Walking to Maya's grandmothers room in absolute silence was almost traumatising for me. Maya didn't even look at me while passing through the endless corridors of her tharavadu. it was a humongous place and even then I was crowded with relatives. the rooms weren't enough and because of that some of her relatives were sleeping in the terrace.

Reaching the double doors for the main hall Maya paused. she turned around to face me. her eyes slowly cutting me up in seven thousand pieces.

"No one here knows what happened." she spoke to me for the first time today.

"They all think I dropped out because im too stupid to understand law. except tara, not even my dad knows you here. your face was clearly invisible in that video. he thinks im some slut who made out with someone. so please don't do your modest act and start apologising or anything. your in the clear, like always. " maya snapped.

I tried my best to keep my face expressionless. but my pain must've been visible on my face. maya gave a satisfied smirk and pushed open the door.

"amumma you call I arrive" she shouted and walked in.

I felt frozen to the floor. I thought about my gains, my mother's name, to save my family from defamation. but instead I pushed an innocent girl into that. I deserve to burn in hell.

"Where is Adithya?" her grandmother's voice boomed "I called for him too"

"He was behind me.." maya started and at that moment I walked into the hall and flashed a smile.

Her grandmother smiled and asked me to sit in the nearby chair. I refused out of respect but she kept insisting and I obliged. I heard maya scoff, I chose to ignore it.

"I called you kids to ask for a favour." amumma flashed a motherly smile at me. this women projected love and kindness. too bad if she knew what I did to her granddaughter I wont be on the receiving end of  this smile.

"What favour? and why does he need to be here?" maya asked. her irritation clearly on her voice.

"Because I cant ask your cousins to be your fake husband now, can I ?" amumma said a sheepish smile spreading on her face.

"WHAT?????" several voices asked at the same time. that's when I got a good look around the room. the whole cousin gang was sitting behind me on the couch in the room and I didn't even notice. was they there when I came in?

Tara jumped up from her seat and stood next to maya. her head shaking wildly from side to side saying no in every single way.

"NO NO NO. that's not gonna happen. why do you need him to her fake husband?" Tara shouted

"Why does anyone need to be my fake husband?" maya snapped.

Shouts and protests filled the room and all I could do was to stay silent and dwell the shock from within.

"Shut up!!" tara's father walked into the room shouting. "why the hell are you guys shouting like this? is this a way to talk to your grandmother? don't you guys have any respect for her?"

"Jeevan uncle I have no idea what's going on, why would you want me to fake a marriage amumma?" maya snapped.

Amumma sighed and stood up from her seat, and walked upto maya " it is my fault, I did something stupid". amumma sighed again.

"Don't say that mom, its not your fault. we did that to get rid of Raji from maya's tail." Jeevan uncle said.

"Raji aunty? The astrologer's wife?" it was varun or vivek. I still wasn't sure of their names. The unmarried one spoke. " dude, that lady has been trying to get maya marry her son since like you turned eighteen. she is kind of obsessed with you"

" Shut up vivek" maya snapped. she started to fiddle with the strap of her watch. she is nervous. she always does that whenever she is upset or scared.

"Well... am I wrong? that's why you made her fake married isn't it?" he gasped " omg is she coming here? I have to hide or else shell try to set me up with-" his brother interrupted him " her son?"

They all laughed. a small smile appeared on maya's face.

"No, smartass. some other girl. who can resist this handsome face?" he did a body roll. I cringed internally.

They all groaned. Even Jeevan uncle and amumma. " I don't think that's gonna be an issue" amumma said. a small laugh burst out of me and the whole crowd turned towards me.

"oh yours still here?" vivek asked sheepishly, trying to shake off the embarrassment.

"still here" I shrugged. tara narrowed her eyes at me, I stared back.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. " I know its a lot to ask from you mone. but we need your help. if she finds out maya is still single, she will move up the proposal again, this time with her father" Jeevan uncle pleaded.

