Love After Forced Marriage - Episode 18

 

LOVE AFTER DIVORCED 

Love After Forced Marriage - Episode 18

Theme: {melting his anger.}

Authoress Isabella Library 

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           Karan walked into the pub, greeting his friends with a nod. They were all seated at their favorite table, drinks in hand.

"Speaking of which, Rohan, you haven't told us about your blind date," Abhi said, turning to Rohan with interest.

 "Rohan went on a blind date?" Karan asked, curiously.

 "Yes, I did."Rohan nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

 "Wow, how did it go?" Karan asked, intrigued.

 "The best ever, and I'm praying she's willing to go out with me again."He said, smiling deeply.

 "That's nice, who's this lucky girl?"Abhi leaned in, his eyes sparkling with interest.

Rohan hesitated for a moment before responding. "Someone we all know."

The group stared at him, confused.

 "Someone we know?"Karan's brow furrowed.

 "Yes."he nodded.

Abhi's eyes narrowed. "Come on, tell us, who is she?"

 "Arya." He said, revealing the truth.

The group fell silent, their faces filled with shock. Karan's eyes widened in stunned surprise, his mind racing to process the information.

Abhi's voice broke the silence. "Arya? Like Arya?"

"Yeah, the Arya we all know...Karan's ex-wife. She was my blind date, the one my mom set up for me."

Karan's face turned ashen, his eyes fixed on Rohan in shock. Abhi turned to him, concern etched on his face.

   "Are you for real?" Karan asked, his voice laced with skepticism.

 "Yes, I was surprised myself when it turned out to be her. I never knew she had this kind of my type quality. Believe me, it was fun, and I loved every bit of it." He gulped his drink, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and then turn to Karan. "Hope you don't mind, Karan?" he asked.

 "Why would he? They aren't married anymore. I'm happy for you, bro." Abhi said.

 "Thank you. When I told my parents about her, they're dying to meet her."

Karan remained silent, as he gulped his drink.

"That's nice. At last, you found someone after several years of being single."Abhi teased. his eyes twinkling.

 "I guess that's about to change."Rohan chuckled.

The group laughed, except for Karan, who looked on.

"Are you okay, Karan?" Abhi asked.

 "Yes, I'm fine. It's just that...I'm just surprised."

 "You don't have to be. It's a good thing Arya is ending up with someone like Rohan. She'll be safe."Abhi said, reassuring.

Karan nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on his drink, and gulped it again. The group continued chatting, while Karan remained quiet, lost in thought.

    

     *KABIR'S MANSION*

   Grandma Viti was about to head to bed when the door opened, revealing Karan's angry face.

"Karan, what is it?" Grandma Viti asked,  Karan moved closer to her,

  "Seriously, Grandma, you couldn't think of other men to fix Arya up with on a date, and it had to be Rohan, my friend?" he asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

Grandma Viti's face remained neutral, her eyes calm. "So? Do you have a problem with that?"

 "Of course, I do!"

 "So, what exactly is the problem?" She asked.

"Why does it have to be Rohan? He's my friend." He said.

"I don't see anything wrong with that. They both agreed on the blind date, they met, and they liked it. So, what's wrong?"

 "You don't get it, Grandma." He sighed tiredly, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"I don't seem to get you, Karan. Why are you bothered by it? Arya is not your wife anymore, so I don't know why you're bothered about who she goes out with or not."

Karan's face fell, his eyes avoiding Grandma Viti's piercing gaze. He sighed again.

Meanwhile, Samara, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, slipped away unnoticed. She walked back to her room, her face scrunched up in a frown. She sat down on the bed, her arms folded across her chest, a deep crease etched on her forehead.

    

   Karan trudged down the hallway, his eyes cast downward, his face etched with dejection. Arya emerged from her room, her eyes locking onto Karan's for a brief moment. She quickly looked away, her expression neutral, and walked past him, heading towards the kitchen to get herself a glass of water.

Karan sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping further, and continued on his way to his room.

♦♦♦♦♦

The next day, Arya walked through the bustling market with Maya and one of their workers. They strolled along, picking out fresh produce and other essentials. Suddenly, Arya's attention was drawn to two kids running wildly through the crowd, one of them clutching a face cap in his hand. Another kid, dressed in neat, expensive-looking clothes, chased after them, demanding they return his cap.

Arya's eyes narrowed, as she watched the scene unfold. She noticed the stark contrast between the two groups of kids - the ones running away with the cap looked rough around the edges, their clothes tattered and worn, while the kid chasing after them looked like he belonged to a wealthy family.

    Arya stepped into the road, blocking the two kids' path. They paused, their eyes wide with fear as they gazed up at her. But Arya's warm smile eased their anxiety, and they relaxed slightly. The kid who had been chasing them, Ram, finally caught up, breathing heavily.

