"Who?" Latha asked him to test his fib. Sanal looked at her and said

"Mom, do you suspect me?!!"

"Yes!!" Latha spoke looking straight in his eyes. Sanal got angered and took out his phone. He scanned his phone till he found the one face that would convince his mother.

He showed her the face of his so-called lover. Latha was again shocked at the face on the phone screen.

Dino came running to see the face that his friend had shown to Latha. 

Sanal looked at the angered face of his friend who clenched his jaw. Dino saw the sneaking way Sanal used the website photoshoot reference as a convincing tool for his mother.

Latha smiled at the choice of his son. She hugged him and asked his approval again to be sure. Sanal blindly agreed at the smilingly face of his mother.

Vinay and Sameer entered the house after hearing the loud talks between the mother and son. They rushed to stop Sanal in tensing Latha more and tell him about her fragile health condition.

Latha showed the photo to Sameer who looked at his son in amusement. She told him that Sanal had wished to marry the girl in the photo.

Vinay was internally admiring how luck had played in the favour of the naïve Sanal.

"So, you wish to marry her, is it?!!" Vinay asked his stubborn clueless nephew who looked here and there.

"Yes, coz...um...I-I love her...yeah, I love her and I will not marry anyone but her. And...and if you try to marry me off to someone else, I will...I will remain a celibate for life!" Sanal blurred out whatever ideas came to his mind.

Vinay raised his eyebrow at the drama that his nephew was trying to pull. He thought to stretch his nephew's imagination and waited till he finished his monologue.

After the silence that prevailed in the Menon household following the dramatic dialogue delivery of Sanal Menon.

Vinay looked at Sameer smilingly and put his hands on his nephew's shoulder.

"Ok," Sameer smiled widely at their attempt to sweetly trap their stubborn Sanal in his own web.

Sanal was confused at the approval given by his tenacious uncle and before he could clarify.

"So, how about the next weekend? We can keep the engagement the next weekend and the marriage after a month? How's that sound? Satisfying?!!" Sameer talked professionally with his son who was lost for words at the way his family was behaving.

First, they agreed to his tantrum.

Second, they were happy for his choice.

Third, his stubborn, vicious, so-called mafia of an uncle was happy with him!!

Latha patted Sanal's cheeks and went happily to do her chores.

Vinay and Sameer left to the study room followed by Soumya who looked at her brother calculating in the air.

Dino came near his friend and patted his shoulder saying

"Well done, my clueless lover. You have your family agree to your wish, finally!! Good luck in convincing them that this *circling his hands* was a LIE!" Dino then left angry at his friend who used a poor soul as his scapegoat.

Sanal sat on the couch still clueless at the event that favoured and in a way not favoured him.

"Yeah, hey, how are you buddy? Long time. An exhibition? Where? You mean the City hall galleria? Oh, Ok. Send me the tickets. I will come. Yeah, see you," Sanal kept the call and thought to take a cold shower to cool his hot head.

Varma Residence

Prisha was shaken by the decision kept in front of her by her family.

Sharanya held her hand lovingly waiting for her response.

"What did he say? Is he ok with the...the...alliance!" Prisha looked at her mom who tightened her hold.

"They will tell us by evening," Pradeep told her who got up and turned to leave for her room not before

"Then I will tell my decision after that," She turned and looked at her parents.

"Sharu, are we burdening her with this alliance. I mean we can wait. I just don't want her to...you know..." Pradeep told his thoughts to Sharanya who smiled at him saying

"Pradeep, don't worry. We will take the decision only after her approval and not before that. ok"

Previn hugged his mother saying

"Yes, mom. we don't want our Ishu to endure any problems. So, Dad. Only after Ishu says that she is ok with the alliance, will we move forward," Pradeep was happy that his family wanted only the happiness of his fragile daughter.

At the club,

Dino was tensed at the blunder that his friend caused keeping Prisha as his ticket to freedom.

"Hey," Dino screwed his eyebrows at the call and decided to avoid him.

"Dino, please. I didn't know that they would agree so quickly. And even agree for that matter! I just wanted to get away from their constant nagging!" Sanal tried to explain his situation to his friend who folded his hands and looked straight in his eyes.

"So!! you could have told them anything! Why take Prisha? And that too, marriage?!! Are you out of your freaking mind?!! *huff* Sanal, let me ask you one question. Answer me truthfully?!!" Dino was getting boiled up by the minute.

Sanal didn't want to lose his friend and nodded his head to answer without any lies.

