Uncharted Lovers

broken only by the quiet hum of the workplace air conditioner. Within the workplace, the world was a flurry of deadlines and statistics, even as th

on the desk. Her mother's name was on the screen. Afte

enderness in her mother's voice contra

ra tried to seem upbeat as she answered,

e you going to take a break? You know, I

s, Mom, I understand. You w

s your future. Your father and I have discovered someone who wou

heard numerous times before. "Mom, I truly can't

He is well-known, hails from a reputable family, and "Moreover?" Amara cut him off. "

he's a nice guy. Before you write off the c

closed her eyes. "Mom, I'm bu

You're not being asked to decide right now. T

gazed at the bright screen. She was being pulled farther away from the life she had painstakingly

deciding between two outfits. She felt stuck in a social routine that each one of them appeared to scorn. In the hopes t

orary place tucked away in the middle of the metropolis. Her mother had sent

de the restaurant, along with the sound of courteous conversation. Her gaze swept over the space, coming to rest on a guy sitting at a two-person table. When s

ugh he spoke in a smooth and courteous manner, A

to meet you, she said with

r relationship. Although polite, Rohan seemed aloof, acting more like he was reading from a screenplay than having a re

ike to do?" As he drank his water, Roh

nses. "I enjoy travelling and reading." Nevertheless, I don't ha

understand. Maintaining one's concentration on

ward. Finding her true self appeared to be less of the focus of the talk than trying to fit her i

hone when she got home: *"How was dinner?

herself torn between what her family expected of her and her yearning for freedom.

erned more by custom than by her own decisions? A fresh doubt settled in her heart as she considered these

hts and got ready for bed. Had her being so aloof been a mistake? Was there a

ly lit room, suggesting that this was just t