Advit's pov

Inside the train.

In India, where the majority of people are middle-class, trains are the most practical form of transportation. Who is unable to afford airline tickets. Luckily, in my case, I did not have to worry about being unable to buy airline tickets.

Because I am bloody rich. My business is making a lot of money and is operating fairly effectively.

However, I was going somewhere remote. I had no choice but to take the train because there was no airport and no flight. As you can see, money can sometimes be useless. It has to be true that money cannot buy everything.

Yrr, kaise kaise log aate hai train mei.Because I did not travel in first class compartment, I was able to meet and interact with a wide range of people. The seat was worn and torn, and also the interior was torn raw from the years of travel. It was extremely crowded, and some people were standing in the aisle with their bodies tightly pressed against one another and their mixed body odour giving a unique fragrance that make me want to puke.

I should have ridden the first class train.

Then I saw that a man was coming towards me, wearing a green saree and bright red lipstick.

He ran his hands over my face."Eh, handsome, Dena."

In India, they are known as hijras or kinnars. You can find them on every train and streets. They belong to the third gender.

According to legend, they possess the power to both bless and curse individuals, meaning that crossing them will result in your demise. We called it kinnar ka baddua, which no one should ever get.

I handed him some money, and he moved on to the other passengers.

"Bhagwan kare tumhe tumhara sukoon mile!" He said this before leaving.

I was stunned. How did he know that I was looking for my sukoon?

It is said that they received this boon from Sri Ram (the Hindu god). At this point, I might believe that myth.

For a while now, a chubby, greedy looking aunty has been staring at me with huge eyes; darkened with a thick kajal under her eyes and a large red bindi was placed between both her eyebrows. Maybe I should ask myself what she wants from me. All I have to offer her is money; I have nothing else to offer.

How about your virginity?

Oh, I lost it 11 years ago.

I kept looking out the window, admiring the trees, small huts, and paddy fields that passed by. The sun was sinking below the horizon.

"Beta, are you single?" That chubby aunty asked.

"No, Aunty.I am married."

" Oh, what a shame! Where is your wife?"

God Where is my wife? Where is my future spouse? That is something I would like to know too. How is she? When will I meet her? Future wife, where are you right now?

"I am going to pick her up in her hometown."

"How long you have been married? And ghar mei kaun kaun hai?"

"We have been married for Four months and ghar mei it's only her and me. Mei ek aanath hu (It is just me and her; there are no other members because I am an orphan."

I am sorry, Mom. Please forgive me

Her eyes flickered with sadness for a moment.

"Why is she living at her parent's house when she is just married?"

"I am ashamed to admit it, but we got into an argument, and now I am going to convince her to come back with me," I said, laughing awkwardly.

"Aiyoh, how reckless!" she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Is not she concerned that her husband was left alone in the house? Who is going to make you food? Who will do the chores?"

I smiled. "I can feed myself, aunty. Thank you for your concern."

"Hmm, if the beginning of a marriage is this chaotic, it will not last. "

I narrowed my eyes.

Yrr, yeh aunty toh mere marriage life shuru hone se pehel hi Khatam hone ki baat Kar rahi hai. Aisa kaise hoga.

( Oh Man! When my marriage has not even begun, she is telling me that it will not prosper.)

"I do not mean to offend you, but that is how most marriages have gone. I meant no disrespect when I said that your marriage would not prosper. Love is insufficient to keep a marriage strong; marriage requires long-term commitment and compromises. "

"Aunty, do not worry; I will try my hardest to make her happy."

"She is very fortunate to have a thoughtful husband like you. Unlike my husband, who is a donkey. Kaam bhi gadhe jaisa hi karta hai, surat bhi gadhe ka hai."

Her husband was fast asleep, his mouth dripping saliva all over his pants and chappal. Hmm, that is disgusting. Aunty stumped on his feet, his eyes wide open, and he swallowed back the saliva that was hanging from his partially parted lips. With half-conscious eyes, he surveyed the surroundings, as though the entire train had just been rocked by an earthquake.

"Don't sleep, you donkey."

But his eyes drifted back to sleep, not taking a sec. And he was loudly snoring this time. I laughed, and the other passenger did as well.

What a crazy couple! If every marriage is like this, I do not want to marry at all. I hope Meri Wali is not as kharus (harsh) as her.

" Beta, is your wife pretty?" One other aunty asked; she looked very thin, with a prominent collarbone, and as if she had been starved over a decade. She looked at me with excitement.

I smiled." She's the prettiest person I have ever seen. Her smile, the way her eyes light up when she speaks to me, and the way she approaches things all captivate me in a different way.

Furthermore, she is merely a figure in my mind who exists only in my imagination.

" It must be nice to be quite young." Uncle said, a sly smile on his face that made me shudder. Her wife glared at him, and he closed his eyes to sleep quietly.

Sometimes women can be really scary.

"See this girl, Beta."

