Skyye lounge, Bangalore, 7:45pm.

The man who stood before me was Adonis personified. He was about six feet tall and had a ripped body. His muscles were protruding slightly due to the snug fit of his white t-shirt which he had teamed up with a casual black blazer. He sported a messy hairdo atop his handsome face and beads of perspiration were visible on his forehead as if he'd been working out just minutes ago. It made him look even sexier. His right hand slowly started moving towards my face. I observed his long and slender fingers along with his wrist which was adorned with multiple wristbands and a silver 'Kada'.

Slowly, the hand started moving left to right in front of my face and I saw his lips moving again. The hand movements snapped me out of my trance and I mentally slapped myself for behaving like such a freak.

"Um...Miss...Hellooo...Can you hear me? Your phone..." Said the hunk before me.

I stood up immediately and cut him off midway.

"Madhyam? Madhyam Singhania? Hi, I'm Nandini Murthy." I said, giving him a shy smile.

He looked at me quizzically for a few seconds-his forehead creased with frown lines- and for a moment it seemed like he had forgotten his own name.

"Yes, Hi! I'm Madhyam." He finally said, though he still seemed a tad confused.

As soon as I heard him confirm his identity, I started doing a happy dance in my head.

This hottie was my fiancee?

Nandini, pull yourself together! You don't want to get married, remember? I forcefully reminded myself and sat down, gesturing him to take a seat as well.

"So, miss Nandini, who are you? Tell me about yourself." He asked authoritatively, just a few seconds after we had taken our seats. I was completely disarmed by his question!

This is how he wanted to start off? No casual icebreakers to reduce the awkwardness? No discussions about the weather? I had to hand it to him, he certainly didn't beat around the bush.

"Um...I'm 21 years old and I'm currently interning at ISRO, here in Bangalore. I completed my high school education from Lourde's High School in Mangalore." I was going to tell him more about my internship when he interrupted me.

"Is this a job interview?" He asked, smirking .

"Um...no"I replied, confused.

"Then, why are you reciting the details in your C.V? I asked you who you are, not what your profession is!" He stated coolly.

"Um..." I stammered as I struggled to come up with an answer.

Who am 'I', really? If I take away all the craziness for science and love for my family, what's left? Aiyappa,why is this man so intimidating? How does he manage to get me tongue-tied so easily?!

"Come on, Miss Nandini. I'm sure you can come up with a better answer. Tell me about your interests, your likes and dislikes, what you're passionate about apart from work, etc." He paused for a moment and said in a seductive voice, half-smiling -"Or better yet, tell me about your darkest secrets and desires..."

"Stars, fireflies and music." I blurted out, before I could stop myself.

"What?" He asked, curiosity visible on his face.

"I love looking at the stars in the night sky. They give me hope and remind me of my childhood. Appa and I used to go stargazing together when I was a kid. He even bought me my own telescope! After my parents died in a car accident, stargazing was one of the few things that made me feel close to them. I used to imagine them as stars in the night sky, communicating with me silently through their eternal sheen. Perhaps that's why I chose this profession..." I snapped out of my rant and looked at him. I found him looking at me with a beautiful softness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to burden you with my family history. It's probably too heavy a topic to discuss on a first date." I said immediately.

He took my hand in his. I felt a distinct tingling sensation in my spine as his hands touched mine.

"Hey, It's okay. I'm sorry about your parents. I'm sure they would have been very proud of you!" He said with the utmost sincerity, giving me a slight smile. However, there wasn't a hint of sympathy in his eyes. I could definitely make out that he wasn't going to treat me any different from others just because I was an orphan. This made me feel all the more special.

Aiyappa, why am I sharing such personal information about me, with someone I just met minutes ago? Moreover, why does it not feel wrong?

"So you like music?" He asked a few seconds after we stopped staring at each other.

"Yes, My Amms... I mean my grandmother is a famous classical singer, so she taught me everything there is to know about Carnatic music. I used to love playing the Veena and singing along but now, I think I've lost practice. I got so busy with studies that I stopped singing altogether."

"Music is not that easy to get rid of. Once you embrace it and welcome it into your life, it stays with you, Hamesha. Time's got nothing on something as magical as music." He said, his eyes glowing.

It made his face appear even more handsome.

"So, what about you? Any interests apart from the Singhania business empire?" I asked.

It was time I knew something about him.

"Music!" He replied, immediately."It makes me feel at ease and calms me down. Moreover, it's music that brought me close to my four best friends in the whole world. When we make music together, I feel complete..." He stopped midway and started looking downwards, suddenly conscious of his words.

"Madhyam, I wanted to ask you, how come you agreed to an arranged marriage?" I posed the question before I changed my mind.

"Arranged marriage?!!", he seemed utterly flabbergasted. I was surprised too. Didn't he know why we were meeting?

Aiyappa, he's such a puzzle!

He briefly looked at the entrance of the restaurant for a while. His facial expression seemed to change all of a sudden. There was a hint of paranoia on his face.

After his expression returned to normal, he finally said, "Nandini, let's not talk about that right away. Let's just take it one step at a time!"

His answer annoyed me, but before I could protest further he asked, "Nandini, will you dance with me?"

Dancing and me? I was born with two left feet, for sure! There was no way I was going to make a fool out of myself in front of everyone in the restaurant!

"Um... no. I don't dance..." I refused.

"Come on Nandini, for once in your life take a chance, and live a little!" He exclaimed. "Or are you too scared to risk it?" He asked, with a smug look on his face.

'Nandini Murthy doesn't back down from challenges!" I stated, determination evident on my face as I placed my hand in his and stood up.

He smiled and slowly led me to the dance floor.

Or should I say the corner of the dance floor? Is it me or is he trying to hide from someone at the entrance?

All these thoughts were immediately flushed out of my mind when he held my waist and pulled me closer. I crashed against his chest and put both arms around his neck to muster some support and prevent myself from falling.

"Sorry!" I muttered, embarrassed.

"It's okay. Don't worry, I won't let you fall." He assured me, and all my worries disappeared.

He might have meant it only in the literal sense but his remark gave me more peace than I was willing to admit.

Our bodies swayed together to the slow romantic music that played and our eyes remained locked together. It felt so good to be this close to him and inhale his musky scent.

He then twirled me two times and to my surprise picked me up by the waist, in the third turn. I let out a small gasp as I felt his nose graze against the nape of my neck.

The whole world seemed to fade out. It seemed so right to be in his arms. I didn't know for how long we continued dancing. The next thing I heard was applause. The crowd seemed to have loved our performance and we seemed to have moved from the corner to take centre stage. I found myself blushing out of embarrassment and looked up to see Madhyam give me an expression of approval.

"Excuse me! I have to use the washroom." I whispered to him as we were making our way back to the table.

I immediately changed tracks and walked towards the washroom before he could object. I reached the washroom and looked at myself in the mirror.

"Nandini Murthy, you've got to get a lid on your emotions. You don't want to get married!" I reminded myself, looking at my reflection.

Atleast I didn't, until I met him...the thought just involuntarily popped into my head.

Aiyappa, what is happening to me? Am I falling for him?!

*****