The Golden Bracelet

oh nakhrewaali

@oh_nakhrewaali

Link to the prompt: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/159378204

Thank you tournesol for beta reading and your amazing suggestions.

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The Golden Bracelet

Sunder tapped his foot nervously against the printed flooring of the café. Meenakshi was the third girl he was seeing at his father's insistence. But after the first two meets went horribly wrong, no thanks to him and his eccentric family, Sunder put his feet down and decided to meet the girl over coffee.

The doorbell hanging at the cafe's door chimed, and Sunder looked up. Meenakshi entered the café with apprehension clear on her face. He waved, and she smiled softly.

Dressed in yellow salwar kameez, Meenakshi looked ethereal. Sunder couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked. She sat opposite him and smiled awkwardly.

"Hi,"

"Hello,"

She extended her hand out for a handshake, and they shook hands.

"Am I late?"

"Oh no, I just reached some 10 minutes ago,"

"Did you order something?"

"I was waiting for you." He signed at the waiter who came and gave them the menu card.

"I am famished. Today was so hectic," Meenakshi said as she read the menu.

"You could have cancelled,"

"And have Amma yell her head off? Please, no," she looked at the waiter.

"One Ceaser salad and iced tea, please," she smiled politely at him.

"And an arrabbiata and cold coffee. Thank you," The waiter nodded and took away the menus.

"I'll let Amma know that I am here," she said, and he nodded. He looked at her as she texted. With each passing second, her expressions became hostile.

"Sorry, it was my Amma. She was scared that I would say something that would make you run away." She said exasperated, finally after a few minutes, and put the phone aside.

"No worries. You should have seen how my Appa grilled the other two girls," Sunder chuckled.

"The other two?" Meenakshi raised her eyebrows. He looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his head. 'You spoke too soon, Sunder,' he said mentally.

"Yeah... um... I met two girls before you. But it didn't work out."

"Oh. I met a guy last month, but he started asking me about my virginity, so I rejected him,"

"D*ck!" Sunder muttered and looked at her, hoping she didn't hear him swear.

"I agree," she rolled her eyes, and they burst out laughing.

"So, why do you want to get married?" she asked after a few seconds. His posture had suddenly turned into stoic, and she looked at him as if searching through his soul.

"I... I am looking for partner," he said, not sure what to say and hoping that it would suffice. But there was a sudden lurch in his navel, he grunted uncomfortably and looked at Meenakshi, who was frowning.

"Did you just lie to me?"

He looked at her in horror.

"I... I am sorry," he said hurriedly.

"Tell me the truth," she said, a bit sternly.

He looked at her for a few seconds. Guilt shame washed over him. He shifted in his chair uncomfortable and decided to be honest with her.

"Ok, I don't want to get married now. In the future, sure, but right now, I want to focus on my career. My family has a saree business, but I love coding. My Appa has given me the ultimatum; I have to either land a job in this one year or join his business. So, I want to focus on the job hunt, and marriage is not my priority,"

She broke into a smile.

"Man, I can't believe you caught my lie. Am I that bad at lying?"

  "Yes." she chuckled. " And about the marriage thing, I too don't want to get married right now. I just got promoted to the Head Designer and I don't think I handle so much at a time. Plus, I want to get to know my partner, at least for a year before I get married." 

He looked at her in surprise and smiled.

"We both don't want to get married because of our careers, it's like a match made in heaven," Sunder said, despite himself. He knew it was stupid sentence the second it left his lips.

"Please don't say that," Meenakshi whined.

"My Thatha has been obsessing about our names. According to him, just because our names match Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, we should get married." she sighed heavily and looked at him. He looked at her, waiting for her to break into a laugh and say that she was joking, but she did no such thing.

"He was joking, right?"

"Nope, he was dead serious." Sunder couldn't help but shift nervously.

"Relax, I am not going to marry you or any guy named Sundereshwar. I am not that much of an idiot," she said sarcastically, and he faked a smile.

"My family keeps insisting that I check my body every time I meet a girl for the soulmate mark,"

"Does your family believe in it?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes, my Appa and Amma have matching marks from their touch. She had touched his feet, and that had left a mark. And they can never lie to each other because the soulmate connection can help the other know if they are being lied to," Sunder explained. For the world, it would have seemed absurd. But it was one of the few beliefs that Sunder shared with his family, having witnessed the love between his parents.

"My Thatha and Paati had marks, too. His was on his nose because she had accidentally smacked him when they met for the first time," Meenakshi broke into chuckles, and Sunder smiled.

"It has faded, now that she is gone," she continued sadly. Sunder wanted to hold her hand but instead just said, "I am sorry for your loss," she nodded, accepting the condolences.

The waiter came back with their orders, and they ate in complete and companionable silence.

"So, what should tell our parents?" He asked Meenakshi as she signed the waiter for the check.

"I don't want to get married to you, so you can tell them that it's a no,"

Again, there was a lurch in his navel, followed by the realization that she had just lied. But at the same time, his heart sank. He looked at her, unsure of how he had caught her lie. 

"Meenakshi, be honest," he said softly.

"Ugh! Fine! I do like you, but I don't want to get married now. I thought if I say that I don't want to marry you, you will reject me, but you caught my lie."

"Just like you caught mine." He wiggled his eyebrow, making her roll her eyes.

"Sure, we are a couple of Sherlocks," she said snidely.

"Then we need to find our Watsons soon," he said lamely, and she made a poker face.

"Sorry, bad joke. But in my defense, you started it," Sunder said, though he was a bit proud of the joke.

She opened her mouth to retort, but her phone pinged. 

"My cab is here. I should get going," Meenakshi said, her tone slightly sad.

"Yeah." He stood up and waited for her as she collected her belongings. Sunder walked her to her cab and watched her as she sat inside the cab.

"Sunder?" 

"Yeah?" He bent to meet her eye level.

"This weekend, I am going to watch Eternals. Do you want to join me?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her ear and blushing.

"Yes," he beamed.

"Just to be sure, this is a date, right?" he asked in a few seconds, making Meenakshi giggle.

"Yes, and I hope you like the MCU."

"I am not that much of a fan of superhero movies, but I think I'll the movie more if I watch it with you." 

"That was really smooth flirting" she said, slightly taken aback and he smirked. "Bye Sunder, I'll text you the details."

"Can't wait," he said and stood straight. The cab took off, and Sunder watched it vanish among the sea of cars in the Bangalore traffic. He ran his hand through his hair, and that's when he noticed a golden ring around his wrist. It looked like a bracelet. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at the road again. A tiny part of him hoped that the cab was still around, but it wasn't there. But that didn't upset him. He stared at the mark and touched it with reverence.

He had found his soulmate.