Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Nikki: Oh, so you are the one who hurt Sandhya's female ego?

Sanjay: What is the female ego? Why do you think I hurt her ego?

Sindhu: Female ego?

Rekha: You took pictures of her, secretly. Didn't you?

Sindhu: Oh my god! Sanjay, did you take her pictures secretly? What kind of pictures are they? When? Why? I so very much taught you were a gentleman!

Nikki: Sindhu, calm down! Let's listen to his explanation.

Sindhu: Sanjay, you used to speak only about Sandhya every time you meet me. You loved her. Didn't you?

Rekha: If I was Sandhya, I would have made a big fuss about you manipulating your love into an arranged marriage. You are such a coward. She will love you more if she knows you have loved her for a long time. Now she hates you!

Nikki: That's what we think after reading the story.

Sindhu: Oh mine. I asked her over and over if there was any guy behind the story. She so confidently said a no! Akka did maintain a secret from me. Sanjay! You ruined my relationship with Akka, and I had no clue!

Nikki: You are a kid Sindhu.

Sindhu: Is that why she didn't share anything with me?

Sanjay: Ladies! Will you let me speak, please?

Sindhu: I am hurt Sanjay. I hate you. You came into our life, Sandhya is going far away from me day by day. See, there lies a secret between us because of you.

Sanjay: Sindhu, stop being silly!

Rekha: That is the problem with guys. Small things that are important to us look silly to you. That is why she is hurt.

Sindhu: Even a single secret between us isn't acceptable. Do you understand that Sanjay?

Nikki: She was really guilty about that!

Sanjay: Ok madam ok, I'm sorry about that. Sindhu, but is it such a big sin to click just one picture of her secretly? (I'm being a confident lion saying so.)

Nikki, Rekha, and Sindhu shout like dinosaurs "Is it not?" And I become a cat saying "Yes yes, it's bad! I can't defend that. But, she drove in some magic. I am generally a gentleman. Please try to understand."

I hear a male voice "Yup, it's a man thing". That's Nikki's husband, Ram. Lord Krishna, thanks to you! You sent me at least one man on earth to help me out! These ladies were squeezing the hell out of me!

Nikki: Don't you support him, Ram! Even if you took a picture, being a gentleman you should have apologized and confessed. Arranged marriage and love marriage are two sides of a coin. She does not even know which bucket she falls into!

Sanjay: Give me a chance to explain. And for your kind information, It's a picture, not pictures! Singular, not plural! And please don't use the word hate! She loves me. We had a magical moment on our engagement day. "I love you" those words poured down her lips! The story written by her was her emotions towards me. Raj in that story is Sanjay in this world. It's me! That works as a love letter and a complaint letter to me.

Nikki: Oh!

Sindhu: Sanjay, from men's perspective, it probably isn't a great deal. But for us, it first makes us doubt if you are a decent man. And the next problem specifically to my sister is about you manipulating this love into an arranged marriage. It proves you are a coward. She has so many fans throughout but she didn't like back a single person. Because you proved to have a crush on her by staring at her with mouth and eyes wide open, she liked you back. She probably developed hopes in you and you enact as if you didn't know Sandhya at all before this marriage was arranged. Does it not hurt her?

Nikki: Yeah! Female ego is hurt! She must have been proud to have boys stare at her. But the guy who likes her and whom she liked back has proved her pride to be all wrong.

Sindhu: She has completely convinced herself that this is in fact an arranged marriage, and you are Lord Shri Rama Chandra kind of man. I see all of Lord Krishna's deeds that you do! She blames herself for misunderstanding you. Listen, I will project the beautiful conservation I and Akka had yesterday night. And Sanjay, you must feel ashamed for doing this to her!

Sindhu's POV after the engagement.

Akka was sitting over the bed and was staring at the ring delightfully! Smiling and blushing. Of course, that is when we little sisters take advantage and make fun right! I tickled her, I tickled her hard! Laughter rushed out of her. As we ended the naughtiness, we fell over the bed staring at the roof.

