With an air of bravery, she stomped her feet and spoke."Fine, bring it on."

I held out my hand in the air, signaling for her to get me off the bed since I was still lying. She paused for a moment, giving it a deep thought before acting; her thoughts must be deeper than the Pacific Ocean because they were taking so long. I told her that time is ticking like a bomb, and I might change my mind at any moment.

" I hate physical contact."

I burst into laughter."Just pull my hand; what a pathetic excuse."

She shook her head.

She did sound quite serious. Her worries and anxiety seemed real, and it seemed like she was not offering any justifications. Then my thoughts went back to the moment I suddenly grabbed her hand at the station. I quickly withdrew my hand from her as she glared at me, as if she was about to murder me right there. Could that be the cause?

I yelled, "Okay, fine!" while rolling my eyes. After I stood up from my bed and sat on it, she took the plate off the table, and I took it away from her and tapped on the bed to signal that she should sit. She scowled and cast a suspicious glance at me. I give her a goofy smile, and she knows she has to compromise because I am stubborn as hell. Like a good little girl, she sat down. See, there is no end to my stubbornness.

I scraped off a small piece of paratha and shoved it into her mouth. Her eyes were full of a thousand questions, and she looked at me with surprise.

I spoke in a soft tone. "You have eaten nothing, so take the first bite. It does not matter to me whether you eat or not. But to your loved ones it matters a lot, so think about the people you love."

With conflicted eyes, she gazed at me. She opened her mouth to take the first bite, but I let out a painful cry the next moment because, goddammit, she had bit my finger for no apparent reason.

"The fuck, why did you bite me?"

" For trying to emotionally manipulate me into eating."

" That's not what I was trying to do."

"Oh! Now I see. That must be how you made girls fall in love with you. You already have an angelic face, and with your manipulation skills and sweet talk, no girl can get away from you. You are quite cunning, are you not?"

Isn't it strange? I only heard the phrase "angelic face" out of all the words she said. So she thinks I have an angelic face. An angel; a pure deity; a god's messenger. Suddenly, I remembered someone from the past who described me using the same word she did. It would be an understatement to say that I look something so beautiful and serene, like an angel.

Maybe she meant you look like a fallen angel.

Fallen angel? Lucifer? Satan? Asmodeus?

Fallen angel= Sexy man

A sudden surge of blood rushed into my cheeks. Blood started rushing to my cheeks and ears.

Her eyes widened as she looked at me.

"Your face is red; why? Did I bite you too hard?"

Indeed, she did bite me too deeply. Not my fingers, but something she is not supposed to know.

" Oh, Stop looking at me. You're making it worse."

"Are you feverish? Should I call Shobha?"

She rose and was about to leave. I am not sure what happened to me; it seemed like a sudden action that came from my subconscious will. And I did something that deeply irritated her.

"Where're you going?" I frankly asked.

She turned, and I felt as though my feet had fallen off when she stared into my eyes, empty as a hollow space. She cast such an intense look at my hand that had held her hand captive, I immediately drew it back.

"Touch me again, I swear in the name of God, I will cut your hand with a butcher knife and shove it into your toxic mouth."

She rubbed the area repeatedly, as if she was disgusted. It did hurt to see that she detests me so much that she finds my touch so repulsive. In life, never felt as if I was an untouchable person. I quickly glanced at my hand. "Was it really that disgusting?" I asked myself. Imagine a person capable of taking all my smiles in am instant. With one action, she took away all of my smiles and playfulness. I never imagined I could be so hurt again.

She took a seat on the bed, and I remained silent.

" Let's eat and head downstairs." She spoke quietly.

She was eating silently, and I did not touch the food. I was deeply disturbed by her earlier actions, for reasons I was unaware of. I keep telling myself it is not a big deal. My heart, however, had already been damaged.

Did she really hate my touch so much?

Should I say sorry?

She did told me she hate physical contact. So it is my fault.

Is she equally repulsive to others as she is to me?

"Aren't you going to eat?" She asked.

I shook my head.

