Everything About Her
Everything about her was a lie.
Rishi leaned back on his chair and observed her.
‘Easy-going’… He mentally scoffed.
‘Extrovert who likes to talk a lot’… Ha! They had been in the cafe for twenty minutes and the girl had not uttered more than few words, giving mono-syllabic answers to his questions and not asking him anything in return.
‘Leans more towards traditional’… He shook his head as he took in her mutinous face which had ‘rebel’ written all over it, along with that tiny nose-ring on the left side of her nose, her boy-cut styled hair, sleeveless top that showed off her tattooed arms and the black skirt over stilettos that promised mayhem if anyone angered her.
“You were not the one who prepared your matrimonial profile on the site.” He said in amusement.
She gave a relieved sigh and shook her head.
“But you are Vaishnavi, right? Or…”
“I am Vaishnavi! I am here because my mother would not let me rest in peace. She has made it her life’s ambition to marry me off as soon as possible.”
“You decided to meet me in your natural and most comfortable self.”
“I did! I wanted you to know that everything that my mother wrote in my profile is a lie. This is who I am. I do not want to end up like Neethi!”
“Who is Neethi?”
“My best friend!” She leaned over the table, automatically lowering her voice. Rishi too leaned when she gestured him to come closer. “She used to be like me. A free spirit. You know what happened to her?”
He silently shook his head, thinking that this was a face he would like to wake up to every morning.
“She got MARRIED!” Vaishavi banged her palm on the table, making him flinch.
“Why’s it so bad – her getting married?”
“She changed! From a modern, rebellious girl, she transformed into this demure woman who consults her husband before she makes plans to meet me! I do not want this to happen to me. I do not want to change!”
Behind the tough exterior that she exhibited, Rishi saw traces of vulnerability that tugged at his heart. He had been fascinated with her ever since their first chat on the matrimonial website. While she was nothing like how her photo portrayed, there was something about her that appealed to him.
He tilted his head and asked gently. “What if I promise you that you wouldn’t have to change after marriage?”
She looked at him suspiciously. “You are okay with me being myself?”
“I like you just as you are, and I hope that you would trust me enough to give us a chance. At least another meeting?”
She thoughtfully nodded. “That sounds fair. I think you are okay.”
He laughed, already head over heels for her. “Just ‘okay’?”
She suddenly found something interesting in her meal. But the slight quirk of her lips gave away that she was trying really hard not to smile.