1. Marriage Proposals

Maitri's POV

"Diamond biscuit diamond biscuit jab bhi mood ho khalo, mummy papa jab bhi laate saare bache khush ho jata. Diamond biscuit diamond biscuit, healthy swaad ko paalooooo" Divi and I were singing loudly until we were sure that the khadoos aunty living across the street could hear us.

Basically Divi had no college today and as of me...I'm on vacation.

"Aab coconut..." I said trying to copy Abhay Deol but before that mum's flying chappal hit my hand.

"Maa yaar" This is absolute harassment. Harassing a poor, lonely, sweet, innocent child who is 24 year old is absolute crime.

"Am not a kid mummaaa" I looked at her holding the chappal with a frown.

"Na hoi!!! Your stupid antics still make me wonder whether Dev is older than you or you are older than him" Okay so backstory, Dev is my jaan ka dushman who's no more than 5ft and is no where near to be even called a teen.

Saara faasat ki jaad hai yeh DEV.

He is this boy who lives below us, looks like an innocent child but from within is devil's incarnation.

"Compare me to a potato but don't compare me to that evil child" Throwing the chappal back at her, SOFTLY... Can't throw it back hardly or else she'll throw me out of the window.

"Haan haan, how can I compare these 2 queens with Dev when all you do is sit and use the phone like potatoes" Divi and I shared a proud look at each other and hi-fived.

One thing you should know, Divi and I are never shameful of anything in the world. You can throw as many insults as you want but as long as we have each other, we will simply laugh over it and make you feel insulted.

Its our super power. Sshhh

"You two will sit there and grow yourselves fat or even come and help me" Mum screamed, no yelled from the kitchen banging the utensils, proving her point that we were being completely useless to her.

"But I'm on vacation mumma! I cook in America, wash my clothes, wash dishes, clean house, am ot doing any of it here" I sat on the sofa tiredly, crossing my arms at my chest.

"So? You shouldn't lose practice. Divi, arrange the table, Mayu take this file and his lunch and go give it to your dad" Mumma again went into the kitchen grumbling about how ungrateful we were.

BUT I'M ON VACATION YAAR!

Divi threw the pillow on my face and walked towards the dining table, arranging the dinner mats, mum got from a local store after getting annoyed with the previous since food used to get stuck in the holes and then came the good day where she angrily tossed the mats into the dustbin. Till then I took the file from her and Divi's scooter keys and mumma handed me dad's lunch in a tiffin bag.

"Oye, you'll go like that?" Divi asked as I quickly took instructions from mumma on what to tell him.

"Yeah, what's the problem?" I looked at my lime green cotton saree and then at her confused at what was the issue.

Don't judge me but I love wearing sarees even when I'm not working. I wear them in USA too, I've wore sarees to work because I am comfortable in them and it doesn't affect my work. To many people I understand it is uncomfortable to walk around and do stuff but I'm fine with it. Plus, I wear the lightweight sarees so they are easy to handle.

"One day am going to burn all her sarees. At this age all girls roam in shorts and frocks and then there is this one, wearing sarees. What will I do of this girl?" Mumma hit her head sighing.

"Hey excuse me for dressing up according to my profession. If someone randomly comes home, they should know I'm a serious woman. Wearing saree makes me look intimidating to everyone, a.k.a what an accountant is supposed to look like" I argued with mum like always.

"You are at home, not at work. You can wear normal t-shirts here" Mumma argued back as always but before she could complete her everyday rant I quickly ran out of the home with the tiffin and the file.

Roz ka drama, nothing new. You all can chill.

I drove to papa's company, which is the same company as I work for. Only difference I work in the New York branch and dad works in the main one, that is here in India.

Parking my scooter in the parking space, I stood in front of the gate, wondering how to enter in. Not my fault guys, it only allows entry upon scanning employee I'D.

Let's call papa. Where's my phone but?

The only time I hate wearing sarees is this, I forgot my phone at home. Kaise jau andar. Might as well try convincing the guard uncle.

"Uncle, can you please let me go in? I have to give this file to papa, his name is Akshit Rathore. Please uncle. I would have asked you to give this to him but the file is confidential. You can give him the tiffin and also ask him to come down, maybe?" I gave my best puppy eye look so the watchman uncle can allow me to go in or accept the other proposed idea but he refused.

"Please uncle. If you want, you come with me or send someone with me but I really need to go in" Uncle is not listening at all to me. Khadoos uncle.

"Excuse me" I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking behind I saw a wall...

Okay fine, not a wall but a very tall man to whom I reached at the chest barely, towering my little self.

