Amaya and Atul sat in soothing silence when Atul decided to end it. “What are your hobbies, Amaya?” he questioned trying to know more about his prospective bride.

“Nature Photography”, Amaya chirped. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “It is so serene to capture the breath-taking beauty of nature in a camera”.

“And it is so refreshing to relive those memories again and again when you look at those pictures”, Atul completed on her behalf as they both shared a mesmerizing smile establishing an unknown yet, desirable bond between them.

“Are you into photography?” Amaya enquired curiously.

“No”, Atul chimed in. Chuckling he added, “I am a terrible photographer. I am not even good at taking selfies.”

With a constant smile plastered on his face, Atul confessed, “I love to watch movies in my free time.”

Amaya chirped, “Me too”, to which Atul offered, “Let’s plan a movie date next time”.

“Are we meeting next time?” Amaya questioned sincerely with a perplexed look on her face.

“Yes, unless you don’t want to”, admitted Atul as a matter of fact. He had liked the girl and he looked forward to know her more.

“I would love to”, said Amaya looking everywhere but him. With a small smile plastered on her heart-shaped lips, her cheeks flustered at a mere thought of meeting Atul again. Somewhere in her heart, she wished he must not reject her.

Voicing out her thoughts, Amaya muttered, “Isn’t it weird to decide our lives with one meeting?”

“We can meet more than once”, assured Atul.

“What’s the point when ultimately you would reject me?” questioned Amaya glancing at the flooring of the restaurant. She did not want to appear as a vulnerable and desperate woman but a plethora of rejections had made her feel less confident.

Having faced rejections numerous times, Atul understood her unsaid fears. He too, would have not appreciated meeting a girl again and again if he would not have found her compatible. He admired Amaya and he wanted to know her more. Carefully framing the question, he spoke, “Why would I do so?”

“Umm...” Amaya fumbled trying to find words but failed miserably. Before she could cover up the things she had said earlier, Atul announced his decision, “No, Amaya let me be clear. It is a yes from my side.”

With an adorable smile on her face which glowed up immediately, Amaya expressed her fears, “Atul, I guess we should meet some more times. You don’t know me well.”

Being a sensible girl, Amaya never believed in taking decisions hastily. She respected the idea of marriage as a lifelong commitment so she wanted to make sure they both were compatible with each other before she announced her decision to her parents.

Atul was elated with the idea. With a smile on his face, he chimed in, “What?” and winked towards Amaya.

Sticking her tongue out and giving him a mocking smile, she guffawed, “I mean what if I am just feigning innocence right now in front of you but I am actually different.”

“I would love to know a different Amaya too, then”, reverted Atul chucking at her.

“You will run away knowing her”, she chortled.

“No I would love to cherish her”, he chortled admiring the different shades of Amaya. The girl surely had power to transform the gloomy atmosphere into a lively one with her cheerfulness, he thought admiring her chiseled collarbone.

“What if she curses and hail indecent profanities when she is angry?” asked Amaya raising her brows. She wanted to show her original self to her prospective groom.

“I will handle her annoyance too”, bellowed Atul.

“What if she gets unruly in hunger?” she asked winking at him.

“I will learn to cook her favourites”, he responded with utmost seriousness. Amaya was taken aback for once.

“Atul, you seem to be too good for an arranged match, man! So what’s going on in your little head?”, Amaya spoke her mind trying to sound as playful as possible.

Atul guffawed and spoke with utmost sincerity in his voice, “I am actually looking forward to find a companion for lifetime, Amaya so, we should be okay with making some adjustments in our lives to get along.”

“On a serious note, Atul, let’s take time, a month maybe.” Amaya spoke sincerely. Chuckling, she chimed in, “Let’s have a quarrel atleast. We will know each other’s real faces.”

“This sounds interesting”, he chortled. They both indeed, shared a good chemistry, he deduced.

Amaya glanced at the clock and realized, it was half past six. It was dusk, she realized and hence, decided to bid farewell to her prospective groom who coincidentally was an interesting man. “It’s getting late. I should leave, I guess.” Amaya announced.

Enjoying her company, he despised the idea of going to their homes. He knew his parents would pester him for an answer. He also knew that they were orthodox enough to not support his idea of meeting her again. After all, his parents believed in agreeing to a marriage proposal if the girl seemed to be good. Being old schooled, they regarded compatibility between couples as a foreign concept.

Not paying attention to her words, Atul complimented her, “Umm... Amaya, you have got really captivating eyes.”

“You are my first prospective groom who noticed them”, Amaya confessed. Genuinely liking the compliment, she thanked him heartily.

With utmost sincerity in his voice, Atul admitted, “I would love to be your groom, Amaya”.

“Umm... Atul what if I am not upto your expectations as a wife?” Fumbling, Amaya voiced out her insecurities. She knew she was not a very gorgeous lady as per the standards of the society. Moreover, her aspirations from her career and herself was another reason, society despised her. She closed her eyes, remembering one of her prospective grooms, who had rejected her saying,

“I want a homely girl. My mother is a homemaker and I want a housewife for myself. Working girls like you don’t be a good mother.”

Apart from all this, Amaya knew she lacked a perfect body. Belonging to a society where girls were objectified as a baby-producing machine, she zoned out remembering the humiliating words of her boyfriend years ago,

“Amaya, I think you should lose some weight. Also, please try some fairness creams. My mother feels that you earn well and you should pay attention to yourself. Begin grooming yourself.”

Atul, on the other hand, was flabbergasted for once. He wondered if the intelligent lady sitting in front of him was actually a mad woman. He had agreed for the wedding because he liked her. He could not understand why she was twisting her words and testing his patience. Closing his eyes in disappointment, he calmed himself and assured her for the last time, “Amaya, after talking to you I feel that we can go ahead. I wanted a career-oriented, independent girl who could be my companion for lifetime. Talking with you, I felt that you have these qualities.”

Having spoken this, a thought crossed his mind as he saw his reflection in the glass of water. He realized, Amaya wanted to reject him because he is was not a handsome man according to the standards of society. With a sedentary lifestyle, he had gained a bit of weight. He had begun losing some of his hair since last five years. He was quite dark in complexion. He realized the beautiful girl sitting in front of him could indeed, get a handsome man for her. He realized she was certainly not after his money because she earned quite well.

He remembered the words of his girlfriend. He was a nerd in the coaching institution he studied years ago and luckily the most beautiful girl of his batch was his girlfriend. Once he caught her cheating with his best friend and he confronted her. Upon the ugly confrontation followed by a nasty breakup, she had said,

“Atul, see I was in a relationship with you for your impeccable notes. Darling, look at yourself. You are so chubby. You should just fetch your degree. Fetching a girl is not your cup of tea.”

He shuddered, remembering that disgraceful comment which etched his heart even after so many years. Voicing his thoughts, he fumbled with words as he spoke, “Umm... Amaya, I know I am chubby, dark and baldy as they call these days. I may not be likable by appearance. So, I guess, I won’t feel bad with your decision, don’t worry. I am used to rejections.”