Marriage: Rewritten

Chapter 4

I lean against my scooty waiting for Gautham. Every passing bike grabs my attention and makes me stand upright. However, none of them stop in front of me - a clear indication that it wasn't him.

The sound of my phone ringing in my pocket startles me and I reach out to find Manisha's name flashing across the screen. My finger immediately swipes the green icon and I could hear her voice even before my phone is stacked against my ear.

"Neha, hey, I'm so sorry. They just told me what happened. I'm really sorry for leaving you hanging." She does not even give me a chance to speak as she continues with her rant. The apprehension in her voice stood out to point how truly sorry she was.

"Oi, it's okay. It happens. You didn't leave me stranded on purpose, did you? It's cool. You don't have to apologise." I kick a pebble across the street. I really wanted to be there to show her how truly excited I was for her but I was too tired to have any strand of energy in my voice. Today was a long, hard day and standing in a place about which I have no clue is not something I was looking forward to. At the same time, I knew my frustration was misdirected and I should not take it out on her. So, I tried to sound cheerful. "Get everything ready. I think I'll be there soon."

"Why was your phone engaged for so long? Is Gautham there yet? It seems he left ten-fifteen minutes ago. He should be there." She sounded less stressed than she was when I picked her call.

"There's no signal here and about Gautham, no, he isn't here. Listen, Manisha I need a help from you. Can you send me some photo of Gautham? I have no idea how he looks and I don't really know him. How do I even identify? So, if you don't mind, can you please just send me his pic." I tell her. If you were me, you'd understand why this is a valid concern. I wouldn't put it past me to follow another person assuming it's Gautham because I am too shy to ask. It's better safe than sorry.

"Of course, I'll hang up and send you. Also, as soon as you start from there, give me a missed call. Okay?" She asks me.

" Yeah, okay." I answer her and we do the customary okay-bye-mmm-bye before eventually hanging up.

I get a WhatsApp notification from Manisha and I open it immediately to find she has already sent the picture. But, there was not enough signal for me to download the image. I walk a few steps forward to the road and find that it has better network. The picture starts loading faster.

The sound of a bike hovering closer grabs my attention. The picture in my phone, now clear as day, matches the features of the person who was driving the bike.

He stops in front of me. He was hesitating and I knew he wanted to ask if I was Neha but didn't want to come off as creepy in case I wasn't. I decided to spare him the trouble.

"Gautham?" I ask him, already knowing what his answer would be.

A smile immediately lights up his face and he nods. He presses his eyes shut and it was very obvious he was trying to remember my name. It takes him a solid couple of seconds before it struck him.

"Neha?"

"Neha." With those words falling out of my mouth, his smile only grows wider.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked me, as I walked to my scooty. He started his bike again to make a U-turn. I push my scooty forward to be in the same level as him and open my phone to show him his photo. He chuckles in return as I shrug to shake off the embarassment.

"Not stalkerish at all, should I be scared?" There was something so calm about his voice. It sounded better than it was through phone. He had the kind of voice that would make you want to keep listening. I didn't want to make a fool of myself by opening my mouth so I just laughed in return to his question. He smiled back.

"Shall we leave?" He asked me revving his bike.

"Of course." I answer him getting ready to follow him.