Chapter 20: Chapter 20

*Shrishti Pov*

“Hello?” I smiled hearing his voice and that widened hearing his next sentence.

“You are coming today?” I glanced at my schedule immediately to make sure I don’t have anything planned for this weekend.

After we cut the call, I called over my new assistant to postpone a meeting that is scheduled in the evening to Monday before packing my things.

It’s been nearly three months since I shifted to this city and even our relationship shifted to a better angle. Everything is going better than I expected from my business to my relationship and I am even able to Vikranth a few times normally regarding my business.

However, I still didn’t share it with any of them regarding my arranged marriage or anything related to it. Even Dad is quiet about it as he doesn’t know the relationship progress between Nitish and me.

I smiled entering the villa and found the three helpers who take care of the work smile seeing me. One of them reached to hold the bags I brought so that they can prepare Nitish’s favorite dishes.

I thought it will be awkward as we kept staying here whenever he visits me but they treated me as the owner of this house itself.

“Is everything fine? No problem with the greenhouse?” I asked walking towards the backyard.

“They said it will finish within a month.” I nodded hearing those words.

Two weeks back when I came here, I felt the place is too bare. So, after taking permission from Nitish, I planned out to get a greenhouse.

After asking them about a few things regarding the house and also instructing them about the dishes that need to be prepared, I reached our room to freshen up a bit.

I frowned in surprise when Dad started calling me and I picked it up asking, “How are you, Dad?”

“I am fine! How is everything? Why don’t you come home this weekend? You have to meet Nitish sometimes, right?” He asked and I smiled hearing his words.

“Dad! We are meeting each other regularly. You need not worry and I will come home sometime but not this weekend.” I replied stepping out of the room.

“Oh!” he mumbled and I felt guilty for avoiding him along with my friends.

“Madam! Nitish Sir is near the villa gate and is asking you to come outside.” Suddenly one of the helpers shouted and I froze.

“Umm Dad!” I broke the silence when he too seems to be frozen from saying anything.

Well, it must be kind of a shock for him as I never expressed how well it is going with Nitish. Now, these words uttered by the helper could have been a kind of explanation.

“We will talk later.” Saying that he cut the call in a normal tone while I sighed before walking out of the building and found him smiling while leaning against the car.

“Where are we going?” I asked reaching his side and he pulled me closer to kiss me before releasing me.

“Beach! I was dreaming about the beach we went to last time and wished to go once again.” Saying that he opened the door.

“I don’t have any things right now.” I gestured my empty hands.

“It’s okay! I am there with you, right.” I sighed getting inside the car and he drove off to the beach while I called the villa to keep the food warm longer.

After that, I calmly explained what happened just now and he nodded hearing it but didn’t say anything else.

“What should I tell him?” I mumbled leaning back while frowning.

“We are anyways getting married and this marriage proposal was considered by our parents. What’s wrong?” I stared at him in shock hearing those words.

“Marriage?” I asked hesitatingly and I jerked when he suddenly stopped the car.

Thank god he had the sense to do it on the side of the road otherwise it would have been trouble.

“Marriage!?” he repeated my tone with a shocked look.

“Shrishti! I am with you not just because of having a relationship for some time and then leave. I am here to get married and that too with you.” He stated and I smiled hearing those words but frowned.

“I don’t know whether I am suitable for marriage stuff at this point. I never thought much except for that I like you and suddenly marriage…” I trailed off while he sighed turning away to lean back on the seat.

I know it is not the answer he is expecting but I can’t lie to him to make him happy, right? I really don’t know whether I am suitable to be married when I didn’t set myself straight to the point of being able to be independent.

Now I am kind of depending on him after my friends but if we get married then I will just forget about everything and become my old self to the point of suffocating him with my thoughts like I did to my friends.

“Are we not going to the beach?” I asked when he turned the car around but he just shook his head.

“I was taking you there to propose you. I made a few arrangements there and it is best to not go than to face it.” He mumbled and at that moment I felt guilty.

I should have expressed my thoughts clearly from the beginning instead of dropping them like this. But I didn’t expect him to be this serious about the proposal too.

I kept my silence during the drive back and followed him inside the building while the helpers already left like they do whenever we stay here by this time in the evening.

“Dinner?” I asked reaching our room and he nodded but asked me to wait until he freshens up.

After his bath, he was back to normal and was conversing in a normal way without showing any of the earlier matters.

However, I couldn’t brush it off and we both were lying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling while contemplating on this marriage issue.

“Go to sleep, Shrishti. Don’t think about it and let’s wait until you are ready.” I turned to find him lying on his side while staring at me.

“Are you sleepy?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Even I don’t want to sleep right now.” He smiled hearing those words.

I smiled back before leaning over to kiss him and he kissed me while pulling me closer and caressed my waist while I forgot everything else.