Fuck you genetics, height genes didn't even try to compete when they were being given to me.

"Yes" This man's jawline is sharp, let me tell you that. He can have a competition with a knife, who is sharper?

"You want to go in?" He asked bending a little. Insulting me... I'm small agreed, but this patronizing behavior is unacceptable.

"Yes" I nodded my head as he straightened. That is when I saw him wearing a light blue polo t-shirt along with jeans and sneakers. WHITE SNEAKERS.

Can I please step on them Mr. Sharp Jawline, please?

Shut up intrusive thoughts, remain intrusive, please!

"Miss" He clicked his fingers at me, bringing me back to the main point.

"Who do you have to meet?" Papa duh! Oh wait, you don't know him.

"My papa...Sorry, Mr. Akshit Rathore, he works as an accountant here, I'm his daughter and I have to give him this file and his lunch which he forgot at home" Shut up, shut up shut up Mayu, no one is interested in knowing what you have to give to your dad darling.

"Avii" McSteamy but extremely rude because he mocked my height and I both turned towards the other voice.

My jaw dropped seeing none other than THE BUSINESS MAFIA MAN, RISHAV RANAWAT right in front of me.

Rishav Ranawat uff my way too super senior boss, still looked devilishly handsome in his three-piece suit.

Ohh how much I love the days when he and his chef wife, Kaira Ranawat come to the New York branch. It is an absolute celebration when they are there. We get lunch provided by none other than the Queen herself. And not to forget, she's an amazing chef. What I can't afford to eat here, I can eat in my office when they come.

Kaira ma'am should be of an aunty's age to me but issue is she doesn't look like an aunty. I can die for the glowing skin she has. If given a chance I would totally ask for her skin care routine. One side there's my 24-year-old dull, acne prone skin and then there's her skin which is still glowing and looks so fresh.

I should really ask mumma to share some skincare tips with me, her skin is also worth being jealous of. Can you imagine she doesn't apply dye to her hair yet? How??? The whole concept of 'maa ke nuskhe' should be rigorously studied.

Anyways moving on from the glass skin, the couple is totally like these characters we read in novels, Grumpy X Sunshine. If there were a book written on them, it would be a blockbuster, there would be a movie made out of it and what not. They just look so amazing.

Thu... thu thu, nazar na lage.

"Coming papa" McSteamy said turning his attention back on me. I saw sir coming towards us. Please don't look at me. My hair is in all directions from the wind and I'm pretty sure my saree is also wrinkled. Izzat ka falud...Wait Papa? Kiske papa, kahe ke papa?

Did Mr. Sharp Jawline just call sir 'PAPA'? Yeh kab hua?

"Who are you talking to?" Rishav sir asked Mr. McSteamy.

"Umm she says she wants to meet her father who works for us" McSteamy replied McSIir, shit what am I saying? McSteamy replied to Rishav sir.

"Who's your father?" Sir asked looking at me, keeping his phone in his pant pocket.

"Mr. Akshit Rathore, he works here as the firm's chattered accountant. I need to give him a file he forgot at home" I said holding myself confident in front of him. Basically, sir is like this super boring and cold man who hates it when people stutter.

If we think about it, nervousness is good. One should be able to intimidate someone but not to the point the self-confidence is thrown into garbage can. What say?

Oh by the way, I got into the company on my own merit, no referral from anyone, not even from dad.

"I didn't know Akshit had 2 daughters" A smile formed on sir's face as he motioned me to walk with him in.

"You know dad personally?" Surprising! I thought such things are generally not of his concern. I mean dad's just an accountant and probably he has someone above him too. Need to ask dad what he actually does?

Don't mind me but I've not paid much attention to what dad's actual post is, I just know he brings home a salary which Divi spends lavishly. There's alot of things I've left at such points for example, mum's age, since the last 12 years, mum has been 36 years old, at one point it was an overestimation and now its and underestimate.

I was lost in talking to myself when McSteamy clicked his fingers at me. Rude as I said earlier! Apparently, sir also answered the question and asked me another question.

"You are the younger one or the older one?" Sir asked again.

"Older one. I actually work for you, in the New York branch" I replied with a polite smile.

"Which department?" Sir asked interested in the conversation as he guided me into the lift.

"Accounting. I've a few more months as an intern there" I replied, realizing that I forgot to ask mumma on which floor papa works.

"Which files are you holding?" Sir asked pressing a button.

"There are some files papa forgot at home. I swear I haven't peeped in. I understand that they can be confidential" I replied quickly before a doubt crosses his mind.

"Its okay kid" Sir laughed a little. I looked away embarrassed. We slowly raised to the 12th floor from where the busy lanes looked extremely pretty.

