FF: yeh raaste hai pyaar ke// Journey Complete//

Part-2

Rashi and Gopi decided to act on their own without telling anybody. Gopi called Ahem on his mobile but couldn't reach him… in sheer desperation she sent emails to him, hoping that he would see it as he was in the habit of opening the inbox quite frequently….days passed and yet there was no response.

Rashi asked her whether they could meet his sibling or cousin and inform them of the situation she was in..Gopi shook her head and told that she doesn't know them and Ahem's family is very orthodox and approaching them in Ahem's absence won't work.

"Didi, I had urged Ahem to disclose our relationship to his parents but he refused by telling that we should wait for his sister Kinjal to get married… This was after Yash had come to see you and chose me instead, remember how Mom acceded to his request…and I shouted at him by telling that I reject the Man who is blind enough to reject my sister…when the fury died down I realized that Mom is very keen on getting me married and I may not be able to delay things, so I told Ahem everything…….Guess he never wanted to marry me didi, he made some excuse then and is ignoring me now".

"Dil chota nahi karte Gopi…I am sure he is too busy to check the mails"

"No didi, a lot of days have passed and this means only one thing…Gopi started sobbing and Rashi rested her head on her lap….she was at a loss…..Ahem was in America- and he wasn't responding….God knows why is he doing this to Gopi…how to interpret the situation?

Urmila rushed into the girl's bedroom and was bursting with joy. She informed them that Mrs.Mehta had requested her to allow her sons to take them out…and then she realized that Gopi was crying and asked her the reason. Rashi protected her by telling that Gopi is crying because she is sad that she has to leave this house. Urmila laughed at her and said that they can meet frequently as they are going to be in the same city..Moreover you'll have Rashi with you..The Mehtas are cultured people. Stop worrying you silly girl.

Saying this Urmila went to the cupboard and asked Rashi to wear her blue-silk salwar kameez..Gopi was to wear a heavily embroidered Maroon salwar-kameez. The girls were relieved once their mother went outside. Rashi patted Gopi's head and comforted her to sleep.

The girls were to meet the Mehta boys today. Gopi braced herself to the fact that she has to put up this pretence till Ahem responds favourably. Urmila took special interest in her daughter's dress and make-up..Dhaval was amused, he sang songs and made faces to tease his sisters.

The Mehta brothers soon came and greeted the elders. Urmila and Jitu looked at them approvingly. They had all the hallmarks of well brought-up men..and they looked fabulous in formals. Rashi threw frequent glances at Gopi to ensure that she was calm.

I was a full fledged date and the brothers were chivalrous in their behavior. They took them to the movies, played games at a gaming zone, treated them to lunch…well pretty much everything to break the ice between them and communicate freely- an essential point in all marriages esp the arranged ones.

They were exposed to the jovial side of them..Ajay teased Abhay by telling Rashi that Abhay bhaiya could barely hide his happiness on seeing his neelam pari….Abhay got back by asking him whether he wasn't happy with his red rose? Ajay replied by telling that Gopi wasn't a red rose…cupid's arrow struck his heart and he had dyed her dress red with the blood from his heart…All laughed (Gopi included), Gopi got scared to find out the extent to which Ajay was interested in her…it could mean that she couldn't marry Ahem without souring her family's relations with the Mehtas….and as a result Rashi won't be able to marry Abhay. Gopi suddenly felt that she was being too selfish. She decided to accept Ajay with a clear heart if Ahem doesn't respond to her.

Once they were out of the mall the guys decided to amuse themselves at the girls' expense. They quizzed them about their full names. Rashi told it was Abhay and Ajay Mehta…her answer was greeted by laughter…it was only after a few minutes that Abhay cooled down and told her that their names had been changed by their numerology-obsessed Grandpa when they were in primary school. Their official names were Jigar and Jatin, their mom still prefers to use the old names though.

The day went by with much mirth and enjoyment. Gopi and Rashi had a conversation as soon as the guys dropped them home. Rashi asked her whether she was all right..Gopi told her about the decision she had taken and recollected the time she had spent with Ahem.