Arranged Marriage (Completed)✔

Part 57

*Please excuse the mistakes*

As decided, Arun and Neha came to a mall for shopping.

"What do you want to do first? Eat or shop?" Arun asked knowing that Neha would be hungry.

"No no! First shopping and then eating," Neha exclaimed as her eyes gleamed with excitement. "You aren't hungry, are you? Did you have your lunch?" she asked seriously.

Arun passed an amused smile seeing her excitement, "No, I am not hungry and yes I had the lunch that my beautiful wife had made for me."

Neha grinned and lowered her gaze as she asked, "How did you know that I prepared your lunch? I had done everything exactly as mom had taught me."

Arun smiled at that and said, "First reason, because I am eating food prepared by mom from the time I was a baby, so I recognize her dishes very well and I have seen that you always add your own special touch to whatever you make. There's always a slight difference."

"Of course! How can I forget that?" Neha exclaimed slapping her forehead, "And what's the second reason?"

"And the second reason was that when I was leaving, you were still not ready. So, I guessed that you must have prepared the lunch for today and so you were running late."

"Smart, huh?"

"I am born smart wifey," Arun said with a wink, "Now come on, "saying thus he held her hand and started walking while Neha let her eager eyes roam around all the shops.

After taking two tops for herself in her hand, Neha roamed around searching for her husband.

'Where did he disappear now?' she thought in mind as she started walking around the brightly light space surrounded by an army of colorful clothes.

'There he is!' her mind exclaimed as she found him near the section of the ethnic wear. But, what she saw made her stop in her tracks. She was standing not too close to him but neither too far, just enough to see the emotions on his face.

Arun had halted in between when his gaze fell on a beautiful royal blue-colored saree on the mannequin. It was so beautiful that it instantly attracted his attention and the color reminded him of Neha...her favorite shade of blue. How much she loved wearing sarees and how much more he loved seeing her in those. He had not met many girls who could carry the attire with so much grace as Neha did. Her love for wearing sarees sort of reminded him of his mother who, too, had the same habit.

These might be the reasons that he had started falling for her the very first time he saw her...she was in a simple saree, but it looked perfect on her. The confidence, elegance, and comfort with her attire were clearly shining through her body language and expressions.

He had always thought that he would gift her a saree someday, but now he lost the chance. He knew that he would have to wait a long time for that or maybe never...never again will he be able to see her wearing a saree.

With an internal sigh as Arun turned to walk forward, his eyes met Neha's. At first, he was worried that how would she react seeing him looking at the saree, but then he sighed looking at her smiling face. An indication that she didn't realize what he was doing.

But, maybe it was a false indication. Yes, it was false because Neha was just pretending that she didn't notice Arun looking at that saree. First, she thought that he might be looking at it for mom or someone else, but then looking at the saree she realized that its look and choice was not something that appealed to their mom. Neither did Swara like sarees.

Her heart understood that his gaze on the blue-colored cloth expressed something else. It may be that she was mistaken, but his eyes expressed a kind of wish...a wish to see Neha in that saree. As this idea settled in her mind she realized that when she threw away all her sarees, she never thought about how Arun would feel.

'Does he want me to wear sarees again? Does he miss seeing me wearing those?' these were the never-before-thought questions that erupted in her mind.
'He never said a word to me about throwing them away, but now...'

But she didn't know what to ask and moreover the start of their morning was not so pleasant with the reminiscing of the past and so she didn't want to do it again. Therefore she pretended to be oblivious to what he was doing.

When Neha, trying to forget the image of the saree, went ahead into the trial room to try out the clothes, she was in for a surprise!

'This dress...what is it doing with me? When did I take this?' Neha thought as she looked at the purple-colored knee-length, off-shoulder dress.

This dress had captured Neha's attention because of its color and most importantly because of the cloth of which it was made of, pure velvet. Anything that had the feel of velvet was Neha's weakness.
But as most of the time it happens, Neha suppressed her desire to own that dress because of its high price. And she also reasoned to her heart that she'll never get an occasion to wear such a dress, so what's the use of buying it?

But now standing inside the trial room, she couldn't resist the urge to try on the dress. And voila! It was exactly her size!

She looked pretty in it, according to Neha. She took a long look at herself in the mirror as her mind debated whether to buy it or not.

'It's a one-time opportunity Nehu! Have you seen a dress like this before? Just buy it! I know you have the money so go ahead pay for what you wish to own for your wardrobe.' Neha's mind was constantly trying to persuade her.

'Umm...what if I ask Arun? Yes, that would be better. A second opinion is always good.'

So Neha opened the door of the trial room and popped her head outside searching for Arun. Yes, she found him but what she saw made her frown.

A young woman was standing in front of him and talking about something. It wouldn't have mattered if she wouldn't notice the uncomfortable expression on her husband's face. He had put on his polite smile, but his eyes were darting around as if looking for an escape.

To take a proper look Neha stepped outside and what she saw made her scowl. Her fingers curled inside to form a fist at her side when she saw the said woman touching Arun...no her Arun to be precise and he, still politely, removing her hand.

It didn't take a moment's hesitation to march towards the duo. Trying to control her unusual anger, Neha just tapped the shoulder of the said woman who had her back towards her.

Arun had sighed in relief when he saw Neha's face, but when the two women faced each other, he was in for a surprise!

"You are married!"

"You are married!"