Chapter 4) Past Was Beautiful 2

The flashback continued:

Two days later,  Dua was watching a movie with her father, and he was lost in his own world. Dua saw him and asked, "What is wrong, Papa? Where are you lost?" 

Her father sighed and looked at her, "Dua" 

She simply nodded at him. 

"Dua! My friend requested your hands for his son", Her father spoke, and his face was tense.

Dua was stunned, and her mouth was wide open.

"Marriage?", Dua asked her father, stunned as dozens of words and meanings flooded her mind. 

~Marriage, a legally and socially sanctioned union, between a man and a woman, that was regulated by laws, rules, customs, beliefs, and attitudes that prescribe the rights and duties of the partners and accords status to their offspring~ 

~Marriage - a bond/commitment between  not only a man and a woman but also between the two families~

Her heart palpitated as she didn't know what to tell her father.

"Dua, say something?" Her father inquired, aware of the situation.

His beloved daughter was still studying and had a long life ahead of her. 

"I am not sure what to say, Papa?", Dua did not consider marriage at such an early age. She was only nineteen years old and needed to complete her studies before launching her own fashion line. 

"My child, I understand what you are thinking. I was the same as you at the time when he suddenly asked about your marriage", Her father spoke and attempted to explain himself.

"Papa, I am only nineteen", Her father nodded as she spoke. 

Her father sighed weakly and continued to stare at her.

"I understand, which is why I did not say anything to him at the time. I would like to know what you think about this. You are my one and only daughter, and I do not want to rush you into any relationship", Her father said and smiled. He also wanted her daughter to stand up on her own. 

"What do you want, Papa?", Dua asked, but her heart was racing abnormally fast. 

"I am confused because I never think about your wedding. I mean, not soon. Maybe when you are 25, I will marry you off, but I saw his son. He is a good boy, and I like him", He said, sighing loudly again.

Dua regained control of her panicked self and attempted to smile while looking at her father.

"Papa! Will you give me some time to think, Papa? I am shivering right now. "You know me, I am not good at expressing myself, especially with others", Dua said, and her father understood her point. 

"Take your full time. I am not putting any pressure on you to do it", Her father spoke, and she smiled broadly because her father was the best. He always understood and supported her.

"Thank You, Papa. You are the best", she said, placing her head on her father's lap. He began stroking her hair.

"Papa", Dua called him. 

"Hmm?", Her father hummed in response.

"Do you like that boy?", She inquired about the boy.

"Yes", the smile on her father's face accelerated her heartbeat.

"But I did not see him when they came to our house", Dua asked confusedly.

"He came directly to the temple", her father explained, smiling at her. 

"What is his name?", Dua asked and fisted her hands to control her anxiety.

"Why? Are you interested in him?", Her father looked amused at her daughter.

"Papa, I am just asking his name", Dua groaned mentally.

"Oh, I have his picture on my phone from when we clicked outside the temple", Her father spoke, and she nodded and stood up from her seat. 

"Papa, I will see his picture tomorrow. "I am sleepy now.", She spoke and yawned loudly. 

Dua went into her room. Her father followed her. She lay down and immediately dozed off. Her father smiled and draped a blanket over her body.

"God bless you", Her father kissed her forehead and looked at her lovingly.

The next day, the heart of a father was pounding nervously inside his chest. 

"Dua, are you ready?", Her father asked her from outside her room.

"Yes, Papa, I am ready", Dua responded. Her father entered her room and noticed her daughter, who was dressed like a pink flower in a pink traditional Indian Saree.

"How am I looking, Papa?", Dua inquired. Her nervousness was making her dizzy, and while Saree was not her first choice, she chose to wear it because her father had asked her to.

"Princess! My daughter is a princess", Her words brought tears to his eyes. 

Her father asked Dua about the marriage. Dua said she needed time to think about it. He gave her time. 

Dua agreed to the marriage after seeing the boy's picture the next day, but her father wanted her to make an informed decision, so he invited his friends to his home with his son. They agreed, and now they are all here to see her. Especially the boy who wished to see Dua.

"Let us go. everyone is waiting for you", Her father spoke, clutching her cold hands in his, and began to walk to the location where his friends were waiting for his beautiful Princess.

Dua greeted everyone, and they smiled back. Her father forced her to sit on the seat beside him. Dua was so caught up in herself that she did not say anything to anyone. Just staring at the ground.

"Dua", Her father summoned her, and she raised her brows in a questioning manner. Her father shook his head.

"Dua! You met my friends and his family, correct?", Her father asked, and Dua nodded.

"Now meet their son, 'Prathvik' ", Her father motioned for her to look at the boy, and unknowingly, her gaze fell on the boy, who had a small smile on his lips. 

'PRATHVIK!', Dua whispered his name softly, her heart skipping a beat as she and Prathvik stared at each other.

….

Thank You 

ShineeSunshine ❤️