Maya went pale. Even tara's sneers went silent. Maya folded her arms into fists. She had some issues with her father. I felt the bad blood between them today in the hall, but was it this severe. Was her father so horrible that he would marry off his daughter to a family she doesn't like?

"That's not an option. Because her father. . . lets say its complicated. and he will decide on impulse and it will end badly for maya." Jeevan uncle grimaced

"if Raji comes here, she will find out that maya is single, she will press this proposal even more forcefully. and the only way to prevent her doing that is to convince that maya is not single, and being in a relationship is not enough affirmation. she knows every one of our boys since childhood, so we want you to be her fake husband for a day. just a day and you're done" he looked at with me hope in his eyes.

I glanced at maya. She was looking down. hands still in fists, jaw clenched. she was angry and embarrassed because she needed my help. I hate seeing her like this and I will do anything to help her. I didn't even had to think before saying yes.

It was like the whole room brightened up. even tara seemed relieved. only maya, only she was still scowling.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is so wrong with that women's son that you guys are so worried about?" I don't want her to marry anyone else, because I love her. but why was they all petrified about this guy?

It was amumma who spoke. " her son Hemant is. . . gay" she grimaced.

oh. OH. " and his mother doesn't know?"

"oh she knows, but she's in denial. she thinks if he gets married every thing will be solved" vivek said.

"I told her maya and you met in college and fell in love. you guys wanted to marry but her father disagreed and you guys eloped." amumma said sheepishly.

My eyes widened. I looked over at maya and found her looking at me with the shocked face as mine. two pink spots blooming in her cheeks. talk about irony.

" But" maya spoke " how are we going to convince dad to play along when she comes here?"

"Simple. she wont come here, you guys have to visit her" Jeevan uncle explained.

"We were already concerned about tara's wedding being done in such a condition. we wanted to consult with the astrologer ourselves. but with the lockdown in effect going there in a group, in a car is impossible"

"Then how will we go there?" maya asked.

'We' I like the sound of that.

"On vivek's bike of course" amumma spoke.

"What??" vivek shrieked and varun shushed him.

"You guys go there and ask him whether the muhurat of wedding can be postponed or not? if not you have do a sarvaaiswarya pooja for tara and arjun. for that you guys have to be there." amumma said.

"Two birds one stone. consulting the astrologer and convincing them of our marriage" I said.

"Then she wont even come to the wedding, I mean who am I kidding its not like she cares so much about tara's happiness that she would break the rules and come here. if she break the rules it will be for hemanth's marriage. this way we are eradicating that possibility" Jeevan uncle spoke rubbing the shoulder of a scowling vivek.

"Why my bike though?" vivek muttered.

"So are you in?" tara asked me.

"Yeah im in" I said looking straight into maya's eyes. she averted my eyes and plopped on to the bamboo armchair.

"Then we'll leave you kids to plan. vivek varun come with me, we need to pick out the short cuts for them to go without being caught by the police. the are barricading the main roads. Oh and remember, Ravi cant know about this" he walked over to amumma and helped her out of the room.

Then it was only me maya and tara.

The silence was too awkward. I didn't know what to say to maya. I mean technically shes my Wife. WIFE. wow

Tara cleared her throat. we both looked up at her " so. ." I started

"so. . . Congratulations on the Wedding. I guess" she squirmed.

"WHATT???" my brothers voice broke the silence.

"Arjun?" I stood up. Arjun ran in through the doors.

" You guys got married? oh my god im so happy CONGRATULATIONS BRO." he ran over and hugged me. I was gesturing him to shut up but he didn't even see it I guess.

"Maya. . ." he turned towards maya with his arms held wide for ahug.

" Arjun I don't think that's a " Tara protested but he didn't listen.

"maya. . . thankyou so much for giving him a chance. ughh! he was a mess. he was weeping every night like a a baby and. . ". I covered his mouth with my hands and dragged him away from her.

I pulled a protesting Arjun out the door with a laughing Tara with me, leaving a perplexed maya behind.

***********************************

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