Matrimonial apps were one of the surefire tickets to a husband/ wife these days. Pallavi Khuranna hoped it was for her too but the search so far was bleak. To put it simply, the ones who were interested in her weren't interesting to her while the ones she got interested in weren't interested in her. It was always a one sided route. Tired of seeing the same faces, she soon switched to dating apps such as Bumble.

Surprisingly, there were a lot of attractive guys in those apps. And they came up with a plethora of hobbies of their own. Trekking, singing, photography, art, clubbing, cooking, you name it. Too bad half of them were looking for a casual hookup. She would politely deny such intentions and move on to the next person. Apart from that, there was a ‘Bff’ section. Pallavi was able to have a friendly chat with a few bunches and add them to her Instagram.

So far, most of them were good, though not good enough to climb the marriage ladder. Their personalities weren't a hinderance this time. She just couldn't feel a thing. There was no connection. Perhaps she has developed a no love syndrome after her heartbreak. Or maybe it wasn't her time yet.

One of the factors that made guys profile right-swipe-worthy was a smiling photo. No, not the one where they gaze into their mirror or show their gym abs but a genuine one. Perhaps that was why she swiped right to his profile without reading through it much.

A man named Vineet Ahuja.

Yes, the same person with whom Pallavi chatted with in the previous chapter.

The first snap was a side profile of him in a coat, laughing genuinely. It caught her attention at first sight. Not to mention he was wearing an earring. There was another one of him playing a violin. Did he put that to impress the ladies?

Pallavi messaged him without knowing much. Perhaps that was why Vineet asked this on the get-go.

“So this may seem
odd but why did
u swipe me right?”

“What do you mean
why? Don't people
swipe right to those
they find interesting?”

“Yeah, but you are
looking for marriage,
right? You just talked
about a recent encounter
you had. I'm not that
guy. I'm not looking for
marriage.”

“You're not? Let
me check.”

After a pause, Pallavi added albeit apologetically.

“Oh, yeah, I just
went through your
profile. You only
go for casual.”

“Yes.”

How on earth did she miss something like that? He clearly stated he wasn't looking for anything serious. Neither did he want kids. Though she was intrigued as to why but didn't probe.

“We can still talk.
No worries, I
won't pursue you
for marriage or
anything like that.”

“Sure, but I can
pursue you for
casual. 😉

“Then I could pursue
you for marriage too.
It would become
me vs you and trust
me, it wouldn't be pretty.

“Try me...”

“Just joking! I don't
want that either.”

Pallavi blinked, reading that chat again and wondered if there was a shadow of a flirtatious tone from both sides. Probably just him being playful, whoever it was. She let it slide off her mind.

“So how's life?”

“

Boring AF.”

“How so?”

“It's the same thing.
Office, home, dinner,
Evening walk, draw,
sleep, repeat.”

“Sahi toh hai. What
else you want?”

“Ok. How was ur
weekend?”

“Great. Met a friend.
Had a Toastmasters
meeting. Went for an
interview.”

“Wow, yours was
certainly more
happening than me...
Um, what's toastmaster?”

“No, same as yours yaar.”

“You can google that Or
I can explain on call.”

Hah, smooth way to ask for a phone number but Pallavi ain't falling for that. She googled it instead. A few chats in she realized Vineet was a thorough optimistic. He found joy in whatever he did and thought Pallavi's life was mighty fine the way it was. She also found he mostly had casual relationships & hookups and had no intention of changing that ever. It boggled her mind as this was something she would never do intentionally. That he chose to do something different from the norm and wasn't affected by his friends getting hitched even though he was 31 years old. His parents were pretty cool about his decision not to marry. His. Indian. Parents. Were they real?

However, Vineet did have one serious relationship at a point of time which made Pallavi wonder if that relationship caused him to change his ways now. Whatever. He was soon out of her mind as she got busy in life. This was around the time when she was scheduled to meet Umang and hookup with him. And then, you readers know the rest. That was the chat followed after Umang became MIA to Pallavi and she consulted Vineet about it.

It was around this time that their chats in Bumble got more frequent, too. Perhaps Pallavi was lonely after the hookup or perhaps she took interest in knowing about a person who didn't desire a life partner to survive.

“I don't want to be in a marriage setting. I'm comfortable in my independency. I love that I only have myself to look after and my parents.” He answered.

