03

Meeting

Meera was in front of the mirror getting ready for the most awaited meeting. Yesterday, Yaduvanshi's family informed her that she would be meeting Aashrit today as he didn't want to hold this meeting for so long.

She wanted to look beautiful today, she wanted him to choose her. Somewhere in her heart, she wanted to get out of this house and live with those people whom she met yesterday. Although she met his family for a short span of time, they made their way to her heart and captured it fully. The desire for love she had since childhood, she saw that hope of love getting fulfilled in his family. It didn't matter to her that all that love was only for some days, some weeks, or some months but what she wanted was to feel important and to be loved. But her heart was scaring her thinking of the future when they would stop showing all this love, when they would get tired of her. She clutched her kurta tight thinking all about that, her heart constricted. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. She opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.

She wore a beautiful white anarkali kurta with white pants and white dupatta with some colorful little flowerwork on it, tucked at one shoulder. She wore her silver earrings and completed her look with kohl in her eyes and a light tint on her lips. She looked at herself in the mirror and a small smile finally formed on her face as she found herself beautiful.

"Maybe he will like me....." She said to herself and a small blush formed on her cheeks.

She left her room and found her family there. As Tauji saw her, he stood up and went to her

"Don't spoil it. We don't want to lose our relationship with Yaduvanshi."

He said and left from there to his office with Vishal following him behind.

"I asked you to do makeup and look beautiful but look at you. That man won't even look at you. Why didn't you call Anu huh??" Sunaina said holding her hand and started to drag her upstairs but Anu stopped her.

"Maa she will get late, You know how much he hates latecomers." Anu interrupted and held Meera's hand "And don't worry maa, I'll do her makeup in the car." She said trying to lighten up her mother-in-law's mood.

Sunaina nodded her head and put her hand on Anu's head "I don't know what I'd do without you." she said to Anu while glaring at Meera.

Anu took her permission and went outside with Meera. They both got settled in the car and Meera turned towards Anu without any words.

Anu took some kohl from her eyes and put it behind Meera's ear.

"Don't mind what maa said...... You look so beautiful. I am sure Kunwar ji will forget to breathe once he sees you." Anu said excitedly while Meera was just confused.

"Bhabhi, aren't you going to do my makeup?" Meera asked

"You don't need anything, Shona. You are looking so beautiful in this minimal makeup." Anu said these words to make her feel beautiful but she knew these words weren't gonna do anything in front of all those words she heard all her life. Anu was just praying that Kunwar sa would love her and make her realize how beautiful she was.

Soon, they reached the cafe they were supposed to meet in. Anu dropped Meera and left after giving her some encouraging words which were like a band-aid to a broken glass, don't know for how long it will keep her sane before she again finds herself losing in the crowd.

Meera was standing outside the cafe and looked at the name YADUVANSHI . She took a deep breath and moved inside. As she put her foot inside, she got nervous about the crowd there. She looked around and found everyone wearing Western and then her eyes moved to her own clothes making her feel out of place and the band-aid holding her seemed to break. She felt as if everyone was looking at her and judging her. She looked around finding everyone busy with their work and now another thought hit her, Is she looking so hideous that no one is even sparing a look at her? And with all those thoughts she moved towards the reception.

"How may I help you?" The lady on the counter asked

"Kun...... I mean ..... Mr.Aashrit Rajvansh" Meera said fumbling twice. She didn't know what else to say. She felt weird saying his full name but what else she would call him?

On hearing the name, the lady instantly left her seat and smiled at her. The whole cafeteria was already informed about Meera's arrival so that she didn't feel any inconvenience. The lady greeted Meera and asked her to come with her. Meera followed her to the elevator without any word and she pressed the 3rd floor. There was a silence in the elevator. The lady didn't speak because she didn't want to upset Kunwar Sa's guest while Meera was quiet because she had no idea what to say.

Soon they reach 3rd floor

"Kunwar sa will be here soon. Till then if you need anything you can press the bell on the table, Mam." The lady said and left after asking if she needed anything which Meera denied politely.

