STRANGERS TO SOULMATES REPOSTED CH 3 PG 1

CHAPTER 1

JAB WE MET (PART A)

I saw her entering with her friend from the corner of my eye.She looked like an angel.My heart had rung the bell when I saw her picture.She looked so fragile so innocent.

She was constantly looking on the floor while walking.She looked very tensed.She folded her hands to wish everyone.

"Idhar aao beta , mere paas"my mom asked her to sit beside her,luckily right in front of me.

I don't know why but I felt so good seeing her sitting beside my mother.

"lagta hai bhabhi final ho gyi hai"Dhruv who was sitting next to me whispered in my ear.

I hit him hard with my elbow and asked him to shut up.

Mom asked her a few things to most of which she replied in a nod.They were speaking very slowly so I was unable to hear them.But I managed to steal a few glimpses of her beautiful face .

Mom then looked at dad who in turn looked towards me. He knew what I wanted.

"Murthy ji, hamein to bitiya pasand hai,bas ab ek baar bachhe bhi aapas me baat kar lete to" My dad said

"Kyu nahi Malhotra sahab.Afterall bacho ki life ka sawaal hai" Nandini's father replied with a smile.

They all got up and left us alone in the hall.I could feel the tension building up.She was still sitting on the sofa right in front of me.Her gaze still fixed on the floor.

A few minutes passed in silence like that only.Finally I got up and sat beside her.

I didn't know where to start from.This was the first time I was meeting a girl for such a purpose.

"hi" I said "I am Manik" as if she didn't know my name.

"hi ,I am nandini" she replied . And finally I got to hear her voice which was as beautiful as her.She was still not looking at me.Her eyes were fixed on her bracelet in her wrist which she was fiddling with her other hand . I could make out from her body language that she was very stressed.

JAB WE MET( PART B)

"Listen , relax" he said " Together we need to take the most important decision of our lives today.So you need to de stress yourself for that first"

"hmmm" I nodded and that's all I could say.I still didn't have the courage to look at him.He was sitting just beside me and I could feel jitters in my body .

"So Nandini I wanna know a few things and I want you to be very honest with the answers.Tell me if there is any kind of family pressure on you to get married or any such sort of a thing, trust me on this.If you're not interested in this proposal then you can tell me right now.I will handle things in my own way.Just feel free to express yourself." he said in an ever serious tone .

I couldn't believe my ears.I had heard from my cousins and friends about boys asking weird questions on their first meeting but this man, he was concerned about me and my feelings.He had impressed me first by his looks and then by his concern for me.

Hearing this for the first time I looked at him.Our eyes met .Navya wasn't wrong.He was actually very handsome.My heart was beating erratically.

"Nandini" he called out again breaking my trance "where are you lost?"

" ummm No " I replied mentally slapping myself for being so dumb and lost.But the fact was that his proximity was affecting me badly.

"You are only 20 and I am 25...are you okay with the age difference of 5 years"he wanted to know

"But am turning 21 next week"I replied promptly

.Aiyoo Nandini Murthy cant you behave normally.Either you are too slow to answer or too spontaneous.What will he think of you .

But when I looked at him he was smiling.I think he got a hint of my willingness.

"OH k.."he said "Now that I have got my answers don't you wanna know anything...about ME"

"Nothing"I replied calmly timing myself properly this time.

"uhhu uhuu"I heard someone coughing from a distance.It was Navya.

"Namaste ji,hum Navya naveli hai, nandini ki saheli Patna se" she said coming forward.

"Namaste" he replied

"woh aunty uncle aapko bahar bula rahe the, Lunch tyaar hai"

We went outside and to our surprise everyone froze as if waiting for some announcement.Manik looked at his parents and signaled his approval.His father came forward and hugged him.

"Murthy ji, hamare bte ko Nandini bitiya pasand hai.Hamari taraf se haan hai" he announced

My parents asked for my approval and I nodded.

"Nandini bitiya ko bhi Manik Beta pasand hai Malhotra sahab...to ab hum officially samdhi ban gaye" Appa said hugging Manik's dad.Amma came and hugged me tightly.

There was chaos in the room as everyone was congratulating each other.Everyone seemed to be very happy.

Amma brought a sweet box "Lijiye muh meetha Kijiye" she said putting a big piece in Manik's mouth .

Appa hugged Manik .He touched my parents feet to take blessings .

