I was still unsure of I was excited for myself or disappointed for my sister. A dinner party was hosted at the Gulati's three storey house in Paschim Vihar, Delhi. The Mehrotras and Sodhis, who happened to be committed friends of our families were invited too.

I had decided to say yes to the opportunity that Uncle Mehrotra had put up in front of me. Everyone had made themselves comfortable in the lavish living hall of the Gulati family home. Advay had only met my eyes once when he had welcomes us all. He avoided looking at me after that. While the Junior Mehrotra was time and again glancing at me. 

Beeji had connected over a zoom call. They had decided that from a month from now they would get Navi and Advay engaged in Delhi, and then six months later, in December they would get them married in Amritsar.

Sweets were exchanged, congratulations were in order.  I smiled as Navi beamed. I had to admit, she was much much happier since she had met Advay. My parents were overjoyed too. I didn't have the heart to taint all of this happiness because of ASG's stupid feelings for me. Maybe with time he'd understand that he couldn't get a partner better then Navi and that he was stupid to think he likes me.

"Congratulations, on your sister's alliance with my vest friend." I heard a voice from behind. I turned to my head to my right, looking over my shoulder at Mehrotra Junior. 

"Better warn your friend to treat my sister like a queen, or..."

"... you'll treat him like a war prisoner?" He prompted before I could complete.

"Worse," I answered, watching my sister being showered with gifts from her to-be-in-laws. 

"I need to talk to you, in private," He said, his gaze was also fixed on my sister.

"I am not interested!"

"Easy, volcano. It's about that stalker." Saying that he retreated back, and walked away to stand behind the sofa where his friend sat.

I sighed. Wait, he called me a volcano, again! And I said nothing, again! What did he want want talk about the stalker?

I was propelled out of my thoughts as I was called forward for the photographs.

Kaamini Sodhi, the Gulati's neighbor, and one of my mother's good friend made a loud remark that got everyone's attention. "Chaddha Ji, now you should get busy finding a groom for our Avni."

"Aunty, forget about me, you should start looking for a bride or maybe groom for Tushaar Bhaiya." I gave her a sugar-coated smile referring to her son. So, a little back story, here. Months earlier, she had tried to propose the alliance of her son with me. But I had very smartly ended up calling him Bhaiya to which she had taken offense but mummy somehow had managed the situation back then. Ever since then, she always took the opportunity to taunt me and interfere in my life, love life to be specific, the non existent love-lofe to be accuratelyspecifi. "Where is he?" I asked wearing an innocent expression. 

"Work, now one can't get rich by just sitting idly at home, right?" She smiled back at me. More like forced her lips to curve up. 

"Avni, beta. I forgot the sweets in the car, please go get them." My mother spoke up, before I could find a new taunt or remark for aunty, giving me a reprimanded look.

I rolled my eyes at her, "gladly." Saying that I walked outside. As I retreated, I heard Kaamini aunty target Aman for marriage. The woman was obsessed with getting the Indian youngsters married. Apparently, she had hand in getting Advay's elder cousin  Juhi married.

I simply walked over to the sweet shops lined up on the main road. I asked the man behind the counter to give me a kilo of kaju katlis. 

"So, what did you think?"

I turned sharply to find Uncle Mehrotra standing behind me. Dammit. He was as fast and as quiet lightning was, unlike thunder that was loud and slow.

"Yes." I answered.

He smiled. Before he could say anything the man behind the counter handed me the box of sweets and a bill asking me to pay the bill over the other counter. I nodded and proceeded to pay the bill.

"Let me take this," Uncle Mehrotra said taking charge of the cloth bag that had the box of sweet. "You can read and sign this." He handed me a a few sheets of paper that were stapled together.

"So, how is it going to proceed from here?" I asked curiously, as we slowly made our way out of the shop.

"For the next five months you'll be trained. Address one on that sheet is where you will have to report. You'll be assigned a badge number and they will take you for further assessments to determine your strengths and weaknesses. Based on that, they'll give you further directions. You'll be enrolled in a few training programs. You need to pass the tests they give you on the way and the final exam at the end of the tenure. If you pass, you'll be given local assignments and you'll be evaluated on your performance. If you do well, you'll be promoted to bigger projects. Clear?"

"Crystal." I answered. "What do I tell mummy papa?"

"Avni dear, that's up to you. Until the training is complete you have to manage it on your own. When you'll be given official assignments, there's a dedicated team that will give you a cover job and cover for your lies so that you can lead your second life as an agent."

"Wow, feels like a movie." I remarked.

He chuckled, pushing open the gate, as we reached the Gualti's house.

"So, seems like you don't get along well with Mrs Sodhi "

"Yeah, we have a history of sorts." I muttered. "I will take that." I said pointing to the bag he had been carrying. 

