"Ravi?"
"Is it not Alex?" Riya was puzzled.
Was it a Wrong Date?
On the phone, her father assured again: "It is Ravi, not Alex. You went out with the wrong guy. Please read the address carefully again."
Riya re-read the navigation her father had sent her.
Same name until she read...
The street had two cafés having the same exact name.
Who does that?!
Sweat rolled down her temple.
(╥_╥)
What a mess!
Clearly, she got along so much better with Alex!
They just connected immediately. The talk. The vibe. The chemistry.
So why in the world was he not her blind date?!
-----------
As it happened, at the coffee shop opposite the road, Ravi got a note from Mr. Raghavan and discovered Riya was across the street.
He got up, glanced out of the window, and saw Riya.
With enthusiasm surging inside him, he waved at her.
"So that is her..." Ravi's heart thumped wildly.
Just like Uncle Raghavan said, a true beauty.
And more than that, a golden ticket.
After all, Uncle Raghavan only has one daughter.
Once they are married, merging both families' businesses would be inevitable.
And after Uncle Raghavan... well, all that empire would be his.
But when he saw Riya and Alex talking and laughing, clearly having a great time, Ravi's face suddenly turned dark.
Damn it!
Is Riya not having a date with me today?
Where did this guy come from?
Who the hell is this man?
He was so angry that he could kill Alex just by looking at him.
Furiously, Ravi approached, glared at Alex, and ordered Riya to return to the café opposite.
Riya was also downcast.
What a mess.
She felt dejected after realizing the blind date partner was not Alex.
But her father sent message after message, informing her she had to go and see Ravi.
To her father's way of thinking, individuals with Ravi's background were fit to be with his daughter.
What sort of individual was one like Alex, whose past was uncertain?
Riya had no option but to bid Alex farewell, distraught, and proceeded to the café on the opposite side of the road with Ravi and stayed at the same table for some time.
She did not want to leave.
Ravi's eyelids twitched wildly. He was extremely upset.
What is happening?
Are you not going out on a date with me?
Why are your eyes always fixed on that boy on the opposite side of the road?
At this juncture, Alex's blind date also showed up.
Since Alex looked very good, Anjali spotted him at once.
"I was just practicing, hence I am a little late. You arrived early as a male, you cannot have such a weak heart, yes? You do not care if I am thirty minutes late, do you? I am available today, otherwise I actually did not have time to come."
Anjali, with heavy makeup, sat opposite Alex with an arrogant attitude.
The manner in which she spoke was such that meeting Alex seemed like a courtesy she was allowing.
Alex was puzzled.
What attitude is this?
She is late by over half an hour.
And then moral blackmail? Quoting that I should put up with it?
Alex smiled, already not interested in going on.
But Anjali did not have any such reservations, and set about at once to go through her specifications for selecting a husband.
"I have also heard your aunt speak about your situation. She told me you graduated from a good university and are employed in a security firm."
"Now, I must introduce myself for the sake of formality. I am Anjali, a YouTube fitness blogger."
"My expectations for selecting a husband are low. All your earnings after marriage will go to me."
"And besides, I also love to travel. I treat myself every few months with money to go travel with my girlfriends. You can manage that, can you not?"
"About the dowry, $5,000 should do. That should be manageable, is it not? You know, $5,000 is even cheap for me."
"Okay, let us discuss the house. Around 1,800 square feet should do, and there has to be my name on it."
"If it is possible, it would be great if you could purchase me a car. Not Maserati or Porsche. I am not that greedy. BMW or Audi will do. Take it as security for my future."
"That is all I want."
"How is it? Can you afford it?"
Anjali mentioned all her terms in one breath.
The rest of the coffee drinkers in the shop nearly spat it out upon hearing this.
Are these terms for marriage?
All salaries should be handed over!
Name on a flat!
A betrothal gift of $5,000!
A BMW or an Audi?
Wow.
Is this a blind date or a sponsorship ad?
Shoppers around him covered their faces, silently lamenting the state of modern dating.
Are marriage expectations in the modern era this crazy?
Alex's head throbbed after hearing all her nonsense.
Because the other party had been so arrogant, late, and irritatedly selfish while listing all these outlandish terms, he did not even bother to play along with the politeness.
"Where do you get the guts to request all this?"
"Your confidence is more than rush hour traffic!"
"You are well over 30. No offense, but you are obviously what was left after everybody else took their share."
"Who taught you so much self-confidence?"
Alex spoke it with the serenity of a monk but the venom of a cobra.
"Pfft!"
The patrons nearby gagged on their drinks.
What a ruthless retort!
Clean bowled.
Anjali's ego shattered.
"I was trying to be polite by pretending to respect your profession," she snarled, her voice strained.
"But come on, you are just a security guard, are you not?"
"A woman like me even agreeing to this date is a favour!"
"And you have the audacity to insult me? You poor man!"
"Who would even look at you? If not me?"
Alex smirked and lazily gestured towards Riya sitting across the road.
"You serious?" he said.
"Look at her, clearly from a wealthy family. What would somebody like her have to do with a security guard like me? Right?"
Anjali erupted in furious laughter.
"Hah! If you two ever do get together, I will... I will eat cow dung!"
But before she could complete her curse, Alex turned and left for Riya.
"You have been talking for 10 minutes," he said calmly.
"That is more than enough. Let us go."
Ravi was puzzled.
"Who are you to determine that..."
But then...
Riya stood up.
Face glowing. Eyes sparkling.
She did not even hesitate.
She happily walked away with Alex.
But not without leaving a polite dagger behind.
"Thanks for the coffee, Brother Ravi. Alex is right. Ten minutes is enough. We have got other plans tonight. Bye~"
Ravi: "…????"