PROLOGUE

A night view of the beautiful city of Canada is shown before us. While the city is bustling with lights and noises, we zoom through the various buildings and past the window of an apartment. A girl seems to be getting ready to go somewhere. She is wearing a blue-green sari which is floating around her plum body. She applied kaajal on her hazel nut eyes, nude lipstick on her rosy lips and a bindi on her forehead. She adorned pearl earrings and a matching bracelet on her right wrist. She felt satisfied and moved to the side table to get her clutch and cell phone. She was about to leave her apartment when she turned back and faces us.

Girl: Hello, I guess you guys have been watching me. What’s the matter, huh?

Readers: Er, sorry, actually Daljeet took us here. She was trying to tell us a new story and we found ourselves inside your apartment. If you don’t mind, can you tell us who you are?

Girl: Oh Daljeet. She is a crazy woman; always after some unconventional plots for her stories. But wait, what is she doing here in my room? I don’t have anything unconventional to offer. I’m just an unmarried Oncologist who is going to turn 30 this year. My life is so boring that nothing can be written about it. I wonder what she is up to.

Readers: Err...are you Kushi Malik by any chance?

Girl: Oops, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Kushi, Kushi Singh Malik, Lucknow se. But right now I’m in Canada because I work here.

Readers (grinning): Okay then we are at the right place. You are the heroine of our story.

Kushi(dumbstruck): Really? I’m a professionally successful single fat woman. I could really be the heroine of a story?

Readers: ermm...well with writers like Daljeet, anyone can be a heroine, you or us.Where are you heading to?

Kushi: Today is my friends’Anjali and Viren’s wedding anniversary. There is a party at her home. So I’m going there. Are you guys coming there to?

Readers: Well maybe, if Daljeet wishes.

Kushi: Hmm okay. I’m going to hire a cab, why don’t you join me then

Readers: With pleasure.

Kushi: Okay.

With that Kushi switched off the lights and left the apartment with us. We hired a cab and are now heading to Anjali’s home.

Readers: If you don’t think, we are probing, how long you guys have been friends?

Kushi (happy): Anjali and I go a long way back. We had been college mates for medicine and best friends from day one. Viren was our senior who was the first one to rag us on the campus. But they fell in love and got married. I was their cupid, so we grew to become three close friends over the years. He is a nice man and they are an apt couple.

Readers (with a grin): Are you close to other members of their family?

Kushi: Of course. I used to visit Anjali’s home since we both attended the course from Mumbai which was her home back then. Her mother Maya aunty was such a lovely woman. She used to sent me homemade parathas and chicken curry and kheer etc. She loved me like her own daughter. Sigh.

Readers: Hey what happened, why are you suddenly gloomy?

Kushi: Nothing, Maya Aunty is no more. I was thinking about those old days.

Readers: Oh sorry.

Kushi: It’s okay.

Readers: Hmm...Okay....doesn’t Anjali have a ... (smirking)...Brother?

Kushi: Yes, Arnav. He is a nice boy. Actually we had started on wrong foot when we first met. But now everything is okay between us. Now he is like a brother-come-friend to me.

Readers gaped hearing Kushi addressing him as ‘brother’.

Kushi: He is organizing the party today, so you will get to meet him there. He is quite handsome if anyone of you wants to try your luck.

Kushi winked at the gaping readers unaware of what is going through their mind. Readers, felt confused but wisely kept quite to see what is going to happen next. They reached the venue in another ten minutes. Kushi had bought a gift for the pair and entered their house with a pleasant face. She couldn’t see Anjali anywhere but she saw Arnav inside the kitchen and a smile appeared on her face. Seeing her smile, we readers looked in the same direction.

From above the five tier cake a brown haired guy’s handsome face appears. He is giving the final touch to the cake topping. He has his tongue touching his upper lip and one eye closed while he was doing that; oh my, should I describe how handsome he is! He looked so boyish when he did that, that we readers wanted to go and have a feast over him before the cake. There stood Arnav Singh Raizada, with an apron around his neck and carefully setting the anniversary cake. He is excellent at baking and he has made this cake especially for his sister and brother-in-law. He was about to light the cake when Kushi appeared before him.

Kushi: Arnav, where is Anjali?

Arnav: Kushiii!!They are getting ready; guests can arrive any moment. Come here, light this cake.

Kushi: Me? ...Okay.

She kept her gift aside and got the match sticks and lighted the candles on the cake.

Kushi: Wow Arnav, it smells yummy. Anjali will love it.

Arnav: I Love You.

Kushi thought Arnav was fooling her like always. She turned her face sideways to face Arnav, smiling. He was looking at her with a smile.

Kushi(chuckling): What?

Arnav sighed; she has been ignoring the obvious hints he dropped every now and then. Either she is naive or simply ignoring his feelings. Whatever it is, he could not let it continue. He clarified her doubts in such a way that she won’t doubt his intentions ever. He lightly brushed his lips with hers.

Arnav: I Love You Kushi.

Kushi stood dumbstruck not able to understand what was happening. Readers scoffed; and she said her life cannot be the subject for an unconventional theme.

Readers: Haa, now we just have to wait and watch the fun. But wait, if Kushi won’t mind, can we have a dig at the delicious cake and the yummy baker (wink).