Marjaavan - A Journey of Arranged Marriage

Chapter 6

"You can start the meeting." I order and sit back. Looking around I have all their eyes on me since the moment I walked in and suddenly stopped in the middle to respond to Nandini's text.

Ignoring their stares, I look in front of me, at the powerpoint the presenter had made. Ridiculous. Even a college student makes a better powerpoint than this. Stay calm Malhotra.

Tuning the presenter's voice out, my mind drifts to Nandini. She has been really worried about her reunion. Not that she has anything to worry about unless she doesn't do as she is told. The thought is displeasing. I hope she calls me the moment she feels uncomfortable.

She has proven to be someone who doesn't like to be obedient. It would take everything in me to not get angry at her if she doesn't call me.

Last time I got mad at her for not calling me to inform that she had reached home and she so cutely managed to calm me down. It took me a few seconds to realize that I wasn't angry at her right after she spoke. It amazed me and shocked me at the same time.

"Mr. Malhotra, should we go ahead with the plan?" My thoughts of Nandini are interrupted. I look up and all their eyes are on me again.

Shit. What were they talking about?

"What was that again?" They repeat whatever was said and this time I listen and concentrate on them without drifting back to Nandini's thoughts.

Nandini's POV

I got ready in my black sleeveless jumpsuit with beige Louboutins. I grab my small beige Louis Vuitton bag that has gold chain straps and the LV is imprinted in gold. Something about gold details on things always has me buying them.

Taking a deep breath, I look at myself for one last time. I fix my hair that I have decided to let down in curls. I look at my makeup to make sure everything looks fine. When I'm satisfied with how I look, I move downstairs towards my car.

I try to calm my nerves and focus on driving. There is nothing to worry about. A book I had read about how to not worry comes in my mind. The author had written to evaluate the situation and come up with the worst-case scenario in order to prevent worrying yourself.

Let's try it out. What's the worse thing that could possibly happen? They could all gang up against me. But what are the odds of that happening? They are not monsters Nandini! Besides I remember being friends with most of them. I'm just scaring myself into this. Yeah, that's what I'm doing. I guess the author did have a point after all.

Shaking the negative thoughts away, I reassure myself with positive thoughts. If anything bad happens, I know Manik will come to save me. He will, won't he? Trust, Nandini, you need to start trusting people.

Taking a deep breath, I take a look around me. As I park my car, I realize that nothing has changed. The school still looks the same. They have done an excellent job at maintaining it but then again they have to. It's one of the most prestigious private schools in India. My parents sure did spend a lot of money at mine and Abhi's education.

The vivid memories of school days are running in my mind as I walk inside. The endless conversations, the laughter, the crushes, the giggles, the sadness as we said our goodbyes on the last day. They are all still very new in my mind.

"Is that you Nandini? Oh my god!" I hear what seems to be the voice of one of the nicest girls we had in our school, Jeevika.

I turn to look at her and she is standing with her group of friends. Unlike her, her friends weren't that nice and we never got along well. It still is a mystery to me how they became friends.