Me: Didn't I say to you Akka, that Sanjay is the best person for you!

Sandhya: My bad Sindhu. I really had a very bad impression of him. Thank goodness, I was absolutely wrong.

Me: But why would you think of him as a bad person.

Sandhya: He too is a man.

Me: Just because a dozen of men caused you tough times, you don't have to generalize every other man.

Sandhya: And that's exactly what I did. That's exactly what I did until I saw the inner beauty of Sanjay!

Me: Say more about Sanjay.

Sandhya: Remember Akash?

Me: The guy in your tenth, who said you were fat and ugly. Having a seat beside you is an insult to him.

Sandhya: And that same guy met with an accident while staring at me in surprise.

Me slightly giggling, "He watched you as if, 'Oh mine, was Sandhya really this beautiful all this while?'"

Sandhya too laughed adding. "A week before, I called Sanjay and shared this incident with him".

"What was his reaction Akka?" I ask. I guess that he must have been upset and angry for a while.

"Sanjay lighted up on fire initially, but then I..." answers Sandhya. I interrupt her and continue "And then you say that it only made you more thoughtful about this outer beauty and its least importance. And that his insult never hurt you." Sandhya smiles back at that. These were the discussions we had on the day of the incidents. I still remember all of those proud moments.

Sandhya continues, "I explained my view towards this incident to Sanjay. 'A guy insulted me saying I am ugly and then met with an accident staring at me when I looked beautiful. Why should good looks be so important that I get insulted and then God punishes him for that? I don't want to decorate myself as a beautiful thing and present myself to you and your family so that I am accepted into your family. I maintain my self-esteem and am aware of my own beauty. And so, I don't want the bridal glance event to happen with us. Both our families can plan a trip if we want to spend time together and get to know each other.' Sindhu, I was impressed with him, once more! He easily related to my emotion and agreed."

I add, "Akka, there was a fuss about this at home. Dad didn't agree to skip a traditional marriage step. How did Sanjay convince dad to skip that?"

Sandhya: Don't know Sindhu, but he has some magic. People do fall into his spell.

Me: Akka, you are beautiful on the inside. And that's why he loved you!

Sandhya: But Sindhu, I have seen Sanjay staring at me once. Probably, I am beautiful in other ways too!

I once more start tickling Sandhya. This is the very first time we are having a conservation of this kind. About men, a discussion between sisters! It's fun!

Me: Do you remember Rakesh in your 11th grade. He used to stare at your smile.

Sandhya: Only then did I realize that Akash was wrong! And that I am beautiful outside too! Along with him, I had some more fans for my smile.

Me: And the fans kept increasing.

Sandhya: Sanjay was one among them. That's why I suspected him to be a flirt. I had insecurities, that he likes me for my smile, and not for the person I am!

Me: Is it? How do you know that?

Sandhya: Do you remember Shweta's birthday party? I saw him staring at me that day. It was a couple of years back, but that fact made me feel uneasy!

Me: Oh, I never knew this. But, he tried hard to impress you.

Sandhya: And that was why I was impressed with him!

Me: Yeah!

Sandhya: He has experienced my strength, my anger, my fear, my weakness, and my love. And, why would I not be in love with him?

Me: Yeah!

Sandhya: Not just that Sindhu, he is quite a gentleman. He pacified me when I cried, he apologized when I was angry, he smiled when I loved him! But, I suspected him to be a flirt. I am the bad one here. He promised me that he will teach Mani a good lesson, for irritating me!

Sindhu: I too will wait for a perfect partner like yours!

Sandhya, very softly: I was never sure about him taking my picture, he probably didn't! It's probably my misunderstanding! I probably misunderstood him because I had too many guys flirt with me! He is a decent guy.

Sindhu: I could not hear that. What picture?

Sandhya: Never mind!

Back to now,

Sanjay: She quite has high expectations from me.

Sindhu: Yes!

