CHAPTER ONE!
I can't believe Mama and Papa are already planning on getting me married. Why can't they understand that I am not ready to get married right now? I still have a bright future ahead of me... Riddhima thought as she sat on the window sill. She was out all day with friends and when she returned, her parents dropped this bomb.
FLASHBACK
"Riddhima beta, you're home, good, come here please. Your father and I would like to talk to you about something," Padma called to her as soon as she entered the house. Riddhima sighed; she was extremely tired and just wanted to take a small nap. She went to Padma and sat next to her and laid her head on Padma's shoulder.
"Kya baath hai, Mama?"
"Beta, aaj tumhare liya ek rishta aya hai..." Padma trailed off. Riddhima gasped and looked towards her Dad, who was trying extremely hard to avoid eye contact with her. She rolled her eyes at his antics and looked towards her mom again.
"Mom, I am not ready to get married right now. I still have a lot of things I want to do in life before I even contemplate getting married." Riddhima looked towards her Dad with tears in her eyes. Shashank sighed and looked towards Padma with hesitation.
"Beta, if you are worried about being able to do your internship and pursue your dreams of being a doctor then don't worry at all. They are family of doctors and they work with your Dad."
Riddhima sighed. She knew there is no way that her mom is going to change her mind now, no matter what anyone says. "Ok, Mom, when are they coming here?"
"They will be here later today - around 6:00 P.M." Riddhima nodded and left for her room. Her eyes filled with tears no matter how hard she tried to hold them back. She slowly made her way to the window sill and sat down. The view outside her window is awesome - there is a beautiful garden with tons of flowers such as roses, tulips, daisies, etc.
FLASHBACK OVER
"Riddhima!!" a voice yelled excitedly as it entered the room. Riddhima, who was lost in her thoughts, did not hear it at all. The girl rolled her eyes when she saw Riddhima. She ran up to her and yelled, "BOO!" in her ear. "AHHH" Riddhima yelled as she jumped off of the window seat.
"DI! You scared me," Riddhima said with a pout on her face and hands on her hips. Anjali laughed some more but eventually hugged her. Riddhima smiled and hugged her back.
"So I heard a family is coming to see you...I am so happy for you."
"Di please, I so don't want to get married right now...agar mein bhi aapki tarah mama ko bata deti ki muhje sirf love marriage karni hai toh shayad yeh kabhi nahi hota," Riddhima grumbled. Anjali smiled at her baby sister, but somewhere she knew that what she was saying was the truth. She would have gotten married first since she is the older one, but because of her stubbornness, her sister is on the line.
"Ridz, I am sorry agar mein yeh sab..."
"Di, shut up! Agar aapne firse muhjse sorry kaha na toh mein...mein...mein na aapse kabhi baat nahi karugi."
"Ok ok, calm down lil sister," Anjali glanced at the clock and saw it's about 4:00 P.M. "Ok how about I help you get ready?" Riddhima smiled and nodded. Anjali walked towards Riddhima's closet and started going through her clothes.
"Do you want to wear a saree or a churidaar?"
"Umm, probably a churidaar. It's much easier to handle," Riddhima laughed.
"True! You go and take a shower while I get your clothes ready," Anjali said nodding toward the bathroom. Riddhima grabbed her toiletries and went to shower. Anjali, on the other hand, was trying really hard to find that perfect dress that would make Riddhima look beautiful. After going through the closet three times, she found a perfect dress for Ridz. It was a beautiful white churidaar with golden borders and embroidery - it simple but beautiful, just like Ridz.
Riddhima also finished her shower and stepped out of the bathroom in just a towel. She saw the churidaar Anjali picked out for her; she thanked her and went inside the bathroom again to put her clothes on. After few minutes, Riddhima came out again and she was looking beautiful, even without any make up or anything.
"Wow, Ridz, you look beautiful," Anjali exclaimed.
"Thanks Di! It's your pick so it had to be beautiful," Riddhima cheekily replied.
"Ok madam, now I am leaving to get ready so you can do your make-up and hair. They should be getting here soon since it's already 5 something," Anjali said and left the room.
Riddhima sighed and sat down in front of her dresser. She applied her make-up very lightly because she is not much for make-up. She then curled the ends of her hair, it took her approximately 10 minutes to do her hair since it is so thick and long - it comes below her waist. Riddhima stood up and stared at her image in the mirror - she is finally ready.
Meanwhile downstairs, the guy's family was here.
"Dr. Shubhanker, please come in and have a seat," Padma said as she led them to the living room. They all followed Padma, once everyone was settled; Keerti introduced her sons to her.
"Padma, yeh mera chota beta, Rahul, hai aur uske bagal mein Armaan jisse toh aap log jante hai." Armaan and Rahul, both, got up and touched Padma and Shashank's feet to get their blessing. Padma smiled and blessed them both. The adults talked amongst each other while Armaan and Rahul just sat there uncomfortably. Armaan kept glancing at the staircase, waiting to see his to-be bride. Keerti, who noticed his behavior, chuckled and patted Armaan's hand. Armaan blushed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Lo, Riddhima bhi aah gayi," Padma said which immediately got his attention. He looked towards the staircase and saw two girls coming towards them. Armaan, however, could tell immediately who his to-be bride is because she was looking down and blushing. He smiled at her shyness and whispered, "Oye hoye." Riddhima looked up towards him as if she heard him. She gasped when both of them made eye contact and looked down blushing.
Anupamaa
