Arranged Love

Within a room, where light only entered from the cracks of an inky curtain, laid a young man. His face was semi covered by an ashen blanket, yet his hair -the colour of soft charcoal, remained exposed. His eyes shut, as the curtain of his long eyelashes sat, gently caressing the tops of his tawny cheekbones.

"Aarush!" a loud voice pierced through the day's gloom; a voice that came from the corner of the room, where the threshold of a door had -unfortunately- been situated.

The young man's eyes fluttered open at the unwanted interruption. Light snuck through the curtains and turned the caramel in his eyes into a field of hazel, the sharp light caused his face to twist into a grimace and his tired eyes closed once more.

Like a wave pulling away from shore, his blanket slid from his face as he got up from his bed with a small groan of his indignation. "Yeah?" Aarush sighed. Lifting a hand, he began to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Getting out from the grasps of the haven we call a bed, the blanket fell from his body like a cloak, exposing his bared torso. A lean build, with a bit of carved muscles covering him was visible in his semi nakedness, a dishevelled but relatively handsome young man stood, annoyed at being stolen away from his drowsy reverie too soon.

He made his way towards the door and slowly turned the handle. "Mom?" Walking out of the room with only a pair of shorts on, he looked at the short hallway which led to a spiraling staircase.

"Aarush, come downstairs, I want to show you something." A feminine voice entered his ears.

Not even going back into his room to change, he walked towards the dizzy stairs and made his way down. "Coming." He took his time, taking each step as if it were his first. His right hand, which was covered with a few burn scars, held the rail tightly. 'What does she want to show me? It's my day off, I should atleast be able to sleep in.' A deep breath puffed out as he shook his head. His messy hair bounced as he walked down, becoming an even bigger mess. Raising his left hand, he dug into his hair and tidied it up slightly, but it only made it worse. Of course, he didn't notice this.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he was presented with a large front door, which was haloed by golden lights, which penetrated from the top glass window. On the right side of the staircase was another hall which connected to three different areas. The largest one, which had no door blocking it, was the kitchen. Entering it with a slouched back, he saw two people gathered around a glass table. "Mom? Why did you wake me up, you know I only get today to re--"

"Stop complaining. Come here and sit beside me." A middle aged woman with a few wrinkles present under her eyes beckoned him over with false anger. Beside her was a slightly older man, with grey hair and a messy beard, much like the young men.

"Aarush, sit. We have something important to talk about. Since those two are at school, this is the perfect chance for a serious conversation." The older man also called him over, but he seemed a lot more calm.

Raising an eyebrow, he walked over and sat in a heavy, silver chair, which was bordered by a metallic black. "What is it? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened, but something will happen." His mother spoke with a bit of arrogance filling her tone. Yet he noticed that her eyes gleamed with excitement.

Aarush became even more confused. He looked towards the older man, his father, trying to drag out what was sitting on their tongues. "What do you guys mean?"

"Let me ask you, how old are you?" Before his father could get a word out, Aarush's mother interrupted.

"How old am I? You know that already. Twenty eight." His confusion grew, while the laziness began to vanish. He knew something was up.

"Listen, we didn't mention this topic because you told us, six years ago, to give you time to first get settled. You wanted to finish your degree, get into medical school, then eventually become a physician. Well, it's been a few years now since you started working full time at the hospital. Plus, your salary is very high as well. We have a great house in a great community. Your older sister is married, your younger siblings still have a bit of time, but everything that you considered important is settled at the moment. Plus, if anything unexpected does occur, like your younger sister getting a proposal or anything alike, you are capable of handling it all." His mother had a serene look on her face as she spoke, yet the pride glinting within her gingery eyes couldn't be cloaked.

Again, he looked back at his father. "Dad, what's mom talking about? Why is she bringing all of this up?" Like before, his father didn't get a chance to speak a single word before his mom handed him a small, laminated paper.

"Look at it." Although a little wary, he still took the page and flipped it over. What he saw made wiped the clouds within his eyes. "What do you think?" His mother spoke, but his ears were plugged. Every sound just bounced off.

With a teasing look, she gently smacked the back of his head.

"What?" He looked over at his mother with a bright smile that looked almost childish.

"I'm asking, what do you think? You probably already know what this is about, right? So, do you want to?" His mother shook her head and asked again.

"Oh." He looked back at the picture and a smile unconsciously formed on his face. "I want to first meet her and see what she thinks."

"Haha." Suddenly, his mother began to laugh. "You're so cute. Don't worry, I already contacted the family and even spoke with the girl. Your dad and I actually visited them for an official proposal with your older sister. They all happily agreed."

"Wait, what?!" Getting up from his seat, he looked at his parents with wide eyes. He was dumbstruck. Unable to fathom the words coming from his mom. "You did this without asking me first? This is a huge decision, and you know that I'm literally the person involved, right? Plus, what if I didn't like her?"

"But you do like her. So do I, and your father, and your sister. Also, when did I need to ask you before doing anything? Or you my mother or am I yours?" She also got up and placed her hands on her hips.

"I didn't mean that, but like you should have atleast warned me. This is a major decision." He was still unable to come to his senses.

His mother sighed and walked forward and played with his hair smilingly. "Do you think I would ever make a decision that would only make you unhappy? Aliya and I know the type of girl you would like and this girl, Aeleya, meets it all. Sure, she is still in school, but she will be done in a few weeks, so the timing is perfect. She is Pakistani like us, and also comes from the same city. Honestly, this picture does her no good, she is an absolute beauty in person."

"I know that you guys wouldn't do anything bad, but this is major, you know? I would still like to meet her and get her opinion first." He calmed down and glanced at the picture. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't happy. The picture already made him speechless, plus the compliments from his mom were rare. It was not normal for her to compliment a girl as she did not see them as 'worthy' for him.

"Since you want to meet her so badly, then I won't stop you. They will be coming here tomorrow for the Engagement, so you can meet her then." Seeing as Aarush had more to say, she turned around and walked away, leaving only that bit of information.

Feeling a little helpless, he stared at his father. "Aarush, don't worry. Everything will be fine, plus Aliya was very approving of this girl as well. Aliya grew up here, so she knows more than both me and your mom. If she thinks that there isn't an issue, then why are you feeling so worried." Seeing that his son was still feeling a little unsure, Aarush's father walked forward and patted him on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, your sister did speak to the girl in private. She said everything was fine."

Hearing those words was the most comforting thing. Aarush finally felt his calm return. Unlike his parents, he was concerned that the girl in question, Aeleya, was being forced to say yes by her parents, however with his sister basically saying that wasn't the case, he felt relieved.

"So this is the girl I will be marrying? Although I always said I don't mind getting an arranged marriage, I never thought it would happen, and one similar to the olden days, where I haven't even seen the girl in person yet." He laughed a little while still looking at the girl in the picture.