A/M FF:Contract Marriage 'Personal Secretary' Pg11 - Page 3

"The In-Laws"

Ever since Adi had left her house, Maithilli has been pacing around the room thinking if she had done the right thing. This was the time when she most needed her friend, her only friend, who unfortunately was out of country. She wanted to call him and ask him to return, but she knew this would have been selfish from her part. He had gone to meet his parents after a very long time and she didn't want to spoil it for him. Nevertheless, she knew what he would have said. If he was here, he wouldn't have let her do this. He would indeed be more than happy that she was getting married, but if he knew under what circumstances she was getting married, he would be furious. Maybe it was good that he was out of town she thought.

She, like all other girls, had dreams about her weeding. For a moment, she had even considered of backing up from the deal. But then again, she remembered his words and the sadness of his voice. She couldn't possibly be that heartless. She had lost her parents and she knew what it felt like. If she would have been in his place, she would probably do the same thing. Except for the contract marriage idea, she would simply just get married. She couldn't possibly come up with an idea like that. But Vikram Aditya Mehra was a business man and he very much thought like a business man too.

It was 6 pm and Maithilli was waiting for Adi to come and pick her up. She looked at herself at the mirror, she was wearing a beautiful pink salwar kameez, which was gifted by her friend on her birthday. For a second, she thought about wearing a sari, after all, she was going to meet her future in laws. But she knew that she wasn't going to be very comfortable in it. She couldn't even remember the last time she wore one.

She had glanced at the time once again, it was getting late and he wasn't there yet. In the mean time, she thought she would make herself some coffee to drink. Coffee, always made her feel fresh. She was in her kitchen, when she heard the door bell ring. As she opened the door, he entered, and this time, he hadn't even bothered to ask. She followed him inside.

"I'm…sorry I'm late…I had to get this for you…" he said handing her a small velvet box.

She slowly opened it and was amazed with the beautiful, yet very simple ring in it. But why did he even bother to get her a ring?

"The thing is… I have a sister, who is extremely smart, and if she even gets a tiny bit suspicious, she will know that we are faking it…and since I had told them that I have asked my 'girlfriend' to marry me…a ring was indeed needed"

For the first time, she had smiled at him. It was nice to see, that Vikram Aditya Mehra was scared of his little sister. And for the first time, Adi was happy that she didn't give him her usual shock/scared look.

Their silence was broken with the sound of the coffee maker. As Maithilli went to the kitchen, she heard Adi's voice form behind.

"In case, you are wondering, I will have some too. But without sugar"

How could someone drink coffee without sugar she thought? But it was none of her business, at least not for now. While she was silently drinking her coffee, he talked about his grandfather and sister. From his descriptions, they seemed to be very lovely. There was a part of her that was excited to meet them yet there was another part that was scared, what if she screwed up.

During the whole drive, they were both silent. Maithilli was fidgeting with the ring on her finger and Adi would now and then glance at her. Once the car stopped, she looked out by the window. It was a beautiful house. As she was about to open the door, she suddenly felt Adi's hand on hers.

"You don't have to be that nervous, just be yourself, its going to be fine" he said looking at her. He tried to ease her before they entered.

As they entered the house, Maithilli couldn't help but notice the dcor of the house. It was simply beautiful. Everything seemed to fit perfectly in place. She seemed lost in the beauty of the house when Adi called her.

"Maithilli…Meet my daadu and my little sis Tannu"

Maithilli looked at the elderly man in front of her. It reminded her of her own father. As she went to take his blessings, he had stopped her. He instead took her in his arms. Maithilli was touched by his gesture. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen and felt that much love, that too for her.

"Mera bete ko, itni pyaara si ladki kaise mili?" said Suyash and gave her his blessings (How did my grandson my get such a beautiful girl)

Tannu who was standing there, was wondering the same thing, something felt fishy she thought. By seeing Tannu's suspicious look, Maithilli came closer to her and said

"You must be Tannu…he talks a lot about you"

Maithilli extended her hand "I'm Maithilli"

Tannu in return, hugged her. She didn't care if something felt fishy. She liked the girl standing in front of her.