"Avii...Stop ogling at her, she might have a boyfriend" Sir scolded McSteamy who was staring at me with a super weird smile. Not the kind of smile someone gives when they like you but the smile when they are up to a mischief, that's the smile he was giving me.

Avi... meaning Aviraj Rishav Ranawat. I don't have much intel on him but he's a lawyer I think.

"You have a boyfriend?" This shameless McSteamy asked forgetting he was standing with his father. Looking away, I shook my head.

Why is it so hot inside here? I don't want to discuss my love life with my boss or his son.

"Why? You look so pretty, you should have like 2 right now" Sir said suddenly interested. Have we still not reached papa's floor? Why?

"Found no one who can match me. For some I'm too competitive, too career-oriented or just not fit for them and for some they are not up to my standards" I replied truthfully since there's nothing to hide.

"I don't understand why all girls set standards according to their fathers" McSteamy said complainingly looking very cute annoyed. But wait, who assumed that ALL girls set the standards according to their fathers? Some also set it so they are nothing like their fathers.

"Simple reason. For a girl, her first love is always her father, then her brother/ sister and then comes her sapno ka rajkumar. Same way goes for guys, first comes mum, then brother/sister and then the Queen of his heart" I replied smiling not wanting to break the poor man's belief in his ideas. Some fights aren't worth fighting. You just have to 'patli galli se khisko'.

"She's true Avi. 100% true. Your mother still refuses to make me her no.1 man. Atleast I'm Aaru's no.1. And you know what the great part is, there's no man who can be like me. Aaru's going to stay with us till death" Sir said smiling a little bit too widely. It's getting awkward guys, hello, am there too. I'm lost on the subject we are talking about because why are we even talking about something so personal?

"Forget all that, what's your name? We know Divi, what about you?" McSteamy asked asking me to take a step out of the lift as the two men then followed.

"Maitri...Maitri Rathore and if you know Divya as Divi, how don't you know me?" I asked, suspicious of this McSteamy. Sir and McSteamy motioned me to walk out of the lift first as they followed me. I love royalty because of this!

"She's my frenemy, we don't discuss our families when we are together" McSteamy replied goofily. Not a proper answer you fool.

"Dad" I hugged him smiling and gave him the file and the tiffin, telling him word to word about what mumma instructed me.

"Your both daughters are beautiful Akshit" Sir said patting papa's shoulder before they disappeared somewhere.

"How was your day?" Papa said taking me to his cabin.

"It was going good until your wife happened. Who is the person who poisoned mum's head with my marriage? I'm just 24 papa, I don't want to get married now. Abhi meri umre hi kya hai. I'm still a child, who can go and play in the parks" I tried explaining papa and almost had him until the last sentence where he looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"Fine i'm not that small but yet. Words ko choodo emotions ko pakdo. She's behind my life. This time she's made it her motive to get me married before I leave for New York. She doesn't get the point even after 15 guys have rejected me. I'm not saying that I had some hand behind those decisions, but I don't want to get married. Do something and stop laughing at my misery" How dare my best man laugh at me while I cry to him about my problems.

"What's the problem in getting married?" He opened the tiffin and forwarded it to me to have.

"Because I'm still too young? I want to experience world first on my own then with the so-called husband" I argued, sitting on the chair cross-legged.

"But your mother and I fell in love at a young age and we've experience world together after marriage" Papa said eating his lunch.

Yeah if everyone knew the truth dad!

"All the man you've shown me are hell bent on making me a house-wife. I'm not cut for that" Moving on from the bitter feelings I explain my main issue. He softly changed the topic after taking in my opinion. Within 10 minutes he was done and then I left for home plotting schemes on how to make guys reject me because my mother won't allow me to reject them.

I'm crazy, I know. Bring something new.

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Aryaman's POV

"Dil se Delhi ho woh dhadkan se ho London, dhoondo mein dhoondo mere brother ki dulhan" Ugghhh, not again. The door to my cabin opened with a bang and my dearest twin Aviraj uff Avi entered dancing... Yeah, dancing. Ignoring him I continued my work until papa also joined him.

"Mohabbat ki ho woh google jo dede har question ka hal

Nazar ke ek hi click se" Avi closed my laptop and spun me in the chair as papa removed his blazer and called someone who sounded more like mumma and Aaru singing loudly. Till now only Avi and Aaru were mad, dad and mum also got infected with their mental disease.

"Walk pe sunti ho gaane brother ko khush karna jaane

Jo sabke dil mein dua si basse" Avi continued singing from where papa stopped. I could hear mumma and Aaru going crazy on the other hand. Avi knelt down in front of me and started doing Chaiya Chaiya hook step.

