Doosra Chance

Chapter 12

Aryan couldn't help the smug smile that slowly crept up his face as he folded back the cuff of his shirt sleeve. The satisfaction that came from having one's plan executed perfectly, to the letter, was a nearly incomparable pleasure of life. 

Aarohi looked in the mirror with a visibly false smile of confidence. "You look good, you feel good, and best of all, you have a plan of action. Step number 1, grovel at your parents' feet. Step number 2, find a way to have a long engagement. Step number 3, hurry your brain up and think about a way to break the engagement as soon as Rishi and Rhea's child is born." 

Aryan was sure Aarohi would try her best to finagle out of her promise, but he had an entire arsenal prepared and tucked up his sleeves. She wouldn't slip through his fingers that easily. No, she wouldn't slip away at all. 

Aarohi's honor reared in indignation every time she thought of her plan to escape this engagement. She had yet to renege on her word in her short lifespan. The Earth could fall out of the Sun's orbit, but Aarohi could never break a promise. Granted, when blackmailed with financial ruin by a dishonorable business tycoon, any promise given could not be considered a matter of honor. 

The most important takeover in Aryan's career was on the horizon. He had to plan with extreme precision to make sure Aarohi truly did marry him and didn't manage to extend the engagement for the next several months, or even give up this charade and leave Rishi and Rhea to their own fate. And thus, the battle began.

"Aarohi, did you want any help getting ready- Oh! You're already dressed. That suit is the perfect color, you look lovely." Aarohi's mother walked over and took nazar, in typical mother style. "You know, mujhe tum par bohot garv hain. You were strong enough to leave your husband for the sake of his happiness over your security, and now you're not shying away from moving on in your own life. Par main chahthi hoon ki tum pakka ho, ki yeh tumhari chahat hain. If, at any point, you do not feel ready to embark on another relationship, don't hesitate, beta. It's your right to decide how you want to live your life, and who you want to live it with. All the arrangements are done, so don't worry about helping, just come down when you're ready." 

With those words of support, Aarohi's mother walked out of the room as swiftly as she walked in. Kalyani aunty had called and asked Aarohi's parents if it would be alright to bring over a rishta today. Upon Aarohi's immediate yes, Anu agreed. What they didn't know was that the rishta would be Aryan.

To relieve the tension amongst them all and the aura of excited nervousness her mother was carrying, Aarohi turned on the TV and switched to the sports channel playing the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match of India v. Australia. Of course, India seemed to be on the track to winning the match, and Aarohi immediately got caught up in tracking the score, especially as cricket was her favourite sport, and really the only one she liked to watch. She'd even attended the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup match of India v. Pakistan. She was one of the biggest fans of women's international cricket and was a decent player herself. 

The four of them were sipping their chai and very intensely following the match. It was planned that Kalyani aunty and her family would come over around 11 am, the perfect time for brunch. Since Aarohi's family usually followed a brunch schedule on the weekends anyway, they settled down with their cup of chai as usual. The doorbell rang as Jasprit Bumrah, a bowler on the Indian team, came up for his next over. "They're here everyone," Anu walked over to the door, but Aarohi was too engrossed in the cricket match to take in her words. "Namaste Kalyani-ji, andar aiye." "Arey, Anu-ji, yeh sab formalities kyun? Aap aaram kijiye na." Anu welcomed Kalyani and Akash, her husband, inside, laughing, and Arvind joined her.

Meanwhile, in the cricket match, Bumrah had taken two wickets continuously in the over, and there was only one ball left, a perfect chance for a hat trick. Aarohi's entire body was taut as she leaned forward with her hands clenched under her chin in absolute stillness. Just as the party entered the living room, Bumrah pulled a third wicket, and Aarohi jumped up from her seat, punching the air and whopping while jumping in circles. Even Aadhira, who wasn't much of a sports person but occasionally watched cricket, whopped and did a happy dance in her seat. 

Aarohi was squealing and sending flying kisses towards the tv. "Yaar, Bumrah, tune mera dil jeet liya, kitna kamaal ka tha! I love you!" A deep chuckle popped her euphoric bubble. "Should I be jealous, then?" Aarohi spun from the tv towards the voice and realized that Aryan's entire family, and even Rishi's family, was watching her in amusement. Her lips parted in a moment of embarrassed silence for her. "Ah, Namaste. Please, everyone take a seat." Aarohi's family went into the kitchen and brought out trays with mini glasses of lemonade and small servings of fruit salad as a light refresher before brunch. 

It was considered impolite not to offer a snack or drink, even if the guests arrived at mealtime, and jump directly into the meal. Malini and Kalyani protested at their efforts; Anu convinced them that it was no problem at all. While setting down the tray, Aarohi was berating herself for not paying attention to her mother's words. She was supposed to have presented a sober and mature image, not an amusing one, and especially not to Aryan.

Anu was expecting Kalyani's family and the prospective groom's family, but was surprised to see Malini and her family instead. Who could be the rishta? Were they intending to arrive later? Or perhaps, Kalyani-ji only wanted to discuss the boy and his family before facilitating a direct meeting, which wasn't an uncommon practice. There was no immediate discussion about the rishta, as everyone soon was completely focused on the cricket match. Although all the food was nearly prepared, Anu went into the kitchen for a final check, and to transfer everything into serving dishes, with Malini and Kalyani following to help. Arvind rose to help, too, as per the daily custom in their house, but Anu gestured to stay with the other men, and that she would handle it. 

Soon, everyone was taking a seat at the extended dining table, and the serving dishes were being placed. "I hope you don't mind. We normally eat buffet style, where we pass around the dishes and serve ourselves. I thought with so many people, that might be preferable." "Anu-ji, like I said before, no formalities. We eat the same way in our homes, and we'll have no problem doing so here." The conversation picked up immediately, and the lively environment continued throughout the meal. Normally, a rishta was not something discussed while eating, but while seated and with complete focus. Naturally, nobody brought up the topic at the dining table, and with so many people, there was more than enough menial conversation to carry them through the meal.