The Definition of Beautiful

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nidhi's POV

The next morning, we had to go for the Aspire team meeting and Randhir helped me into a chair and stood with the rest of the team members.

Derek sir began to address the team. "Team, you have another task at hand to help you with the internship fair opportunity coming up. People will want to recruit you to their company for interning after they see the community work you have done. You will be blindfolded and taken to your location. Dress for hot climate."

We were surprised but quickly packed our things because Derek sir looked serious. Randhir tied my blindfold and Neel tied his. We climbed onto the bus and I fell asleep on Randhir's shoulder. He also fell asleep. We woke up to the bus driver blowing his whistle.

"We have reached! You may remove your blindfolds!" he said. I removed my blindfold and looked outside the window.

We were at Amish Country? (Those of you who don't know what Amish Country is, it is a place for people who don't use electricity, technology or any new innovations. They treat today's era as still the olden days.)

Randhir's POV

Nidhi's expression of surprise made me curious. I peered outside the window and saw the open, sandy village. I knew people will never survive here.

"Amish County? What the." I heard Kate curse under her breath. Neel and Meera were fascinated but the others were not happy. We filed out of the bus in a single file line and stood outside, awaiting Derek sir's instructions.

"You will have to find room and board here. Then, within the next two days, I want a project completed here, whether it is engineering related or medically related. You won't have cell reception here so don't bother trying. Good Luck." he said and drove off in the bus. We set our backpacks down in the sand.

"How will we find places to stay?" Nina whined.

"This Derek sir is out of his mind." Jake said.

"Guys, we should have a cool mind and ask around for lodging." Nidhi said. The team nodded their heads and we headed off in different directions.

Some time later, Kate, Mason, Nina, Joyce, Carter and I met at the same place our bus had dropped us off at.

"Any success?" I asked.

"None." she replied. They were still trying to get cell reception. Suddenly, I spotted Nidhi hobbling back to our group.

"I found a place for us to stay!" she said, cheerfully. Everyone hooted and followed Nidhi. She greeted a woman who was wearing a dress and an apron, with a lace cap.

"Welcome. I  understand that all of you will be helping around the house for the next two days for room and board right?" she said. Everyone internally groaned but agreed and went inside. We were extremely tired from walking around. Mason went out and found the others and brought them back. We rested for some time and then the girls went and helped the women for dinner. We boys had to go haul lumber. That was how the society worked. When we returned, we found the girls in cotton gowns with caps on their heads.

The real shocker was Kate and Nina. These two dressed in short clothes and to see them in a long dress which was the Amish way of dressing was astonishing. I looked at Nidhi and her doll face looked adorable underneath her muslin cap.

"Dinner is served!" she called cheerfully with Meera. Meera and Nidhi were the only ones who looked happy about the whole housing arrangement. Dinner was a vegetable pie, courtesy of Nidhi, Joyce and Meera and Kate, Nina and the woman, May had made cornbread with fresh butter. We ate and conversed with May and her husband John and found their way of life. It was interesting, living under candlelight with no electricity and with no cars or technology. We had to hide our phones around here or else John and May wouldn't let us stay.

After dinner, we went with John to drink some beer and play cards. The women cleaned up and joined us in watching. Slowly, the boys got slightly tipsy, including me.

Nidhi's POV

Randhir's eyes were moving around erratically and I suspected that he had one too many beers. 

"Randhir, that's enough." I said, taking the glass from him.

"Yes Neel, even you need to stop." Meera said, snatching the drink from his hand. Mary guided her already drunk husband upstairs and shut the door after telling us to sleep in front of the fireplace. We spread out jackets and blankets and also used the ones Mary gave us and made sleeping arrangements. But the boys were completely out of it.

"Tu pagal hai, mein pagal hoon (You are crazy, I am crazy)" Randhir slurred.

"Mein pagal nahi hoon! (I am not crazy)" Neel said, stepping on a chair.

"Neel, get down!" Meera said. He suddenly lost his balance and fell on top of Meera. The duo was having their own sweet moment. Meanwhile, Carter had pulled Kate into a corner and was kissing her to her delight. Mason and Jake weren't drunk, just a little disoriented and they slept. Joyce and Nina helped Meera and I bring everyone to bed. But there was still one person to be found.

"Where is Randhir?" I asked. I guess in the distraction with Neel, I had completely forgotten about Randhir. Then I spotted the open door.

"Oh shit!" I said, grabbed my muslin cap from the counter and ran outside, pulling up my skirt. There was nobody outside as it was dark but if Randhir made too much noise, the neighbors would get suspicious.

"Randhir?" I whispered. I heard a faint whisper and the clanking of a beer bottle. I ran towards the fields where the farmers must have planted their crops!

"Randhir!" I said. I saw him then, his hand high in the air with the bottle and his jacket slung over his shoulder.

"Nidhi!" he said, slurring. "You want some?"

"Uh, no thanks. Now let's get you home." I said dragging him by his sleeve.

"No problem, you carry on. Here, there is a nice breeze." he said, lying down between the corn.

"Randhir! Utho, we can't be here! Someone will catch us!" I said.

"Then let them!" he said. Then he shook his head. "But not before I make my confession."

"What confession?" I asked him.

"Nidhi? Your eyes are beautiful, your smile is even more beautiful. After seeing you all this time, I realized that I-" he stopped.

My heart sung in joy. Even if he was drunk, he still was speaking the truth.

"I love India! Such beautiful girls!" he said and fell asleep in the middle of the field. I was shocked but I still had to get him back to the house. It was already cold out here. I ran back to the house and woke Jake and Mason. They dragged Randhir back to the house and tucked him in bed. His hair was on his face. After everyone went back to sleep, I slowly walked quietly to where Randhir was lying. His hair was on his face. After brushing it back, I kissed his forehead.

"I love you too." I whispered.

A/N: Hey Guys! How was the chapter?

1) Amish Country! So this is a place in Pennsylvania where a group of Christians live completely unconnected to the rest of the world. They don't use electricity and technology, basically anything that isn't made by their own hands. They are very strict and old fashioned, hence the sexism present in the chapter. I wonder how the Aspire group is going to do community service for them?

2)Randhir's near proposal! But Nidhi understood what he was doing. It was their connection after all!

So Guys, I have a new book called Shattered Desires out. It would be so awesome if you all read it and supported it just like you do so awesomely for this book! I will put the link below.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/65030240

Please keep voting and commenting!