Naturally, Pallavi was impressed. He wasn't in denial, he was clear of what he wanted. Apart from this, she discovered he was a multitasker. Besides working as a data analyst in an IT company, he often worked on side jobs related to editing, webpage design, and proofreading.

Just then Pallavi came across a mind blowing coincidence concerning Vineet.

“Wait, you work in Capgemini IT?” She asked.

“Yes.”

“The one in Gurgaon?”

“Yes, why?”

Pallavi's eyes widened. Could this really be possible? She immediately messaged Aradhana confirming if she still worked in the same company.

“Yes.”

“Um, do you know someone by the name of Vineet Ahuja?”

“Hmm... That name does ring a bell. Let me check.”

A few minutes later, Aradhana replied with an office profile picture of Vineet. The face matched with the one Pallavi found on Bumble. She couldn't believe it. Aradhana and Vineet worked in the same goddamn office. What were the odds? Pallavi then filled in on how she found him on Bumble and chatted with him sometimes.

“I only met him a few times since we work in different departments.” Aradhana said. “Honestly, I find him strange and clingy.”

Pallavi could imagine that. She found him weird, too. “Strange how? Was he flirting with you?”

“Can't say. He was being overly friendly... I guess I don't like the vibe I get from him.”

Pallavi couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment at that. And here, she was almost warming up to him. What more surprising was how Vineet denied knowing Aradhana at all. According to him, Capgemini was a huge company. They had 1200+ employees working there. It was impossible to recognize all of them. Pallavi knew Aradhana was telling the truth. Either Vineet was lying when he didn't need to, or he really didn't remember her.

Pallavi started to avoid messaging Vineet thereafter. Or atleast she tried. Eventually he ended up pinging her up and she started chatting too. It wasn't like she disliked talking to him. Despite some shortcomings, he was optimistic, well-informed, and attentive to her.

“Which one you
play? 🎹🎸🎻🥁”

“Yeah, like I have a
musical shop with these.”

“Omg, you have
a musical instruments
shop!”

“Haha no! I play
violin.”

“Oho! Did you
master violin to
attract the ladies? 😉”

“No, no. This was my own
personal interest. Mere pass
baato ki dukaan hai na to
impress the ladies.”

“Haha honi bhi chahiye.”

“Although my lips
are capable of doing a
lot more than a convo. 💀”

“Ahaan, I'm sure your
ladies agree with that. 😌”

Another instance.

“So Vineet, you're a
Hanumaan bhakt?”

“Yeah, more or less it's
like a habit for me to
pray every night.”

“That's a nice habit.
My mother is a Devi
Ma bhakt.”

“Good. No wonder
you sort of look like
a goddess.”

“😳 Heh what, lol?!”

There were two things Pallavi had gathered from his conversations-- Honesty and flirtatiousness. Honest because he conveyed his intentions from the get-go. He didn't want any woman to misread his actions. He even once suggested Pallavi to consider him as an option if she wished have sex with someone because she wasn't getting from Umang anymore. He sure was mighty bold sometimes to the point of being weird which Aradhana pointed it out.

But Pallavi was no longer fazed by it.

Their chats were funny, playful and interesting, unlike the other chats Pallavi had on Bumble. Somehow their conversations clicked even while talking about mundane things in their lives.

Soon it transitioned to this.

I'm sleepy now so
goodnight 💤

Goodnight 😘

Night 🤭😘
Lol!

Ahan, sharma mat.
(Don't be shy)

I'm a shy girl Vineet.
Certainly not your
type of confident
woman. 👀

Aww cutie! Don't
worry, you are.
Hey uh, we've been
chatting for a while.
If you're comfortable
we can move to
WhatsApp.

Oho, straight to
WhatsApp.

I said WhatsApp, not
bed jo itni shock ho
rahi ho. 😂

Hahaa! 😂
Instagram is ok..

No, I'm barely active
there. It's ok if you
don't want to. If you
ever feel like adding,
me, say it. I already
mentioned it once.

Sure.

Should Pallavi add him or not? She was in a pinch. Adding him would mean going along with his kind of relationship or whatever he did. Was she up for it?

* * *

“So I don't go directly for a hookup right,” Vineet answered when Pallavi asked about it one day. “I meet the lady for a casual date. Get to know each other. Get comfortable.”

