Bhagya was completely taken aback upon seeing Shree standing before him. He couldn't believe that she was the same girl he had casually noticed two days ago and who had since been haunting his thoughts.
Similarly, Shree was stunned to see such a handsome guy before her. She couldn't believe that this was the man her marriage was being arranged with.
Composing herself, Shree greeted him, "Hello, my name is Shree. Are you... him?"
Bhagya, a bit flustered, replied, "Uh... Yes, yes, it's me. Please, take a seat."
Shree sat down on the chair opposite him. Both looked around, unsure of how to start the conversation.
After a brief silence, Bhagya took the initiative, "Would you like something?"
Shree replied, "Coffee."
Bhagya signaled the waiter and ordered two coffees.
To move the conversation forward, Shree asked, "What are your thoughts on marriage?"
Bhagya was taken aback, feeling as if he'd been hit by a shockwave. He thought to himself, "This girl has jumped straight to marriage in the first meeting!"
Bhagya replied, "I haven't thought much about it yet."
Just then, the waiter came and placed their coffees on the table.
As they sipped their coffee, Shree said, "I'd like to work after marriage."
Bhagya nearly spat out his coffee. He thought to himself, "This girl really seems to be in a hurry. I thought we'd get to know each other first, but it seems she's ready to ride to her own wedding on a horse!"
Seeing Bhagya lost in thought and unresponsive, Shree waved her hand in front of him and said, "Hello... are you alright?"
Bhagya snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Yes, yes, I'm fine. And, yes, about the job... If you want to work, that's entirely your choice."
Shree felt a bit relieved knowing that Bhagya wouldn't stop her from working after marriage.
She was about to ask something else when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag.
Bhagya found it odd that Shree had an old Nokia keypad phone, with faded numbers no less. In this day and age, even an auto driver has a smartphone, but she had this simple phone.
When she looked at the caller ID, she saw it was her maternal uncle.
"Hello, Mama," Shree answered.
Mama: "Shree, where are you?"
Shree: "Mama, I'm at the coffee house with Vivek..."
Mama: "That's what I called to tell you, dear. Vivek's family called. He got caught up with work and couldn't make it to meet you. You should come home."
Hearing this, Shree looked at the man in front of her in astonishment. She ended the call and asked Bhagya, "You're not Vivek?"
Bhagya shook his head with a blank expression.
Shree, bewildered, asked, "If you're not Vivek, then why are you sitting here?"
Bhagya replied nonchalantly, "Well, you're sitting here too. And as far as I can tell, you're not Vivek either, are you?"
Shree muttered to herself, "Oh no... I should have asked his name!"
Looking around, she signaled a waiter and said, "Bhaiya, bring the bill."
Shree looked at Bhagya and said, "I think there's been a misunderstanding. I thought you were someone else. I'm sorry. I'll pay the bill."
Bhagya, expressionless, replied, "Yes, you'll have to pay. After all, my time was wasted because of you. I thought you were my date, but you turned out to be someone else."
Shree, slightly irritated, said, "I said I'm sorry. Let's just end it here. I'll pay the bill and leave."
Bhagya replied, "Even if you pay the bill, you won't be able to leave."
Hearing this, Shree glared at him, and Bhagya, with a sly smile, pointed outside.
When Shree looked out the window, she realized it was raining heavily.
She sighed in frustration, "Great, now what?"
Bhagya quipped, "This is called rain... it can start anytime here in Mumbai. I think it's called unseasonal rain. Now, you can't leave in this downpour. So, you might as well sit here and enjoy your coffee."
Seeing no other option, Shree sat down quietly and continued sipping her coffee.
Bhagya, seeing her sit down, breathed a sigh of relief. He subtly signaled the waiter, who took the bill back with a grin.
Lifting his coffee cup, Bhagya said to Shree, "My name's Bhagya."
Shree responded, "Did I ask?"
Bhagya smiled slightly, "No, but I thought you should know the name of the person you're having coffee with."
Shree ignored him and continued sipping her coffee, while Bhagya looked at her and smiled as he drank his own.
Suddenly, Shree noticed the stylish watch on Bhagya's wrist.
Pointing to it, she asked, "Is that a Carbon brand watch?"
Bhagya gave a small nod with a smug smile, clearly proud of the luxurious brand. He expected her to compliment it, but what she said next left him stunned.
"What a ridiculous watch," she remarked.
Bhagya was taken aback. It's unusual for any entrepreneur to hear criticism of their own product!
With a cold expression, Bhagya asked, "Do you realize Carbon is a luxury brand? It's highly demanded not just in India but internationally too. Many politicians, celebrities, and even Hollywood stars prefer it."
Shree shrugged, "That's probably why they're so arrogant. Do you know how expensive their watches are? This year, they had a Diwali collection, and I wanted to buy one for my uncle. I saved up by tutoring all night. When I went to their store, you know what the price was? Five lakh rupees! And I only had 5000. So, I asked them for their cheapest model, and even that was 50,000 rupees."
Bhagya listened and responded coolly, "So, you dislike the brand simply because you can't afford it. Is that it?"
Shree replied, "Yes! Haven't you heard... 'Sour grapes!'"
Hearing this, Bhagya chuckled and asked, "So what do you think this company should do with its watches?"
Shree said thoughtfully, "They should make something affordable. Their designs are great, but they're out of reach for most people. They should launch something that a middle-class person can buy. Imagine a father gifting it to his daughter, a brother gifting it to his sister, or a wife buying it for her husband with saved-up money."
Bhagya listened closely, as her words seemed to resonate with him.
Soon after, the rain stopped. Shree picked up her bag and said, "The rain has stopped, so I'll be going. Bhaiya, bring the bill."
Bhagya interjected, "No need. I'll take care of it."
Shree insisted, "Why should you? I'll pay since I said I would."
Bhagya replied, "No, I'm not paying this as a bill. Think of it as a fee."
Shree asked, "What kind of fee?"
Bhagya smiled and replied, "An idea fee."
Shree was puzzled, "Idea for what?"
Bhagya stood up, smiled, and said, "For now, just understand that you've made a huge task easier for me. Thank you."
He paid the bill and left.
Shree shrugged and left as well.
While driving home, Bhagya found himself smiling at the thought of their encounter. He recalled the meeting and was soon interrupted by a phone call from Rahul.
Rahul said, "Hey, that girl couldn't meet you because of a work emergency. She called to apologize and said she'll definitely meet you tomorrow."
Smiling, Bhagya told Rahul, "Tell her thanks from my side for not showing up, and that there's no need to meet anymore."
With that, he ended the call and, smiling, turned on the song, "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga..."
Meanwhile, Shree arrived home, where her uncle greeted her, saying, "Shree, I was worried about how you'd get home in the rain. You even forgot your umbrella."
Shree put down her bag and replied, "Yes, Mama, I waited at the café until the rain stopped."
Upstairs, in another room, Kumu was seated with Juhi, discussing something.
Kumu asked, "So, dear, tell me, did it work?"
Juhi smirked and replied, "Mom, have I ever missed the mark?"
Kumu: "What do you mean?"
Juhi: "Let's just say, in the very first meeting, I made Vivek fall for me. Now, watch, he'll ask his family himself to marry me, not Shree."
Indeed, this is what had happened. Vivek was waiting for Shree, but Juhi showed up instead. Kumu had already shown Juhi Vivek's photo, so she easily recognized him. Juhi arrived, saying she was representing her sister Shree, and her glamorous appearance was enough to sway Vivek.