" Why? I thought a while ago that you don't want to eat alone, that's the reason you kept pestering me. Now what's the issue? I am keeping you company; shouldn't you eat a little?"

"But you refused to eat with me just moments ago; why the sudden change of heart?"

" Because now I am hungry."

I narrowed my eyes.

She said," Now, be a good kid and eat or should I feed you with my hands."

Hah! She is probably younger than me, and I was struck by her audacity in calling me a kid.

" Feed me then."

She gave me a serious expression, "I was joking."

" But I took it seriously."

She took a deep, heavy breath, as if she were trying to exert all of her stress.

"Fine, just don't bite my hand."

"I am not like you, and not everyone is mad like you."

" TRUE..."

Okay, was her response too calm? What happened to the riled up kitten? Kha gayi kya ussko?( Did she ate her up?)

She muttered under her breath, which I happened to overhear: "Not everyone is sick like me."

She took a small piece of paratha and shoved it into my mouth. I almost choked. Perhaps I should file an attempted murder charge against her. She did not show any concern and gave me that stern, boring, and uninterested expression.

She then handed me water while I continued to choke.

She is quite strange. Her behavior is difficult to describe, seems harsh at times but also had a soft and endearing side.Why did Shobha bhabhi think we would be lovers? Looking at us, I don't think I am ever going to love her in my hundred life. Because her whole life screamed drama; which I absolutely hate. I want someone who's easy to love at.

But I frowned as soon as I realized how bad the food tasted.

" Oh, God. "It is raw, and why is the sabji so salty?"

I looked at her, and she responded casually, "What?"

" Don't look at me with that eyes. I am not the cook. Tell them about any complaints you have. Not me."

"You should have warned me."

"The taste made little difference. So I didn't notice."

"Then you have got terrible taste buds. You should get a checkup.

She replied calmly," I will give it a thought."

"Now, let's leave. We can't make them wait all day just for you. Everyone is excited to meet you."

💦

We were in a hallway. For some reason, I felt like a stalker as I was walking behind her. She was holding the plate.

" Will you stop staring at me?" She said this without turning to look at me.

"Are you sure I was looking at you? Are there eyes on the back of your head and in your neck?"

She came to a halt in her tract and looked back to see a peasant like me.

" I don't have, but I can sense it. It's making me uncomfortable, so please stop it."

"Sorry," I said. She gave a simple nod. Heh! Is her nod an acceptance of my apology?

" Why are you walking behind me?"

" Because the view is quite beautiful from behind."

She shot a dagger at me with her eyes, and I smiled sheepishly.

" Just kidding. You must have noticed by now that I have a habit of cracking jokes now and then."

" Will you please stop walking behind me?"

" OK, then are we supposed to be walking side by side? Should I be on your left? Right? Front? Which one?"

"Walk alongside me."

I grinned. And so we ended up walking side by side.

"Hey, what do use on your hair?It shines like silk."

"Why do you ask? Are you gay?"

My lips curved into a smile.

" Nah, I am straight for you. But if you were a man, I could be gay just for you.

"Then, I will fuck the hell out of you, leaving your buttocks throbbing with pain and your legs quivering from pleasure."

I honestly do not know what to say.

But the color was off in my face. Suddenly every word I could think of saying left my mouth.

After few minutes.

" How old are you?" I asked, risking my life. Because from my 31 years of experience as a man I am wide aware of the calamity this one question can bring.

The heck! Why did I ask that?

She is going to hit me in the face.

Maybe, just maybe, she will slap my face with the plate she is holding. Ho sakta hai.( maybe)

" Definitely older than you." She replied.

I raised an eyebrow. " Is it? By How much ?"

"3 or 2 years, maybe."

That means she is around 33 or 34. How come she is that old? Where are the lines in the skin? The wrinkles around her eyes and forehead? Is this woman a dayan? Was there any Asian blood in her veins, by chance?

"How come you are still single? Shouldn't girls your age be married and have cute little babies?"

"Marriage? No way."

" Why?"

She took in a deep breath.