"I will need you to sign that and handover, all the papers to me except the last."

I nodded, glancing at his shirt pocket, "Pen?"

He plucked the pen that was in his shirt pocket handing it to me. I quickly placed the paper against the wall and signed all the papers as he directed her to. I then handed it to him while he gave the cloth bag back to me.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked looking at him.

"Fire away!"

"Your family doesn't know that you work for...?"

"Nope, no one knows. Avni, no one can know. It becomes a high risk for you as well as for them. In our field of work, we never disclose the identities, it's only on need-to-know basis. If at any point, there's anything, that you can't figure it out on your own, you know where to find me."

I nodded. There was something about him that made me certain that I could trust him like I trusted my own father.

"Welcome to the team!" He said with a dazzling smile and walked out. "I will make some calls and be back."

I entered through the widely opened door. I walked over to the hall and handed the cloth bag to my mother who smiled at me. Probably thanking me for making her story true by bringing sweets. "Don't talk to Kaamni aunty like that." She whispered into my ears.

"Tell her to stop commenting on me or my life." I whispered back.

"Avni!" She whispered, showing me narrowed eyes that said, don't you answer back.

"Where are the younger people?" I asked noticing that Aman, Advay, Navi and Neelam Sodhi were all absent. 

"They've all gone to the terrace. You go too." Mummy said.

"Yeah, the last thing I want is to be with aunties here."  I whispered back only to get a glare from her mother followed by a discreet whack on my hand. Only hours earlier she was calling me her favorite child when I wore the Punjabi suit she had been pleading me to wear and now this is how I get treated. 

"What took you so long?" A voice from the shadows almost startled me as I made my way up the stairs all the way to the terrace. Mehrotra junior stepped out from the shadows. 

Oh yes, he wanted to talk, in private. The father son duo had a weird way of announcing themselves.

"This way please," He said stepping away, forwarding his way towards the dark corner where he had been standing. "I don't really want to get into a hand to hand combat, by holding your hand without your permission. At least no right now." He added.

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms. "Where are the others?" 

He pointed in the direction behind me. "They're in that room."

I sighed and stepped into the dark corner. He followed me behind.

"What is it?"

"I think you're being stalked not me." He said.

"What!" I exclaimed. 

He reached out to his pocket and brought out a card. "I found this in the basement that day. I dug around a bit and this happens to belong to a member of the Country Club. But, there's soothing on it that we can use to establish an identity."

I took the card from his hand and analyzed it. It was a ticket to an IPL match casting in Country Club, for that same day. I looked up at him, "how can you be sure this belongs to that guy?"

"It fell out of his pocket when he ran. I noticed it falling from his pocket."

"Great. And why do you think I am being stalked?" I asked him further.

"Because I went through the entire list of members who attended the match on that day and none of them could be linked to me or any of my cases."

I stared at the card thoughtfully. Why would anyone stalk me? Or maybe, he was being stalked by someone who was hired to do the job?

"Fine," I said taking the card. I began walking away.

He was quick in blocking my way. "What? No reaction? Nothing? Someone is stalking you!"

"Maybe or maybe not." I muttered. 

"Of course, you're into stalking so not big a deal for you." He commented.

"I was stalking Advay, because I had good reason for it. And it's good I did, because I wouldn't know what a man of low morals he is."

"Hey, hey. Go easy on him. It's not his fault if he ends up liking you. Though I can't seem to comprehend why. But anyway, at least he was straightforward, he didn't lie about his feelings. He's not as bad as you think he is. He is a nice man. Just that liking you was his blunder. But if he's going to go ahead and enter the relationship with your sister, he'll honor it."

"You fight a lot of cases as the defense?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You sound like a trained defense lawyer." I muttered.

Slowly the corners of his lips lifted up. "Whatever! Beside you indeed look like a tomato today, dressed in red." He commented with a smirk. "See you around."

My jaw hung open. He called me tomato, again! 

"By the way," he turned around, "I liked how you gave back to Mrs. Sodhi. She's a pain in the ...you know." He smiled, turning back.

"Oh and," He turned back again after taking a few steps ahead, " you may want to work on your upper cuts, they're a little clumsy. Google Knockout boxing classes, they're pretty good." He winked and turned around walking away.

I stared at his retreating figure. My upper cuts are good enough. He just can't digest a defeat from a me. I huffed. 

"Fuddu!"

• • • • • • • •

Hey! 

I think this story hasn't received that great a response. I am not sure why, please help me understand. Is it boring? Would you prefer a third person narrative instead of this first person narrative? 

If this continues to receive lukewarm response, then I will discontinue this and work on some other story. Let me know.

-Anami! ♡