Continuation from the previous part
Twinkle’s POV
I was fifteen when I understood my parent’s last condition – the reason why I was not allowed to have a boyfriend. I was with Chinki on our way to the school lobby to go home when I saw a strikingly handsome guy wearing white shirt and faded blue jeans leaning on his rugged pick-up truck door. He looked soooo gorgeous… tall, lean and strong. His face was bronzed by wind and sun… and the set of his chin suggested a stubborn streak.
Oh my God… I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Who is he?
His profile was sharp and confident… and his hair, silky straight dark brown hair ruffled by the breeze… he was devastatingly handsome. Then his eyes caught mine. I instantly looked away. I felt embarrassed for being caught staring at him. It was not my nature to stare at a guy or even look; it was the other way around. Yeah, I was used at guys who dozen stare at me, openly, without shame. I knew I was attractive to boys… guys… or men. I was aware of it since I was a kid. He was probably twenty… or twenty one… “Oh! Kunj is here.” Chinki gasped.
“Kunj?” I asked her in confusion.
“I have to go. Bye Twinkle, see you on Monday.” Chinki smiled and waved at me.
“Bye….” My jaw dropped looking at Chinki embracing the guy named Kunj, lovingly and adoringly. They looked so sweet together and it seemed like they missed each other so much. I felt a sudden twinge of jealousy – of Chinki, for having a gorgeous boyfriend like Kunj. At that moment, I really wished I was Chinki. I went home thinking of Kunj… and Chinki. I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
I’ve never felt this way before and I never had a great crush on someone, ever before. That evening, after dinner, I talked to my mom. “Mom, how will you know if you’re in love?” My mom, Leela Taneja frowned. “Are you?” It took so long for me to answer. I heaved a sigh and said. “Maybe, I… don’t know.”
“Twinkle, you’re still young. You have to concentrate on your studies first.”
“I know mom. It’s just that I saw this guy this afternoon, and… I can’t stop thinking about him.”
“Oh… that’s not love, Twinkle. That’s infatuation.”
“Infatuation?”
“Yes. It will easily fade. Tomorrow, you’ll forget about him.” I smiled and asked the question that was bugging me for almost a year already. My grandma, told me about this but I refused to believe her. “Mom… can I ask you something?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Promise you’ll not get mad?” She sighed heavily. “I won’t.”
“Is it true that grandma was arranged to marry grandpa before they even met in person?” Mom smiled at me, then ran her fingers through my long hazelnut brown hair.
“Yeah, it’s true. And look at them now; they are still so madly in love. There’s been a marriage made in heaven.”
“Oh.” I stared at my mom, thinking. “Why am I not allowed having a boyfriend mom? Are you planning for an arranged marriage for me too?” My mom gasped and just looked at me. “It’s true, right?” I asked her. “I… I…” My mom stammered.
“It’s for your own good.” “For my own good? How come?”
“It’s hard to explain now. But someday, when you’re older, you will understand.” I tried to control my temper and my tears. “Who’s the unlucky guy to marry me, mom?” “Don’t say that, Twinkle. He will be a very lucky guy if he’ll marry you.”
“Mom, please…. Just tell me who the guy is.”
She shook her head, then later on said. “It’s Yuvraj. Yuvraj Luthra.”