Sanjay: She thinks I have not taken her picture and blames herself for misunderstanding.

Sindhu: Yes!

Sanjay: So I'm dead meat if she knows I did take her picture secretly.

Sindhu: Yes!

Sanjay: Does she think I am some kind of Buddha?

Sindhu is speechless but has a weird expression with wide-open eyes and one eyebrow lifted up!

Sanjay: I mean, she is beautiful, her smile is addicting. Why would anyone not stare?

Sindhu does not know how to react!

Nikki: You praised Sandhya?

Sanjay: I love her for many reasons. It's not just a beautiful smile. It's a smile filled with innocence and true joy! It always comes out of her heart. She does not know to do duplicate smiles. She is a full package of awesomeness, and I love her for everything she is!

Sindhu: Sanjay, I will take my revenge on you!

Sanjay: Sindhu, please forgive me! Is it really that big sin to click that picture?

Sindhu: Not for the picture. You are emotionally separating us; she hid an important fact with me because of you.

Sanjay: Punish your sister for that! Why me?

Sindhu: I can't punish my precious sister. You love her right, take her punishment.

Sanjay: WHAT?? (Astonished!)

Sindhu: Goodbye!

Sanjay: What is it with her attitude? Wait Sindhu, unintentionally and unknowingly, I have quite tortured her! I am sorry for that. Also, she has loved me for the past few years. I understand that reading the story.

Sindhu: Did she? I don't think so! Read the story a hundred times if you don't understand that. She clearly said you were only an option.

And Sindhu starts to walk away.

Sanjay: Ok fine! That can be true... But, I can confidently say that I am her only choice now! Sindhu wait, don't leave!

Nikki: Don't worry, Sindhu is angry only for this moment. She will be fine soon. How do you plan to deal with Sandhya?

Sanjay: Seeing Sindhu's reaction, I am freaking out to even imagine Sandhya's reactions.

Sindhu is again right back into the scene with loud big steps promptly asking "How did you convince dad to skip the bridal glance event?"

Sanjay: I said I too will wear the Indian traditional costume- Dothi, kurtha, tie stole to head and hip and appear if he forces Sandhya to wear a Saree and jewelry. If she is supposed to project herself beautiful, then I too should. Your dad was stunned and speechless! Your father replied, "No need, I don't intend to conduct a fancy dress competition at home!" And so that event was skipped.

Your dad was stunned and speechless! Your father replied, "No need, I don't intend to conduct a fancy dress competition at home!" And so that event was skipped

Sindhu: Wow! I am impressed! Everything about you she is impressed. But, what about her ego being hurt?

Ram: Unpredictable! Sandhya's reaction is unpredictable! She can just make a 'Hmmm' sound and let it go! Because she loves you, she is impressed with you in every single perspective, she would probably let you go.

Sanjay: Really? Can I have hopes?

Ram: Or, she might be really upset that you made Sandhya blame herself even though she wasn't wrong!

Sindhu: She kept stressing that she was sorry for mistreating you in your initial meeting. She hated herself for misunderstanding a good person like you.

Sanjay: Ram, please don't confuse me!

Ram: I am just saying my experience.

Nikki: RAM!! This is much more serious than our stupid fights.

Rekha: Nikki and Ram, stop your couple fights now! Sanjay, forget this for now. Sandhya is a person who trusts you for thousands of reasons. Once that is broken, the strong bond is also broken. Hold on, don't raise this topic with her. Every one of us know you are sincere about loving her. That's enough! Enjoy the marriage and these moments! Only once in life will you marry her, and you will be married to her the whole of your life.

Nikki: As she spends time with you, it will be easier for her to let it go!

Ram: As your bonding strengthens up, forgiving and forgetting is an everyday thing.

Nikki: Yes!

Ram: And, it's not a great deal to take a picture of hers secretly! It's our men's weakness!

Sanjay smiles hearing that. Nikki, Rekha and Sindhu burn hot!

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