"What exactly are we doing here?" Vindhya was shocked at her own voice.
Was that her, sounding breathless and girly?
"Please, just let me say few things to you. I don't know when will I get the courage and the opportunity to do it again. I want to start by saying - sorry and thank you! I am so sorry for putting you in this awkward situation and I am grateful that you didn't refuse my mother's invite today. I know that you must have been confused when she invited you and the way she spoke to you just now. I am aware that I should have told her the truth about my feelings at the first given opportunity but I simply haven't been able to muster the courage to do so. In her eyes, you are the perfect girl for our family and she is not wrong. I mean you ARE perfect in all aspects. It's just that my heart has someone else in it and…" his voice trailed off.
Vindhya's hopes which had spiked up few minutes ago, crashed badly one more time.
"I am not going to let a stupid crush stand in the way of my goal," she reminded herself, resolutely.
Pasting an understanding smile on her face, she said, "It's not such a big deal. Why are you taking so much stress? In fact, I don't even understand the rush to tell her about it. It's not like that they are getting us married tomorrow. As long as you and I are clear about things, you don't have to blurt it out to her immediately. From what I gather, they haven't even met each other yet, right? I think you should find an opportunity to introduce them to each other. Let the girl…ah, Mrignayani try and make a positive impression on her. Post that, see your mother's reaction towards her. It may make things easier for you. Of course, these are just my thoughts."
Yash looked at her with admiration shining out of his eyes.
"You are a genius. No wonder everyone adores you. You have made an excellent suggestion and I will accept it gladly. Now let's go and follow my mother's orders for me to make a favourable impression on her," he said and clapped her shoulder.
Vindhya gave him a weak smile in return.
Two hours later
Ujjwalla snapped her fingers at someone and a female came running to the spot with a tub of hot water to where she was sitting. Soaking her feet in the scented water, Ujjwala mused over the past few hours. The party had just gotten over and it had been a roaring success from all aspects. It had been a show of power and as the chief of Southern zilla, she had emerged as a clear victor.
"You both have done a good job today. I liked the ease and panache with which you employed your networking skills, Yash. And you were elegant and charming, Vindhya," she bestowed a benevolent smile upon them.
Standing together, they formed a striking pair, he - tall and lean, she - well curved and pretty.
"Yash, it is getting late. Why don't the both of you return to the campus. The carriage is waiting outside and will take you back," Ujjwala instructed.
Yash nodded and went to retrieve his uniform from upstairs before leaving.
"So, what do you think? Are you happy with the match which your parents have made for you?" Ujjwala asked the girl bluntly.
Vindhya wasn't fazed by the question and didn't let any of her inner turmoil show on her face. After Yash's reaction a couple of hours ago, her mind had wavered for some time about his fixation with the other girl. But during the party, she saw the interaction between the son and the mother.
She had reached the conclusion was that he was a soft person who was completely under his mother's thumb. There was no way that he would rebel against her. So the question was whether she should let go of him just because of his ill-judged puppy love? Her mother had always told her that men took way longer to grow up mentally, as compared to women. He was truly the first guy whom she had liked and why should she have to let go of him just because he didn't know any better yet.
No, she was the perfect choice for Yash!
She would simply have to wait till he came around to that realization as well. In the meantime, there were more than enough ways to rock the cute couple's boat. All it needed was some well-timed intervention.
"I have full faith in all the decisions which my parents take on my behalf. Thank you for inviting me to the lovely party. I really had a great time. Everyone was very kind to me. I had met some of them during my coming of age party sometime back and they were nice enough to remember me since then," Vindhya made her point but politely.
Ujjwala gave her an approving nod for the politically correct answer. Despite her not acknowledging it, it had become clear to Ujjwala that the girl was smitten by her son. Unfortunately, she wasn't so sure about her son's feelings though. He was the kind to wear his heart on his sleeve, like his father. Though Yash had been cordial throughout the evening towards her, he wasn't very warm towards the girl yet.
Even though she was sure of his acquiesce, she was a woman who didn't believe in leaving anything to chance. A brilliant idea hit her at that moment.
"Uh, has the announcement been made regarding the Queen's competition yet at Gurukul?" she asked Vindhya.