"Is this all for me? Aww, you're so sweet, Maa." I said when I went to the dining table full with every kind of dishes. It looked like a feast and I was drooling over the delicacies in front me. It had been a long time since I ate Indian food and my mother's at that. Nothing beats a mother's cooking.

"In a way, yes, but we are also expecting guests today," she said, stuffing a gulab jamun in my mouth. Mm-mhm. I truly missed these. She chuckled when my face scrunched in absolute delight.

"Guests? Who?"

"Sharma, Baba's old friend. He's coming over with his family." I nodded, hearing her.

Sharma Uncle was Baba's only friend. He often came to our house with his son when I was young. But they stopped after a few years, because they'd moved to Delhi. This was the first time I will see them after all these years.

"I've prepared an outfit for you, go and change into those. And hurry, they'll be here soon," she pushed me upstairs in a rush. What a hassle! I seriously didn't want to entertain any guests. I just wanted to spend time with my family but guess nothing goes my way.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

What the fuck! I grimaced, looking at my reflection in the mirror. The outfit Maa prepared was a traditional salwar suit. I have long worn them before going to Vancouver but this is way too far from normal. It was so shimmery, I thought I'd go blind if I looked at it a little more.

I was supposed to have dinner and not attend a wedding, for god's sake. Why does Maa always had to go overboard with my clothes? If I wear this to dinner then I will surely die of embarrassment and discomfort. I can't wear this, I'll have to ask Maa for something else.

"Maa, isn't this dress a bit shimmer-" I yelled from the stairs but my voice trailed off at the end as I saw six pairs of eyes staring up at me. The guests had arrived. Sharma Uncle, his wife and their son. The tall, handsome one. With whom I was currently holding eye contact. He had a gentle smile tucked on his lips along with amusement in his eyes. I stood frozen on the staircase, unable to move.

“Karu!” I passed an awkward smile when Maa called out to me. I cursed under my breath before walking down the stairs, still wearing that heap of glitter.

Fortunately, it seemed like no one heard me earlier. Good. After greeting the guests, we all sat down for dinner. Half of the dinner passed by hearing Mrs. Sharma bragging about her son and Maa doing the same thing.

Welcome to the classic brown household dinner, where everyone brags about their children.

Well, I gained a lot of information about the young Sharma. I got to know that Ved graduated summa cum laude from Delhi University, landed a 80 LPA package, received early promotion, and was now settled with his own apartment at the age of twenty-five. Impressive.

I looked over at him. He had an awkward smile plastered on his face and pink tinted his cheekbones. He was embarrassed too. If I remember correctly, he was a nerdy and shy kid but looking at him now, he seems like a different person.

He grew up to be a fine young man. His manners were excellent, he was polite, humble and respectful. Complete opposite from a certain someone. Now that I remember, Nolan had sent me several texts which I forgot to check. Who cares anyway! They must be the same bullshit as always.

The Sharma family were good people, aside from the fact that Mrs. Sharma was a chatterbox, who wouldn't stop talking about her son. By the time dinner ended, I even learned why Ved was named Ved.

Mrs. Sharma chuckled while covering her mouth, "Why don't we let the kids talk in private?"

Uh, excuse me, Mrs. Sharma? I stared at her for a second. Her eyes kept darting between me and Ved.

Don't tell me she just meant me and her son?

My eyebrows raised, not at her suggestion but at the fact that she was even allowing a grown man and woman to go in private and even suggesting it in front of everyone. Maybe, modernization is doing its wonders.

But I didn't really want to speak to anyone right now, let alone to a young man in private. I could count on Baba to reject-

"Sure, sure." Baba nodded in agreement and my eyes widened. What! Baba is agreeing to it? Plus, he was beaming. He didn't even look that enthusiastic when his favorite team won the IPL.

"They should get to know each other."

And what for? I don't know what was happening. Why do we have to know each other in private? And why are my parents even allowing that. Didn't I always have a man ban? This is weird.

I was only recovering from my shock when I noticed Ved smiling at me and raised his eyebrows. Message clear; 'Shall we?'

I nodded and got up followed by him. I led the way to the veranda attached to the main hall. The cold breeze and a garden full of my plants greeted us. The atmosphere outside was very peaceful and calm, while my inner atmosphere was in chaos.

I stopped in front of the railing and turned around, looking at everything but him. What am I supposed to say? What should I do? Dear God, save me! This is awkward.

I was praying internally when I heard him chuckle. Did he just laugh at me? I looked at him with wide eyes. Confusion taking over my mind. I glanced at my outfit and brushed my hair to see if there was something wrong with them but there wasn't.

He stopped, and our eyes met. "You were right, it is a bit shimmery," he smiled without any hint of mischief. Like he wasn't making fun of me or trying to embarrass me.

I was confused by his words. This is the first time we were talking then what is he- Oh right, I yelled this on the stairs. Heat crept up on my neck and cheeks at the realization. He had heard it.

I pulled myself together and tried to continue the conversation. Now that he initiated it, I should at least try to continue further. "A bit? This is a lot of shimmer. It's actually outshining my beauty," I half joked. Nothing beats joking to warm up the mood.

"No, it is not. Trust me." An ever so gentle and shy smile ghosted his lips.

Did he just flirt with me? I don't think so, maybe I heard it wrong or he must be joking. I nodded, thinking to myself. After that for fifteen minutes we talked about this and that until he got a call, which he had to answer.

He made a hasty but sincere apology, which wasn't even needed after he returned. "I'm sorry again, that was important. It was so rude of me, I apologize." So, I reassured him that it was fine. He was a little too well behaved and polite.

"It was nice meeting you and I hope we get along in the future too. See you next time then."

Huh? What is this? Will we meet again? Before I could confirm with him, everyone came outside. My family. His parents. They must be leaving. Everyone had a grin plastered on their faces and for some reason it seemed suspicious.

"You children weren't coming in, so we thought we'll get you. Looks like you enjoy each other's company," Mr. Sharma commented on which he earned a nudge from his wife. She laughed and signaled something to him with her eyes.

She then looked at Ved. "We have to go, honey. It's late."

Ved nodded at his mother and passed me a smile before bidding his goodbye to us. They left and I released a tired sigh. Today was surely a long day and the meal felt like forever. But some things that happened today were a little suspicious and weird to me.

If only I could make sense of everything that has happened today.