"welcome to the family beta" Manik's mom said hugging me tightly. "I am so excited just can't tell you.Main kal hi pandit ji ko bulwa ke shaadi ki nearest date nikalwati hu.kyu Maanik" she said looking at him but he seemed busy in his own thoughts

"H..Ha ..ann Haanji Mom" he finally replied after a pause

I bent to touch her feet but she stopped me midway.

"Arrey nahin beta , hum tumhe apni beti banana chahte hai , aur hamare yahan betiyan paav nahin chhuti, kyu malhotra ji"she said looking at her husband

"bilkul ji bilkul...aaj se aap hamari bitiya ho aur ye hamara jawai" he said patting Manik's shoulder. Everyone started laughing at his statement.

"Par main to aapko bhabhi hi bulaonga , afterall koi to bhai ki side bhi hona chahiya na. By the way I am Dhruv" he said forwarding his hand.

Manik was standing beside me did not speak anything but I could feel his gaze all the time.

"Aur hum aapko jijaji bulayenge"Navya said looking at Manik.

"Jijaji" he said in a surprised tone"Nahin nahin Manik is alright...Pls call me Manik only"

"Arrey nahin...hum to jijaji hi bulayenge...Jeeejaaajiii" she said stressing

I couldn't help but smile at this cute gesture of Navya.

Manik's POV

Aur karle beta shaadi,ab shaadi ke ye chhote mote side effects to bear karne hi padenge.

NANDINI'S POV

Finally everyone had lunch.

"Murthy ji kal hamare farmhouse par roka ceremony kar lete hai jisme ki sirf hum sab bas family ke hi log hi honge aur Pandit ji to wahan honge hi to aage ke functions ki dates bhi finalise kar lenge"Malhotra uncle told my appa while leaving.

Manik and I exchanged a goodbye glance and they all left.

CHAPTER 2

THE CHIT CHAT

We hadn't exchanged our phone numbers but still my heart was awaiting his call every second.My phone was glued to my hands all the time.Appa, amma and I were having discussions regarding gifts to be given during roka ceremony when suddenly the door bell rang.My heart skipped a beat.I went up to open the door and was amazed to see Dhruv standing there with a packet in his hands.

"hello once again bhabhi" he said with a big smile.

"hello, come inside"

"no bhabhi, I just came to hand over this packet to you.Mom has sent a dress which you have to wear tomorrow" He said handing over the packet to me."Also , tomorrow our driver will be here at 10 am to take you to the farmhouse."

"ohh thx"and before I could say anything further he placed a small piece of paper in my hand and eloped from there.I was totally startled at this act of his.I opened its folds and found a 10 digit number written on it and below it was written "Bhai's phone number."My mouth opened and eyes widened to form a perfect O.

"Kaun aaya tha beta"I quickly slid the paper in my pocket on hearing Amma's voice.

"wo...wo actually amma Dhruv tha"I stammered trying to hide my amusement as I headed back to their room .I opened the dress packet. It was a lovely peachish pink shade lehenga choli which was very apt as per the occasion...niether too light nor to heavy.I loved it.I tried it to see if it required any alterations but surprisingly it was a perfect fit for me.

Later we retired to our rooms.I took out the slip from my pocket and looked at his number for a few minutes.I saved the number in my phone and after actually having a mental spat with my heart "to call or not to call" for a good few minutes , I decided upon midway.I thought it was better to text him through whats app.

My heart started racing rapidly on seeing his whats app DP.He was online which made the tiny insects flutter in the pit of my stomach. Calming them down, I finally managed to text him.

N:- Hi

M:- Hey how are you?

His reply was really quick as if he was expecting my message!

N:- Fine! How bout u?

M:-Not Fine!

N:-Why what happened?

I was really worried.

M:-Nothing much.Its just that someone's beautiful smile has casted its magic spell on me.

I blushed the moment I understood what he meant! Insects in stomach getting uncontrollable.

N:- just the smile???

M:- Can't get over the smile and think of anything else.By the way how did you find the dress?

N:-Absolutely beautiful!!!

M:-I chose it...FOR YOU!

N:-Thx!!Your choice is beautiful!

M:-ofcourse! You had any doubts bout it!

N:-not at all!

M:-Cant wait to see you wearing it tomorrow!

N:-Its late...cya tomorrow.GN.

M:GN...dear!

I read his messages over and over again.My smile had casted a spell on him.He chose the dress for me.And gud night... dear. I was blushing profusely.This boy managed to impress me at every encounter.Thinking about him I drifted to sleep...