During her whole visit, Tannu had been with her. She even gave Maithilli a complete tour of the house. Adi and Suyash were busy discussing about the wedding. Adi wanted something small while Suyash wanted something grand. He was his only grandson and he wanted it his wedding to be special. While grandfather and grandson were arguing, Ramu kaka had informed them that diner was served. They would decide about it later on.

After diner, since it was already late, Adi had the responsibility to drop Maithilli home. Just like before, they had both been quiet in the car. As Maithilli stepped out of the car, Adi called her from behind.

"Thanks" he said and left.
Maithili laid on her bed, thinking about her evening. Suyash was a very affectionate person and Tannu was an adorable, bubbly girl. Maithilli had always wanted to have a sister like her. This contract marriage was not going to be as bad as she thought.

*****

The next day, in the evening, Maithilli had gone to visit her brother. The doctors have always been positive about his case. As she entered his room with a bunch of flowers, she saw him on the bed, his eyes closed. She put the flowers on the side table and sat beside him. As she took his hand in hers, tears had formed in her eyes. However, these were tears of joy, the doctors had just informed her that he was gradually responding to the treatment. And this was indeed a very positive improvement. She couldn't wait for him to fully recover. He was the only family she had left. She stayed there for a while, even if he was in his sleep. She just liked being around him.

After her visit to her brother, Maithilli went straight home. She sat in front of her computer and went through bunch of emails. She was about to delete them all, when she noticed, there was an email from her friend. A smile automatically formed on her lips, as she saw it. He informed her about his whereabouts and that he intended to stay a few more weeks. He had some important work to finish before he could come back. She had immediately emailed him back. She gave him the good news about her brother. She was about write him about her wedding, but then decided not to. Once he was here, she would explain him everything or partially everything.

*****

Like every usual Monday, Maithilli was in her cabin preparing some documents when she noticed that Adi hadn't come in yet. Her boss was never late for office. A sudden thought crossed her mind. What if something had happened to his daadu? Maybe she should call Tannu and ask she thought. She was about to dial her number, when she saw him entering his office. For some reason, he didn't seem happy. Well she decided not to bother him. As she continued with her work, her phone rang and it was none other than Adi asking her to come in his office." What now...?" she thought but, she went to his office.

"You called me Sir" she asked as she entered. Adi gave her a weird look and she understood why.

"I'm sorry…I mean Adi…" it felt strange to call him by his name, but she knew she would have to get use to it.

"Listen…I tried my best to convince my daadu, but he doesn't want to listen. He wants to have a big wedding. Plus there will even be family mehendi ceremony the day before" he said. It was obvious that he wasn't happy with the idea of a grand wedding.

"And also…I'm giving you a whole week off…"

"A week off?" she questioned.

"Yes a paid week off, for the wedding. Plus, my sister is on her way, she wants you to help her organize the wedding…and talking about my sister, here she is" he said as Tannu came in the office.

"hmm…so the two of you are here…" she said teasingly staring at Maithilli.

"Oh…Bhabhi, I'm so excited. I couldn't even sleep for the last two nights. I have been planning everything in my head… the food, the decor, everything…the only think I'm confused is about the wedding dress…should it be red, pink or maroon"

"She looks good in pink" came Adi's voice from behind. Not actually knowing why he had said it.

Maithilli and Tannu turned around to look at him, while Maithilli unknowinly blushed. Looking at their faces, he continued "I mean… she always wears pink…it seems to be her favorite color"

Tannu started to laugh after hearing his last comment and Maithilli in some way was delighted that he actually noticed.

"Bhai…if you want to see Bhabhi in pink just say it. I won't ask for an explanation" she said teasingly

"Well bhabhi, I guess it's decided. You are going to be dressed in a pink bridal wear" she said smiling at Maithilli who had slightly blushed.

As Adi saw them leaving the office together, he noticed how fast Tannu had attached herself to Maithilli. Was that good or bad, he didn't know. What would happen when she would one day learn the truth? he thought. However, he didn't think to bother much about it. He would deal with it when the time would come. At the moment, all he knew was that is grandfather and sister were both very happy. And this is all that mattered.

Coming up: The wedding