As the lady left Meera turned to go to her table, instead she was shocked to see the area. It was an open area, covered with beautiful pots of different flowers, The railing was filled with flowers and only one table was arranged in the middle with two chairs, covered with a shade, and the pillar holding the shade was decorated by vines of blue flower. She looked around and was mesmerized by how beautiful everything was. She couldn't stop thinking how beautiful it would be to read a novel there. She brings out her phone immediately and opens the camera. She clicked some pictures to keep them in her memory because she never knew if she ever going to see them again and decided to make a video. She was recording everything and as she turned, the elevator door opened and she looked at the most handsome man she had ever seen busy on his phone.

Her breathing raced for a moment as she took in the beauty of him. She felt it hard to move her eyes from him, her lungs forgot to breathe for a moment, the feeling she felt was something she never experienced. She didn't want to let a moment go to waste by not seeing him but she composed herself not wanting to destroy her first impression on him and put her phone down.

Aashrit moved out of the elevator busy on his phone to check his next meeting's important points and sat on the chair without even looking around. He wanted to look and confirm if she was as beautiful as she looked in the picture but he didn't want to act a s a teenager and sat on the chair.

As she walked, her anklets made some noises gaining Aashrit's attention. Aashrit looked up from his phone and yeah the beauty her picture showcased was all a myth................

"She is not photogenic. Damn it man!! The picture didn't do any justice to her beauty." He thought."

Meera gave him a small smile which he didn't return lost in his thoughts, making Meera embarrassed. Aashrit just put his phone aside looking at her.

"Hi, I am Aashrit Singh Yaduvanshi." He said composing his posture reminding himself he was marrying only to provide his kingdom a queen.

"Hi, I am Meera Rao." She said in a small yet childlike voice.

There was a silence for some moments. Meera didn't know what she was supposed to say while Aashrit was just in a trance of her beautiful, unique, and addicted voice. After silence for some seconds, Aashrit came out of his trance.

"Look, I have a very important meeting after some time so I'll keep it short and concise." He said to overcome the loss over his emotions but he knew it must have sounded rude yet he didn't care.

Meera looked up at him with arched brows disappointed at the fact that he didn't even ask her to take a seat.

"I have no interest in marriage. But I am doing it for my grandfather and also my kingdom needs a queen. I don't care whom I marry and whom I don't. The only thing that matters is that she mixes well with my family and cares for people of my kingdom like their own. I have no problem in marrying you but don't expect anything from me in return. I can promise you my loyalty in this marriage and I'll take care of your every need. If you ask me I'll fulfill all the duties of a husband but apart from that neither I want your interference in my life nor I'll do any interference in yours. If you don't have any problem, we can proceed with this arrangement." He said to her making her go numb for some moments.

He took a pen and paper wrote something and put it in front of Meera who was still processing his words.

"This is my number. Inform me with your answer in an hour. If you didn't inform me in an hour I'll take it as a no." He said looking at her but she didn't lift up her lashes making him frustrated. He took his phone and left without even looking back.

As Meera heard the elevator ping, tears started dropping from her eyes. She couldn't believe what she just heard

So he doesn't want any relationship and I was expecting some love finally entering my life" she chuckled bitterly. She kept standing there for some moment looking at the sky thinking about what to do.

But isn't it nice, he wouldn't be interfering in my life and I could at least get his family's love. I mean who needs him if I am gonna get love from his family? I will be getting a chance to leave this toxic household. But............................ Arghhhh ........... I don't know.

She was in her thoughts when she got a message on her phone clearing all her confusion.

"You better not anger Kunwar Sa because if you spoil this alliance also, I am gonna get you married to Urmila's son without any delay" was a message from her grandmother.

NO!!!! I can't marry that drunkard. I would prefer to live a loveless life with Kunwar ji than to live with that drunkard. She thought visibly shivering.

She hurriedly looked at the paper and messaged a "Yes".

While on the other side, Aashrit looked at his phone and furrowed eyebrows "Why did she message instead of call ............ I might have got to hear her." He grumbled in frustration and put his head over his car seat closing his eyes and lost in those brown eyes he just met.

_________________________

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A microbiology student who is mad about fiction.