MANIK'S HOUSE

"bhai, aapka number to pahuncha diya maine, ab mujhe kya milega"Dhruv said rubbing his hands

"Anything you want , tu bol to sahi"I assured him

"ohhho bhai, anything! You mean seriously anything! Kya baat hai ! itna chhota sa kaam kiya and you're ready to give anything. Bhabhi ke aane se bahut fayda hone wala hai mujhe to!"

"Oh shut up Dhruv, you are saying as if I ever said no to you for anything before"

"Arrey nahin bhai , no to nahi kehte the but itni jaldi yes bhi nahi kehte the.Anyways Am Loving it!!! Achhe din aane wale hai hooohooo ache din aane wale hain" he sang these last lines and left my room.I stood there smiling ,thinking Did I really change in the last 12 hours...OMG!!!

I was fiddling with my phone.Checked the message box umptieth time to see if she had left any message.I was pretty sure that if she calls or texts me , the bell will not ring! Am I sounding dumb?Yes I have gone dumb!

And finally I get a message from an unknown number .

"Hi"

I checked the whats app DP of the sender. It was HER. Finally I mean finally she did it!

I didn't take a second to reply. We had a small chat session.I thought of calling her up but then for some unknown reason held myself back probably it was late and I wanted her to sleep n be ready in time for the transformative morning of our lives the very next day.

My eyes were sleep deprieved . But eventually thinking about the day's events and ofcourse her beautiful smile I was unaware when sleep took over.

Precap;

M:Ok be ready.I will be there to pick you up!

I was shocked.Didn't Dhruv say that driver would pick us up then why was manik saying so.What would Amma and Appa say?

CHAPTER 3

THE DRIVE TO THE FARMHOUSE

Finally I woke up to which was going to be one of the most beautiful days of my life.I didn't sleep properly last night.His words echoed in my mind whole night.

"Morning Amma"I said as I saw amma entering my room.

"Arrey nandu tu utth gayi...beta 8 baj rahe hai jaldi se tyar hoja, tere appa sweets lene gaye hai,aate hi honge"Amma kissed my forehead and left.

I quickly checked my phone to see if he had left any message . And yes there it was a good morning message that he had sent over an hour ago.

N:- Gud morning

I replied.

M:- So getting ready for the big day!

I was surprised to see a quick reply by him.

N:-Yeah , will be ready by 10.

M:K. will be there to pick you up!

I was shocked.Didn't Dhruv say that driver would pick us up then why was manik saying so.What would Amma and Appa say?

N:Nooo I mean Dhruv said driver would come then howcome ?????

M:Cya...dear.

He didn't reply to my question.I stood under the shower thinking.Why would he come . Oh no My heart was racing at a speed of more than 120km/hr.Ohhh Did I just say km/hr.This guy is driving me insane.Forget it maybe he was just kidding.I need to calm myself down!

I quickly got ready and applied a very little make up as I liked to stay simple.My heart was still beating eratically. Was he really going to come.My heart was yearning to be with him but I was scared too!

I was pulled out of my thoughts hearing navya s voice.

"Nandu, arrey hamari pari abhi tak tyar nahi hui.Driver bhaiya kab ke neeche aa gye"

Driver I mean seriously did I hear Driver? But then thank God it was driver! I took a sigh of relief.That means Manik was joking.I felt a little bad about it because may be ...

"Nandu , nandu kahan kho gyi' navya shrugged my shoulders.

" haan who nahin...mera matlab bas main ready hi hu.Vaise Are you sure driver hi aaya hai"I asked as still a ray of hope was alive in my heart.

"Ji haan madam ji driver bhaiya hi hai...ab jijaji to aane se rahe"she winked.

"nahin wo mera matlab, I mean driver aa gya...matlab amma appa ready ho gye kya"I was literally stammering as my heart was aching to see the little hope dying. How could he joke like this?

Finally we got down.Amma was still busy with the last minute chores.But she stood still on seeing me.

I went near her and bent down to take her blessings.

"Bahut pyari lag rahi hai kanna"she hugged me and taking some kohl from the corner of her eye she applied it behind my ear "Nazar na lage kisi ki".

"arrey samaan to gaadi me poora hi, ..."Appa said entering as he was busy settling the gifts in the car but stopped without completing his sentence.

He came near me very slowly. "Meri bachhi kab itni badi ho gyi , pata hi nahi chala" he kissed my forehead.I could see tears forming in the corner of his eyes.For the first time I also realized that this moment of happiness had some sadness associated with it.I had never seen Appa getting so emotional.I was unable to control myself and tears spilled from my eyes.

