"I did not know you could cook."
Avija laughed and gave me a playful look.
"There are a lot of things you do not know about me yet, Armaan. I can do everything when I set my mind to it."
I was about to respond when I noticed Girish ji's expression. He had been studying the kundalis silently, his eyes moving backand forth between the two pieces of paper. But now his face had changed. His brow was furrowed deeply, and his mouth was pressed into a tight line.
Something was wrong.
Dadi noticed it too.
"Girish ji?" she asked, her voice hesitant. "Is everything alright?"
Girish ji looked up slowly. He shook his head.
"I am afraid this marriage cannot happen."
The room went completely silent.
Everyone stared at him. Dadi's face had gone pale. Avija looked shocked, her hand frozen halfway to her mouth. Vinay uncle leaned forward, his expression confused. Sangeetha aunty's eyes were wide.
Dadi found her voice first.
"What do you mean it cannot happen? What is the issue, Girish ji? Please explain."
Girish ji set the papers down on the table and folded his hands.
"There is a flaw in Armaan's kundali. A very serious one. His chart and Avija's chart are not compatible. If they marry, the consequences will be severe. According to the planetary positions, if this marriage takes place, Avija will not survive beyond one year."
"What rubbish," I said sharply, my voice cutting through the stunned silence.
I looked around the room. Avija's face had gone completely white. Her father looked deeply concerned. Dadi was staring at Girish ji with an expression I had never seen before. Pure terror. I knew exactly what she was thinking. She was remembering my mother. She was reliving the loss all over again.
Sangeetha aunty was the first to recover. She sat up straighter, her mind clearly working through possibilities.
"There must be some solution," she said firmly. "Some puja or ritual we can perform to remove this flaw. There has to be a way."
Girish ji was silent for a long moment, his eyes scanning the kundalis again. Then he looked up.
"There is one solution. But it is not simple."
Everyone leaned forward.
"Armaan must marry a girl who was born in the same nakshatra as him," Girish ji said slowly. He mentioned a specific nakshatra name that I barely registered. "He must remain married to this girl for one full year. This will calm the malefic effects of his planetary position. After one year, he can divorce that girl and marry Avija safely."
Avija's eyes filled with tears. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold back a sob.
I stood up abruptly.
"What kind of stupid solution is this? You want me to marry some random woman and stay married to her for a year? What if something happens to her? Are we planning a murder here?"
I could see the fear in Avija's eyes. She was terrified. But before anyone could respond, Sangeetha aunty suddenly stood up and walked out of the room.
I turned to Girish ji, my anger barely contained.
"I do not believe in any of this. Just give us a wedding date. I do not care about nakshatras or flaws or any of it."
Dadi's voice was sharp and final.