"Because the guy I wanted to marry is already married to somebody else."

Her ex?Maybe, he couldn't tolerable her temper that's why he left her.

"Dude, he is not the only guy in the Universe; there must be plenty of other men out there."

"They are not him, nor are they the man I loved."

" So are you going to waste your life?Are you going to live your life in solitary just because of someone's mistake."

"I was also at fault; it was not just his mistake."

"How so?"

" You're asking me too many questions.

Is my life that interesting? Now tell me, why aren't you married yet? Given your handsome face you should have been married at your early twenties."

I sighed," I know, even my ugly friends are married. The ugly friends I thought; a girl will never like. Most of my friends are married. So yes, it does feel strange that I am still single."

" Kya tum Sach Mei shaadi karna chate ho?"

( Do you really want to marry?)

"Have you ever met someone with whom you see your future?"

" No"

" Why?"

" Because all of my past relationships were a burden. When I was being serious, she cheated. And there were also times when I cheated as well. There were also people I was not sure about. I was confused about this girl at first, but it was not until later that I realised she was the best for me."

" What happened to her?"

"She did not wait for me to sort out my confusion."

" Did she get married?"

"Yes, she is a mother of a 3-year-old now. I have seen her baby girls, she's very cute though."

"She appeared to have moved on, but I still wonder what might have happened to me if I had been a better person.'

"So you think that if you marry someone, you will be free of your past regrets?"

My eyes widened. She understood exactly how I felt. She exactly read my emotions like a soul-mate will do.

"Why don't we marry each other? We will make the perfect broken couple."

" You are a lost case. Who would want to marry?"

"YOU WILL."

She glared at me.

"I meant a girl like you would never want to marry me, of course,without a doubt."

Then we reached the drawing room and she signaled me to go inside. She vanished without saying anything to me when I noticed her absence. When I entered the spacious and luxurious room, I was surrounded by people. I looked around the room and noticed a few familiar faces.

I went straight to my grandmother and touched her feet to seek blessings. In an Indian household, it is customary to touch the feet of elders to show respect or receive blessings.

She gently cupped my cheeks.

" Aagaya Mera Avi."

" Dadi, have you missed me? I was about to die from missing you.

"Bhai, you can stop buttering Dadi," Avinash, my 15-year-old cousin, said.

"Why should I stop doing something I am good at?" Right, Dadi."

"Your tongue is sharper than ever."

"How was your trip, Bhai?" Rinti, my cousin inquired.

" Ekdom jhakas.(It was fantastic)," I responded.

Chacha, my paternal uncle, inquired next.

"Son, everyone's getting married. When are you going to settle down?"

" Yes, your chacha is right. In fact, we were talking about you, and there are so many girls from good families who want to marry you."

" Dadi, they're only attracted to my good face and good nature."

" Is that a bad thing?" Avinash asked.

" You will understand once you're my age." I remarked.

" Kya Yaar Dadi, aap bhi ek shaadi ko hua nahi, aap lok mere peeche pare ho."

( Grandma This is unfair; one marriage has yet to take place, and you are discussing my marriage.

"You are not getting any younger." Roma Chachi commented.

I pouted, saying, "Why are you targeting me? Even Vikram is still unmarried although he's a year older."

My cousin, I really don't understand the family tree. Just know that he is also my cousin.

Then Chachi said," Be at ease. We have found a suitable girl for him. She will be perfect for our Vikram."

My eyes were brimming with enthusiasm.

"Oh, seriously? Who?"

" Sapna."

"Oh, Sapna," I said, laughing.

Goddammit, is it the same Sapna?

Nah. That can't be.

She told me that he doesn't want to get married.

" Your bhabhi's friend, Sapna. You must have met her this morning. Isn't she beautiful and kind?"

"Vikram and Jaanvi Aunty and Suresh Uncle had arrived already in the morning. Sapna didi is probably serving them tea right now." Avinash said.

"Bhai, why is your face colour off?" Concerned, Rinti asked me.

"Nothing, I am still worn out from the travel."

*******************

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