   "Give me my cap!" he demanded, his face flushed with exertion.

 "Does the cap belong to him?" she asked the two kids.They nodded in unison, their eyes downcast.

Some market women had gathered to watch the scene unfold, their faces filled with curiosity.

 "They stole it from me!"

 "We didn't steal it, we were just trying to get your attention."One of the kids spoke up, his voice trembling.

 "That's not attention, that's stealing!"Ram's face darkened.

Arya's smile returned, and she gazed at Ram with kindness. "Calm down, young man, you don't have to blame them." She turned to the kids. "Now, give the cap back to him and apologize."

The kids nodded, their faces contrite, and handed the cap back to Ram.

"Please forgive us, we didn't mean to," they said, their eyes cast downward.

Ram's expression softened, and he took the cap from them. "We're sorry, we were just trying to play with you," one of the kids added.

"Come on now, say something to them."Arya said, talking to Ram.

"Fine, I'm sorry too that I ignored you two." He said, his face relaxed.

The two kids smiled, their faces lighting up with joy.

"Now, you two promise me you'll never do that again to anyone just to get their attention." She said.

The kids nodded eagerly, their eyes wide with sincerity.

Ram smiled at Arya. "Thank you, miss."

Arya smiled back. "You're welcome."

Ram turned to the kids. "Do you guys like the cap?"

They nodded enthusiastically, their faces lighting up.

 "Okay, when next I come to the market with my mom, I'll bring one for you. I have a lot of them at home." The kids' faces lit up with excitement.  "You two can always wait for me at the prayer house. I'll find you there."Ram added,

The kids smiled and waved at him, then skipped away, their faces filled with joy.

The market women watching the scene smiled, nodding their heads in approval, and returned to their stalls.

   "Thank you so much," Ram said, his eyes shining with gratitude.

 "You're welcome. So, do you know where your mom is?"

Maya and the staff walked over, holding shopping bags filled with foodstuffs. Ram's face lit up with a realization.

"I guess my mom and my brother are worried about me now. They didn't know when I chased after those kids. Maybe they're in the prayer house waiting for me."

 "Okay, then I'll take you to them."

Ram nodded happily, and Arya took his hand. They walked away together, accompanied by Maya and the staff.

Meanwhile, Rohan and his mom were frantically searching for Ram everywhere, their faces etched with worry. Mrs. Singh was crying uncontrollably, and Rohan was trying to calm her down.

Just then, they heard a familiar voice calling out from behind. "Mom!"

Rohan and his mom turned quickly, their faces filled with relief. Rohan's eyes met Arya's, and he looked surprised.

"Ram!" Mrs. Singh exclaimed, rushing over to her son. She enveloped him in a tight hug, tears of joy streaming down her face. Ram hugged her back, his face alight with happiness. "What happened? Where did you ran off to?".

 "I was chasing after two kids who took my cap, but this lady helped me." He pointed to Arya, and Rohan's eyes locked onto hers. 

 "Arya?" Rohan called out, his voice filled with surprise.

Arya's eyes met Rohan's, and she looked equally surprised. "Rohan."

Ram and his mom exchanged a curious glance. "Arya?" they asked in unison, their faces filled with surprise.

 "Yes, Mom, she's the Arya I was talking about."Rohan nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

Mrs. Singh rushed over to Arya, her face beaming with gratitude.

  "Oh, my dear, thank you so much for bringing my boy back to me."

Arya smiled nervously, her cheeks flushing. "It's nothing, aunt."

"Please, I'd love to invite you to a family dinner. I've heard so much about you. You're so pretty."

Arya's smile faltered, and she looked nervous. Rohan intervened, his face gentle.

 "Mom, that's enough. You're making her nervous."

 "I couldn't help it."Mrs. Singh chuckled.

Arya's driver honked the horn, and Arya glanced over. 

 "Um, we'll be on our way now." Maya and the staff entered the car, waiting for Arya to follow. 

 "Okay, I'll let you go," Mrs. Singh said, smiling at Arya.

Arya gave a brief hand greeting and turned to leave. Rohan rushed over to her, his face eager. "Arya." She turned back to him, a questioning look on her face. "I'd really love it if you accepted my mom's invitation," he said, his eyes sparkling with hope.

 "Sure, I will." She said and Rohan's face lit up with happiness.

  "Can I get your contact, then, if you don't mind?"

"Sure"She nodded, took his phone, and dialed her number before returning it to him.

  "Thank you," he said, his eyes shining with gratitude.

Arya smiled and waved at him as she entered the car and drove off. Rohan's family waved at them as they departed.

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