"How have you been, Miss Hooligan?" he asked her softly.
Before Somya can reply, a big white figure came running towards them, growling. That white-fluffy ball was Rocky, her dog.
Rocky had already heard someone in the living room when he was peacefully taking a nap in Somya's room. He wasn't interested in knowing who it is.
But when he saw Somya standing frozen on the spot while looking at the intruder, he didn't think twice before concluding that this invader must be the reason behind his master's sadness from the past few days. He came running to bite the shit out of this punk.
How dare he upset his little friend!
When Somya saw her pet sprinting towards Varun, she quickly lunged forward to grab him.
"Rocky, behave. He is a friend of mine, not a foe," Somya told him while patting his fur.
'Woof! Woof!'
'As if I can't see the lost expression on your face,' barked Rocky angrily.
Varun just kept standing there with a poker face. In response to Rocky's howling, a sudden glint of mischief passed with a yellow spark in his black eyes, but it disappeared before anyone can notice it.
Somya finally managed to quiet Rocky after a few pats.
She invited Varun into her room for a talk.
"This is for you," Varun brought a paper bag in front of her.
She raised an eyebrow over this. "What is this?"
"See for yourself," and with that, he put the paper bag in her hands before making himself comfortable on a chair nearby. He had brought her favourite ice cream.
"I don't want this," she tried to return the packet to him, but he didn't accept it and said indifferently, "Fine. Then you can throw it."
Somya frowned. She wasn't in the mood to argue, and she knows there is no point in arguing with him.
"Fine," so she went into the kitchen to bring bowls for them to eat.
Varun smirked. He knows her much more than she expects him to know. Afterall he is a successful businessman, and his observation skills are exceptional.
So, he knew that Somya hates to waste food. She had reprimanded Avi many times for leaving food on the plate when they were traveling. According to her, wasting food is disregarding the blood, sweat, and tears of the farmers. So there's no way she would dump the ice cream now.
"So, what did your parents say?" he asked while taking a bite of the ice cream.
"About what?"
About your wedding."
I didn't tell them anything."
WHAT!" Varun stopped eating and growled.
Somya lowered her head even more and ate silently.
"Why?" he asked softly on looking at her sorry figure.
"Do you really want to marry him that bad that even when you know he is a bastard, you are going to cover up for him?" Varun felt a pang in his heart thinking about this possibility.
"NO! That's not it," Somya yelled with tears glittering in her eyes, daring to fall.
"I...I am sure they won't believe me," she added.
Varun doesn't want to believe it, but she looked...broken. In the past few months, he had always seen her as a smiling fairy who isn't capable of feeling sad.
He can't blame himself for portraying her in that way. She has that contagious bubbly personality that if he hadn't seen her in distress a few times, he would have continued with his assumptions of her.
When Varun reached his home, he was still thinking about his talk with her earlier. She told him that she had always caused trouble for her parents by rejecting all the marriage proposals. This time, her parents had gone to great heights to get her a good husband so it would break their family bonding with the Dixit's if she tried to evade this marriage.
Varun had grown up in a huge family, so he can't understand her situation any better. He knew she was right, but still, it isn't right for her to marry that rascal.
Even when doing his office work, he still can't digest the fact that she might be Mrs. Dixit soon. He is behaving as if his own marriage is the one at stake.
Varun unknowingly started thinking of ways to break her marriage. Something suddenly popped into his mind, and he pulled out his phone to call Somya.
"Hi!" a dull greeted him, but he ignored it and asked something else.
"You said you can't step back from your wedding due to family issues. So if somehow your marriage gets dissolved without your family's involvement, then you should be fine with it, right?"
Somya tried to absorb his words and pondered over them. She had already given up on her dream of a happy married life. She had concluded that involving in a romantic relationship is impossible for her in this life. So, now all she wants is to end this.
"Yes, it's fine. But why did you ask?"
Varun's expression relaxed after receiving her reply and he said, "I have a plan for you to escape from this tragedy. Let's meet up tomorrow at the same place, and we will discuss it there."
"But...," Somya opened her mouth to ask something only to hear, 'Beep beep.' He had already hung up on her without giving her a chance to reply.
Next Day
They met at the same cafe near his office. Somya wasn't in a mood to eat anything, but Varun still ordered a lot of food of her liking.
"Why did you order so much? I said I am not eating," she protested.
"Who said I ordered them for you? I'll eat them all myself," Varun shrugged and replied nonchalantly.
After some time, when their food arrived, he swiftly shifted half of the food on her side, as if it's the most natural thing in the world for him to do.
"What is the meaning of this now?"
"Eat. If you want me to help you, then eat."
"But I told you I am not hungry."
"I. Don't. Care."
Somya pouted and cursed him inwardly before snatching a plate to eat momos.
Soon the whole table of food was swept empty by both of them. Somya kicked his leg and ordered, "Now, tell me!"
A spark of mischievousness flashed in his eyes, and he said, "The plan is..."
~I didn't fall for you,
You tripped me~