As I sat down, everyone greeted me with warm smiles. His parents and brother occupied the sofa to my left, while my family settled in chairs and on a cot to the right. My cousins scurried around, but my attention fixated on the person sitting directly across from me. He met my gaze without a hint of a smile. What was going through his mind?

Before I could overthink, his mother stood up and handed me a bag of sweets, her smile familiar and comforting. Despite the pleasant atmosphere she brought, I couldn't shake off my nerves. How does one even act in this scenario? Feeling lost, I sat there, listening to everyone else talk. As if understanding my predicament, he finally broke the silence and asked, “Are you done with class?”

No, I have class, which is why I am here. Pushing away the immediate reply from my mind, I reply, “Yes.”

Idiot. You finally have a chance to talk and you only say yes. Well, maybe they will ask to talk to me in private. Who knows? The good news was everyone was busy listening to the conversation between Amma and Kiran. Taking advantage of the lack of attention on me, I started to discreetly observe the guy in front of me. See, checking out a person is an art. Unlike in movies where they show guys drooling after girls, you have to be subtle and discreet. The key to achieving that is to let your eyes naturally sweep across the room and just happen to land on the person. For every 5 seconds you look at them, you need to spend 10 seconds looking elsewhere. Now, when there is someone as good-looking as the guy in front of me, you might be tempted to keep your eyes on them. But remember, your aunt will use this to tease you mercilessly, so keep your eyes moving.

As the conversation carried on around us, I could tell his parents wanted to confirm this proposal. I don’t know what they saw in me, but I don’t think the guy is even interested in me. Only twice did our eyes meet. There is definitely no chance that I will see him again.

See, you were panicking for no reason. The guy isn’t interested. His parents will soon realize you aren’t the girl they thought and will look for some other bride. I will go back home and everything will return back to normal. Sure, it’s disappointing that a guy this attractive doesn’t think the same of you. But that was expected. Keep the heart and mind closed. And soon everything will be back to usual.

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Kiran and his family were the main topic of discussion at home that evening. My uncle shared everything he learned about their relatives and Kiran’s work. My aunt boasted that she had identified the specific brand of deodorant he wore. And my mom was astonished at how similar their family was to ours. But the main thing that everyone mentioned was how Kiran kept saying, “He will adjust.” Poor guy does not know what he unknowingly signed up for.

The weirdest thing was that before his visit, my mom had been indifferent to the proposal. But now, she seemed genuinely considering the proposal. It’s like he came and mesmerized the whole family. Even my two cousins took a liking to him, particularly because of his glasses. I mean I don’t think those two know why he came to visit because we purposely hid it from them, but one of them guessed correctly. All these positive signs, though he'll likely reject me anyway. But that's okay. If I'm already prepared for rejection, it can't hurt as much.

The conversation continued into the night, with my friend messaging me for an update.

“They were good! Like they had traits that were seen as green flags by my family. But we're still in the thinking phase. Also, the boy doesn't look bad at all. I mean, I didn’t scrutinize him as closely as my aunt did, or else I would've been caught. But from what I saw, he smiles nicely and interacts well with my family. He was polite, and so was his family. Not really thrilled that we're both the oldest grandchildren, but that’s okay. My mom appreciated that his family was religious. My aunt was impressed by the fact that his mom is a beautician with her own parlor. His dad was really open. The entire meeting clarified why my dad was okay with it. They even did some research to ensure we aren’t related.

Throughout the meeting, my mom emphasized the lifestyle in America. Like how we eat leftovers and don’t always have the freshest ingredients. At one point she even made it seem like we are all suffering without good food. But they seemed ready to adapt. Anyway, my family is still considering it, so I don’t want to get too invested yet.”

Of course, my friend persisted in asking if I found him attractive, but I refused to answer. What’s the use of admitting it if he’s not the one? Anyway, she did help me calm down and relax. And soon the topic changed to how things were back in America. But in the back of my head, I couldn't forget the eyes. Why?

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An update after so long...

Really hope I didn't lose anyone's interest here. Will try to update more often