Knotted Destiny

Rattling and tinkling sounds of plates and glasses echoed in the cafe. All the workers were busy attending and serving the guests, the cafe was silent. Only soft whisperings of people could be heard.

But there were two more people in the café, locked in an intense stare-no, a glare. Their silent battle of eyes was louder than any conversation in the bustling café.

The waiter standing at their table shifted nervously, torn in a dilemma between his duty and the thick tension hanging in the air. Should he interrupt? Should he wait? But he had no choice-he had to take their order. After all, the two guests were none other than Aarav Malhotra, the country's rising billionaire, and Purvi Ahuja, the rising chef of The Ahuja Palace and the daughter of Prataap Ahuja, owner of India's most successful and rapidly growing hotel chains.

"S-Sir... Ma'am, what would you like to o-order?" the waiter stammered, his voice barely steady.

"Just water," Purvi said curtly, finally breaking the intense staring contest.

"What?!" Aarav exclaimed, visibly shocked. Then, turning to the waiter, he rattled off his order. "I'll have a frappuccino, one tiramisu-actually, make that two-one blueberry cheesecake, one baklava cheesecake, and hmm..." He scanned the menu thoughtfully. "No, that's enough." He flashed a bright, confident smile at the waiter, who hurriedly jotted everything down.

Purvi, still watching him, looked utterly stunned.

Who the hell orders so much when they are on an 'accidental date'?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the waiter. "Ma'am, would you like anything else?" he asked again, noticing that she had only ordered a glass of water.

"Um... I'll have a cappuccino," she replied, realizing how awkward it would be to sit there sipping just water while the man across from her indulged in a full-fledged meal.

"Alright! I'll be right back with your order," the waiter said before walking away.

The moment he was out of earshot, Aarav turned to her, his expression darkening. "Now, tell me-what the fuck are you doing here?" he snapped.

Purvi's eyes flared with anger. "Don't you dare talk to me like that! And I could ask you the same thing, Mister!" she shot back, her voice laced with defiance.

"Mujhe Mummy ne bola yahan aane ko wedding planner se baat karne ke liye! Tum wedding planner ho kya?" Aarav whined, his darkened expression shifting in an instant. [My mom told me to come here to talk to the wedding planner! Are you the wedding planner?]

"Nhii! Muje bhi yehi bola tha Ma ne ki koi wedding planner ayega! I should have known her plan!" Purvi sighed, realization dawning upon her. [No! Mom told me the same thing, that a wedding planner would come! I should have known her plan!]

Both of them exhaled in unison.

"It was all their plan," Purvi muttered, to which Aarav nodded, equally exasperated.

"Uh-well, you know we can't really be like this," Aarav said, subtly hinting at their infamous chattis ka aakda (constant bickering).

"Yeah, uh-I'm forgiving you only because we're getting married and we can't behave like this in front of our parents," Purvi stated firmly.