A Page Left Blank

Chapter 3: Uninvited Past

"What will I do?" She asked as if the answer was obvious. "Run away from home, exchange vows with him in the temple and then do a court marriage."

Rufaida momentarily let go of the calorie counting and turned to focus her attention on her two friends. The minute Kiran uttered what she did, Amrit gave her a look of disbelief, and Rufaida almost feared she was going to pass judgmental remarks. She didn't need that, for she was running out of stamina drying Kiran's tears.

However, contrary to her thoughts, Amrit's face broke into the biggest smile and she clapped her hands, saying, "Runaway wedding? Really? I've always wanted to witness one."

Rufaida facepalmed herself at her comment as she continued, "But Kiran, I'm warning you, as your bridesmaid, I can't miss out on the fun of the wedding, okay? And also, make sure you run away in a car made of glass so at least your dress will be seen from outside. Make sure you also tell the driver to drive really slowly, because in front of your parents we'll have to pretend like we're stopping you from committing this crime, and since I'll be all dressed up and wearing stilettos, it'll get difficult to run."

"Sure Amrit," Kiran answered sarcastically, "While I jump off the cliff, why don't you also go looking for the best designer in the city to design the dress you'd be wearing for my funeral?"

"Right! I didn't think of that. After selecting the dress I'll be wearing for your wedding, I have to keep one ready for either yours or Gaurav's funeral!" As an afterthought, she added, "Or maybe both."

"Seriously Amrit," Rufaida shook her head, "You have a twisted sense of humor."

"I'm just trying to lighten the atmosphere," she justified, "Look at Kiran, her name means ray of light, and here she is, cloud of darkness."

"Hey! That's –" Kiran opened her mouth to protest but suddenly, something else caught her attention.

"Amrit, guess what?" She prompted, her eyes glinting with mischief. "You were absent the first day and wanted to know about that guy, no?" She questioned, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Her eyes sparkling, Amrit bobbed her head and turned to look at the guy her friend pointed at.

"Wow," she breathed, "Not bad, Rufaida, I like your choice," she grinned in appreciation. "He's a 9.5, just give me your consent and I'll go talk to him, and with the way he speaks, I'll tell you if he's capable of being a 10/10."

As Kiran and Amrit gawked at the guy in front of them, where Ahmed sat with his friends, munching on nachos and speaking whatever it is that guys spoke, Rufaida sighed.

"Girls, lower your gaze," she muttered and then exhaled when she realized this rule didn't apply to them since they were not Muslims.

"We can stare, babe, we can stare all that we like," Amrit spoke aloud her thoughts.

"What's say, Kiran, shall we set her up with him?"

"Seriously, stop," Rufaida interrupted, slightly annoyed.

"But why," Amrit whined, "He looks so smart, not just his looks but his overall personality too. I'll get another reason to dress up if you get married."

"Plus, he practices your religion, so unlike me, your family wouldn't even have a problem! Everyone will be happy," Kiran added for extra effects.

Smacking her hardbound record on the bench that she was sitting on, she finally managed to garner their attention, not once looking at the guy they were mentioning.

"You two are young adults now, so behave like your age, okay?" She reprimanded. "Stop acting like teenage girls who unnecessarily read too much into things and prepare themselves for heartbreak by spinning fairy tales."