"Come on! I know it looks dangerous but you can do it!!" I encouraged Ashwin who looked nervous.

"But it is risky!?" He said doubtfully.

"Oh you would be fine! You would get used to it!" I assured.

"You mean you would continue to take me out to the street "Panipuri" vendor?

Plus this pani puri looks so spicy!!!!" He complained. (Panipuri is an Indian street food which is spicy as well as sweet)

Actually Ashwin had came to meet me in my hometown. We had decided to keep a gap of one year between the engagement and the marriage. So surprise visits in our long distance relationships were frequent.

Since it was him who came to my hometown this week, I decided to take him out on a date.

He thought I would take him to a fancy restaurant in some kind of candle light dinner. But we used to do that every time I visited Ashwagadh.

So I decided to show him a life outside his palace. And his State. I borrowed my friend's bicycle and gave it to him. And then, made him ride with me on the narrowest gullies and forced him to eat the street food despite of him complaining about hygiene and how spicy the food is. There are some things which can be enjoyed only if you go out of your comfort zone.

Since no one here knew him, it was easy for us to roam around freely.

There is a small beach in my hometown. I took him at the evening time. We sat and ate "kulfi" (a kind of homemade ice cream)

"Hey, this was fun. I loved the way how whole day went" he said.

"I was scared that you would never be able to understand how I like to hang out. What the normal life is for a middle class family" I told him.

"And I was scared that you won't be able to get used to our way of living" he said.

"Let's make a pact. We would always stay friends for life. Relationship of husband and wife would always come later" I told him. I knew that belonging to entirely different roots meant that we both would be required to work hard.

It would not be a fairy tale romance like the stories. "Happily forever" never applies to real life. The real exam would start once we would get married and live under one roof.

"By the way here is something for you!" He handed me an envelope.

"Wow!! Thanks a lot dear" I hugged him after I opened and read it's contents. Actually it was an appointment letter from a very well reputed Archeological firm.

"You can finish your internship before the marriage and after that, you can be part of the Archeological department of my State" he promised.

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

There was a huge confusion. Why? Because the date of my marriage fell after 5 months. And yet we were unable to choose the venue of the marriage.

There was a reason. The guest list of the Prince and his family was long and too elite for me and my family was scared that we would end up with blunders if the guests weren't served properly. Our budget was falling short.

My dad assured me that he would mortgage our home to get the personal loan but I considered it stupid. How can you waste your lifetime's hard earned savings just to organise a lavish wedding just for some unknown people to observe and judge you?

In such cases it was difficult to find something that was elite as well as something that did came within the budget.

"Why did you call me so urgently" Ashwin was anxious.

I had called him and sent him a voice message to tell him to meet me as soon as possible as it was the matter of life and death. I expected him to take his time and visit me within a week. I didn't know that he would drive whole night just to reach at my home in the morning.

Greetings were exchanged and he spent some time with his parents until I urged him to meet me alone.

"We can't marry each other " I Said once we were alone in my room.

"But why?" Lines of worries crossed his handsome face.

"Because I have no interest in you" I lied. I was too proud to admit that our budget didn't just fit as per their standards.

" aha? I thought we were best friends. I can easily tell that you are lying" he said kissing my head.

And then I told him everything and requested him not to tell about it to his parents. I was scared of what would they would think.

"How about this? I sing you a lullaby, you go to sleep and next day, the fairy would come and all the problems would be vanished?" He smiled as he carried me to the bed.

"You think I am some kind of a baby believing in magic?" I asked, still worried.

"Yes you are my sweet little baby" he chuckled.

He took me into his arms. And the next moment I fell asleep due to his lullaby.

When I woke up next morning, he was nowhere to be seen. I called him up but I got the message that he was busy with some meeting. I was worried. What would he do next?

Suddenly my dad came to my room with a smile on his face.

"I got a call from the King. Apparently Ashwin wants the wedding to be very simple. So want us to book a hall for a very few guests that would include only his close family members " He beemed.

And my mother hugged me out of happiness. And I thanked God for giving me someone so understanding as a husband.

"Give me a thank you kiss" he demanded as we were chatting at night.

I thanked him for being so understanding.

"I am nervous about one more thing. Actually I am scared about first night. What if the sex turns out to be painful?" I confessed.

"Well I cannot do anything about it. First time is always painful. But Worry not. I shall wait for you to get mentally prepared before indulging into it. Besides You are my best friend forever. You have full right to demand what you want from me" He assured.

I smiled and wished him good night. and slept with a smile on my face. I shall see him soon. In my dreams.