet said, desperately thinking of a subject to change the topic with. But she realised that Pari would get suspicious & start having doubts.
"Look, it's just going to be an exchanging of rings, it's not like we have to perform a life or death matter."
"But it is life or death for me. I've spent my entire life dreaming of my Prince Charming, my Mr Right. Marrying into the Khuranas is a big deal. We have to make the right impression. Maa told me that Savitri Devi has invited everyone she knows, imagine how many peoples eyes will be on us. We have to make a good impression, show everyone that although we're village girls, we're worthy of being Dev & Maan's wives."
"Pari, if you don't relax, you're going to combust & explode tomorrow. Put some of that gooey face stuff that you swear by which helps revitalise your skin or something."
"You mean my intense hydrating facial wash?"Geet nodded, not having a clue what she was on about.
"Geet, I'm using that in the morning, so my skin looks fresh. You're not supposed to use it at night. But forget that, tell me more about my future brother in law. Maan."
"What do you mean?" asked Geet, turning a page & trying to look absorbed into the article. Pari took the newspaper away from her.
"You & Maan that day, when they left for Delhi, what did you talk about?"
"Oh, er, nothing much," lied Geet.
"So you don't know anything about him?"
"I do."
"Like what?"
"Well... his name is Maan. And he likes business."
"Geet!"
"What?"
"You're supposed to talk to each other, get to know each others personalities."
"We have the rest of our lives to do that. Anyway, what about your Dev, huh? How much do you know about him?"Pari blushed and fiddled with the duvet.
"I know his favourite colour & his birthday. That's all. I get really nervous around him."
Geet smiled, placing one hand under her chin.
"Why's that?"
"You know why!"
"I want to hear it."
"I... I really like him, Geet. A lot. He's so sweet and gentleman-like, he has the cutest smile and his nose wrinkles when he laughs...""It sounds like you're in love."
"It feels like it too. But I'm not sure. We don't know each other well enough yet."
"There'll be plenty of time for that." Geet glanced at the clock on her wall, it read 11:30pm.
"We'd better get some sleep," she told Pari.
"Beauty sleep," Pari added.
"We have to look our best tomorrow."Pari climbed into her own bed, & Geet switched the bedside lamp off. They both drifted off to sleep - Pari thinking about Dev before she fell asleep, & Geet thinking about Khurana Constructions.
Precap: The EngagementEdited by WalkIntoMyLife1 - 14 years ago
193