The plumpy aunty gave me her phone, which had a picture of a girl with her hair in two braids-a simple, unadorned saree was what she was wearing. I turned my eyes from the picture to look at her. She seemed to be hoping for a compliment about the girl in the photo based on her facial expressions.

"Oh, this girl, who is she? She's so preety."

She grinned."She is my niece, and she is a wonderful young woman. She will make an excellent wife who will treat her husband like a god because she is an accomplished cook, dancer, housekeeper, and singer."

" Oh, and she's is 21, her height is 5'2 and she is 12 passed."

She is too young to be with me. I am not a fan of large age gaps.

She kept talking without stopping, so she took a breath and said, "And she is single too, we are searching for a good man for her."

"She will make a wonderful wife, indeed. If I was not married, I would have asked for her hand in marriage."

With a flushed face and satisfied, content eyes, my fat aunt turned to look at me.

"For a handsome man like you, the options are endless. Keep your distance from the bad fish; there are plenty of healthy ones in the water."

I grinned. "Aunty, my wife is not too bad. My choice isn't bad."

Well, I am not looking for a perfect girl who will take care of everything and treat her husband like a god. I would hire a servant if I was worried about the household duties. I want a wife who will build me a home and who can shoulder the weight of my troubled heart. A cozy house where, upon returning from work exhausted, I will be met with a smile and asked, "How was your day?"

Then I will give her a tight hug, releasing all of my tiredness in her warm embrace.

Someone who can comfort me when I do not feel like myself? I am capable of doing housework and cleaning on my own, but the hardest thing to do is find a lifelong partner.

"Beta, what is your salary?"

"Not a lot. But good enough to feed my wife."

Then I pretended to be asleep because they wanted to know every detail about my marriage. How did I meet my non-existent wife? How did I persuade her parents to allow her to marry me? I was in big trouble when they asked me to show them a picture of my wife. Despite their disappointment, I make excuses and leave. I do not feel the slightest bit guilty for telling them I am married, actually I am a certified bachelor.

Then my phone rang. I frowned because the caller's name was Manav Tiwari. Now, what does he want from me?

" Hello!"

" Oi Advit, Is Samaira with you at this moment?"

" What??? No. You took her away, didn't you?

" Samaira... She ran away"

" The heck! Where did she ran? Kaise bhag gayi? Kaha bhag gayi."

He then proceeded to tell me the details. Samara ran away while making excuse that she wanted to go to the washroom, and she never return. Oh no, the problems never stop.

"Listen, Advit, in case you hear from Samaira again. Prevent her from staying with you, tumhare sath rehke Pura Payal ho gayi Hai.

I made an effort to smile.

" Alright, If you find her, please let me know."

After that I hung up. How could I be to blame for her decision to stay with me? Wherever you are, Samaira, please come back safely. After that, I felt asleep.

💦

I picked up my luggage as soon as the train arrived at the station platform and got off. And I bid farewell to the chubby aunty who wanted me to marry her niece, as well as the other passengers with whom I chatted to relieve boredom.

I stepped onto the platform and closed my eyes to breathe in the fresh, clean air, which contrasted sharply with the city's smog filled air.

This is where I feel at peace.

As I looked around for Yash, my cousin, I was drawn to a beautiful figure dressed in a blue kurta, plazo, and white dupatta. She appeared to be looking for someone as she kept her gaze fixed on the passengers exiting the train. She glanced in my direction, and I got a good look at her face; she was really pretty, and nervousness was definitely not her style. At last, our gazes locked. We exchanged glances for a moment, but she quickly turned away before I could study her whole feature.

This Yash, where in the world is he?

As I took a few steps, I could not help but turn to get one last look at the beautiful figure that had captivated my attention and bewitched my eyes. I saw her white dupatta flutter in the air before she vanished in the crowd.

Maybe she's a stranger that I will never come across again.

Then there was a loud crashing sound, and someone had fallen to the ground, scattering his belongings across the dirty ground. I was on my knees, helping to the object's pickup, when I reached out to pick up an apple. Another hand reached out; a slender brown hand was on top of my hand.

We looked at each other, and I could tell right away that she was the same girl I had thought was beautiful. Her brown eyes were so deep and beautiful that they reminded me of the soil. I could almost smell soil just by looking in her gorgeous, deep brown eyes.

We looked at one another in disbelief, and she quickly withdraw her hand from mine after realizing it was resting on top of mine.

" I am sorry." Saying that, she turned and walked away into the crowd, her feather-like dupatta floating in midair was the last thing I saw. Leaving a hauntingly lovely sensation in my chest.

I will be a lost cause if a stranger steals my heart on an unfamiliar train platform. And that is so unromantic.

'Please tell me your name.'This is what I wanted to ask.

Do not even try it. You will look like a desperate creep to her, which is not who I am.

Then I got a text message from Yash.

Yaar, I won't be able to receive you. Because mujhe joro ki lagi Hai. Donot worry, Sapna will receive you in my place; here's her number:

91.************

Now, who is this Sapna? Pehle toh nahi suna isska naam. Whatever I don't care.

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