"Do you love her?" Sanal was taken aback by his words and shaked his head.

"I-I don't know. I mean yeah...she takes my breath away. But...as you said, marriage. I don't know. I too don't want to spoil her life! She is too fragile for this! Dino, please help me!" Dino looked at the helplessness of his friend.

"Then tell them the truth. Coz, I don't know any other way wherein you can save your stupid ass from this!!" Sanal buried his head in his hands at the clumsiness caused by him that would not only effect his family but her family too.

Prisha's room

'Ok, Don't worry'

She thought about Sunny and realised that he was a lost incomplete story in her life.

If she agrees to this alliance, she would never see him.

But her family will be the happiest.

It was not like she was in love with him. Maybe it was just an infatuation.

These thoughts lingered her mind as in to pacify herself of the conclusion that her love story never began to end happily ever after.

Sharanya entered Prisha's room and conveyed that the groom had agreed for the alliance.

Her mother hugged her out of her happiness. Prisha teared up holding her mother's shoulders and ended her chapter which had never crossed the first page of her love life.

Few days later

Prisha was getting ready to go to the gallery exhibition that her friends had arranged for their jolly trip.

At first, she refused. But when she had suddenly went missing for so many days, she could not refuse her friends who swore on their friendship.

"Ishu! Let's go!" Gaurav screamed from the front seat of the car. Benny pulled him down and shouted at him for ruining her pet car.

Benny loved her car more than anything. She would wash it like every day and even converse with it like it was an animate object.

The Galleria

"Buddy, I think we should go to the adjacent hall. Some nice melodies are coming from there!" Dino hummed the music irritating Sanal.

Sanal gave him the death stare to quiet him who was lightly bouncing at the music.

Sanal was taking down the artist's contact to look into his artwork later.

They both went outside the hall to move to the next one, suggested by Dino.

Bump!

"Oh! Sorry!" Prisha saw the one man she wanted to avoid.

Maybe it was fate that these two used to always bump into each other.

*Sigh* Sanal half smiled at his l'art and gazed at her as always. He felt his heartbeat race at her aura and realised the effect she had on him with just her alluring, innocent eyes.

https://youtu.be/rgSgsfWw85c

She moved out of his way irritated and walked towards the music galleria hall. Benny and Gaurav smiled weirdly at Sanal and followed her.

Sanal couldn't understand her behaviour. He followed her to know her ignorance.

Dino didn't like the way things were moving. He followed his anger streak friend to avoid the obvious.

Prisha was conversing with the artist and smiling in between.

Sanal was just ogling at her and wondered if fate really wanted to join them as married couple.

He approached her when he saw that the artist had moved to talk to someone else.

"Prisha!" Sanal called her and she stopped abruptly looking back at him.

"Can we talk?" Prisha moved her head sideways, planning to ignore him for her good. But Sanal was adamant and took her hands asking her again.

She nodded her head at his words, as she also wanted to end her feelings for him.

They went near the corridor and were silent.

"If you want to talk. Please be fast," Prisha moved her hair behind her ears. She showed her dislike to his advances which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Can we date?" Sanal asked her bluntly to which Prisha looked at him with shock.

"No!" She tried to move out but he caught her hand.

"Just once. Then I will not disturb you...ever," Prisha looked at his resolute eyes and shaked her head as a no.

"Why?" Sanal asked her to which she said

"Coz, I am getting married! Got your answer? Now leave me," Prisha jolted her hand but Sanal's grip was strong.

"Dump him!" Sanal started teasing her to check her genuineness to their marriage.

"What?! I am not that type of a person. And moreover, marriage is not a joke to play with! So, Mister please leave me alone," Prisha joined her hands in front of him who smirked at her. It was amazing that she was still not aware of his full name. She turned and moved away from him taking her broken heart away from him, forever.

"What if I don't?" Prisha halted her steps at his daring words. She teared up and looked down at his adamant words which were acting up her feelings confusing her. She bought back her stance and looked back at him who gave his perfect smile for her.

She turned and looked at him with full confidence. She walked to him and gulped her sorrow saying

"Then you will lose the remaining respect that I have for you, Sunny." Sanal was amazed at her shaky words and looked down with a scoff.

Sanal saw that she was on the verge of tears and he nodded expressing his approval to 'leave her alone' putting his hands in his pants pockets.

Prisha left the galleria teary eyed followed by her friends. She didn't dare to turn around as she would end up in his arms if she did.

Dino smiled at his friends changing aura for his l'art. He just hoped that his friend should really fall in love with her and even more in the future.

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