In the hall of the guest house, Alok, Rishi, and Kripa has just finished their refreshments after few hours of rest and were sitting on the sofa doing some chit-chat. It was almost 7 PM in the evening. Bell of the guest house buzzed off.
Alok pushed Rishi from the sofa and said "Go! Check who it is. They might be calling for dinner." Rishi fell from the sofa and then went toward the door while cursing Alok.
Rishi checked on the intercom and found that Akash was standing on the door. He opened the door and shouted, "Akash is here." Akash entered the hall and sat on the sofa like a deadbeat person and closed his eyes like he fell asleep while spreading his hands both side.
Rishi followed Akash and asked while laughing "What happened? You are meeting us after two hours and behaving like you were working as a laborer somewhere? What made you so exhausted." He sat beside Akash. There are 3 sofas in the hall which are arranged in U-shape. Alok is sitting on one, Kripa is on one and one which is in middle is taken by Akash and Rishi.
"It's not exhaustion of body but of mind," Aksh uttered while keeping his eyes closed.
By seeing Akash's expression it seems something serious happened. Kripa who never takes initiative in chit-chat asked "What is the problem you are facing? If you want to talk, talk. Maybe it will help a bit."
Akash opened his eyes and looked toward his friends and said: "I am afraid you will make fun of me after knowing it."
"What can be such a thing? Could it be something more serious than you heartbreak in first love? If you delay while giving such excuses, then I promise I will definitely make fun. Act like our best friend and I will try to understand." Alok who is the most frivolous type among friends said.
Akash looked at his friends and then said with a sigh "My grandparents just told me that in the village where they moved from, there is a family who has been very supportive of them. That family is like a second family to my grandparents. My grandparents have promised to marry with them their grandchild and I am the only one suitable for that girl. My cousin who is 21 and would be able to marry already said that he has a girlfriend and his father and her family both know it."
"So, now to keep the promise and maintain the honor of my grandparents, I will have to marry that girl. I don't even know who the girl is and how she looks." Akash looked at his friends and said helplessly.
He looked at the expression on the faces of his friends. None of them laughed as he expected. He felt grateful inside. His friends looked calm.
Kripa who is the most serious person in the group, said: "Let me ask you a few things first, OK?" He looked toward other friends and then Akash. Akash nodded.
"I am not saying it good or bad. Just asking. What is bad about this marriage setup?" Kripa asked.
Akash said anxiously "I don't know much about that family. I have not even seen the girl or know her name. What if she is some ugly, uneducated girl?"
"If your grandparents think them fit to make a relationship, it means based on culture and character they might not be any less. The girl would definitely have passed higher secondary. If they must have seen girl then they will never suggest relationship for their eldest grandson if she is not fair skinned at least." Kripa analyzed the situation and Alok and Rishi both nodded. Even Akash thought that there was some sense in this.
Kripa continued then "Now tell me, did you ask for the girl's name? Wait.. wait... Let me tell. You did not ask because you were too confused and anxious at that time." Akash again nodded and Kripa smiled.
Kripa asked again "Now tell me if this marriage arrangement was not there, what was your plan for love and marriage?"
"I was thinking that I will meet some girl whom I love and she will also love me for what I am and we will decide and meet our families and then marry. This arranged marriage is actually too..... I don't know what to say." Akash sighed and said.
Rishi could not stop and asked "So, the problem is that your family decided it without involving you in the decision. Don't tell me that you were also thinking that there might be a chance for you with Arushi in future. If that is the case please stop on that. Don't hurt yourself more."
Alok got surprised from this and said "Why? That possibility was also there."
"Arushi is not good enough for you my friend. You know, her fiancee once came in college and they went to canteen hand in hand, they also wandered around in campus holding hands. Girls were talking into the class that they kissed each other in the college garden, there was some photo also in their phone. You were out for one seminar at that time. We did not tell you these things because it might have hurt you more." Listening to these words of Alok, really Akash felt shocked in his mind.
Akash felt dazed for a few moments. He really did not know of these things. He looked at his friends with the hurt expression.
Looking at Akash's expression, Kripa said in a calm voice "I also knew these things. If given a choice between Arushi and that village girl I would ask you to marry that girl from the village."
Akash looked at his friends. These are his friends who sometimes make fun of him and sometimes they become serious as well. They understand his feelings. He felt gratified in his heart to have such friends.
Akash sighed and stood up and said "Thanks guys. You are really my best friends. Although I am still not happy, I am not that sad also. Let us go to the main house. We can have dinner and some chit chat there."
All the friends stood up and walked toward the door.
"Make sure you don't talk about this marriage thing there" Akash reminded them while opening the door.
"Okay, Okay, Okay," His friends said in one voice.