Who does Chaiya chaiya step on this song?

LOST IT!

MY FAMILY HAS GONE MAD!!!

"Who's she? What was Arya doing with her?" Mumma is officially declared the person from where Avi gets his madness.

"Arey no Kayu, she wasn't with him. Avi and I saw her in front of our company. Guess who is she?" Dad asked overexcitedly. I don't think he was this excited when I graduated.

"Our Akshit's daughter" He said smiling too widely.

"Divi!!!" Mumma, Aaru and I looked at him shocked. Divi uff Divya was the age of Aaru, he wants me to marry a kid? This is limits now. Okay fine she's not a kid but noo eww, Divi is like a sister to me.

"Noo guys, his other daughter. Maitri. Can you hear how well the name sounds? Aryaman and Maitri, one means companion and the other mean friendship, aww" Avi said jumping into the screen. Not a bad name guys but WTF!!!

"I'm not getting married anytime soon guys. Keep dreaming" Ignoring them, I reopened my laptop and got back to work. After a few minutes of whispers, papa kept the phone.

"Here we go son, this is your mother and my joint decision" Dad came and sat in front of me in complete business mode. Pushing my work away I looked at him.

Something is not right. I have a weird feeling that whatever is going to leave his mouth, am not going to like it at all.

"If you do not go and meet Maitri, both of us will kidnap you and take you to meet her. It won't look good when you'll have your hands and legs tied and a tape on your mouth. So, for your self-respect, just go meet her" Dad just dropped a Hiroshima bomb on me with so much ease.

WTF!

"If she rejects me or I don't like her?" Its a possibility that she can reject me, its 99% impossible but a little bit possible. And there's a 100% chance I refuse her.

"I see you Aryu. Don't forget the game you are playing, am the coach" Do you know times when you hate the world because everyone seems to be against you? Yes this is that time. Without saying much, he left from the cabin.

I peeked out to see him talking with Akshit uncle. He's so serious about this, ugghh!

In anger I dropped the glass of water on floor. I'll fucking make that girl reject me so bad.

EVENING

RATHORE RESIDENCE

Maitri's POV

"Mayu, sit here" Red alarm! Red alarm! My brain continuously screamed as papa asked me to sit on the sofa beside him. I was simply going to my room after cleaning the kitchen until this not so cool vibe kicked in when papa called.

"Yeah?"

"If I ask you to do something, will you do it for me?" Papa is doing emotional blackmail. Definitely marriage proposal!

"Papa, point is what?" Cutting down his drama I asked straighforwardly. He placed a piece of letter in my hands.

"Give this one a try for me, please" He said trying to look cute but it didn't suit him at all. Seeing mumma so ready that I'll reject, I accepted it.

No hard feelings for anyone. Am that kind of a person to whom if you'll say don't jump in the well, I'll jump. I don't take orders. When given, I do complete opposite. If told go right, I'll go left and then I'll go right.

"You'll give him a chance?" Mumma and Divi asked shocked.

"Yeah, not like I have much of an option. But I have a condition"

"What?" Everyone looked at me like if they'll complete the condition, I'll get married the next second.

"I want to meet him in person before the families meet. If possible tomorrow for lunch" Step one to get rejected, successfully launched.

"Done done done. I'll give them a call and ask them" Dad...betrayer, cheat. You are supposed to find a way out for me not a way in. He called the 'potential' groom's family and spoke in hushed tones.

"Tomorrow lunch at Madhvan. Am so proud of you Mayu" Dad hugged me so tightly that I nearly choked.

Plan Failed!

Taking the letter with me, I saw the image of the groom.

Okay he looks hotter than McSteamy, much more hotter. But guys looks aren't everything na? It might be difficult to reject this one if he's got a good personality with this hot face and body.

Ignoring all the dirty thoughts, I threw the letter in the dustbin and slept, trying his name on my lips.

"Aryaman...Nah, Maan! Perfect" Smiling I slept.

_________________

Ranawat Palace

Aryaman was forwarded a few photos of Matri which he thought he'd check after dinner but unfortunately, the women of the house were too excited.

Aryaman's POV

She looks like an angel. Innocent of the world's cruelties. How will she survive me?

Anyways, looks aren't everything. A person's nature and personality is also important. Looks will fade with time but the person's nature remains.

Ignoring the commotion in the living room, I thought to sleep when dad came and informed me that am supposed to have lunch with his 'potential' daughter in law.

Great, now I have no say in this!

Fuck it, I'll figure out how to scare away this Maitri girl tomorrow.