"Arrey nahi kanna" Amma came forward and hugged me yet again. She was also into tears.It was indeed a very emotional moment for us.

"Sir , maine bade sir ko bata diya hai ki samaan jyada hai aur gaadi me baithne ki seats kam hai, to wo doosri gaadi bhej rahe hai" driver entered and we composed ourselves.We heard a car honked outside," Lagta hai car aa gyi" the driver added.

By that time my heartbeat was racing again.Is it Manik this time.I wasn't able to decide whether I wanted it to be him or not.

We went out and saw Dhruv coming out of the driver's seat .I thanked Aiyappa for a second but next second I took my thank you back as I saw HIM stepping down from the co driver's seat.He looked suave in kurta payjamas.The colour was same as that of my dress.He had deliberately chosen the same colour combination for both of us.

"namaste jijaji" Navya said in her usual tone and I realized that I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't get to know as to when he covered the 30 feet distance between the car and us!

"Namaste" he replied and bent down to wish amma and appa.They showered him with blessings and then he turned to me.I was literally trembling under his intense gaze.

"Good morning uncle, good morning aunty, hi bhabhi and hello navya ji"Dhruv wished us from behind him.

Everyone wished him back.Finally Manik's gaze was also diverted and I once again thanked Aiyappa.

"wo actually driver ne bataya ki car me samaan jyada hai aur aapko ek aur car ki jarurat hai to hamne socha..."Manik said politely to appa.

"So thoughtful of you beta, thankyou very much" appa replied unaware of his intentions.But somewhere I could understand his trick.He had deliberately sent the smallest car to pick us knowingly that there were four of us and lots of gifts. I smiled at his mischief.

"sab samaan rakh diya car me" he asked the driver.

"ji baba, aage ki seat khali hai aur peeche ki seat par bhi samaan hai par ek jan baith sakte hai" Driver replied .

"Ok, to uncle aap aur aunty driver ke saath aa jaiye, Na...nd..ini aur Navya ko hum apni car me le aate hai" he said trying to be very innocent.

"Theek hai beta"Appa said .Amma had locked the doors by now so they sat in the car and left for the farmhouse.

So now the four of us were left.

"To jijaji chalein"Navya finally broke the silence.

"Hmm...haan, why not" he said "Lets go"

"Dhruv , start the car" he said looking at Dhruv.

"As you say Bade Bhaiya"and he left towards the car followed by Navya.

But the two of us still stood there It was a bit awkward for me.my usual self was staring on the road down.He came a little closer awaking the insects that had slept last night .

"you're looking ...beautiful" he said huskily.My heart was beating at an accelerated speed.

"Bhaiya , roka ceremony aap dono ke bina nahi hoga, aapka chalna bahut jaruri hai"Dhruv called out from the car . I saw Navya laughing at this.

"Haan haan...aa rahe hain"he replied

Finally we both walked towards the car.He opened the back door for me as navya shifted to sit behind Dhruv. He helped me tuck my dupatta which was left hanging on the floor.

"Thanx"I said

"For what?"

"For this"I said pointing out at my dupatta .

"ohh that's my duty" he replied sheepishly.

He closed the door and took his seat leaving me blushing.Dhruv started driving.

MANIK'S POV

She looked stunning in the dress chosen by me.The colour of dress got merged with that of her skin tone.She was not wearing much make up.I believe she doesn't need to wear any.She looks very charming without any!

"Jijaji, to kal raat ko kaisi neend aayi"Navya teased me "ke aayi hi nahi"

Though I didn't like when she called me jijaji at first but somehow I was getting OK with it now.I wanted to tell her that I actually didn't sleep but before I could speak anything that chatterbox spoke again

"Vaise aapko ek baat batayein, Ye jo hamari nandu hai na ye "Handle with Care" package hai"

"Navya"I could hear Nandini trying to quieten her.

"Handle with care package "Dhruv laughed

"Matlab" I asked looking behind

"Matlab ye jijaji ki hamari nandu bahut sensitive hai , bahut hi jyada delicate, jitni jaldi hansti hai utni hi jaldi ro bhi padti hai.Hum to isse Delicate Darling bulate hain" she informed

"Nav...ya"Nandini gritted her teeth

"Oh to ye baat hai"Dhruv reacted before me"Phir to bhaiya bilkul perfect match hai bhabhi ke liye...ekdum super caring boy. Don't worry achhe se sambhal lenge unhe, Kyun bhai" he asked looking at me.

I smiled thinking i would better answer this when we get a chance to talk alone.