No Choice: You Were Always Mine

There was a strong smell of all the delicious food that was being made. Today Samaiya's mother and grandmother teamed up to prepare a feast, this was a rare occurrence and would only happen on special occasions.

The men and Samaiya and her sister were sitting in the living room having casual conversation. Everyone was waiting for the main ladies' of the household to start the main discussion.

Samaiya was seated beside Ishaan, they hadn't directly talked to each other yet. It was just basic pleasantries, which was kind of annoying. But this was still a traditional household even if her parents were much less strict about the various societal pressures that were forced on woman in India. She would talk with Ishaan privately when she finds an opportunity.

Thinking of talking with Ishaan, Samaiya's thoughts started spiralling with various thoughts, 'what she would say, would it be awkward.'

Ishaan noticed the tense Samaiya that was sitting beside him, she had an awkward smile and was, extremely stiff. Holding in the laughter that was about to escape from his lips, he slid his hand on top of hers.

Samaiya relaxed, with the warm sensation and the firmness of Ishaan's hand. For some reason she felt calmer with is touch, she also felt weird at the smoothness of his move.

Akshara noticed her brother in-law's move. Deep inside of Akshara, her m.a.t.u.r.e and protective side felt satisfied. She was happy that her sister could find happiness and a rock within Ishaan.

Mrs Agarwal and Grandma entered the living room, they had changed from their sweaty clothes that they used to cook and wore silk Sarees.

The men saw that everyone was present, so they began the talks of marriage.

"The madam has arrived, so shall we get to the main topic." Mr Agarwal said, teasing his wife a little.

Mrs Agarwal ignored her husband's childish behaviour. Putting all jakes aside she started, "Let me ask, both of you something, before we start moving forward.

"Do both of you agree on this marriage? Think carefully, you will live the rest of your lives together." Mrs Agarwal asked, very serious about her daughter's future.

"Yes."

"Yes."

Both Samaiya and Ishaan agreed, with no hesitation.

For Ishaan, he has always believed that he would live with Samaiya by his side, for the rest of his life.

Samaiya needed to overcome many obstacles before she could truly give someone her heart. Though she still had to overcome many obstacles before she could give her heart, she knew that if she would give her heart to someone, it would be the man sitting beside her. She was willing to heal and learn to love herself, from there she would learn love Ishaan. 'Perfect timing' is something that exists only in the magical world of fiction, she would decide her 'Perfect timing' and 'Perfect person'.

"Looks like everyone are on the same page, shall we move forward and start the arrangements?" Mr Singh asked his soon to be in-laws.

"Yes, you brought a pandit?" Mr Agarwal asked Mr Singh, eager to prepare for a surely Big Indian Wedding.

"Yes, I have, he is from the place where I come from, he should be arriving soon."

"Namaste, Namaste." A loud voice rang out. "Is anyone home?" The Pandit stood outside the open door.

Everyone stood up to greet him and give their respects.

"Panditji please sit." Mrs Agarwal said.

"Panditji this is my son and soon-to-be daughter, we want to know the auspicious dates to hold the ring ceremony, the wedding and the other ceremonies." Mr Singh enquired, as everyone was seated comfortably in the living room.

"Han-Han of course. Could you give me their date of birth, their star sign…?" The Pandit started his questionnaire of different information on the couple. He sat quietly for some time, analysing the information he was given.

No one dared to speak a word, they didn't want to disturb the Pandit. They waited in silence for the Pandit's thoughts.

"Well… looking at their Rashi, they seem to be a good match for each other. Honestly, they have very good harmony and they will always support each other. But they can have problems in the future, if they get through it and keep their trust for each other, they will be able to overcome anything." The Pandit stated the couple's compatibility.

The Pandit then told everyone the auspicious dates for each ceremony to be held.

"Thank you Panditji for coming, please continue to bless our family." Samaiya's grandmother said, as the pandit took his leave.

"May god bless this family. I will go now, have a good day." With these words the Pandit left.

"Everyone, time for dinner. We will talk more after eating." Mrs Agarwal shooed everyone towards the dining room.

There were not enough seats to seat everyone, so the children, Ishaan, Samaiya, Akshara took their plates and went to the living room to eat.

"Be careful when you eat, Do Not Drop Any Food on The Rug!" Mrs Agarwal warned sternly. "I will make, whoever drops food to clean the rug by hand. Especially Akshara."

"Mom, I'm not a child that carelessly drops food." Akshara w.h.i.n.ed, feeling wronged.

Samaiya couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, which brought her a deadly stare from her sister.

"The moment you can eat without dropping any food on anything, I will grant you anything you want, as long as it's reasonable." Mrs Agarwal said, completely confident of her daughter's careless behaviour. She would have never made such a promise if there would be a chance of coming true.

"Mom I think that's an impossible task for Akshara." Samaiya chimed in her own thoughts.

"You Shut up! No one asked you." Akshara snapped at her annoying sister. This behaviour brought another chuckle on Samaiya's lips.

"Both of you, don't fight, we have guests. Now disappear and eat your food before it gets cold." Mrs Agarwal pacified her daughter from causing a scene.

"Mom, remember your words." Having the last say, Akshara walked off to eat the feast present in front of her.

Today for dinner there was Paneer butter masala, which is cottage cheese which is first fried slightly, then added to a creamy gravy which had a mix of spices. It was creamy, which provided a balance to the spices. They then had Bengan ka Bhartha for the side dish, which is made by cooking the whole eggplant directly on the fire, which provided a smoky flavour. Then peel the skin and make a mash mixing chilli and black pepper. They had basic roti, allowing the curries to shine. Mrs Agarwal and her mother in-law had made Biryani, which was cooked perfectly with the correct amount of spices and the rice not being sticky. For Desert they had home-made Gulab Jamoon.

The food made everyone's mouth water.

"Wow, today's food is extremely good." Mr Agarwal said, as he dug in, forgetting that he was a host. Mrs Agarwal felt helpless at her husband's behaviour.

She gave him a small nudge, to draw attention to his guest. Understanding his wife's cue, he remembered that he was the host and needed to pay attention to his guest.

In the living room, Akshara was eating very slowly, trying her best to not drop any of her food. She was eating so slowly, that she started to lose her patience.

1 - Panditji : Hindu priest.

2 - Han : Yes in hindi.