****

“What shall we do today?” he asked brushing his fingers through my hair.

“Your wish! We should get up and freshen up. The helpers must be here soon.” I replied and he sighed but buried his face more into my neck making me smile.

We both got startled hearing the doorbell and I frowned checking the time as there is still time before they come for work like every time we stay.

“I will go and open the door.” Saying that he stood up to leave while I yawned but got up to have a bath.

After choosing the dress, when he didn’t return even after a few minutes passed, I wore my earlier clothes before stepping out of our room.

“What happened, Nitish? Are you sleeping on the couch there?” I joked while looking down from the railing and I nearly fell down when I found the people standing there with him.

“Dad?” I made a sound and everyone continued to stare at me.

“Why did you come suddenly, Dad?” Nitish asked his parents while my Dad frowned at me.

“We all were worried about how you both were doing and this is what we found. Why were we all waiting all this time if you both are already together?” His Dad commented while I stepped back from the railing realizing that Dad reached out to them and they just caught us red-handed.

After properly freshening up this time, I reached downstairs and found the helpers serving the three guests with coffee.

“Hello, Uncle! Hello, Aunty!” I greeted them and Uncle nodded at me while Aunty didn’t seem to hear me as she was drinking coffee.

“You both will get married soon and first we need to arrange the engagement party.” I froze hearing those words from Uncle.

“Dad!” Nitish frowned looking at him.

“Shrishti! You both like each other, right?” My Dad asked looking at me and I nodded to which he sighed in relief.

“But Dad, marriage is so soon and I…” I stopped saying as I don’t know how to tell them this as they must have already guessed how close we are now.

“Let’s have the engagement party first and later take some time for wedding.” Dad proposed and I frowned but didn’t know what to say.

“We will get married when we want to, Dad. Don’t pressure us like this.” Nitish commented looking at my Dad.

“When will be that? We are not asking you to marry someone you don’t like. What is the problem?” His Dad commented while frowning at Nitish.

I rubbed my hands while repeating Dad’s words and Nitish’s expressions from yesterday.

He is fighting right now for my sake and my worries can be cleared slowly. What is wrong with having the engagement done?

“Okay!” I said making Nitish stare at me in shock.

“Don’t get pressured, Shrishti.” He mumbled but I shook my head smiling.

“I am not! I like you and I don’t see the reason to not have this engagement.” He slowly smiled hearing those words and it seemed to satisfy everyone.

And that’s how our engagement is settled and that too for the next month itself. Dad said he will arrange everything and I need not help him with anything as Jenny will be there to help him.

They left without staying longer and I tried to talk to Aunty once again but she just gave a single word answer or nodded her head.

Maybe she is the type to keep it simple with her words. We will have other opportunities to get closer.

“Thank you!” Nitish commented hugging me tightly and I hugged him back smiling.

With this hug, I don’t feel hesitant anymore about this engagement. He expressed his happiness during the whole weekend before leaving the city.

However, the next day I got a surprise call from Vikranth and the first thing he asked is, “Is Uncle making you get married because of business purposes?”

“Of course not! Why would Dad do that? It is an arranged one for sure but I am not doing this for business.” I stated while he stayed silent.

“You know everything about this Nitish?” he asked again making me frown.

“Of course! I know him for a year already.” I replied and again he didn’t say anything.

“Think again about this marriage, Shrishti.” He warned and that was the limit for me.

“Stop it, Vikranth! I know you care for everyone and try to be a support but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do anything in my life without your pieces of advice. I like Nitish and that’s why I am marrying him. You need not warn me or anything.” Saying that I cut the call fuming.

When he called me again, I cut the call and put the phone in silent mode before concentrating on my work.

I guess it really hit my actual fears that I need someone’s help my whole life and I took it out on Prathap too.

For a whole week except for Dad or Nitish, I didn’t answer any other call and when after a week even Prathap tried to call, I didn’t pick it up.

I will just talk to them when I return home for engagement. It is better to do it face to face rather than like this.

However, who would have thought that I will hear one shocking news before returning back home and another after meeting them.

One is that Prathap and Anny broke up and that too publicly while Prathap blamed his Dad for it.

When I meet them finally after returning home while still processing this breakup, Kanika stated that she and Vikranth got divorced.

What is going on? When I finally going to have a partner, these people are breaking up on a snap.

I expected Vikranth and Kanika as there is a contract matter but I found there was something else other than a contract between them. So, how can they just separate? And how can they wish to hide their separation from everyone except for Prathap, Anny, and me? That just makes them be still together, right? Or not?

Prathap and Anny is something else as I didn’t even know they got back together and already broke up.

God! Will the GH family never have a moment in peace without some drama or what? I groaned rubbing my head.