“How many dates?” Pallavi asked.

“One, two, three... depends. After that we get to sex and it continues on every date we meet.”

“Alright.” Pallavi nodded to herself. She further typed. “And women are okay with this?”

“The way you ask. 😂😂😂 Fun fact, many women are okay with casual.”

Pallavi frowned. Seriously? The female friends she knew in real life all pursued serious romantic relationships. Who the hell was okay with just sex? Perhaps in his world. “How long this continues for?”

“As long as they want. I've been in relationships that lasted for three and half years. I'm not the kind to get bored after sometime. I like to hookup with the same woman.”

“And I assume the reason they broke up was marriage or moving away right?”

“Right.” After a while Vineet added. “Why are you suddenly bombarding me with questions? You thinking of casual or curious.”

“Majorly curious.”

“Then I'm afraid I can't entertain you further. It's a bother giving long explanations when sooner or later you're gonna unfriend me.

“Why would I do that?” Pallavi was taken aback but then got her answer. They wanted different things.

“See, I don't think you're keen for casual, neither I'm going for marriage. Or I'm bad at picking signals.”

Pallavi let out a sigh. “Well, yes, my end destination is marriage... For now, I was just foolishly navigating.”

“Uh- huh, planning to have net practice on the way?” He guessed. She could imagine him smirking along these lines.

“I already had net practice with my ex if that's what you mean. 😌... But I guess I'd be open to meeting people if they are interested.”

“As a date?”

“But without expecting something would escalate after that.”

“Oh, meet without expectations.” Vineet replied. “Yeah, I've been on those dates. People go for it to fill their weekends.”

What was Pallavi thinking? It was as if she was treading on unknown waters. They soon chatted about other things while she wondered why he hadn't said yes to their date yet. Did she need to be more direct? Damn, he sure was a handful. He asked about her interests in graphic designing to which she showed some of her designs.

Sometime later, enough was enough.

“Can I ask you something?” When Vineet replied in an affirmative, she continued. “If I ask for that kind of aivai dates you had, what would you say?”

“The kind with no expectations?”

“Yeah... If and only if I'm comfortable with you physically and mentally then we can proceed for the second date...”

“Aww cutie! 😁” Vineet replied. “I liked that you're shy but you still asked in a nice, tactical way. What do you think I'll say?”

Her heart was in her mouth by now. But this couldn't deter away from the huge smile that escaped her lips. She knew his answer. “Gosh, I'm so clever aren't I? And innocent 😇”

“Innocent toh dikhti hai bas. Chaant ladki hai puri. (You only appear innocent by face. In reality, you are a sly woman.)”

“Haww 😮! And what about you? A girl is asking you out and you're still giving her bhaav (attitude).”

“As if she doesn't know my answer.” A few seconds later, he replied. “Here ping me at 98######## and I'll give you my answer 😘.”

Fuck, he sure had a way of doing things. Pallavi liked that. She liked that a lot. Soon after, she pinged him on WhatsApp.

Hi, Vineet. You've entered
Pallavi's humble abode.

Hi, Pallavi.
Itni jaldi.

No, not that abode. I
meant WhatsApp.
Not many get this
golden opportunity
from me. *flips hair*

Ahan! No worries,
waha bhi dheere
dheere entry ho jaayegi.
(Slowly slowly, I'll
enter there, too)

So confident, are you?

No, no. I can enter
anywhere... even
your blocklist.

Oh, God! 😂😂 Again why
would you think I'd block
or unfriend you?
Are you secretly a gangster?

At this moment, Pallavi was entirely floored by his witty replies. They chatted a bit more, confessing to how frequently they checked each other's pictures on Bumble and what they liked about each other. It was like an impromptu confession without the L part.

It's 1am now.
I'm sleeping. Gn.

Wait, come here!

Why?

😘
Now, go.

Behind the screen, Pallavi was beating her fist on the bed, grinning.

Kitna bada item hai tu.
(

Such an item you are.)

The kind you like.

I do. 😘
Now goodnight.

What followed was a long one hour voice call two days later. His voice was manly though still not as deep as Adhvik. Sometime later, she caught something about his accent.

“You're a Punjabi!”

“Yeah, Sikh punjabi,” He replied.

