The Unseen Pull

"Life often places us at a crossroads, where the decisions we resist the most lead us to the paths we were always meant to walk."

Aarav Sharma had always been the ideal son. At 28, he was a rising star in the world of AI engineering, working at a prestigious tech company in San Francisco. His days were consumed by algorithms, code, and deadlines, with little room for anything else. He had always placed his career first, believing that love and marriage would follow naturally in due time, once he was “settled.” For now, he wasn’t interested in anything else.

However, his family had other ideas. His four sisters, especially the eldest, Nisha, constantly nudged him toward the idea of marriage. They had been trying to set him up with potential brides for months. Each time, Aarav skillfully dodged the subject. “I’m not ready,” he would say. “My work is my priority right now.”

This tactic worked for a while, but his family wasn’t backing down. They were insistent that he find a suitable match. The pressure grew, especially when his mother sent a message one evening: “Aarav, we’ve found someone for you. Sanvi Pathak. She’s perfect for you. Please consider it.”

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Aarav, but he hadn’t really paid attention. Another name, another proposal, he thought. He quickly skimmed through the message, ignoring the rest of the details.

I’m not ready for this, he thought, sighing as he put the phone down.

The next few days brought more persistent messages from his family. Nisha, who seemed to take charge of his marital affairs, wouldn’t let up.

“Aarav, this girl Sanvi is amazing. She’s well-educated, from a respectable family, and I’m sure you’ll like her.”

Aarav rolled his eyes and replied: “I’m busy, Nisha. I told you, I’m not thinking about marriage right now.”

But his words never stopped the flow of messages. His sisters sent reminders, almost as if to say, you can’t avoid this forever. His father called him, his mother sent messages, all pushing the idea of marriage. They didn’t seem to understand that he simply wasn’t interested. He was content with his life the way it was.

Meanwhile, in Pune, Sanvi Pathak, a 23-year-old cybersecurity professional, was facing a similar situation. Sanvi was ambitious, driven, and focused on her career. She had just begun to make a name for herself at a growing startup, and marriage wasn’t on her radar. Yet, like Aarav, the pressure from her family to settle down had started.

Her parents, traditional and loving, had begun dropping hints about marriage. As the eldest daughter, Sanvi knew the expectations were higher for her. But, she had always dreamed of love, not an arranged marriage. Still, when her mother began mentioning Aarav Sharma—a successful, highly educated man from a well-off family—Sanvi couldn’t help but listen.

Her mother showed her his picture, spoke about how well he was doing in America, and how perfect he seemed. “Sanvi, he seems like the one. You should meet him,” her mother insisted. But Sanvi wasn’t convinced. She wanted something more than just an arrangement, more than just a name and a picture. She wanted a connection, not a compromise.

Despite her hesitation, Sanvi agreed to meet him, but she had no intention of letting it go further. In her mind, it was just a formality. She wasn’t interested in marrying a stranger, no matter how perfect he seemed on paper.

Just like Aarav, Sanvi wasn’t ready for this marriage discussion. Both were being pushed toward a union they didn’t yet want. Both were trying to avoid it in their own ways, yet the weight of family expectations kept pushing them together.

Aarav had been planning to avoid the situation for as long as possible. He ignored his family’s attempts to set him up with Sanvi, telling them that he was focused on work. He was too busy to entertain the idea of marriage. But his family didn’t back off. They continued to nudge him, trying to persuade him to meet Sanvi, making all sorts of excuses for him to agree.

Aarav knew he couldn’t keep dodging them forever, but he didn’t want to meet Sanvi just because his family expected it. He wasn’t ready to be a part of an arranged match, especially with someone he didn’t know.

One day, after yet another group chat reminder from his sisters, Aarav decided he needed to do something drastic. He sent his family a text saying: “I’m not meeting anyone. I don’t want to talk about marriage right now. My focus is on my work.”

He was hoping this would end the discussion, but it didn’t. His family’s persistence grew. They didn’t take his rejection seriously, instead pushing him to meet Sanvi just once. “It’ll just be a meeting, Aarav. You don’t have to decide anything. Just meet her,” Nisha texted him.

Reluctantly, Aarav agreed. But he still wasn’t convinced. He had no intention of letting this meeting go anywhere. Sanvi would just be another name on the list of potential brides. He would meet her, smile, and then move on with his life.

Sanvi, on the other hand, was preparing herself for the inevitable. She wasn’t excited about the meeting, but she knew her family’s expectations were non-negotiable. She decided to put her best foot forward. She didn’t know what she would find, but at least she would be able to say she gave it a chance.

Neither Aarav nor Sanvi knew it yet, but their lives were about to change. Their paths were crossing, and neither of them could escape the pull of destiny for much longer. Though both tried to avoid it, the connection between them was already forming, quietly, invisibly—waiting for the right moment to reveal itself.

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