“Woah, great. Can you speak some lines in Punjabi for me? Pretty please!”

Their call was almost eventful. Almost due to the barricade of sexual questions he threw at her. She did answer some but it wasn't like she said yes to sleeping with him yet. She simply wanted to meet him first. Gosh, did he never have a platonic talk with a girl? She instead diverted him by asking about his job and college. She was appalled to know he neither drinked nor smoked. He used to do that frequently during his college days but stopped later as he valued his body more than alcohol. He even made a point to do yoga or some form of exercise everyday. It was nice when he talked about some of the funny incidents from his college days while Pallavi shared hers. That was when their conversation became eventful.

Eventually, they began planning what to do during the date and the place. Pallavi made a special albeit a strange request to bring a rose since her ex boyfriend never brought it for her. ‘Think of it as my fantasy’, she told him.

Now that you got a gist, let's fast forward it to their first date a month later.

Pallavi was told to meet at a fancy food court near a metro station in Delhi. She settled down on one of the chairs, waiting for him in anticipation. The underground floor was lit like a Christmas tree with one food stall after the another in a rectangular order. The stalls extended beyond the border as well. She settled down on the tables and went through some of their messages in the meanwhile.

‘Jokes apart, I may
become shy & 
awkward around
you the first time.’

‘Don't worry, hum
tumhe sabke saamne
gudgudee nhi karege.’

‘Lol, what?’

‘Nothing. Just be
yourself & chill.’

Around then, she saw a lean man in a green shirt and jeans approach her from a distance. Unlike his photos his hair were more curly, including his beard. But she didn't miss the twinkle in his dark brown eyes that recognized her.

“Hi. Sorry, did I keep you waiting?”
Vineet approached, extending his hand. Pallavi stood up.

“Not much. I was only here ten minutes ago.” She replied, shaking hands with him. She glanced over him, hoping to see a flower pop out of his hand or pocket but it didn't.

Gauging her gaze, he said, “Sorry, I didn't bring the rose. It slipped my mind.”

“Never mind.” She brushed it off. Perhaps she was wrong, expecting something like that from a casual guy like him. “Let's go.”

* * *

Vineet and Pallavi took their time touring the stalls deciding what to eat. Eventually, they settled for a Chinese platter that had fried rice, manchurian, fries and other unnamed dishes that went along two glasses of mocktail. A few minutes went by discussing about food and their preferences. He expressed his distaste on the mocktail although the platter was mouthwatering. He snapped a picture of their food but then moved his mobile camera to her.

“Wh-what?” Pallavi let out an awkward smile, placing a hand in front of her face.

“You look stunning, even better than the pictures.” He voiced out cooly.

She scoffed. “I bet you say that to every woman you meet.”

“Not all of them. I'm just an honest person who says what he thinks. And I think you're a beautiful woman,” He said, his eyes earnest. He further asked whether he could proceed to click some pictures of her. She shyly complied.

“Um, thanks.” Pallavi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, not exactly used to guys complimenting her. Her effort paid off though. She opted for her favorite navy blue one piece long dress with red shaded designs. The dress had frills towards its end and also held a thin strap brown belt.

Their conversation on the table continued for quite a while as they talked about socialising, outings, work and of course experiences.

“You had a threesome?!” Pallavi's eyes lit up but that wasn't it. “And you made out with the other guy, too... Damn, you've experienced it all!”

“Yeah, it was fun.” Vineet said. “But threesome takes effort you know. You need to get to know one another, get comfy, express your desires.”

“Yeah, I read about that. If a proper chemistry isn't established, then it becomes awkward very fast.”

Their conversation transitioned beyond PG-13 as they enquired about each other's erotic experiences. Amidst those conversations, there were subtle glances and raised eyebrows  between the two. More than anything, Pallavi was simply  enjoying socialising with someone outside her office.

“I think we should get going then. These mocktails aren't worth it anyway...” Pallavi said, mirroring his distaste with the mocktails.

“It's okay. You can have it,” He replied, pushing his glass to her side. His pink lips twitched when she raised a brow. “I know you liked it.”

Pallavi smiled in defeat wondering how he figured it out. He was a keen observer.

* * *

The date will be continued in the next chapter. So what do you think of this development? Your thoughts about Vineet. Hope you comment down below.

Happy Holi. See you next time. 😁